For Infinix, it’s quality rather than quantity. Which is why after almost a year of waiting, we finally get the Infinix HOT 70 in the Philippines.
The only question is: Is it worth upgrading to or are you better off waiting? Let’s find out…
What’s Inside the Box?
For this year’s HOT 70, Infinix took an entirely different approach for the packaging. Instead of the usual green, gray, or black box, they chose to go with a cleaner white box with geometric patterns.
Unlike the generic cases typically bundled with smartphones, Infinix made it a point to color-match it with the colorway you choose, making the case feel more in line with the design language rather than a temporary accessory you use.
Along with the 1:1 custom case, you’ll still get a USB-A to USB Type-C charging cable, a 45W fast charging brick, and a few documents like the quick start guide and warranty information.
A Design That Refuses to Blend In
Instead of always trying to reinvent the wheel, Infinix chose to refine the existing vertical camera design first seen on the HOT 50 Series. Of course, it still features a thin and light design that’s been a staple of the HOT series but with a new twist.
At 7.49mm and 195g, the Infinix HOT 70 feels impressively thin and light for a phone with a 6,000 mAh battery. And despite the massive screen, it doesn’t feel unwieldy to hold.
All the buttons are found at the right side with only the SIM tray populating the left side. While the Type-C port, microphone, and one of the two speakers are found at the bottom. Along with the volume rocker, power button, there’s also a new Clous de Paris inspired textured AI button to bring up FlashMemo or Folax (more on those later).
In a market where most smartphones come in different shades of Black, Gray, or Gold, the Infinix HOT 70 offers a unique and tasteful palette that celebrates each and every one’s individuality.
You can choose from Thermo Orange, Quiet Violet, Silver Dancer, Dive Blue, Night Pulse, and the one we’re currently reviewing Green Texture. What I think stands out the most are the Thermo Orange, Quiet Violet, and Green Texture colorway because of their distinct visual effect.
The Thermo Orange colorway features a first of its kind Dual-way Thermo Sensing Skin Technology that changes hue when exposed to heat. All that is thanks to the rear panel made with a bistable thermochromic ink.
Think of it like those color-changing mugs which show a different color when you pour hot water inside. Only in this case, you create temporary patterns that express how you feel.
On the other hand, both the Quiet Violet and Green Texture colorway feature what Infinix calls, Lumina Flare flowing light texture which looks like air flowing if it were visible. Combine that with the Crystal Mood Island (the ring that surrounds the camera island), present in all colorways, which refracts light, making it glow depending on how it catches the light.
I guess my only qualm would be because it’s made with a pearl-smooth finish that rejects fingerprints and smudges, it can be pretty easy to drop because of how slippery it is, especially when you don’t have a case on.
Lucky for us, despite the new unique and fun design, the Infinix HOT 70 never loses its durability. It’s certified with an SGS 5-Star Drop Protection which means it can withstand up to 1.5m of extreme drop on all four corners. It’s also IP65 dust and water resistant which is more than enough for the occasional drizzle we get in the Philippines.
Big, Bright, and Easy on the Eyes
If you think that the design is the only aspect that Infinix paid close attention to, well, I’m here to prove you wrong, because the display is just as good as the build it comes with. The Infinix HOT 70 continues its tradition of putting in large, bright displays by coming equipped with a 6.78-inch 120Hz IPS LCD panel.
It’s an HD+ display with DC Dimming and an Always-On Display support. You might be thinking, “2026 na, IPS LCD pa rin?” Well… yeah… sure, you won’t get those deep blacks like you would on an AMOLED panel but I can understand it’s to keep the costs down.
Helio G100, One More Time
Powering the Infinix HOT 70 is the MediaTek Helio G100 Ultimate, bundled with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage which can also be expanded up to 2TB via the microSD slot. It runs XOS 16 based on Android 16 out of the box and Infinix promises up to 3 major Android updates and up to 5 years of security patches.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Helio G100 na naman?” Yes, it’s the Helio G100 but make it “Ultimate”. But regardless of what you feel, it is still a capable chip.
To prove that it is, we ran our usual suite of benchmarks, and here are the results:
- AnTuTu Benchmark V11: 530,879
- GeekBench 6 CPU: Single-Core: 717 | Multi-Core: 1690
- GeekBench 6 GPU: 1638
- PCMark Work 3.0 Performance: 8,625
We also ran a few of the most popular titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Call of Duty: Mobile, Honor of Kings, and for good measure, Genshin Impact. The first three titles ran without a hitch, even when played on maxed out settings, frame rates remained consistent and there were no frame drops nor stutters when playing.
As for Genshin Impact, I mean it’s playable but that’s the bare minimum. Even on all-low settings, frame rates were not as consistent and you would see lags and stutters, especially on the more action packed scenes.
