Initial Verdict: We’re in 2024, and Infinix is making a bold statement with a budget phone that’s insanely thin–one that’s just less than 7mm thin with the HOT 50 Pro+. This budget phone looks way more premium than what we expected, and it appears to be a solid device for under Php 10k.
Pros
- Insanely thin
- Very premium build
- Great display
Cons
- Only one usable rear camera
- No 5G variant
We were in disbelief when Infinix said that they have a budget phone that’s thinner than an iPhone at only 6.8mm thick. The leaked teasers reveal that Infinix’s ultra-thin budget phone is the HOT 50 Pro+, and is probably the brand’s most surprising release this year. We got our hands on the HOT 50 Pro+ ahead of its official launch in the Philippines for our first impressions:
Infinix HOT 50 Pro+ First Impressions Philippines: Design
While the HOT series is Infinix’s budget offering, the HOT 50 Pro+ screams premium. Aside from its curved display, brushed finish on the frame, and a clean matte finish for its back panel, the HOT 50 Pro+ stands out for how insanely thin it is.
At 6.8mm, it is the thinnest budget phone––and the thinnest phone we’ve seen in recent memory. Typical bar-type phones on average are around 8mm thick, and it’s just insane how Infinix managed to break the 7mm barrier with the HOT 50 Pro+. The last time we saw a bar-type phone that was under 7mm thick was back in 2014–but that phone only had a 2300mAh battery inside.
What’s even more impressive is that despite being ridiculously skinny, Infinix managed to keep the same 5000mAh battery used on the rest of its HOT series with the HOT 50 Pro+. You even get an IP54 rating for added peace of mind against accidental water splashes, along with JBL-tuned stereo speakers.
Infinix HOT 50 Pro+ First Impressions Philippines: Display and Speakers
While we normally expect the HOT series to be Infinix’s budget-oriented offerings, the HOT 50 Pro+ screams premium through and through–and we’d argue that it looks more like a ZERO device. You get a 6.78-inch 120hz curved AMOLED display, which is a first for the HOT series. Infinix phones with curved displays are usually on the premium side, and the HOT 50 Pro+ would be the brand’s most affordable phone to offer such a display at a possible under Php 10k price point.
As expected with the curved AMOLED panels Infinix would usually use, the HOT 50 Pro+’s display is bright and has vibrant colors that go along with deep blacks. It has Widevine L1 so you can enjoy watching Netflix in Full HD, and can stream at up to 1440p on YouTube.
Aside from the display, it’s also the first time that the HOT series features JBL-tuned stereo speakers that have a slightly better sound stage compared to the stereo speakers used on previous HOT models. Do note that there’s no headphone jack with the HOT 50 Pro+, so you’re limited to either using a dongle or wireless earphones.
Infinix HOT 50 Pro+ First Impressions Philippines: Cameras
Going for the skinny route in a budget phone will have a few compromises–in the case of the HOT 50 Pro+, it is with its cameras. Despite appearing to have a triple rear camera setup, only the 50-megapixel main shooter is useful–the other two are just filler shooters. The main camera uses an SK Hynix Hi-5022Q sensor, which has a 1/2.8″ size and 0.64um pixels. It’s a stacked, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, which should help with the HOT 50 Pro+’s low-light capabilities.
From the few snaps we took using the HOT 50 Pro+, we’re impressed at the image quality. We’d argue that the images are better than previous HOT models and some NOTE 40 variants, and this shows that Infinix is catching up nicely in the camera department as far as budget phones go by.
Infinix HOT 50 Pro+ First Impressions Philippines: Internals and Battery
Powering the HOT 50 Pro+ is a Helio G100 processor that’s paired with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. The G100 offers incremental upgrades over the popular G99, which adds faster LTE connectivity. Our initial tests showed that the Helio G100 has roughly the same performance as the Helio G99. We will be doing a gaming review on the HOT 50 Pro+ soon, so stay tuned to that for our verdict on the performance of the Helio G100.
It comes with Android 14-based XOS 14.5, which has its fair share of bloatware that fortunately can be uninstalled after setting up the phone. The 5000mAh battery inside the HOT 50 Pro+ supports 33w charging, and it takes around a little over an hour to fully top it up. As for battery life, we got around 13 hours on a single charge. That’s a fair figure, but we think this can be improved through optimizations from future software updates.
Infinix HOT 50 Pro+ First Impressions Philippines: Wrap-up and Initial Verdict
The HOT 50 Pro+ is a very interesting budget phone. Beyond its insane 6.8mm thickness, this budget phone looks way premium than what we expected, and Infinix is expected to have a blockbuster hit with the HOT 50 Pro+ if they stay true of keeping the price to under Php 10k just like the previous HOT models.