Infinix makes decent smartphones in the sub-Rs. 10,000 price segment and has been offering decently good hardware with them, too. The brand launched the Infinix Smart 7 HD last April and has now refreshed the model with its latest Infinix Smart 8 HD. The new phone has some cosmetic changes and has 3GB of RAM instead of 2GB in last year’s Smart 7 HD. We tested the device extensively, and in this article, we’ll tell you if this entry-level smartphone is worth your money.
Infinix Smart 8 HD price in India
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Daylight photo from the primary rear camera (Tap image to expand)
The camera does a lot of processing in the background, but the results are average. The images have good saturation levels but lack resolved detail. I shot multiple images in daylight, some with moving subjects and some with stationary subjects and the results came out just fine for a smartphone at this price point. This camera handles backlit situations well in portrait mode and decent edge detection, which is usually the case with smartphones in this price range.
The smartphone uses 2x digital zoom that produces softer images with a lot of processing, but you can get usable shots out of it, provided there’s plenty of light. As expected, the smartphone struggles with low-light shooting.
Daylight photo shot at 2x digital zoom (Tap image to expand)
The Night mode produces sharper images with decent colours. One detail that caught my attention was its inability to set exposure when using the dedicated night mode, which might result in a bad shot, which you will have to take again. In short, the low-light performance is not what one expects from a smartphone at this price point and isn’t exactly reliable.
Night mode photo from the primary rear camera (Tap to expand)
The Infinix Smart 8 HD’s front camera does not perform well in low light
The 8-megapixel selfie camera is good enough for daylight shots. The shots have a good level of detail and are sharp enough. The front camera struggles quite a bit in low light, shooting soft images with plenty of noise. The Infinix Smart 8 HD can shoot videos up to 1080p 30fps from the primary camera. The results are just about fine, provided I was stationary. Start moving or panning, but the video shakes a lot and is not usable. Low-light video performance isn’t great, as the recorded video comes out quite soft and makes a lot of noise. The front camera shoots decently well in daylight, in both moving and stationary situations, which is a plus.
Infinix Smart 8 HD Review: Verdict
The Infinix Smart 8 HD is a good device if you need a secondary phone with good battery life but are on a tight budget. However, it does have its shortcomings, like the very slow 10W charging support, bad low-light camera performance, and a display that is not legible outdoors and has very limited viewing angles. So, it’s better suited for calls and very basic app usage, but nothing more. There’s no doubt that there aren’t a lot of options in this price segment, but Xiaomi offers something similar with its Redmi A3 from Rs. 7,299 onwards. It has a better processor, more RAM variants, and a 90Hz refresh rate display. One can also consider the Redmi 13C (from Rs. 7,699), which is priced a little higher but offers a better display and cameras.
