Infinix Smart 20 Goes on Sale in Kenya Starting at KES 12,499

The entry-level smartphone market is currently heating up in the Kenyan market, with brands such as Xiaomi. Tecno, Infinix, and Itel are all competing for the budget users.

These brands have gone a step ahead to include flagship features such as a 120Hz refresh rate and massive batteries, which are now available at a pocket-friendly change.

The Infinix Smart 20  has done just that, offering a 120Hz refresh rate and a huge 5200mAh battery for just KES 12,499.

This phone mainly targets students, first-time buyers, and everyday hustlers.

The Infinix Smart 20 Price in Kenya & Where to Buy

The Infinix Smart 20 costs KES 12,499 for the 64GB + 4GB RAM and KES 13,999 for the 128GB + 4GB RAM.

The Infinix Smart 20 will be available across all Infinix official stores and online malls, i.e., Jumia and Kilimall, and third retailers such as Phone Place Kenya and Safariocom shops across the country.

Standout Features: What KES 12,499 Gets You in 2026

A Massive 120Hz Display on a Budget

Starting with the display, the phone features a 6.78-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 720 by 1576 with peak brightness of 700 nits, which you might struggle to see contents under direct sunlight.

On the bright side, there is a 120Hz refresh rate; scrolling through the UI should be smooth.

Helio G81 Ultimate & Android 16 Experience

Under the hood, the Infinix Smart 20 is powered by the Mediatek Helio G81 Ultimate  (12nm), which is basically the same as the Mediatek G80; the only major difference is that the G81 Ultimate supports a 120Hz refresh rate.

Looking at benchmark results, we can see that the Helio G81 offers little performance improvement compared to the G80.

On Antutu, the G81 has a 15% improvement compared to the G80, scoring  357879 vs 310388.

On single-core score, the G81 shows a 6% improvement, scoring 432 vs 406 on the G80. On multi-core score, the G80 is 3% faster than the G81, scoring 1456 vs 1416 on the G81.

On the storage front, the Smart 20 is available in just two variants: 64GB storage with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage with 4GB RAM. 

However, Infinix Kenya has been advertising the Smart 20 as having 8GB RAM across its social media pages. Looking closely at the promotional poster, though, the “8GB RAM” comes with an asterisk, suggesting the phone is relying on RAM Plus technology, which virtually expands the memory by an additional 4GB.

Switching gears to the software, Infinix has shipped teh Smart 20 with Android 16 on top of XOS 16. It's unclear how many years of software support this phone will receive, but given it’s a budget phone, it’s unlikely to receive OS updates but we can expect at least 2 years of security patches.

All things considered, this phone is built for everyday basic multitasking and social media, not 3D gaming, due to its less powerful processor and limited RAM.

5200mAh Battery Built for the Hustle

Powering the Infinix Smart 20 is a standard 5200mAh battery. To be honest, I expected Infinix to go with a much larger battery, especially now that we already have smartphones in the Kenyan market selling at almost the same price with massive 7000mAh batteries. 

A good example is the Redmi 15, which has already raised the bar in this segment.

Anyway, the 5200mAh should get through a full day of use and even add some extra hours depending on your usage. This is mainly due to the less power-hungry processor and the lower-resolution display.

The phone comes with a 5W charger and supports 5W reverse wireless charging.

Cameras: Keeping Expectations in Check

Moving on to the cameras, don’t expect mind-blowing results because it’s a budget phone, of course.

At the rear, you get an 8MP selfie shooter, and that’s it; the selfie snapper is an 8MP snapper, and both the rear and the selfie snappers can record videos in up to 2k resolution.

This camera setup is good for WhatsApp video calls, scanning documents, and shooting casual, homemade movies.

Infinix Smart 20 vs. The Budget Competition

Comparing the Infinix Smart 20 with the Samsung Galaxy A07 and the Realme C71, the Infinix has a slight advantage when it comes to the IP rating; it has an IP 64 rating and a 120Hz refresh rate, giving it an edge in the sub-15k bracket.

On the flip side, the Smart 20 lags behind when it comes to RAM, since you get 4GB of RAM, and also 5200mAh is pretty standard nowadays; a 6000mAh+ would have been pretty solid; take note, Infinix.

Conclusion

Pros

- IP 64 rating

- 120Hz screen 

- Decent battery

- Great price

 Cons

- Basic 8MP cameras

- Limited RAM

- Not for heavy gaming

If you have KES 12,499, you prioritise a large screen and smooth scrolling, and a battery that can last you for hours, then the Infinix Smart 20 is clearly the undisputed king of the entry-level segment right now.