Infinix Hot 12 Review: A Capable Gaming Smartphone at It’s Class
Infinix Hot 12 key specs: · 6.82″ display · 6GB RAM · 128GB storage · MT6769Z Helio G85 chipset · 5000mAh battery · 13MP camera
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| Photo of Infinix Hot 12 Android smartphone. Released: Apr 2022 Price: IDR 2,099,000 |
The choice of gaming smartphones in the country is increasingly diverse with the presence of a new product from Infinix Mobility, namely Infinix Hot 12.
The fourth product from the Hot 12 Series line is the successor to the Hot 11s, which is ready to dominate games through its superior features and specifications.
Infinix Hot 12 is claimed to be more special than products in its class. This is shown through the packaging that is very “gaming”, and is packaged directly with a special Starter Pack (SP) Gaming from Smartfren.
Through this collaboration, Infinix Hot 12 is predicted to be ready to present a next-level gaming experience in a fairly affordable price segment. Oh yeah, this gaming smartphone is priced at around IDR 2 million.
Curious about its performance? Check out the Infinix Hot 12 review below.
Infinix Hot 12 Full Specifications
| Infinix Hot 12 Specs | |
|---|---|
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| Color Options | Racing Black, Legend White, Origin Blue, Lucky Green |
| Sales Package | Infinix Hot 12 handset, Silicone case, Charger adapter, USB-C data cable, manual, warranty card, PIN Ejector, SP Gaming Smartfren |
| Dimensions & Weight (mm&grams) | 170.47 x 77.60 x 8.32 mm/ 194.9 grams |
| Network | Dual Nano SIM, 4G LTE/HSPA+/3G/2G, WiFi |
| Operating System (OS) | XOS 10.6, based on Android 12 |
| Supported external storage | Yes, MicroSD card up to 512 GB |
| Display | 6.82 inches, 111.7 cm2 (~84.5% screen-to-body ratio), 720 x 1640 pixels, IPS LCD, 90Hz, 20:9 ratio (~259 ppi density) |
| Processor/ CPU | Mediatek Helio G85 (12nm); Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55), GPU: Mali-G52 MC2 |
| RAM & Internal Storage | 6 GB RAM/ 128 GB ROM |
| Camera (MP/features) rear/front | Triple Rear: 13 MP, f/1.8, (wide), AF + 2MP + QVGA; Dual-LED flash Camera Video: 1080p 30fps Single Front: |
| Battery type (type) | 5000 mAh Li-po (non-removable); Fast charging 18W |
Infinix Hot 12 Features
| Removable battery | No | Fingerprint | Yes |
| Multitouch | Yes | Dual Front Camera | No |
| Dual SIM | Yes | External Memory | Yes |
| 3G HSDPA | Yes | Gyroscope | Yes |
| 4G LTE | Yes | Stereo Speaker | Yes |
| 5G Ready | No | 4K video recording | No |
| NFC | No | Video player | Yes |
| USB On-the-go | Yes | Music player | Yes |
| GPS | Yes | 3.5 Audio Port | Yes |
Infinix Hot 12 Advantages & Disadvantages
| ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
| Best gaming chipset in its class | Glossy body gets dirty easily |
| Large screen with high refresh rate | Screen is still IPS LCD |
| Long-lasting battery with fast charging | |
| Large memory plus Extended RAM | |
Design
Different from other Hot 12 Series lines that appear with a body design that tends to be curved-edge, aka curved on each side. In this Hot 12, Infinix applies a contemporary concept called “Durable Flat-Edge”.
The body design of this smartphone appears square with a flat surface. When measured using a protractor, the flat surface has an angle of about 90 degrees.
In our opinion, this concept is quite unique. It doesn’t look like a “cheap” smartphone. Its flat body actually looks like a contemporary mid-end smartphone that is priced quite high.
The body has a thin flat side with a texture like a metal plate. The thickness is about 3mm. This part adds to the impression that the Hot 12 has a boxy body.
