Transsion Holdings' subsidiary Infinix Mobile launched the new Hot S3X in India in late October. It is available on Flipkart in three beautiful colour options -- Ice Blue, Sandstone Black and Tradewinds Gray with price starting at Rs 9,999.
For its price, Infinix Hot S3X comes with a pretty good hardware including Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered camera, time-tested Qualcomm processor, a big 4,000mAh battery and sumptuous RAM and storage capacity.
I have been using the Hot S3X for close to a week and here's what I think about the new Infinix phone.
Design, build quality and display:
Infinix Hot S3X is reminiscent of the Note 5 Android One's glossy smooth uni-body design, but with some cosmetic changes in terms of camera positioning and finger sensor. I not complaining, as it is one of the best-looking phones in the budget segment. Infinix has done a wonderful job of making the budget phone look premium. If you look the device from close or even from far, many are likely to presume the Hot S3X as a top-end mobile.
It has a sturdy frame around the edges, which not only offer stability to the structure so that the device can survive an accidental fall, but also offer good grip for the fingers to hold on to it.
On the back, it has a sturdy polycarbonate shell with a reflective coating, which sadly attracts the finger smudges. I appreciate the company for packing translucent cover with retail box, which some rival brands in recent times have started to avoid them to cut costs.
Infinix Hot S3X comes with a glossy and sturdy shell on the back.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X comes with a 3.5mm audio jack on top.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X comes with dedicated three-slot tray-- SIM 1 SIM 2 microSD.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X comes with a speaker grilled, a micro-USB port and a mic at the base.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X features volume rockers and a power button on the right side.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India
As far as the display is concerned, the Hot S3X comes with a 6.2-inch HD+ screen with iPhone X-like notch on the top. It has a 19:9 aspect ratio, 500 Nits brightness and 86% screen to body ratio. I had a delightful viewing experience on the massive screen and also the screen readability was up to expectations, as I had no trouble reading contents on the screen under bright sunlight.
Performance:
Infinix Hot S3X houses Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, which can be expanded via microSD card.
It aced in terms of app loading, switching between multiple apps while using the camera, browsing the internet and playing games such as Angry Birds. Never once, it showed any sign of lag-ness. But, have to say the device like any other budget phones, cannot handle graphics-intense games.
Rest assured, the Hot S3X will work flawlessly in terms of normal day-to-day functions.
Camera:
The camera is one of the notable aspects of this Infinix phone. Hot S3X comes with AI dual-camera having a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. It also features phase detection autofocus and dual-LED softlight, AI portrait mode and AI Auto Scene Detection (ASD).
Hot S3X took some amazing pictures in bright sunny conditions and even during the dusk. The credit has to go to the AI-camera app, which adjusts the camera automatically and takes the best possible snap. The resulting images look really beautiful and good for sharing it on the social media sites. Even the Portrait mode images with Bokeh blur-effect are also praiseworthy. [Check out the pictures in the slide below]
Though the images begin to show noises in the low-light scenarios particularly in pitch darkness, the quality is still better rival brands we see in the under-Rs 10,000 price-range.
The 16MP AI-Selfie front camera too is amazing. It comes with f/2.0 aperture, dedicated front flash and 4-in-1 big pixels technology, which merges 4 pixels into one pixel. This apparently helps in capturing more light for better quality selfies and it lived up the expectations. It took some sharp and clear selfies in low-light conditions.
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the morning.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the morning.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon in the tree shade.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the afternoon.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the night.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the night.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Infinix Hot S3X primary camera sample taken in the night.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India
Sadly, the Face Unlock feature has some issue correctly identifying me. There were far too many false rejection. This looks to be a software-based problem, hopefully, the company releases a firmware to resolve this soon. Until it gets fixed, users can make use of the fingerprint sensor. During the testing, I did not face any issues and was able to live up to my expectation.
Battery:
It houses a 4,000mAh cell and it truly lived up to the expectation. During the testing, it consistently gave one and a half days of marathon battery life. I normally use the phone to browse the internet for news and also check out social media sites for multimedia content consumption during the long commute (almost two and half hours every day) between office and the home.
Rest of the day, I receive a few calls and WhatsApp messages on the phone, while I use my PC to for email communication.
Rest assured, with Infinix Hot S3X fully charged, you are most unlikely to reach for a power-bank until you retire for the bed.
Final thoughts:
I am impressed with the overall aspects of the new Infinix Hot S3X such as the build quality, user interface and most I loved about this phone is the long battery life and the photography experience. It is one of the best camera phones I have come across the budget segment.
If you are looking for a mobile phone with a great camera, long-lasting battery life and don't cost a bomb, you can bet on the Infinix Hot S3X.
