Head to head: Infinix Hot 6 Pro vs Huawei Y7 Prime 2018

Huawei is trying to to capture the imagination of Kenya’s youthful population with its Y series of budget smartphones. The Chinese device maker has been struggling to gain market share in a market currently dominated by Tecno and Infinix, mobile device brands that also trace their origins to China. While Huawei is looking for numbers, the likes of Infinix already have them and, if anything, want to not just keep their customers but even add more to the fold.

To push their respective goals, both Huawei and Infinix have two new almost-similarly priced devices in the market. How do they compare?

Here’s a quick rundown of the similarities and differences of the Huawei Y7 Prime 2018 and the Infinix Hot 6 Pro:

Specifications

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Specifications, which many a time we tend to be obsessed with, only tell half the story. What really matters, if you ask me, is the overall experience one gets after using a device. More memory in a device is definitely a plus since it is a guarantee for better or improved performance, at least on paper. However, memory as a standalone hardware component is basically useless. It has to work in tandem with the software in place for the end user to see whatever advantages it brings to the table. Factor in some other aspects like the choice of processor it is coupled it as well and a complex scenario begins to take shape.

This is why it is usually more important to go beyond the spec sheet and it’s also why here at Android Kenya we tend to push the spec sheet to the periphery by relegating it to its own page, where possible, so that anyone interested or insanely obsessed about the specifications of any particular device we’re previewing or reviewing can go there and drool over the raw numbers.

That said, both the Infinix Hot 6 Pro and the Huawei Y7 Prime 2018 have quite a lot in common, as exhibited by the specifications table above, as well as some places where their paths separate feature-wise.

Price

The most obvious difference between the two devices lies in the pricing. While the most expensive variant of the Infinix Hot 6 Pro, the 32GB internal storage + 3GB RAM model, costs Kshs 15,700, the Huawei Y7 Prime 2018 starts at Kshs 17,000 online.

Packaging

When it comes to the packaging, Infinix does the most. The Infinix Hot 6 Pro’s box includes the device itself as well as other items: a SIM tray ejection tool, a clear case, a pair of earphones, a USB cable, a wall adaptor and a user guide.

The Huawei Y7 Prime 2018’s packaging, on the other hand, is barebones. There’s just the device itself, the wall adaptor, USB cable and the SIM tray removal tool. Nothing else. Not even some documentation. At least that was missing in my review unit’s packaging and I suspect that’s the case for the retail packaging that everyone will be getting as well. You can really feel the cost-cutting going on.

It’s really good that Infinix is providing a pair of basic sets and even goes an extra mile and throws in a free case. I remember a while back unboxing an Infinix Note (either the Note 2 or Note 3, I am not so sure) and finding it without earphones.

Design

This one is a given. Both devices have distinct designs but still share a lot in common. They both rock plastic designs. They both have dual-camera setups going on at the back. They also have their fingerprint sensors placed at the back, just below the cameras.

Both devices also opt for a clean top part of the device with everything, microphones, speaker grilles, headphone jacks and microUSB ports, being relegated to the bottom of the device.

The Huawei ruins the party with the conspicuous logo on the bottom chin while the only place that one gets to see the Infinix logo is at the back of the device despite the Infinix having a slightly larger chin. Still, the Huawei Y7 Prime 2018 is the gorgeous one. Particularly the one in blue.

Feel

The Huawei Y7 Prime 2018 feels broad while the Infinix feels very slender. In fact, one can easily miss the fact that the Y7 Prime also features an 18:9 display because of this and I love that about it.

On paper, the Infinix Hot 6 Pro at 158 grams is supposed to be slightly heavier than the Huawei Y7 Prime 2018 at 155 grams. When you hold both devices, that’s hardly the case. The Y7 Prime feels heavier.

Though they are both plastic, I like the feel of the Y7 Prime more.

