SALE ALERT: The Infinix Hot S3 gets a price cut on April 6, 2018 at Shopee from Php7,999 to Php6,199

If you missed out on the initial sale of the Infinix Hot S3 last February 28 because it was SOLD OUT in 39 minutes, here is your chance to get Infinix Mobility's latest smartphone.

On April 6, 2018 from 12MN to 12NN, the Infinix Hot S3 will be on sale in Shopee again for Php6,199.

In my previous blog post, the SRP listed for the Infinix Hot S3 is at Php7,999 - but on April 6, the Infinix Hot S3 will be available on Shopee FOR ONLY Php6,199.

To recap, here again is my unboxing and review of the Infinix Hot S3.

Infinix Hot S3 Specs

Display: 5.65-inch HD+ IPS 1440x720 resolution w/ 2.5D curved glass at 285ppi

CPU: 1.5GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor

GPU: Adreno 505

RAM: 3GB 

ROM: 32GB expandable via a dedicated microSD card slot up to 128GB

Main Camera: 13MP f/2.0 w/ AF and dual LED flash

Selfie Camera: 20MP f/2.0 w/ dual LED flash

Battery: 4,000mAh (non removable)

OS: Android 8.0 Oreo w/ XOS 3.0

Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE w/ VoLTE, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: Fingerprint sensor, Colors: sandstone black, brush gold

Dimensions: 153 x 72.85 x 8.54 mm

Weight: 150g

This could possibly be the best budget phone right now and the SRP slashed even further, making it more affordable.

Having second thoughts? Here are THREE REASONS why you should consider getting the Infinix Hot S3.

Are you getting one on April 6th?

The Infinix Hot S3 Flash Sale: 500 units SOLD in 39 minutes!

Two words: SOLD OUT!

One week after its launch in the Philippines, 500 units of Infinix Hot S3 was made available in a flash sale in Shopee from 12AM to 12PM for "only" Php5,999. With much anticipation from the public, the flash sale did not last that long.

39 minutes. That is all it took for Infinix to sell 500 units of the Hot S3.

In my other blog post, I listed three reasons why the Infinix Hot S3 should be considered as your next mobile phone. I guess there are more than three reasons as evidenced by the success of the flash sale.

As soon as the 500th unit got sold, more are still asking for Infinix to sell some more units. We'll just have to wait and see if Infinix will sell another batch for the same low price or for Php7,999.

My sources tell me that something might be up this March. We'll soon find out. As soon as I have an update, I will share it to you so you can prepare.

While waiting, here again is my review of the Infinix Hot S3.

For more tech news and gadget reviews, please follow me on Facebook and Instagram (@junereal0210).

Three Reasons Why You Should Consider Getting The Infinix Hot S3

Last February 21, Infinix Mobility launched the Infinix Hot S3 here in the Philippines with an SRP of 7,999. I was one of the lucky few who was able to get my hands first on the newest device from Infinix and did the Unboxing and First Impressions post last week.

With that out of the way, I am now listing three reasons why the Infinix Hot S3 is worth your consideration and in your must have phone list.

Reason #1: The Camera

If selfies are your thing, this phone should be on your list. The Hot S3 is equipped with a 13mp rear camera and a 20mp lowlight selfie camera with dual LED flash. It also has with beauty and bokeh (a photography feature that highlights the main subject of a picture while blurring the background) effect.

Sample photo taken with the 13MP Rear Camera

Reason #2: Specifications

Infinix Hot S3 runs on Android 8.0 Oreo with XOS 3.0 and it features a modern 18:9 screen aspect ratio. In addition to that you have available 32gb of ROM storage and 3gb of RAM to work with. Under the hood, the Hot S3 is built with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. Compared to MediaTek, it has a faster processing speed which, together with your 3gb of RAM ensures that you can multitask at ease. This phone also has a fingerprint sensor and to top it off, this device has 4000mAh of battery.

Reason #3: The Price

Originally priced at Php7,999, the Infinix Hot S3 is now made more affordable and will be available at Shopee starting 12AM to 12PM of February 28 for ONLY Php5,999 for the first 500 units. You'll never get an amazing deal anywhere else.

The Infinix Hot S3 is available in two colors: Black and Brush Gold.

Sale Alert: Infinix Hot S3 WILL BE Down to PHP 5999 Starting February 28!

Last February 21, the Infinix Hot S3 was officially launched in the Philippines and was initially offered for Php7,999. Now, we just got word that Infinix Mobility's latest smartphone, the Infinix Hot S3 will be on sale.

In my previous blog post, the SRP listed was at Php7,999 - but starting February 28, the Infinix Hot S3 will be available on Shopee FOR ONLY Php5,999.

That's right. This is not a TYPO!

However, there is a catch. The discounted SRP is only for the first 500 units. So, if you are planning to get one, you have to be one of the first 500 to order on February 28. 

To recap, here again, is my unboxing and review of the Infinix Hot S3.

