Infinix HOT 10S review: Affordable and long-lasting

Hot off the introduction of Infinix HOT 10S in the Philippines, we’re ready to give you our thoughts on this new affordable smartphone with a long-lasting performance. Priced at PhP 5,990 for the base model, is the Infinix HOT 10S the budget gamer’s ultimate device? Read our review and find out.

Design

Inspired by the mirror-like surface of Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, Infinix says the design aims to mesmerize with flowing light and shadow. True enough, the back finish has a very reflective and glossy surface protecting a glittery, textured pattern underneath.

As with other phones with a smooth and glossy finish, the back panel does attract fingerprints easily so a quick wipe is necessary every now and then to keep it looking nice if you’re not a fan of putting a phone case on.

A fingerprint sensor is seen on the higher portion of the back that suggests the use of an index finger to activate. This is then close to the camera module and its triple sensor setup going on. An LED flash rounds up this area.

Running along the right side are the volume rocker and a power/lock button. Meanwhile, on the opposite side is the dual nano SIM tray plus a microSD slot to expand storage. The top is totally void of anything and not even a pinhole for mic is found.

Checking the bottom and we see the usual suspects — a 3.5mm audio jack for your headphones, a speaker grille, and, sadly, a microUSB port. This means it’s going to take longer time to refill its 6000mAh battery as compared to charging via USB-C. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and we’ll discuss its battery performance in just a bit.

Overall, the HOT 10S is a pretty tall phone that favors content consumption and gaming when the phone is used in landscape orientation. It feels solid and well-built with just the right thickness.

Buttons are easy enough to reach but I do have bigger hands than most Filipinos so a smaller hand might find it a bit difficult reaching the volume rocker without readjusting the grip.

There are four color options to choose from namely, Morandi Green, Heart of Ocean, 7° Purple, and 95° Black — what a unique naming scheme.

Display and Multimedia

I mentioned that the HOT 10S is a rather tall phone and this is mainly due to its large 6.82-inch display that’s meant for better enjoyment of different content. The panel comes with an HD+ resolution (1640 x 720) and boasts a 90Hz refresh rate which is a first in the HOT series.

On top of that, the phone also sports a 180Hz touch sampling rate that more accurately reads your touch input. And for gamers out there, you know that sometimes a delay in input is all it takes to win or lose a match, especially for fast-paced games.

While it’s true that it only maxes out at 720p, you can still enjoy an immersive experience as streaming high-res video shows good enough detail for mobile consumption. Images are clear, contrast improves quality, and colors are vibrant enough for casual viewing.

Its 90Hz refresh rate is noticeable when browsing through its UI but is more effective when playing games that support this feature. Even with Genshin Impact that maxes out at 60fps, the playthrough is still more pleasing to the eyes than a standard 30fps.

Having a single speaker grille on the bottom, you’d be better off connecting a pair of headphones to its 3.5mm jack for a more balanced and immersive experience whether you’re listening to music, watching videos, or playing games.

Cameras

Armed with a triple camera setup, the HOT 10S is headlined by a 48-megapixel main shooter accompanied by a 2-megapixel depth camera for bokeh effects and an AI camera for auto scene detection. Once the AI sensor detects what you’re shooting, it will optimize the settings to produce better images.

The phone also comes with features for shooting like its Super Nightscape, eye-tracking autofocus (another first in the series), auto-blur videos, and face beautification videos at 2K resolution. It also comes with super slow-mo video capture at 240fps for those buttery smooth clips.

Photos produced are decent although some shots appear a bit desaturated and with dull colors. Its HDR mode effectively shows a wider dynamic range which is good especially when shooting both light and dark areas. Sharpness is also decent and captures detailed subjects.

Meanwhile, for your selfies, it comes with an 8-megapixel front camera. It has its own AI that enhances your self-portraits and comes in handy if you feel you really need it. Additionally, its eye-tracking feature proved useful and kept portrait shots in focus.

Performance

At the heart of the Infinix HOT 10S runs a MediaTek Helio G85 processor tweaked to pack more punch for heavy games as well as promote power optimization to make gaming sessions last longer. The phone also comes with a choice of either 4GB or 6GB RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.

If you find this storage still lacking, you have the option to expand it up to 512GB using a microSD card.

With these working hand-in-hand, performing everyday tasks are no sweat for the HOT 10S, and gaming is definitely handled well. We were able to run popular titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and PUBG without running into any major hiccups.

For games that support a 90Hz refresh rate like Pokémon Go, its smooth animation is really a treat for the eyes and elevates the mobile gaming experience.

To further improve a gamer’s experience, it also features Dar-link game booster which is a proprietary game optimization engine that makes improvements to the graphics display, touchscreen sensitivity, and optimizes data load.

The device does get warm after hours of usage but not to the point that it’s unusable. Pausing for a while and giving the phone some time to rest cools it down in no time.