Performance

Though the two devices pack different Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, I did find significant differences in terms of how they respond to user interactions and tasks they are meant to handle. On paper, the Huawei is supposed to either be better than the Infinix or at least be at par. However, that is not really the case, at least in my usage of the device. The heavy customization coupled with the lack of proper optimization appears to take a toll on the Y7 Prime and it shows. The camera app responds many seconds later, browser apps stutter before going on to fetch whatever it is you’re looking for and so on.

Software

Each device’s user interface has been customized to match the theme of its respective maker despite both of them running on the same version of the Android mobile operating system, 8.0, Oreo (well, technically, since one of the devices I am using for this comparison is running on pre-production software – or so I assume – based on Android Nougat).

On the Infinix Hot 6 Pro, the alterations mean that users can use features like the so-called “face ID” while on the Y7 Prime 2018 that means being able to stretch the usage of the fingerprint scanner to include novelties like swiping through the gallery app when browsing images, answering phone calls, stopping the alarm, showing the notification drop down as well as clearing notifications and using it to take photos and videos in the camera app.

On the Infinix Hot 6 Pro, users have an option of either swiping through multiple home screens to find the app they want or simply swiping up to bring up the app drawer while by default, the Huawei’s user interface lacks an app drawer of any sort. This can, however, be enabled in the device’s settings app.

Both devices have their own respective theme stores/engines through which users can take customization of their devices to the next level by applying several available themes.

Both Infinix and Huawei  have their own ways of handling phone junk and speeding up things. In the case of the Hot 6 Pro, that’s through the Phone Master app while on the Y7 Prime that is handled by the Phone Manager app. In addition to providing clean up services, both apps allow users to manage their mobile data either directly or by providing a shortcut to the Android data manager. They both also allow their users to block spam callers and texters or other undesired persons. Their point of departure is in execution of some tasks. The Huawei app has a virus scanner courtesy of internet security firm Avast while the Infinix app lets users “freeze” apps they rarely use.

For the gamers, Huawei’s device has some sort of “gaming mode” which kicks in when gaming apps added to the “Game Suite” are launched. The Infinix has no similar feature.

Infinix’s idea of allowing users to do things like having two WhatsApp accounts on the same device is through the “Multi Account” feature and it can be found on the Hot 6 Pro. Since late 2016, Huawei also has a similar feature dubbed App Twin. However, it is nowhere to be seen on the Y7 Prime. It is probably reserved for Huawei smartphones further up the food chain.

Face unlock

The Huawei Y7 Prime has been marketed as having face unlock as a feature. I have not been able to find it anywhere on my review unit. I guess that has something to do with the software the device is running which is dated. I have had to make do with the fingerprint sensor on the device and good old PINs (remember those? LOL). On the other hand, the Infinix Hot 6 Pro’s face unlock works just fine. However, this is not a clear win for the Infinix as the Y7 Prime 2018 sure does have this feature. It’s just not there on the device that I have but it should be there on the ones that are currently selling in the market.

Battery

Not only does the Infinix Hot 6 Pro pack a beefier battery unit, it also outshines its rival when it comes to battery life. The Infinix lasts and lasts while you need to remember to carry a power bank with you when you have the Y7 Prime 2018 as your go-to phone. That or its charging cable because you will need it after some 8 hours of use. 8 hours is just like when the Hot 6 Pro is waking up with a whole day ahead of it.

The bad thing is that both devices lack accelerated charging and still rock microUSB ports.

Other

Both devices have dual-nano SIM slots with a separate slot for storage expansion through a microSD card.

Both devices have FM radio.

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I have intentionally left out the camera comparison because I have explored both device’s cameras in their respective reviews.

Even then, the Android Kenya Instagram page is always a good place to get a quick glance at what’s stated in those reviews.

Which one is your pick?

Note:

• The blue Huawei Y7 Prime 2018 that appears in some of the photos in this article belongs to Kaluka Wanjala. Check out his work at Techarena.
• Both phones used for this comparison were provided by the respective companies i.e. Infinix and Huawei.