Infinix Hot 20S : In a budget-saturated market dominated by smartphones, you have to do something special to be noticed. The Infinix Hot 20S tries to change that narrative by delivering all-round, well-blended performance, design, and features—without costing you a bomb.
This phone is perfect for young users and mobile gamers on a budget, and it’s surprisingly feature packed.
Here is a closer look at what makes the Hot 20S a tantalizing choice for those who want more, but don’t want to pay more.
Construction and Design: Sleek and Simple
The hot 20S is eye catching without being overdone. Its back panel is reflect glass that is treated into an order pattern which has not only afforded the device premium look but also does it with the lights reflection.
The phone may be all plastic but it feels sturdy and well built.
At just under 200g, it’s not the lightest phone around, but it’s still comfortable to carry around for regular day-to-day use.
The curved sides make poicking it up more secure, and side-mounted fingerprint scanner is fast and easy to reach.
On the right side you have the power button and volume rockers, while the lefthand side has a triple-slot tray, which has come to support two SIMs and a microSD card, something that’s been increasingly rare but is still a huge boon to anyone that needs that kind of flexibility.
Display: Smooth and Bright
One of the Hot 20S’s highlights is its 6.78-inch IPS LCD screen that comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. Yes, you read that right — 120Hz, on a budget phone. It makes scrolling and animations smooth and is most evident when gaming or even just switching between apps.
With a Full HD+ resolution (2460×1080), the screen is plenty sharp and with relatively good color accuracy, considering the price. The brightness is sufficient for indoor and fairly sunlit places, but on direct sunlight you will be struggling.
It may not necessarily have the deep blacks of AMOLED, but the fast refresh rate and overall graphics quality make it look more premium than its price would suggest.
Performance: Surprisingly Good for the Price
Under the hood, the Hot 20S runs on the MediaTek Helio G96 chip, along with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. This configuration from Aftershock is aimed at gamers on a budget or multi Taskers around the PC.
The G96 does well with popular games such as Free Fire, PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile, churning out smooth frame rates at medium settings. Infinix also comes with Dar-Link 2.0 game optimization engine, which can reduce lag and can help to manage temperature while gaming for long hours.
Browsing, social networking and video streaming all work well, while the apt amount of RAM means there’s little if no stutter when you’ve got a few apps open at once.
Cameras: Decent in Good Light
In the back, you have a 50MP main sensor combined with two more AI lenses that mostly assist in background blurring and scene recognition. Main camera takes clear pictures with natural color and good levels of contrast in good lighting.
Portrait is hit or miss, but when it does work, the edge detection is okay. Low-light performance is where the phone crumbles — photos are prone to being noisy, and detail falls quite significantly. Night mode does provide some assistance, but don’t expect miracles.
On the front, there’s an 8MP selfie shooter that produces pretty decent socially-publishable shots with good skin tones, even if detail is middle of the road.
Battery Life and Charging: Made to Keep Going
The Hot 20S is fuelled by a 5000mAh battery, which means the device can comfortably survive a work day with demanding actions. And for most users, the reality is a charge every 1.5 days.
No matter what kind of use you’re doing, gaming or streaming or multitasking, the battery doesn’t tap out early.
It supports 18W fast charging, which is a touch behind what you can get today. It takes approximately 2 hours to charge from zero to full, which is acceptable for overnight charging.
Software: Lean and Full of Features
The smartphone is powered by XOS 12 based on Android 12 and comes with features such as video assistant, social turbo, AI gallery and more. There’s some bloatware preinstalled, but the majority of it can be uninstalled.
The UI is a lot more fluid and polished, although it’s still a bit in-your-face if you’re used to stock Android.
Pros:
Display with refresh 120Hz ratetext Theme[28]
Great with Helio G96
Decent battery life, large battery
MicroSD and headphone jack
the price compared with the functions offered is very good
Cons:
Low-light camera performance is so-so
Doesn’t feel as premium with all plastic build
No stereo speakers
Charging speed is average
Infinix Hot 20S Final Thoughts: A Budget Jack of All Trades
The Infinix Hot 20S shows that you don’t have to break the bank to get a fast smartphone with solid features. With a high-refresh-rate screen, a competent processor and long battery life, it ticks a lot of the right boxes for gamers and regular users.
Its camera and build materials betray its budget roots, but the overall experience belies its price tag.