Not only that, the design of this smartphone also looks luxurious, especially the back side which is built using plastic material with a glossy effect similar to glass. Unfortunately, the physical construction feels less solid. When tapped gently, the back cover part seems to have an empty cavity on the inside.
On the positive side, the glass-like layer on the back of the Hot 12 is actually not slippery and remains comfortable to hold. However, for those who pay less attention to hand hygiene, you must be extra careful because the glossy body easily leaves fingerprints.
In terms of dimensions, the Hot 12 body is indeed quite wide and large. No wonder. The Infinix product line is indeed known to have a fairly large body size when compared to smartphones in its class.
Even so, the body still fits in the hand and its weight is relatively light. Doesn’t make your hands sore when lifting and using it for a long time.
Moving on to the compartment section on the body. Infinix places the volume button on the right side, and at the bottom there is a power/lock screen button which also functions as a fingerprint sensor panel.
On the left side, there is a SIM card tray. Similar to previous products, Infinix also presents 3 SIM slots on the Hot 12. Two for operator SIM cards, and one slot for a microSD card. So, for those who have more than one cellular card, it is still safe.
On the bottom side of the Hot 12, Infinix places a 3.5mm audio jack port, microphone, USB-C and speaker cone.
Screen
Now moving to the front side. In this section, Hot 12 presents a screen that will certainly provide user comfort both in enjoying video/movie content and playing games.
The Punch Hole concept screen on this device has a span of 6.82 inches with HD+ resolution (1640×720). Although it is still limited to using the IPS LCD type, the Hot 12 screen already supports a high refresh rate of 90Hz.
Through this specification, the action of browsing content on the screen surface becomes smoother and free from stuttering. Interestingly, the screen also supports 180Hz touch sampling rate. A powerful combination to pamper mobile gaming lovers.
The gaming action becomes more optimal, the reaction when avoiding or running after the enemy and the response to aiming at the target will feel smoother.
To be even more optimal, Infinix also includes a number of additional settings such as the option to manually adjust the refresh rate, the Ultra Touch option to improve the screen scrolling capability and a feature to minimize touch errors when placed in a shirt or pants pocket.
Not only pampering gamers, the Hot 12 screen specifications are a distinct advantage compared to smartphones in the same class. The brightness of the colors and the sharpness of the image are also worthy of thumbs up.
One more thing that is quite important, the screen of this device also supports Dark Mode according to the XOS 10.6 operating system it carries, and what is definitely also present on the Hot 12 is the safety and comfort feature for the eyes, namely Eye Care.
To complement the capable screen capabilities, the Hot 12 also includes the best audio system in its class. Equipped with dual speaker support with DTS technology, the stereo sound burst when watching movies or playing games adds to the excitement.
Infinix Hot 12 Performance Review
In accordance with its tagline “Dominate The Game” which is also reflected in the packaging box that has a strong gaming feel through its collaboration with AOV, the Infinix Hot 12 truly reflects a capable gaming smartphone in the 2 million price class.
The embedded hardware specifications are also predicted to be very promising for gamers to be able to dominate every game played.
Based on technical data that is also displayed in the benchmark application, the Hot 12 is powered by a special gaming chipset made by MediaTek, namely the Helio G85. This chipset is claimed to be the best engine for gaming in the entry-level class.
Equipped with 12nm fabrication, this chipset is composed of two Cortex-A75 cores that have a maximum clock speed of 2.0GHz, and is combined with the Mali-G52 MC2 GPU which offers the best gaming performance.
To support its ability to accelerate all multitasking functions, including boosting the ability to manage game assets, the Hot 12 includes memory with a fairly large capacity.
The 6 GB RAM on this device also supports expansion technology called Extended RAM. The plus point is that the virtual RAM capacity can be expanded up to 5 GB. So it’s as if the Hot 12 has a RAM capacity of 11 GB which is certainly a special attraction for smartphone hunters who crave large RAM.
