Upgraded Infinix HOT 10 PLAY vs Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 Specs Comparison

Infinix Mobile recently released an upgraded version of the HOT 10 PLAY, a device featuring capable specs under PHP 5K. In this article, let's see if it fares against one of the top phones for the price—the Cherry Mobile Aqua S9.

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Let's see!

Infinix HOT 10 PLAY vs Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 Specs Comparison

Device	Infinix HOT 10 PLAY	Cherry Mobile Aqua S9
DisPLAY	6.82-inch 2.5D curved LCD (IPS) screen w/ HD+ 1640 x 720 resolution at 263 ppi	6.52-inch 2.5D curved LCD (IPS) screen w/ HD+ 1600 x 720 resolution at 269 ppi
CPU	2.3GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G35 octa-core processor	1.6GHz 28nm SC9863A octa-core processor
GPU	PowerVR GE8320 (680MHz)	PowerVR IMG8322
RAM	4GB	4GB
ROM	64GB expandable storage	64GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 128GB (dedicated)
Back Camera	13MP w/ AF + AI lens + LED flash	13MP + 5MP depth + 2MP mono + 2MP AI + LED flash
Selfie Camera	8MP	8MP
Battery	6,000mAh w/ 10W charging	5,000mAh
OS	Android 10 w/ XOS 7.0	Android 10
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, FM Radio, GPS, dual SIM	WiFi, 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, FM Radio, GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM
Sensors	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others	Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, Colors: Aegean Blue, Morandi Green, 7° Purple	Face unlock, USB-C, Colors: Black, Fusion Sky, Flare Red, Aqua Blue, Jade Green
Dimensions	171.82 x 77.96 x 8.90 mm	165 x 76.3 x 9.5 mm
Weight	TBC	115 g
Price	PHP 4,990	PHP 3,999

The better budget phone on paper is?

Infinix HOT 10 PLAY back

Build/Design - The Infinix HOT10 PLAY has a polycarbonate body with a rectangular camera bump, a rear fingerprint scanner, and a dewdrop notch upfront. The back also has a glossy, gradient finish as well.

Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 back and cameras

The Cherry Mobile Aqua  S9 also has a polycarbonate body with more of a rounded rectangle camera bump, a ray-like sheen with a textured finish, and a dewdrop notch upfront. No mention of any fingerprint scanner though.

Infinix HOT 10 PLAY disPLAY

DisPLAY - The Infinix HOT 10 PLAY has a 6.82-inch 2.5D curved LCD (IPS) screen with HD+ 1640 x 720 resolution at 263 ppi.

Cherry Mobile Aqua S9

The Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 has a 6.52-inch 2.5D curved LCD (IPS) screen w/ HD+ 1600 x 720 resolution at 269 ppi.

Overall, the Infinix HOT 10 PLAY takes the lead here with a bigger screen. But overall, they both have HD+ resolution and roughly the same pixel density. Both have no mention of any screen protection too.

Specs - The Infinix HOT 10 PLAY has a 2.3GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G35 octa-core processor, PowerVR GE8320 (680MHz), 4GB, 64GB expandable storage, and 6,000mAh w/ 10W charging.

The Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 has a 1.6GHz 28nm SC9863A octa-core processor,  PowerVR IMG8322, 4GB RAM, 64GB expandable storage, and a 5,000mAh battery.

Helio G35 is ahead of the fabrication used for better power efficiency and thermals. It is using higher clocked cores as well. But, even if the SC9863A was fabbed using the 28nm processor, it is not bad either. It is even equipped with the newer Cortex-A55 cores.

The speed lead is still with HOT 10 PLAY. Both have the same RAM size and storage. Infinix has a larger battery capacity and faster charging.

Cameras - For cameras, the Infinix HOT 10 PLAY has a dual-camera setup with 13MP w/ AF + AI lens + LED flash. For selfies, it has an 8MP camera.

The Cherry Mobile Aqua S9, on the other hand, has a quad-camera setup with 13MP + 5MP depth + 2MP mono + 2MP AI + LED flash. It also has an 8MP selfie camera.

Here, Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 takes the leap ahead with a better quad-camera setup. It is a tie with the selfie though.

Other features - Infinix HOT 10 PLAY has a rear fingerprint sensor, face unlock, WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, FM Radio, GPS, and dual SIM.

Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 has WiFi, 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, FM Radio, GPS, GLONASS, face unlock, USB-C, and dual SIM.

Infinix HOT 10 PLAY advantages - Bigger screen, slightly better SoC, bigger battery with fast charging, fingerprint sensor

Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 advantages - Quad-cameras, 700MHz 4G LTE, PHP 1K cheaper

Our thoughts

For PHP 1K more, you are getting a lot more with the Infinix HOT 10 PLAY with a bigger screen, slightly better SoC, bigger battery with fast charging, and fingerprint sensor.

But, the Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 still has its charm with the quad-cameras, 700MHz 4G LTE, and PHP 1K cheaper price tag.

What do you guys think?