Hisense Infinity KO and beyond

Phones, Tech News

When I started writing this post I’d just come back from the launch of the new Hisense Infinity KO. Let’s just say I’m gobsmacked. What an impressive phone!

A huge amount of smartphone is packed into this device: water-, dust- and shock proof, for a very impressive and reasonable 3999 South African rand, so this beauty won’t break the bank.

You can take this phone anywhere – good enough to keep up in the board room and even better at keeping up outdoors. Being South African, I sometimes think we are are outdoorsy people, therefore we need rugged technology. Swimming, river rafting, water skiing, surfing the waves or windsurfing, the Infinity fits perfectly into this lifestyle. If you’re the lying by the pool or on the beach type – this device would suit you too. The KO is rugged, while still showing of sleek and attractive design – a combination we don’t come across very often.

The Infinity KO from Hisense is certified with an IP67 rating, ie it’s totally dust proof, plus, thanks to a waterproofing seal in-between the phone and the back cover, it can withstand being submerged in water at a depth of one metre, for up to 30 minutes.

Can it take a tumble? I threw it! I kid you not. Pedro Texeira, the deputy manager for Hisense in South Africa, gave me one to toss around! After my first weak attempt, he let me throw it again. Who the hell throws a phone? Me!!!!!!

I am happy to report that the phone and I both survived.

It was explained to me that there is shock absorbing material around the body edges. The 5” screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4, which goes a long way in securing the screen against butter fingers and slippery situations!

The Infinity KO also boasts Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 MSM8929 chipset, running a 1.36GHz octa-core processor. It’s supported by 3GB of RAM, pitting itself up against the big boys of mobile.

Speed

Of course it’s not all about being good looking and virtually indestructible but what use would the Infinity KO be if it lacked in the speed department? Well, it doesn’t! The Hisense Infinity KO has not not one, but dual 4G LTE capable SIM slots. Errrr Boom!

Look and feel

I loved how Hisense described the 5” HD screen of the Infinity KO as having enough “real-estate” to easily read email, ebooks, play games, browse web pages or watch videos. So the screen is big and then the Dolby Sound is yet another benefit of the device.

But wait… There’s more! Okay so you’ve been emailing, social media-ing, reading books and playing games all day – what about that darn battery that never lasts? Well, according to Hisense, the Infinity KO’s sizeable 3200mAh battery, with quick charge, ensures that a “drained phone will be the least of your worries.”

Camera

Hisense with this phone has looked after those of us that shamelessly are trigger happy, those of us who feel the desperate need to document EVERYTHING with a photie or a selfie! The company has incorporated a 13 megapixel main camera, which thanks to its Phase Detection autofocus, can be on-target in just 0.1 seconds. You can however, also take pics from standby mode, by just holding the volume button and you’re done. I tried it, I Iiked it – although there were grumblings that you couldn’t focus the screen and get the right shot. We’re talking bout not missing a quick shot here, not setting up the perfect shot!

The Infinity KO also records Full HD video. That’s all your videos and photos to fill 32GB of storage.

And finally

For Hisense, ease of operation is hugely important, enter the Android Lollipop OS (5.1) which is complimented by the intuitive Hisense Vision UI, which helps unify the smartphone experience.

All you’d ever need is this phone at a price that is do-able compared to other smartphones on the market. Rugged, outdoor-ready, specification rich, and beautifully designed – what more could you ask for?

Specifications

Model: Hisense Infinity KO (C20)
Protection: IP67 Certified, Waterproof, Shockproof, Dustproof*
SIM: Dual 4G LTE capable SIM Slots
Data connection enabled on one SIM slot at a time
Micro SIM
Dimensions: 144 x 72.1 x 8.6mm
Weight: 153 g
OS: Android 5.1, Lollipop
User Interface: Vision UI 2.0
Screen size: 5.0” (1280×720)
Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection
<380 nit brightness
16.77 million colours
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 MSM8929
Processor: Octa-core @1.36GHz
Storage: 32GB (EMMC)
Memory: 3GB (DDR3）
Rear Camera: 13MP
Phase Detection autofocus
Quick focus, less than 0.5s
LED Flash
f2.0 aperture
Gesture Control & Smile Shooting
Video: 1080p/30fps
Front Camera: 5MP
Fixed focus
LED Flash
Video: 720p/30fps
USB On the Go (OTG): Yes, connects with external devices
Bluetooth: Yes, Version 4.0
GPS: Yes
Wi-Fi: 802.11ac/n, 5G/2.5G
FM Radio: Yes
Sensors: Ambient Light
Proximity
Accelerometer
Geomagnetic
Speaker: Yes, Waterproof
Sound: Dolby Sound
Mic: 2
Battery: 3200mAh
Charging Time: <3.5 hours
Network: LTE: B1, 3, 7, 20, 38, 40
WCDMA: 900, 1900, 2100MHz
GSM: Quad bands
CSFB
* With all ports firmly closed, the mobile phone can withstand a low pressure pure water spray from any direction. The IP67 rating strictly indicates that the mobile phone is not capable of being submerged under pure water for more than 30 minutes at a depth of 1 metre. Please note that the mobile phone was not designed for frequent underwater operation, it should only be used under the specific requirements indicated by the IP67 rating. Damage resulting from improper usage as indicated in the instructions is the user’s responsibility.

About Clare Matthes:

Clare’s father swears she was born waving spirit fingers and singing tah dah in an oh-so-dahling-showbiz-esque manner. Nicknamed “Schnauze” because of her smart mouth and quick whit, Clare enjoys putting the world in words. This sarcastic eye roller extraordinaire has a passion for all things gadget, technology and social media. She sees the humour in everything and never shies away from a good old égoportrait (selfie).