So, if you’re planning to buy this with the intent of playing Genshin, well, I suggest you go a step higher to the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro, GT 50 Pro, or maybe even the NOTE 60 Ultra.
The Real Star of the Show
On paper, the HOT 70’s 6,000 mAh seems to be on par with most phones of this caliber. When testing similarly spec’d phones, I usually yield about 18 to 19 hours of continuous testing. But when the Infinix HOT 70 was put to the stand, it yielded an impressive 23 hours and 8 minutes.
Pretty impressive, right?
Charging it didn’t take too long either, all thanks to the included 45W fast charging. But if you’re on your phone most of the time, say you’re a motorcycle rider or a gamer, then the Bypass Charging feature should keep your phone cool and charged for when you need to leave on the go.
Good Enough for Everyday Moments
Infinix’s HOT Series has never been known for their cameras. I mean it’s not bad per se but it’s not flagship level shots either. The Infinix HOT 70 improves on that. We took the HOT 70’s cameras for a spin and here are the results.
In well-lit situations, the 50 MP Ultra-Sensing main camera produces decent, sharp shots which reproduces skin tones fairly accurately under well-lit situations but what really surprised me is the HOT 70’s portrait performance.
Subject separation is what you would expect from other, more expensive phones. And even without a dedicated zoom lens, the main camera produces sharp shots that cropping wouldn’t be that much of an issue.
Hell, even the 8 MP front facing camera produces shots that are more than adequate for your usual Facebook or Instagram updates. Of course, low-light situations are a different ball game.
Luckily, what it lacks in raw camera prowess, more than makes up for with built-in AI tools. These include AI Live Photo which filters out blurred shots so every shot looks as sharp as it can be. AI Studio Extender to expand your shot’s scenery, and AI Studio Eraser to remove any unwanted objects or people in the frame to make your subject stand out even further.
More Than Just Another AI Button
Like what I’ve mentioned earlier, there’s a new Clous de Paris One Tap AI button that will launch FlashMemo with a short press and Folax with a long press. If there are other things that you want to toggle instead of AI, you could also customize it to open your favorite apps.
With FlashMemo, you can take advantage of AI MindHub which stores any idea, any event, any note, any important detail that you wouldn’t want to forget. It’s like having your own personal secretary with the click of a button.
If you want the whole nine yards, you can long press to toggle the Folax AI Assistant which can access most of the popular AI models like DeepSeek, Grok, Gemini, ChatGPT, and a lot more.
And it’s not just for asking questions, you can ask Folax to clear any remaining water or debris from your speakers, just by saying “Speaker cleaner remove water,” if that’s not cool, I don’t know what is.
Final Verdict: Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness
In a world filled with monotony, the Infinix HOT 70 stands as a breath of fresh air. Showing you that individuality still exists in today’s world.
Sure, it’s not the fastest and the phone is prone to slips and falls because of how slippery it is but in the grand scheme of things, it delivers a well-rounded experience with a standout battery life, long software support (yes, for an entry-level device), and one of the most unique designs we’ve seen in recent years.
If those are the things you value most in a smartphone, then the Infinix HOT 70 receives an easy recommendation from us.
Pricing and Availability
I bet you’re dying to know how much the new Infinix HOT 70 is, and since you’ve stuck around this long, we’ll tell you how much it retails for and how much you can get it for if you move quickly.
SRP:
- 8GB(4+4)/128GB – ₱7,999 (Online and Offline Channels)
- 12GB(6+6)/128GB – ₱8,999 (TikTok Shop Exclusive)
- 16GB(8+8)/128GB – ₱9,999 (Lazada Shop Exclusive)
- 12GB(6+6)/256GB – ₱10,499 (Shopee Shop Exclusive)
For every purchase of an Infinix HOT 70, you’ll get a 3-month subscription of Google AI Plus which comes with 2TB of cloud storage at no cost. You’ll also get a free 12-month Viu Premium subscription when you purchase one from official Infinix stores. So, if you were already eyeing to buy one, I’d get one while supplies last.
If you decide to cop one on the very first day of selling, you can score your very own Infinix HOT 70 for a discounted price. It’ll be available on Infinix’s Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, and you can also get it with Home Credit, as well as Infinix’s physical stores.
Promo Price:
- 8GB(4+4)/128GB – ₱7,499 (Online and Offline Channels)
- 12GB(6+6)/128GB – ₱7,999 (TikTok Shop Exclusive)
- 16GB(8+8)/128GB – ₱8,599 (Lazada Shop Exclusive)
- 12GB(6+6)/256GB – ₱9,499 (Shopee Shop Exclusive)
Who knows, maybe you’ll even score some goodies with it…