Infinix’s presence in the entry-level smartphone has grown substantially in the last couple of years. Its Smart HD series pushes the boundaries of the segment and offers tremendous value to those on a shoestring budget. Priced at Rs 6,699, the Infinix Smart 9 HD makes some crucial improvements over its predecessor. The smartphone gets a new octa-core chipset, a dual LED flash, a dual speaker setup, and IP54 ingress protection. We used the Infinix Smart 9 HD for a week, here is our review of the smartphone.
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Infinix Smart 9 HD Review: Design and Display
Here’s what you get inside Infinix Smart 9 HD’s retail box:
- Smartphone
- 10W power adapter
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- Plastic case
- SIM ejector
- User manual
- Warranty card
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Infinix Smart 9 HD’s shell is made entirely out of plastic but it has a nice in-hand feel to it. The flat back panel has a matte finish and does not register any smudges or fingerprints. The square camera island has rounded corners. It houses two sensors and two LED flashlights. The glossy finish on the camera island offers a nice contrast to the matte finish of the back. The plastic case provided in the box fits the smartphone perfectly – offering protection to the important areas. Unlike most accessories that come along with entry-level smartphones, this case does not feel flimsy or cheap.
The plastic frame of the smartphone houses the hybrid SIM tray on its left edge. The 3.5 mm headphone jack, primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and primary speaker are positioned at the bottom. On the right lie the volume rocker keys and the side button. The secondary speaker grille is placed on the top.
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Infinix Smart 9 HD carries forward the 90Hz IPS LCD panel from the previous model. This 6.7-inch is a smidge bigger than its last year’s counterpart. The brightness maxes out at 500 nits. The 720 x 1,600p resolution earns the smartphone the ‘HD’ tag. The selfie camera is housed in a punch-hole cutout on the display. There are sizeable bezels around the screen and they get thicker around the chin. The upper bezel has a small LED indicator that also acts as a front-facing flash for selfies. While there is no optical fingerprint scanner under the display, the side key handles the biometric duties.
The IPS display also offers a decent viewing experience. During the review period, we streamed content from OTT platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar on the Infinix Smart 9 HD. The smartphone presented a good range of viewing angles along with delightful colours and detailed images. The dual speaker setup produces a loud audio output, but it sounds a little tinny due to the lack of a strong low end.
To top it off, the smartphone has an IP54 ingress protection. This makes it resistant to water splashes. You don’t have to worry about taking out the smartphone while it’s drizzling. However, constant exposure to water may weaken its protection capabilities.
Infinix Smart 9 HD Review: Performance and Cameras
One of the more important updates on the Infinix Smart 9 HD lies under its hood. The smartphone has replaced the feeble Unisoc processor from the previous model with a decent MediaTek Helio G50 octa-core chipset. It is available in a single 3GB RAM + 64GB storage variant. On the AnTutu benchmark test, the smartphone scored 142,515 points.
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During the review period, we were pretty satisfied with the performance that the Infinix Smart 9 HD delivered on everyday use. The touch response is decent and the apps don’t take a lot of time to load. Even with 3-4 apps running in the background, the smartphone does not produce jitters and glitches. Routine tasks like video calling, IMing, social media browsing, and media streaming are handled well.
There is not much to be said about the gaming performance of the Infinix Smart 9 HD as the Media Helio G50 is an entry-level chipset. The device doesn’t meet the requirements to run titles like Asphalt Legends Unite and Call of Duty Mobile. This is also due to the limited internal storage capacity of the device. However, games like Subway Surfers and Bubble Shooter run smoothly and present no significant issues.
OS duties on the Infinix Smart 9 HD are handled by the Android 14 Go-based XOS 14. Since this is a ‘Go’ edition, you don’t get the full Android experience on the device. This is done to keep the OS light and breezy. It is an effective tradeoff as it improves the smartphone’s performance. Having said that, you will find features like app locker, XHide, Find My Device, and more.
There is minimal bloatware on the device. The native Gallery app is integrated with tools to clean, compress, and hide images. It can also create eye-catching collages from the images in the library. The Hi Translate app can translate text and images to any language of your choice. It also has an ‘Interpreter’ mode that can live-translate a conversation between two speakers.
The Infinix Smart 9 HD packs a 5,000mAh battery. The battery backup lasts an entire day with ease. After a day of regular use, we were left with ~20% charge. The 10W power adapter provided inside the box takes up to 3 hours to fully charge the device. We would’ve preferred slightly faster charging.
The rear camera panel packs a 13MP primary shooter and a depth sensor. In outdoor daylight conditions, this camera takes decent pictures with rich colours. The images are slightly soft, but that’s something we expect from an entry-level smartphone. However, the depth and richness of colours make up for the lack of details.
Portraits taken by the Infinix Smart 9 HD are sharp and focused but there’s little to no background blur. The native camera app does not have a dedicated Night Mode. This makes photography in limited lighting quite challenging. The resulting images are grainy and dark. On the bright side, the 8MP front-facing camera takes good selfies. The front-facing LED flash comes in handy while taking selfies in indoor conditions.
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Verdict
As far as entry-level smartphones go, the Infinix Smart 9 HD is an incredible deal under Rs 7,000. It is an ideal device for users who are primarily interested in watching content, browsing social media, and taking pictures. The new MediaTek Helio G50 chipset is a great improvement over the Unisoc processor on the previous model. The improved IP54 ingress protection is also a great feature to have on your side.
Infinix Smart 9 HD: Pros
- Big display
- Good processor
- Expandable storage
- Light software
- Affordable
Infinix Smart 9 HD: Cons
- Slow charging
- Lacks Night Mode
- Lacks 5G
