The Infinix HOT 30 Play has some very big specifications for its price tag. It is going for KES 18,999 and for a 6000mAh battery, up to 16GB RAM and a 90Hz refresh rate HD+ display, that is a very good deal. Thats what expected of a Play HOT series phone, and they didn’t disappoint at all this year. The other two variations of the Infinix HOT 30 series include the HOT 30 and HOT 30i.
I have already reviewed the Infinix HOT 30 here and you can see all the differences between these three devices here. To summarize it, the HOT 30 is a budget gaming device, the HOT 30 Play is the everyday use big battery phone and the HOT 30i is the entry level smartphone with the lowest RAM of only 4GB and up to 8GB with RAM expansion. The HOT 30 and HOT 30 Play both have 8GB RAM and up to 16GB with expansion. The HOT 30 also has the biggest internal storage of 256GB which is a very good deal to be honest.
Free Gift
Before I get into the free gift, I just want to mention that the Infinix HOT 3O Play is also available on the lipa mos mos with Onfone program. This enables the buyer to place a minimal deposit, get the phone and finish off paying the balance in very small installments with a small interest.
The HOT 30 I have comes in a big FreeFire gaming branded box containing some gifts. Although the box is labelled as having the Infinix HOT 30, the phone inside was the Infinix HOT 30 Play. So, inside the box was a cap, lanyard, cool SIM ejector pin, Freefire stickers and an invitation code to FreeFire game goodies.
Check my quick 1-minute unboxing of the HOT 30 Play and the free gift here.
Specifications
Going back to the HOT 30 Play, there are some noticeable upgrades from the previous Infinix HOT 12 Play. Here is a table to highlight the similarities and differences. I have highlighted the improvements in bold.
| Spec/Phone | HOT 30 Play | Hot 12 Play |
| Screen Size | 6.82 Inch/173mm | 6.82 Inch/173mm |
| Resolution | 720 X 1640 HD+ | 720 X 1640 HD+ |
| Refresh Rate | 90Hz | 90Hz |
| OS | Android 13 | Android 11 |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio G37 (2.3 GHz octa-core processor) | MediaTek Helio P35 (2.3 GHz octa-core processor) |
| GPU | PowerVR Rogue GE8320 | PowerVR Rogue GE8320 |
| NFC | Yes | No |
| RAM | 8GB+8GB | 4GB+3GB ROM |
| Extended Memory | Yes. Up to 16GB with MemFusion | Yes. Up to 7GB with MemFusion |
| Storage | 128GB | 64GB/128GB |
| Battery | 6000mAh | 6000mAh |
| USB interface | USB Type C | USB Type C |
| Charger | 18 Watt | 10-Watt |
| Front Camera | 8MP Dot In Display with Flash | 8MP Dot In Display with Flash |
| Rear Camera | 16MP + Portrait AI Dual Camera with Quad Flash | 13MP + Portrait AI Dual Camera with Quad Flash |
| Price In Kenya | KES 18,999 | KES18,499-128+4GB KES16,499 – 64+4GB |
As you can see the new HOT 30 has a new processor that can basically handle the higher RAM and a bigger rear camera sensor. The biggest improvement was the introduction of NFC and a charger that will reduce the charging time on the 6000mAh battery.
NFC stands for Near Field Communication which is a technology that allows wireless data transmission over short distances for easy transfer of data.
Also read a detailed comparison between the Infinix HOT 12 PLAY, Samsung A04S & Redmi 12C.
Performance
The Hot 12 Play’s CPU is an Octa Core 2.30GHz MediaTek MT6765H with a PowerVR Rogue GE8320 Graphical processing unit or GPU in short.
This combined with up to16GB RAM makes apps and games launch much faster, makes animations smooth and can hold multiple applications in the background without killing them. This makes switching apps easy, fast and restored to the previous position you were in.
Up To 16GB RAM
This is one feature that Infinix proudly prints on the packaging. The phone comes with only 5GB of Extended RAM selected. I don’t know why anyone would choose anything less than 8GB for a combined 16GB of RAM.
To techies this might seem like counter-productive but normally the extended RAM is used to hold applications in the background. This leaves the true RAM free to be used on applications that are currently being used.
For example, the extended RAM can be used to hold a YouTube video at a certain time in point as well as a game while the user video chats on WhatsApp. After the call is done, the YouTube video or game can be loaded from exactly where the user left of. So basically, the extended RAM helps to aid the true RAM value of the phone which in this case is 8GB.
Display
The HOT 30 Play has a big screen measuring in at 6.82 Inches or 173mm. This size of phone can be easily held with one hand. This screen has a rapid 90Hz refresh rate and is bright even in sunny outdoor conditions. It is great for watching video content and playing games as well.
The only downside is that it’s not a Full HD+ screen like the one on the Infinix HOT 30. I get that they had to keep the price down for this unit but next year I’m expecting a Full HD+ Display.
Camera
The dual rear camera set up at the rear consists of a 16MP main camera, an AI Portrait lens and dual LED flash. At the Front is an 8MP lens also with LED flash.
Both cameras can shoot videos at a maximum quality of 1080p at 30 frames per second. Here are a few photo samples I took with the phone.
The Front Camera also takes very nice selfies and portrait selfies as well. You will need to be further away from the background for the portraits to work though.
Battery & Charging
Big batteries are always welcome on smartphones. The 6000mAh battery could last me for 2 to 3 days without topping up the battery. This big battery however means that the phone is a little bit heavier than most phones. It weighs around 210 grams while the other phones with 4500 to 5000mAh batteries weigh around 185 grams.
Like I said before, the charger has been upgraded to 18 Watts from the previous versions’ 10 Watt. With this charger I could get the phone from a flat battery to 100% in around 2½ hours.
Conclusion
This is the perfect HOT 30 series smartphone for those that want a big battery everyday use phone that can also take some very good photos and videos. It’s the perfect road trip phone that can also handle some relatively heavy games.