Hello everyone welcome back to Techmansion. If you missed my previous article on “I Compared a ₦300k Laptop to a ₦1M Laptop — The Gap Is Embarrassing”you should check it out.
When I first picked up the ₦180k Smartphone (Infinix Hot 40i), I’ll be honest — my expectations weren’t sky-high. In a market full of flashy flagship phones with massive price tags and influencer hype, a budget phone with a price tag under ₦200,000 just doesn’t scream “premium experience.”
But after using this phone as my daily driver for 30 days straight, something surprising happened: I started genuinely comparing it to flagship phones — not because I wanted to nitpick, but because in many key areas, it held its own. In fact, it left me side-eyeing expensive phones in ways I didn’t expect.
Here’s how the experience really went.
Get to know this ₦180k Smartphone
Let’s start with the basics. Infinix Hot 40i has an estimated price of ₦180,000, thereby making it a possible option among the ordinary users in Nigeria. The following is a brief overview of the specifications that a mid-end device will have:
- Display: 6.56-inch IPS LCD, 90 Hz, refresh rate.
- Processor: Unisoc T606 octa‑core
- RAM/Storage: 4GB RAM, 128GB internal memory.
- Camera: 50 MP main + 8 MP selfie
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- OS: Android 13 with XOS 13 on top
- Connection: -4G LTE, Face Unlock, fingerprint sensor
Numbers are good on paper, but the true worth of a device lies in its feeling in your hand, its ability to last all day, and how it handles your daily life. This is where it becomes interesting with this review.
Day 1- 7: First impressions and Everyday Use.
The first thing that immediately struck me about this ₦180k Smartphone is the display. The 90 refresh rate 6.56 inch display makes it easy to scroll through data, which is much better than the 60HTC phones of the past. Apps are fast to respond, web pages open smoothly and videos run without jolting- normally the prerogative of a more expensive device.
The size of the phone is quite appropriate: it is not very small and cannot be easily typed on; it is also not too large not to fit into your hand. I found it truly comfortable to be worn all-day.
The first week, I did not experience any glitches, freezes, or delays, which is also a welcome surprise in this price bracket.
Performance: Better Than I expected with a ₦180k Smartphone.
One of the misguided beliefs about the budget phones is that they are slow. My experience was different. The Unisoc T606 with 4GB of RAM, enabled messaging, social media, music streaming and productivity applications and did not lag at all.
Of course, there is an obvious difference in performance between flagship Snapdragon 8-series chips, and this. The phone is not good at heavy gaming or intensive applications. However, when it came to these day to day activities it was good and smooth to such an extent that no frustration would normally arise.
There was no lag between apps or when switching to the camera which was much more than I expected at this price.
Battery Life: Long-lasting and not requiring to be charged frequently.
The aspect in which this phone excels is in battery life. The 5,000 mAh battery easily provided all-day power consumption with a combination of browsing, video streaming, navigation, social media, a little bit of games, and video calls.
On lighter days I used the phone until the battery could last me into the next morning, a feat that even many flagship phones have difficulty attaining due to large-power screens and processors.
Practically, I hardly experienced battery anxiety, which is particularly useful at locations where regular recharging is not ensured.
Camera Performance: Amazing When You See the Price.
The quality of the camera could happen to be a problem with lower-priced devices, though the 50 MP primary camera of this phone surpassed my expectations. Photos in daytime and light scenes were crisp, the color was accurate, and the details were easy to read, which made them appropriate to the social media and informal photography. The 8 MP selfie camera was also good in sunny conditions.
The performance in low-light was expected: noises and softness grew with the reduction of the light. The Night mode offers some enhancement though it cannot keep up with flagship night cameras with bigger sensors and superior AI. Nevertheless, the photos are sufficient to most common consumers.
Software and Real-life Experience.
The phone is based on Android 13 and XOS 13 by Infinix. It is not a new experience to Android users, but some pre-installed applications and customizations might not be welcome initially. These may be uninstalled, although there are those that are built in to the system.
On the whole, the journey is smooth and steady. The fingerprint sensor and Face Unlock are also effective, which contributes to the polishing of this low-cost model.
Comparison with Flagship Phones – Why I have changed my viewpoint.
Within 30 days, I started to unconsciously compare this phone with the flagship models I have used previously not to criticize it, but to have specific expectations.
It is a fact that flagship phones are faster, have better cameras, brighter screens, and more developed artificial intelligence. However, in the real world situation, when it comes to messaging, social media, streaming, navigation, and even informal photography, the distinctions are not always feasible and at times might seem extravagant.
I wondered it to myself, Do I need that additional feature that is four times more expensive? The answer was often no. Users that prioritize balanced performance, long battery life, mediocre camera quality, and consistent daily use will find this phone an interesting argument that celebrity-priced flagships are not necessary to achieve a smooth everyday experience.
What This Phone Does Right — And Where It Falls Short.
Here’s the honest breakdown:
What the ₦180k Smartphone does well:
- Solid everyday performance
- Battery life is long and no longer necessitates charging at midday.
- Smooth screen with 90Hz display refresh.
- Decent camera with normal lighting.
- Easy to use and comfortable design.
Where it is underperforming relative to flagships:
- There is poor performance in gaming.
- Photography in low lights battles.
- Out of the box some software bloatware.
- Display is not AMOLED – colors are not too bright.
None of them are deal breakers. However, they are reminding you that this phone is in its own price range, not a competitor to ultra-premium devices.
Conclusions
In a world of influencers pushing costly phones priced at a thousand dollars or more with artificial intelligence capabilities and massive zoom lenses, this ₦180k Smartphone is giving your expensive phones a run for their money by reminding you of what most users have been missing; good performance and functionality.
This is not to bankrupt flagship phones, which also have their role, but I am now able to value the potential of budget phones in the modern world. Mobile phones in this category have become significantly superior to how they were previously, and this specific device demonstrates that one does not have to rob the bank to have a sleek, stable, and versatile smartphone experience.
So when you are on a budget, this phone makes it apparent that money does not mean that you will be settling. It seems to be intelligent expenditure in a lot of respects, and that is something that should be valued.
