The Infinix HOT 30 PLAY, Xiaomi Redmi 12C and the Samsung A04S are three midrange price smartphones right now in the market. The price ranges of these three smartphones range between KES 15,500 to 21,500 as they all come in different RAM and ROM varieties. These three smartphones also share some specifications like the 50MP Rear Camera for the Redmi 12C and Samsung A04S. But as for the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY has a 16MP Main Camera which still stands out. Also, the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY has the maximum available RAM, that is 8GB + 8GB Expandable RAM which will give you 16GB of RAM which the Redmi 12C cannot arrive at as it has 3GB/4GB and a memory expansion that will give you 11GB’s of RAM. The Samsung A04S only has 3GB/4GB static RAM.
The biggest out of box spec is that the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY comes with Android 13 OS while the Redmi 12C and Samsung A04S come with Android 12 OS. Another big difference comes on the screen size as the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY comes with a bigger screen of 6.78’’ while the Redmi 12C and the Samsung A04S come with screen size of 6.71’’ and 6.5’’ respectively. Read my full review of the Infinix HOT 30 Play here.
When it comes to the processor, the Samsung A04S is powered by a more powerful processor, that is, the Exynos 850. Second powerful processor comes Redmi 12C with the MediaTek Helio G85 and last comes Infinix HOT 30 PLAY with MediaTek Helio G37.
The phone with the maximum battery capacity is the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY with 6000mAh followed by both Samsung A04S and the Redmi 12C with the same 5000mAh battery capacity.
The most visible difference is at the back of these smartphones. The Infinix HOT 30 PLAY and the Redmi 12C both have a Dual Camera setup while the Samsung A04S has a Tripple Rear Camera setup. Although they have different camera setups, the Redmi 12C and the Samsung A04S do share the same 50MP Main Camera lens. Only the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY has a 16MP Main Camera.
At the top of the Samsung A04S and Redmi 12C is a 5MP Selfie Camera in a Water Drop Notch Style and no flash is present. On the other hand, the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY has an 8MP Dot in Screen selfie camera Style with flash. Unfortunately none of these smartphones support Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).
In this article I will highlight the differences and similarities between the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY, the Samsung A04S and the Xiaomi Redmi 12C. The price comparison is at the end of this article. But first, let’s look at each phone separately.
Infinix HOT 30 PLAY
The Infinix HOT 30 PLAY is part of the newly launched Infinix HOT series. The Infinix HOT 30 PLAY has a 6.78” IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 720*1640 and 90Hz refresh rate, same as the Samsung A04S with 90Hz refresh rate. It has a peak brightness of 500nits which is the same as the Redmi 12C.
It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G37 gaming processor with up to 2.3GHz CPU speed. This means this phone is an absolute gaming machine accompanied by the 8GB of RAM which can be expanded up to 16GB.
At the back of the phone is a 16MP Dual Camera with Quad LED Flash which is the least specification compared to the 50MP Main Camera lens on the Samsung A04S and the Redmi 12C. The maximum video quality is 1080p@30fps (frames per second).
The Infinix HOT 30 PLAY also employs the side fingerprint sensor mounted on the power button. This is also the same n the Samsung A04S. This is an advantage to both these phones as just one seamless motion will get you to your phone unlike the Redmi 12C which employs a back fingerprint sensor along its Camera Setup.
The Infinix HOT 30 also has plenty of storage, that is 128GB internal storage and can be expanded up to 1TB with an SD Card. This is also the same for the Redmi 12C and Samsung A04S with a maximum ROM specification of 128GB.
The Infinix HOT 30 also has a bigger battery of 6000mAh accompanied with an 18W wired charger to fully charge it when drained.
Available Colours
The Infinix HOT 30 PLAY is available in three different colors namely Mirage Black, Blade White and Bora Purple. The phone I’m reviewing is the Bora Purple.
Redmi 12C
The Redmi 12C has a 6.71”/170mm HD+ Water Drop Notch Display with a variety of RAM and ROM configurations, that is, 3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB/128GB ROM. One perfect advantage of the Redmi 12C to the Samsung A04S is that its available RAM can be expanded up to 11GB if there is available storage on the phone. This is not possible on the Samsung A04S as it only has static RAM.
The Redmi 12C has a 60Hz refresh rate which is less compared to the Samsung A04S 90Hz refresh rate so you can get smoother animations. The Redmi 12C has a peak brightness of 500nits which means the display will be bright enough in outdoor sunny conditions. On the hand the Samsung A04S has a peak brightness of 400nits which is lower than the Redmi 12C’s 500nits peak brightness.
The Redmi 12C is powered by a Helio G85 processor which is less powerful compared with the Exynos 850 processor on the Samsung A04S but more powerful than the Helio G37 on the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY. The Rear 50MP Dual Camera can record a maximum video quality of 1080p@30fps (frames per second) which is the same on the Samsung A04S and the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY.
