Infinix didn’t come to play with the Infinix Zero 8 – their latest smartphone in the Zero series which launched early this month.
The company had missed out with the Zero 7 and decided to go all in with the Zero 8 and it does pack the heat.
The Infinix Zero 8 brings a lot of value to the table as a midrange device.
In my first impressions review, I commended the path Infnix is taking as the Zero 8 is a step in the right direction and makes me look forward to the company’s future devices(especially the Note Series, S series and Hot series) – if they only implement the same mantra they went with the Zero 8 that actually walks that big talk.
With the Infinix Zero 8, you get an elegant design, stutter free performance, superb hardware, a high refresh rate high resolution display, excellent battery life and fast USB-C charging and to top the crown – an unquestionable camera experience.
All this goodness at an affordable price of under Ksh 30,000.
Design
Infinix Zero 8 features a visually apealing design with a premium vibe to it.
This direction is very much in tandem with the expected Infinix’s target customers, whose lifestyle could be described as image and fashion-conscious and trendy, with a taste for high-end gadgets.
Infinix followed a diamond/prism aesthetic – not only for the camera bump but also the colour gradient back which is sure to grab attention wherever you go.
The back not only catches the eye but also fingerprint smudges and scratches so you’ll have to use the silicone case provided in the box.
Our unit came in Diamond Black but you can get yours in Diamond Silver.
The phone is quite heavy as its huge but Infinix has tried to make it easier to use with the curved back.
The back curve flows to the midframe where you’ll get the volume button, power button that also has a fingerprint sensor on the right and a dual sim card and microSD card slot on the left.
At the bottom is the speaker grill, type-C charging port and headphone jack next to the microphone.
Coming to the front is the wide camera cutout that houses the dual 48MP selfie cameras – wich is a first for Infinix.
But thats not te most interesting thing of the display – its the 90Hz refresh rate for the phone – another first for Infinix.
Infinix also increased the resolution of the 6.85″ LCD screen to 1080p(1080 by 2460 pixels) making it easier to use especially if you binge a lot of TV shows and movies – be it Showmax, Netflix or other streaming platforms.
Sound quality is decent enough for videos or gaming too.
Thin bezels suround the screen and kudos to Infinix for distributing the weight which makes it relatively less hefty – don’t get me wrong, if you’re coming form a ligther and compact phone -the size and weight will intimidate you.
People with big hands will enjoy the size and it’s much easier to type and text while on the go – although you ‘ll need to use two hands for that.
I liked the fit and finish on the phone but for the less cautious – slap that case to protect your phone.
That 90Hz screen is vibrant and fluid with smoother animations making the Infinix Zero 8 even more attractive -whether you’re playing mobile games or streaming content.
If you’re one of those people who like to tinker with their smartphone displays, there’s customization options to choose from. It’s worth noting that 90Hz refresh rate comes enabled by default but you can switch to 60Hz or go with auto-mode that switches refresh rate automatically according to actual use.
The colors are vibrant and legibility is good even outdoors.
Performance
Under the hood, the Infinix Zero 8 comes with a Helio G90T processor and Mali-G76 MC4 GPU coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
No stuttering with the Infinix Zero 8 for both heavy tasks and light tasks. You can switch between a couple of apps without the need to refresh.
So if you’re a heavy multitasker and into productivity with gaming breaks, then the Infinix Zero 8 is the phone to consider.
In terms of performance, the Infinix Zero 8 did a pretty excellent job – accomplishing day today tasks is fluid especially with that 90Hz(it was my default mode – battery life be damned, lol)
Only times it would lag a bit is when playing visually intense gaming titles like PUBG and Call of Duty but not frequent enough to be a problem.
Checking out my social media feeds was a breeze – I was literally breaking my digital wellbeing records with this phone.
Once you go 90Hz, there’s no going back
Both biometric authentication methods works fast for both the side-mounted fingerprint sensor or the face unlock.
The Infinix Zero 8 supports VoLTE for all networks inlcluding Faiba 4G – I thought I should mention that for Faiba’s subscribers who are in the search for a smartphone compatible with their network.
Overall, the Infinix Zero 8 is a capable performer and you’ll never go wrong with it.
Battery Life
Infinix Zero 8 comes with a gigantic 4500mAh battery and for the first time, added not just any USB-C charging but 33W fast charging.
The charging cable has orange accents at both ends.
This smartphone takes a while for it to drain even with the 90Hz refresh rate enabled. I was getting an average of 11 hours during my time with it on light use and over 9 hours on heavy usage.
33W Fast Charging comes in handy
That’s alot of hours worth of use especially for most of us in self-quarantine who don’t want to held hostage by the charging socket or extension because you battery died after a few hours of use.
You’ll never have battery anxiety with the Infinix Zero 8.
And if your phone gets fully drained, you can quickly juice it up from empty to 54% in 24 minutes and in 48 minutes to 91%.
That 33W fast charging is such a welcome feature.
Cameras
Infinix brought the big guns in terms of photography. Infinix Zero 8 features a 48MP dual selfie cameras and a 64MP AI-powered quadcamera setup.
Those are huge numbers and they actually do the work.
We even dedicated a separate review with a focus on how its cameras perform, which you can read below.
Infinix Zero 8 Camera Review: Unquestionable Camera Performance
The punchhole cutout accommodates the 48MP primary camera and an 8MP ultrawide camera.
The back is home to a total of four cameras housed in a prism camera bump. You get a 64MP main camera, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensor.
There’s alot of modes to play with which we we went in depth with – you can check out the samples in the article above.
All these modes and the multiple cameras both for regular shots and selfies make for a versatile camera experience that ensures you are able to take almost any shot and more often than not , the results are very good for sharing on various social platforms.
In short, you are getting your money’s worth in terms of photography experience.
Software
Infinix Zero 8 comes with Android 10 and XOS Dolphin v7.0.
You get all the nice-to-have features from both such as sytem-wide dark mode, navigation gestures, digital wellbeing controls and features such as Game-mode and Social Turbo.
XOS is a little bit leaner and feels less cluttered.
All this forward steps come back to be haunted by the adware that comes with XOS.
The ads are annoying wherever you go and it takes a lot of time to tinker with the settings to try and avoid the ads such as disabling notifications, picking a third-party launcher, disabling and deleting bloatware.
Another thing is that we don’t know if the Infinix Zero 8 will get updated to Android 11 but we remain hopeful?.
So, if you’re willing to do the extra work, the other features Infinix we’ve talked above will make the whole experience worth it.
Verdict
The Infinix Zero 8 is feature-rich and has alot of good things going for it – that smooth 90Hz display, the six reliable cameras, capable performance both for gaming and multitasking, visually appealing design, USB-C fast charging and excellent battery life.
The bloatware that features ads while using the smartphone drag the progress the company has made with the Infinix Zero 8.
Pricing and Availability
You can buy the Infinix Zero 8 online and offline at X-Park which is Infinix’s online shop for Ksh 28,999, Jumia for Ksh 29,999 or head out to Infinix’s official retail stores countrywide.