It runs on the company’s XOS 7.6 which is based off on Android 11. It highly prioritizes safety and comes with features like App Lock that limits what other users can access on your phone and X-Proof that discourages people around you from peeking at your screen.

Navigation through its UI is fast but it comes with third-party apps that you can do away with. And speaking of pre-loaded apps, it comes with Beez app that lets you easily create a loop of beats and samples that you can use for your alerts which I personally find really cool.

Its 4G connectivity also proved reliable when I’m out of the house. I was able to play games and stream videos continuously without experiencing signal drops and the like.

For security, you have a choice of using a fingerprint scanner as mentioned earlier as well as facial recognition using its front camera. Unlocking the device using its fingerprint scanner was quick and misreads were kept to a minimum. Its facial recognition also worked well even with a face mask on so that’s useful for our situation today.

Battery

With its 6000mAh battery, you’ll expect this to last long before needing to recharge and that’s exactly our experience with the HOT 10S. With 90Hz turned off and casual gaming every once in a while, I was able to make the phone last for two whole days before plugging it again.

Meanwhile, for our standard battery test of streaming a high-res video at 50% brightness and no audio, the phone lasted for 17 hours and 11 minutes which puts it up there in our ranking of phones with long-lasting batteries.

Charging it, however, was a different story. Using only its microUSB charger, you’ll need a little over three hours to fully charge the HOT 10S. Although, it comes with its Safe Charge technology that cuts the power automatically when the device reaches its full capacity so you can just leave it plugged in for a long time.

Creature Feature

As always, in our review, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having — a Creature Feature if you will. For the Infinix HOT 10S, it would have to be its battery life that makes it last for days on a single charge.

With phones having bigger displays with high resolution, the 720p resolution of this phone was one of the main reasons it’s able to last such lengths in terms of battery life. And I would say that’s a good tradeoff to have.

Pricing and final thoughts

The Infinix HOT 10S is priced at PhP 5,990 for the 4GB + 64GB variant and PhP 6,990 for the 6GB + 128GB model are both available on Shopee and Lazada.

At these price points, the Infinix HOT 10S is a really good deal not only for gamers, but also for power users in general. With it, you’re able to accomplish tasks on a rather large display and not worry about running out of juice all the time.

 

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realme Pad 2: An affordable ‘entertainment-first’ tablet

11/06/2023

Tablets offer many advantages. Apart from the obvious size advantage over your regular smartphone, these larger devices are often equipped with other features and specs that could make them a valuable addition to your daily workflow.

More affordable but still capable tablets aren’t plenty but they do exist; the recently released realme Pad 2 is such an example. The newest addition to the company’s Pad series offers a refreshing new look, a slightly bigger size, and more powerful internals.

Familiar design, fresher feel

Unlike today’s smartphones, the tablet scene is a tad less diverse when talking about design. Only a handful offer more ‘fun’ or interesting colors which is a shame because it’s something I personally look for.

But realme has always put a certain value on looks. Sometimes its designs can be a bit out there but I’ve always appreciated the company’s efforts in trying different looks for its devices. Even partnering with brands like Coca-Cola to offer limited-edition, collector-level pieces. With its tablet line, it’s no different.

Case in point is its first tablet, the realme Pad, which came out of the gate in a nice gold colorway instead of the usual matte black or blue. This year, for its follow-up, the realme Pad 2 is offered in two colors: Imagination Grey and Inspiration Green.

realme sent us the latter which is my pick between the two. I absolutely love how the color is cast on this tablet; not too loud but not too subtle either.

Its overall design is quite similar to its predecessor in some ways. The realme Pad 2 retains a flat metal frame with a slightly curved back. Now an 11-inch tablet, it’s slightly heavier but still lightweight enough to bring around. Its slim frame also makes one-handed operation easier.

The back’s design is obviously based on the original realme Pad but this time, the realme Pad 2 combines two finishes: metallic and matte. About a fifth of the device, the part where the big round camera module is, offers a metal-like texture while the rest lends a shimmery, matte-like finish.

Buttons and ports are where you’d usually find them: power button on top, volume rocker on the upper right side, and a SIM card tray on the left edge. The realme Pad 2 also comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera hidden in the display’s bezels. Made with a mix of metal and plastic materials, it seems durable enough to withstand the daily grind as well.

I honestly love how this tablet looks on my person. It acts almost like an accessory giving my outfit (which is usually black, white, or black and white) a pop of color and personality. It may sound silly to some but it’s a plus when my device can match my look, too.

A visual and aural delight

I’ve been a tablet user for a while now and I’ve found a couple of advantages that’s made me love this form factor.

For one, it’s an undeniably better way to consume all kinds of content – whether watching, reading, or playing the larger display makes the whole experience more comfortable. And despite being used to a 12-inch tablet, I find the 11-inch display on the realme Pad 2 still spacious to accommodate multi-tasking and other tasks.

Let me quickly lay down the specs for this device first.