Not only RAM, this device also equips itself with a fairly large internal storage of 128 GB. This capacity is certainly large enough to store various important files such as application data, photos, videos, documents and so on. If it is still not big enough, Infinix still includes the ability to add storage space using a microSD card with a maximum capacity of up to 512 GB.
Judging from these specifications, there is certainly no need to doubt if you want to make the Infinix Hot 12 your mainstay gaming smartphone. To be more convincing, in this Infinix Hot 12 review we also tested a number of favorite games that are definitely played a lot.
When playing the Arena of Valor (AOV) game which is indeed the official partner of Hot 12, there were no significant obstacles found during the game. Everything can run smoothly. Game settings can also be set to the maximum level. This slick game acceleration is also supported by a graphic display that is very pleasing to the eye.
For other games such as racing, battle royale or those like Genshin Impact, they can still be played smoothly and without any problems.
The capable gaming capabilities of the Hot 12 are also inseparable from the support of the XArena feature, where Infinix has embedded special technology, namely the Dar-Link Engine, which can optimize resources when used to play games.
In XArena, you can also make a number of additional settings to improve the gaming experience. For example, setting incoming notifications, setting floating windows, to optimizing game graphics.
For those who are still curious about the performance of this Infinix Hot 12 review, we also conducted benchmarks using several applications and on average showed good results. As touted by Infinix in its promotional materials, the Hot 12 has indeed proven to have a benchmark score using the AnTuTu application that has penetrated more than 200 thousand.
When compared to the chipset made by Qualcomm, the Helio G85 benchmark value in the Infinix Hot 12 review is at the level of the earliest generation Snapdragon 8xx series. For complete benchmark results, see the following screenshot.
Infinix Hot 12 Camera Review
Although it specifically emphasizes gaming capabilities, in fact the Infinix Hot 12 is still supported by a quality camera, at least in the same class.
For this photo need, Infinix presents a triple camera configuration on the back consisting of a 13 MP main sensor with an f/1.8 lens aperture, there is also a 2 MP camera and AI Lens QVGA. Meanwhile, for selfies, there is an 8 MP front camera that has been equipped with artificial intelligence (AI).
Interestingly, the Infinix Hot 12 camera is also supported by a number of superior features that are rarely found in smartphones in its class. Starting from Super Night Mode, 240fps Super Slow Motion, Eye-tracking Auto Focus, 1080p High-Resolution Video to various cool filters for beauty and portrait effects.
For the photo results, in our opinion, they are still quite good, both for photos in conditions with abundant light (daytime) and in places with minimal light. Here are some examples of camera shots in the Infinix Hot 12 review.
Infinix Hot 12 Battery
Infinix Hot 12 also makes the power supply sector its main advantage. In this device, Infinix has embedded a 5000 mAh battery and is also equipped with the Power Marathon feature.
This feature is claimed to be able to increase battery life in supplying power by up to 25%. There are also around 8 other important settings to improve battery performance to make it last longer such as Power Boost and Ultra power saving.
Based on the test results at the Infinix Lab, the Hot 12 battery is capable of providing 144 hours of music playback time, 35 hours of phone calls, 13 hours of gaming and more than 45 days for standby with all connections and notifications in the off position.
Interestingly, this device is also equipped with 18 Watt fast charging technology. Although it is still considered standard, at least it can reduce the waiting time when the device is charged.
Fortunately, in the Hot 12 sales package, Infinix has also included an 18 Watt charger adapter.
Conclusion
In the entry-level class, especially in the 2 million price range, the Infinix Hot 12 is able to become a new prima donna as the most capable and worthy gaming smartphone to buy.
Not only because the price tag is quite affordable, the specifications it carries are also proven to be in accordance with the tagline “Dominate the Game”.
Another interesting point that seems worth considering is the free Starter Pack (SP) Gaming specifically for Smartfren with every purchase of Hot 12, and a bonus of 5GB data quota every month with a minimum credit of 50 thousand.
Well, for those interested in having this Infinix Hot 12, you can get it at the official Infinix store in the marketplace, or cellphone stores in your city.