Infinix Hot S3 Specs

Display: 5.65-inch HD+ IPS 1440x720 resolution w/ 2.5D curved glass at 285ppi

CPU: 1.5GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor

GPU: Adreno 505

RAM: 3GB 

ROM: 32GB expandable via a dedicated microSD card slot up to 128GB

Main Camera: 13MP f/2.0 w/ AF and dual LED flash

Selfie Camera: 20MP f/2.0 w/ dual LED flash

Battery: 4,000mAh (non removable)

OS: Android 8.0 Oreo w/ XOS 3.0

Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE w/ VoLTE, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: Fingerprint sensor, Colors: sandstone black, brush gold

Dimensions: 153 x 72.85 x 8.54 mm

Weight: 150g

This could possibly be the best budget phone right now and the SRP slashed even further, making it more affordable.

The Infinix Hot S3 is available in two colors: Black and Brush Gold.

Are you getting one on February 28th?

Infinix Hot S3 Unboxing and First Impressions

Infinix Mobility is launching their latest smartphone in the Philippines.

Unboxing
Straight out of the box, you have:
The Infinix Hot S3 unit, the USB cable, charger, a SIM ejector pin, a jelly case for the Hot S3, screen protector, your documentation and a warranty card.

Hardware and O/S
The Hot S3 is the first smartphone of Infinix that is equipped with a modern 18:9 screen aspect ratio, which is becoming the standard nowadays. It also has a 5.65-inch (listed as 5.7-inch) HD+ display with narrow side and slim top and bottom bezels.

The highlight of this device is its battery capacity and cameras. It boasts a large 4,000mAh (non-removable) battery, 13MP main camera and a 20MP selfie camera, both with dual LED flash.

The phone also runs on Android 8.0 with XOS 3.0 UI on top. One-handed mode is also available to shrink the display so that it is comfortable to use with one hand.

Front: The 18:9 display HD+ display, at the upper section the 20MP camera, dual LED flash, earpiece, and notification LED

It is made of good quality plastic and has curved edges that help grip it quite well. However, the phone is quite slippery without the jelly case. Its matte finish picks up fingerprints quite easily. Good thing, Infinix provides a free jelly case in the box which you can use to keep fingerprints off the back panel. However, it was not specified if the device has Gorilla or Dragontrail glass protected display to prevent micro scratches. Good thing though, it comes with a screen (film) protector to keep from unwanted scratches or damages.

Infinix has opted for on-screen navigation buttons which is common on most smartphones these days. The loudspeaker, Micro-USB port, and primary microphone are at the bottom, while the 3.5mm headphone jack is at the top.

Bottom: Speaker grille, USB 2.0, and microphone

Top: 3.5mm earphone jack

The power and volume buttons are on the right while the SIM tray is on the left of the device. The power button has a metallic texture which makes it easy to distinguish from the others. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner is placed a little higher.

Left side: Dual (nano) SIM slot with dedicated memory card slot

Right side: Volume +/- and power button

Back: The 13MP rear camera and fingerprint scanner

There are also quite a few apps that come pre-installed on the phone. The entire suite of Google apps is present, along with Inifinix's own apps: XClub, XShare and XTheme. Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram are also pre-installed.

There's also Phoenix Browser, Magic Movie, a social networking app for sharing videos made by Transsion Mobile; cleaner which kills apps in the background to free up RAM, a Freezer app which hibernates apps that you drag into it and some other bloatware.

Sample Selfies from the 20MP front Camera

Sample Photos from the 13MP rear Camera

Gaming Compatibility

Infinix Hot S3's gaming capability is great it can handle the highest settings of Arena of Valor without issues. However, there is a compatibility issue for some games because of the 18:9 display.

The left and right sides may not be maximized due to compatibility issues with the 18:9 display which should be fixed by game developers soon

AnTuTu Benchmark Score

Infinix Hot S3 Specs
Display: 5.65-inch HD+ IPS 1440x720 resolution w/ 2.5D curved glass at 285 ppi
CPU: 1.5GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor
GPU: Adreno 505
RAM: 3GB 
ROM: 32GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 128GB (dedicated)
Main Camera: 13MP f/2.0 w/ AF and dual LED flash
Selfie Camera: 20MP f/2.0 w/ dual LED flash
Battery: 4,000mAh (non removable)
OS: Android 8.0 Oreo w/ XOS 3.0
Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE w/ VoLTE, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: Fingerprint sensor, Colors: sandstone black, brush gold
Dimensions: 153 x 72.85 x 8.54 mm
Weight: 150g

Budget smartphones are getting better all the time. The Infinix Hot S3 is no exception. It is one of the more impressive all-rounders I've seen recently. While it isn’t the most powerful budget smartphone, it has capable hardware that gets the job done. Camera performance is acceptable for the price and the battery should last you one day.

Charging the 4000mAh battery from 1% to 100% is around 2 hours and 20 minutes. We would have loved if this device also has the XCharge feature.

One of the best features of this phone is the "Ultra Power Saving Mode". This feature turns your phone to basic mode, killing all applications that drains the battery and only allowing SMS and call functions.

At Php7,999, the Infinix Hot S3 checks almost all boxes for a good budget smartphone. The Infinix Hot S3 will be available at their online store in Shopee.

For more tech news and gadget reviews, please follow me on Facebook and Instagram (@junereal0210).