The realme Pad 2 offers an 11.5-inch 2K display (1200×2000) partnered with a 120Hz refresh rate. We do only have an IPS LCD panel here but colors are still punchy and vibrant with a good amount of contrast. Brightness is a little on the short side for me but is enough for indoor use.

realme also made sure that the Pad 2 is Widevine L1-certified which unlocks up to FHD resolution for streaming apps like Netflix. For audio, we have a set of four Dolby Atmos speakers, two on each side.

One of our favorite features of the original realme Pad was its detailed and loud speakers. This year, we may be saying the same thing. The realme Pad 2 and its quad-speaker setup are impressive. Sound is balanced and well distributed though I wouldn’t be surprised if some would find it a little thin on bass.

One quiet night in, I ended up watching Dear Evan Hansen on the realme Pad 2. Being an adaptation of a musical, the speakers were tested against a range of songs and I found little to complain about. Vocals can get tinny during loud ensemble numbers but the overall experience was still pleasing.

At max volume, however, sound distortion is more prominent but shouldn’t be a problem for most. I would suggest going about 4 or 5 clicks down for a more balanced sound.

Apart from watching, I’ve found the realme Pad 2 is the perfect little size for reading. Going through PDFs for work was a breeze and I could even annotate and edit comfortably along the way. I’ve also been using it to reread a couple of comics and graphic novels like Scott Pilgrim (the new animated series premieres November 17 on Netflix, by the way).

Rounding out the whole content consumption experience is a large 8630 mAh battery which is more than enough for a few hours of binge-watching. For daily use, the realme Pad 2 was able to last more than two days until it needed to charge.

Topping up is a speedy too having support for 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging.  We were able to fully recharge the device in about an hour and a half.

With all that we’ve said, declaring that the realme Pad 2 is an ‘entertainment-first’ tablet wasn’t hard to do. With the first iteration having quality speakers as its best feature, the realme Pad 2 follows in its footsteps by offering not just really good quality audio but also a pristine picture to match it.

All while keeping that price tag ever so friendly.

The in-between device for productivity

While my constant is still my desktop for major workloads, I find having a tablet to do more menial things like checking emails, updating our socials, and writing articles is very convenient, too.

Equipped with a MediaTek Helio G99 processor and running on 8GB of RAM, you’ve got a good amount of power with this tablet. It isn’t the most capable or most recent chip around but has proven to be the pick for more affordable tablets.

With this configuration, you’re set up to do the dailies with ease. In my time with it, I was able to do all I just mentioned plus some light photo editing on Snapseed, quick video edits on CapCut, and even layouts in Canva. I know these are tasks that are doable on a smartphone but the ease of a big screen and more navigation room makes these tasks much easier and thus faster to accomplish.

The realme Pad 2 also offers virtual RAM expansion for when loads get heavy but I’ve found the improvement to be subtle, often unnoticeable. It also comes with a SIM card slot and support for LTE so you can stay connected even without Wi-Fi around.

 

A productive day means you’re able to knock off things on your to-do list efficiently. With realme Android 13 skin, you’ll be able to enjoy multi-tasking features that are unique to the tablet form factor. The Pad 2 is powerful enough to accommodate split screens, floating windows, dual windows, and multiple tabs but it does start to lag when there’s too much going on in the background.

Whether at home or not, it was also to take video calls. The front-facing camera is enough for the most part unless you’re a stickler for image quality. This may be a personal opinion, but I believe expectations shouldn’t be high when it comes to camera quality on tablets because even more expensive ones barely match today’s smartphone cameras.

Now what could make the Pad 2 much better for productivity, in my opinion, are accessories. Most tablets these days are partnered with a keyboard, pen, or even just a simple case or folio but it seems realme is sticking to the basics. Of course, these can be remedied by third-party products but it would’ve been nice to have a bundle with accessories of some sort.

Now while I don’t know many who game on a tablet, I’m aware that there are a few who do. But after what we’ve just talked about, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the gaming powers of the realme Pad 2 aren’t that extensive.

Simpler games like Pokemon Go are no big deal but expect to run on the lowest settings for more demanding games like Honkai Star Rail. I was able to play Star Rail rather smoothly as long as I kept graphics on low and closed all other power or resource-hungry apps.

Final thoughts

More often than not, tablets are propositioned as productivity partners but, again, the realme Pad 2 is showing itself as a better pick for entertainment. It’s equipped with the essentials for a cozy night of binge-watching including a high-resolution display, a quality set of quad speakers, and long battery life.

It’s great for multi-tasking and productivity too but to get the best performance, you will have to keep your background apps to a minimum and may have to forgo more resource-heavy tasks. But all in all and considering its asking price, it’s a solid day-to-day tablet.

The realme Pad 2 is now available in the Philippines and priced at PhP 13,999 and PhP 17,999 for the 6GB+128GB variant and 8GB+256GB variant respectively.

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