Infinix Hot 50i

The Infinix Hot 50i is good value only at a true entry-level price. Its strengths are practical rather than flashy:

• A fresh, rounded design that is comfortable to hold.
• A 120Hz display, stereo speakers and a headphone jack.
• IP54 splash and dust resistance and a dedicated microSD slot.

The compromises are a 720p screen, the modest Helio G81 chip, no NFC, slow 18W charging and a single microphone.

The Itel Super 26 Ultra (Rs. 47,499) offers an AMOLED screen, a bigger 6000 mAh battery and 8GB RAM as standard. Verdict: buy the Hot 50i for light everyday use if it is clearly cheaper than its rivals; if the price gap is small, better-equipped phones are worth the extra.

The Hot 50i has a 6.7-inch IPS LCD with 720 x 1600 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits peak brightness. Several refresh rate options are available, including an adaptive mode; keeping it at a fixed 120Hz makes scrolling and social media feel noticeably faster, but uses more battery.

Indoor visibility is good. Outdoor brightness opinions differ: some find it clear even in direct sunlight, others call it adequate rather than bright, with some reflections at an angle.

Widevine L1 support allows HD streaming on apps such as Netflix. The 720p resolution is less sharp than Full HD, and the bottom chin and side bezels are noticeably thick.

The MediaTek Helio G81 uses two 2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 cores and six 1.7 GHz Cortex-A55 cores with a Mali-G52 MC2 GPU. With 6GB RAM (plus virtual RAM), everyday tasks such as calls, browsing and social media run without lag.

For gaming, PUBG runs and even unlocks Ultra frame rates thanks to the 120Hz screen, but the phone gets slightly warm at that setting. HD graphics with High frame rates run comfortably.

Heavy gaming and video editing show its limits clearly. Storage speed reports differ, and read and write speeds are on the slow side, so large apps can take a moment longer to load.

The rear camera is a 48 MP, f/1.8 sensor with an auxiliary lens.

• Daylight: colours are pleasing and less over-sharpened than older Hot models, but detail is lower than 48 MP suggests.
• Low light: focus is slow, and backlit scenes can overexpose.
• Portraits: basic, with no zoom option.

The 8 MP selfie camera is the stronger performer. Daytime selfies show good detail and natural skin tones, though backgrounds can wash out, and low-light selfies and portraits are better than expected for the price.

Video is recorded at 1080p 30fps. Skin tones in video can look orange, and colours shift when a face enters or leaves the frame.

The Hot 50i has a 5000 mAh battery with 18W wired charging, plus reverse wired and bypass charging. An 18W charger and a USB-A to Type-C cable come in the box.

Running the display at a fixed 120Hz uses more battery than the adaptive mode, so switch to a lower or adaptive setting if you need the charge to last longer.

Reliable screen-on time tests are not available yet, and 18W is slow for a 5000 mAh battery, so a full charge takes a while.

The Hot 50i runs Android 14 with XOS 14.5, which works smoothly without glitches.

Opinions differ on bloatware. Some units arrive fairly clean, while others include extra Infinix apps such as Hi Translate, whose pop-up suggestions can get annoying; these can be removed.

Useful touches include charging animations and notifications shown around the front camera, quick face unlock, a fast side fingerprint sensor and improved haptics.

Infinix has not stated an official software update commitment for this phone, so do not count on major Android upgrades.