At the end of 2023, Infinix launched its latest budget smartphone, the Smart 8 HD. Currently priced at Rs 6,299, the smartphone seems like a steal when you take a look at its spec sheet and unique features. In this price category, a 90Hz display with a punch hole cutout for the selfie camera is unheard of. Things get even more interesting when you realise this punch hole cutout, or ‘Magic Ring’ as Infinix prefers to call it, employs some software tricks to mimic the behaviour of Apple’s Dynamic Island. Oh, did we mention the LED notification light on top of the display that also serves as the front flash? Excited to try these unique features on a budget smartphone, we used the Infinix Smart 8 HD as our primary driver for a week – here is our in-depth review.
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In This Article
Infinix Smart 8 HD review: Design and Display
The unboxing experience of the Infinix Smart 8 HD is pretty standard. Inside the retail box, you get the smartphone, a 10W power adapter, a USB Type-C charging cable, a hard plastic case, a SIM ejector tool, a user manual, and a warranty card. The clear plastic case has a ‘glasstick’ feel to it. It is a nice upgrade over the soft plastic covers that most smartphones usually ship with.
The smartphone’s design draws clear inspiration from the recent crop of iPhones. The dual camera array along with the ring LED flash looks similar to the iPhone’s triple camera arrangement. The plastic back has a ridged texture. The ‘glasstic’ case provided in the box bumps up its in-hand feel. We also like the flat edges of the plastic frame.
The right edge of the frame houses the volume rocker keys and the side key that also doubles up as the fingerprint scanner. Side-mounted fingerprint scanners are a rarity in this price bracket, so it’s nice to see Infinix breaking the mould. It is no gimmick either – this fingerprint scanner is ultra-fast and responsive. On the bottom edge, you’ll find the 3.5mm headphone jack, the primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and the speaker grille. The left edge gets the hybrid SIM tray. The top edge does not contain a secondary microphone/speaker or an IR blaster.
The 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel is certainly the biggest highlight of this smartphone. The 90Hz refresh rate makes the display very smooth to use. Its touch response is also the best we have seen in this segment. Browsing through apps and navigating the phone’s interface presents no hiccups. We never once felt any lag while working with the phone. The 90Hz refresh rate remains consistent in Google’s suite of apps along with others, which is something not many smartphones can boast.
Watching HD content on this 710 x 1612p display was a treat. It produced punchy colours and detailed images with a good amount of contrast. We were also pleased with the optimum viewing angles on offer. The single speaker grille is a bit tinny and lacking on the low end, but it is passable if you want to watch a quick video. For watching movies and listening to music, we’d suggest plugging in a pair of headphones.
The punch hole cutout is a brilliant addition to the screen, instantly separating the Infinix Smart 8 HD from its peers. We hope more smartphones in this category adopt it as the norm. The application of certain animations around the cutout makes it behave like Apple’s Dynamic Island. These animations can be managed from the ‘Special Function’ section in the settings. The ‘Magic Ring’, as Infinix calls it, notifies you about Face Unlock, Background Call, Charging, Charge Completion, and Low Battery. There is also an LED light above the upper bezel that serves as a status alert and front flash.
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Infinix Smart 8 HD review: Performance and Cameras
Powering the Infinix Smart 8 HD is the Unisoc T606 chipset. The smartphone is available in a single 3GB RAM + 64GB storage variant in India. The ‘MEMFusion’ feature allows the device to use an additional 3GB of internal storage as the RAM. If 64GB of internal storage isn’t enough for you, you can always expand it up to 1TB using a memory card.
We used the Infinix Smart 8 HD for a week during the review period and were pretty satisfied with its performance. It handles basic tasks like calling calling, video streaming, web browsing, and more with relative ease. Other smartphones in this price bracket often start lagging when a couple of tasks are thrown at them at once. As we mentioned earlier, the smooth touch response facilitated by the 90Hz display plays its part in fostering a seamless user experience. One of the more underrated things about the smartphone is its haptic feedback, which isn’t as dialled up as other budget devices.
Like all budget smartphones, the Infinix Smart 8 HD struggled to provide a satisfying gaming experience while playing demanding titles. The smartphone can run games like Call of Duty Mobile and Free Fire Max, but the gameplay is marred by frequent jitters and lags. However, the phone does a great job of running basic games like Candy Crush and Coin Master. On the Geekbench 6 app, the Smart 8 HD scored 380 points on the single-core test and 1,240 points on the multi-core test.
OS duties on the Infinix Smart 8 HD are handled by Android 13 Go Edition with XOS 13 on top. Apart from a couple of apps, there is no bloatware on this device. Infinix’s XOS 13 for this smartphone holds back certain features as it is based on the Android 13 Go Edition. This means you won’t get features like Peek Mode for WhatsApp, App Cloner, or App Lock. However, you do get the Digital Wellbeing package along with a handful of personalisation options for the lock screen and the home page.
The 5,000 mAh battery pack on this smartphone delivers a solid one-day power backup. On an average day that comprised tasks like instant messaging, video calling, web browsing, and watching, the smartphone was left with a 15-20% charge at sundown. The only letdown is the lack of fast charging. The smartphone takes almost 3 hours to fully charge.
The rear camera arrangement of the Infinix Smart 8 HD looks very flashy but it consists of a simple 13MP primary shooter along with a 0.08MP auxiliary lens and a Ring-LED flash. This camera takes good pictures in bright daylight conditions. The colours are well-tuned and the level of detail is satisfactory for the price you are paying for the smartphone. Infinix calls its native camera app the ‘AI Camera’. This is pretty much a gimmick as the only ‘AI’ powered thing it can do is basic scene detection.
In limited lighting, the primary shooter takes soft and grainy images, which aren’t up to par at all. This is something that is expected of every smartphone in this category. The 8MP selfie camera takes decent shots but overcorrects the skin tone. While we aren’t too fond of skin tone correction, the smartphone gets brownie points for its front-facing LED flash.
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Verdict
We don’t say this about most smartphones, but the Infinix Smart 8 HD is an absolute steal at Rs 6,299. Its 90Hz display is comfortably ahead of the competition in its segment. The punch hole cutout for the selfie camera is a great addition to this display as well. Features like the Magic Ring and front-facing LED flash are good contributions to the overall package. The design choices alone make this smartphone a heavyweight in its price bracket. Our only complaint is the lack of fast charging, as the 10W power adapter takes up to 3 hours to fully charge the device.
Infinix Smart 8 HD: Pros
- Great design
- Punch hole cutout for the selfie camera
- Front-facing flash
- Smooth display
- Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Infinix Smart 8 HD: Con
- Lacks fast charging support
