Infinix HOT 40 Pro vs. Redmi 12: The Year of the Helio

If there’s one mobile chipset that has dominated the year 2023, it would be the Mediatek Helio series, namely, G85, G88 and G99.

Among the Helio series, the Helio G99 is the more advanced chipset. The Helio G99 was developed as an affordable mid-range gaming chip built with the 6nm process. It has a 4G chip with an 8-core processor featuring 2 high-performance processors – a Cortex A76 running at 2.2GHz and paired with an ARM Mali G57-MC2 GPU.

Two of the most prominent budget smartphones that carry the Helio chipset are the Xiaomi Redmi 12 and the newly released Infinix HOT 40 Pro.

Both devices come at an affordable price tag and are among the most searched devices in their category, at least based on our internal stats.

So here’s a breakdown of how these two stack up to each other:

Chipset

The Helio G88 was announced in June 2021 and is a capable gaming chipset with a 12nm octa-core processor running on two (2) Cortex A75 @ 2.0GHz and six (6) Cortex A55 @ 1.8GHz. This is paired with a Mali G52-MP2 1.0GHz GPU.

The Helio G99 was released a little later in May 2022 using a 6nm process and is composed on an octa-core processor running on two (2) Cortex A76 @ 2.2GHz and six (6) Cortex A55 @ 1.8GHz. This is paired with a Mali G57-MP2 1.1GHz GPU.

The G99 gets an average of 410,000 points in Antutu benchmark, while the G88 hits just a little over 270,000 points.

This puts the chipset of the Infinix HOT 40 Pro at a great advantage over the Redmi 12 in terms of performance and gaming in general.

RAM / Memory

With the current demands of smartphone users, it is expected that devices need a lot of RAM in order to operate smoothly. The acceptable number these days is 8GB of RAM, and fortunately, both the Redmi 12 and Infinix HOT 40 Pro support 8GB of RAM.

Internal Storage

The longer you use your smartphone, the bigger the storage you will need.

For most people, 256GB of internal storage is the most comfortable to start with, so you will have enough space for apps, games, photos, and videos.

Thankfully, both the Infinix HOT 40 Pro and Redmi 12 have options for 256GB of internal storage so it’s a tie, once again, in this category.

Display

Huge display and high resolution are key to a great gaming experience.

In this category, the Redmi 12 and Infinix HOT 40 Pro are almost identical – bringing in close to 6.8-inch LCD with resolutions of up to 2460 x 1080 pixels.

Additionally, the Redmi 12 has up to 500 nits of brightness compared to the 500 nits on the HOT 40 Pro. However, expect a slightly smoother refresh rate of 120Hz on the HOT 40 Pro compared to the 90Hz on the Redmi 12.

It’s too close to call, so we’re calling it a tie for the two in this category.

Camera

For many folks, the camera is an essential feature and a deal-maker or deal-breaker. As such, it is often the top consideration for purchasing decisions.

The Redmi 12 comes with a triple-shooter – a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera and a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera – that satisfies the wants of many users.

On the other hand, the Infinix HOT 40 Pro settled with a whopping 108MP f/1.8 main camera that uses a Samsung ISOCELL HM6 sensor and a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera. There’s a third camera here, actually, which is called an AI Cam and works like a 0.08MP auxiliary camera to assist the main camera in taking better photos.

Battery Capacity & Charging

A long-lasting battery is equally important when enjoying mobile gaming, and as such, battery capacity and charging speeds are the two most important factors to consider here.

In this category, both the Redmi 12 and the Infinix HOT 40 Pro are tied with a 5,000mAh battery. However, since the G99 is the more power-efficient chipset over the G88, expect the HOT 40 Pro to last a little longer than the Redmi 12.

Add to that the charging speed of 33W on the HOT 40 Pro compared to the 18W charging on the Redmi 12 – clearly, the former takes the edge in this category.

Pricing

We always say this when we review devices – there is no unsuitable phone for the right price. In this case, the Redmi 12 and Infinix HOT 40 Pro are priced very competitively.

For the 8GB+256GB variant, the Redmi 12 is priced at Php 8,999USD 153INR 13,000EUR 146CNY 1,117, while the Infinix HOT 40 Pro is priced a little lower at Php 6,999USD 119INR 10,111EUR 114CNY 869.

Conclusion

Clearly, the Infinix HOT 40 Pro rivaled the Redmi 12 in almost all categories except the camera while being tied up in the RAM and Storage. It’s quite a challenger for an already competitive segment and Infinix takes home the bacon in this one.

Check out the Redmi 12 here 27 or you can also go ahead and buy the Infinix HOT 40 Pro at this Shopee link here 34.