The fingerprint scanner on the Redmi 12C is positioned at the back along with its camera setup. On the other hand, the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY and the Samsung A04S has a side fingerprint sensor mounted in its power button.
The Redmi 12C has a battery capacity of 5000mAh enough to last you a full day. To fully charge the battery, it is equipped with a 10W wired charger. On the hand the Samsung A04S also has a 5000mAh battery capacity but not equipped with a charger in its box.
Available Colors
The Redmi 12C is available in four different colors namely, Graphite Gray, Ocean Blue, Mint Green and Lavender Purple.
Samsung A04S
The Samsung A04S has a smaller screen display than the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY and the Redmi 12C of 6.5” with a resolution of 720 x 1600 and 90Hz Refresh Rate which means smother animations. An advantage of the Samsung A04S is that it is powered by a more powerful processor than the Redmi 12C and Infinix HOT 30 PLAY, that is the 2GHz Exynos 850.
Another perfect advantage of the Samsung A04S is that its fingerprint is located at the power button. So just one seamless motion gets you into your phone. On the other hand, the Redmi 12C’s fingerprint sensor is located at the back of the phone along its camera setup.
The Samsung A04S has a triple camera setup at the back with a 50MP Main Camera Lens. The other cameras include the 2MP Macro Lens and the 2MP Depth Lens. The maximum video quality of the Samsung is 1080P at 30fps (frames per second) which is the same on the Redmi 12C’s 50MP Dual Camera.
The Samsung A04S has a static RAM configuration of 3GB/4GB which is a disadvantage compared to the Redmi 12C’s expandable RAM from 3GB/4GB to 11GB RAM which uses some part of the ROM as a Virtual RAM and the Infinix HOT 30 PLAY.
Available Colors
The Samsung A04S is available in three different colors namely, Black, Copper and Green.
Table Comparison
I have compiled a list of all the important specifications for a one-on-one easy comparison between the three smartphones below.
| Spec/Phone | Infinix HOT 30 PLAY | Samsung A04S | Xiaomi Redmi 12C |
| Screen Size | 6.78” | 6.5” | 6.71” |
| Screen Type | IPS LCD, 500nits | IPS LCD, 400 nits | IPS LCD, 500 nits |
| Resolution | 720 * 1640 | 720 * 1600 | 720 * 1650 |
| Screen To Body Ratio | 84.5% | 80.7% | 82.6% |
| Refresh Rate | 90Hz | 90Hz | 60Hz |
| RAM | 8GB+8GB | 3GB/4G | 3GB,4GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 32GB/64GB/128GB | 32GB/64GB,128GB |
| MediaTek CPU | MediaTek Helio G37 | Samsung Exynos 850 | MediaTek MT6769Z Helio G85 |
| GPU | Mali-G52 MC2 | Mali-G52 MC2 | Mali-G52 MC2 |
| OS | Android 13 | Android 12 | Android 12 |
| Front Camera | 8MP With LED Flash | 5MP | 5MP |
| Rear Camera | 16MP Main + QVGA | 50MP Main + 2MP Macro + 2MP Depth With Flash | 50MP+0.08MP Depth With LED Flash |
| Max Video Quality | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Battery | 6000mAH | 5000mAH | 5000mAH |
| Charger | 18W | No Charger | 10W |
| USB Interface | USB Type-C 2.0 | USB Type C 2.0 | MicroUSB 2.0 |
| Speaker | Mono Speaker + Audio Jack | Mono Speaker + Audio Jack | Mono Speaker + Audio Jack |
| Network | 4G/3G/2G | 4G/3G/2G | 4G/3G/2G |
| SIM Tray | Two Nano SIM & SD Card | Two Nano SIM & SD Card | Two Nano SIM & SD Card |
| Price | KES 18,700 | KES 17,100 for 3GB/32GB KES 19,500 for 4GB/64GB KES 21,500 for 4GB/128GB | KES 15,500 for 3GB/64GB KES 17,300 for 4GB/128GB |
Conclusion
In the comparison table above, it can be seen that the Samsung A04S has exceled in some features like the powerful Exynos 850 processor, 90Hz screen refresh rate and the side fingerprint.
The Infinix HOT 30 PLAY also exceled with a larger screen with 90Hz and a larger battery capacity of 6000mAH. Even though it has a 16MP Main Back Camera, it does have an 8MP Selfie Camera with Flash while the Samsung A04S and Redmi have a 5MP Selfie Camera with no Flash.
The Redmi does not have a powerful processor but it is equipped with a 10W charger in its accessories and a bigger screen than the Samsung A04S. Also, the Samsung A04S is not equipped with a charger in its accessories in its box.
Which one would you prefer?