I honestly admit that usually when I hear the words “flagship”, “mid-range” or “budget”, I always think of some well-known brand, such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, etc. However, this time I got a smartphone from Infinix for review. So let’s get acquainted with the hot new product – Infinix NOTE 30 Pro.
Infinix is a growing brand that was founded in 2013. Trying its hand at different areas, the company has released its own laptops, introduced TWS headphones, and smartphones aimed at young people.
Despite the fact that the market is crowded with devices for every taste and brands have to make considerable efforts to get a “place in the sun”, there are still many users who support the Infinix philosophy. Namely, the golden mean between quality and price.
The Infinix NOTE 30 Pro model also follows this principle. The NOTE 30 series was recently unveiled in Shanghai, where such gadgets as the NOTE 30 5G, NOTE 30 and our hero, the NOTE 30 Pro, were presented. The “Pro” currently costs from $250 and offers pretty decent features for the price, so let’s take a look!
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The model arrived for review in a turquoise box, which actually hides a lot of surprises. I did not expect such a rich package from a phone for this price. We have the smartphone itself, a protective glass, a case, a 68W charger, a SIM eject tool, wired headphones, and a user manual. As you can see, the Pro has everything you need for immediate use.
Interestingly, the case is made of fairly durable plastic and looks better than conventional silicone cases that quickly turn yellow. One caveat is that there is no full protection for the device from the top and bottom.
The headphones are just there and play audio from the phone, nothing more. I don’t know who will use such a solution these days, because you can buy good TWS models at a fairly reasonable price. However, if someone buys the phone, they will be pleasantly surprised by the presence of all these components. And if you give NOTE 30 Pro as a gift to a child or an elderly person, for example, there will be no complaints at all, because the headphones, case and screen protector included in the package are already a good start!
What’s more – in addition to the protective glass, we also have a film on the screen!
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The phone really looks interesting. I was delighted with the back panel, because you just have to tilt the gadget a couple of degrees and you get a completely different colour.
The NOTE 30 Pro shimmers in the light, and it’s impossible to tell exactly what colour it is – pink, purple, green, blue or yellow. This rainbow really creates a “wow” effect.
The phone itself has plastic bezels that don’t fit in with the overall design a little bit, as they are silver (and maybe a little bit golden) – but this is my subjective opinion. They leave a lot of fingerprints, which is a disadvantage. The bezels are flat, it looks stylish and on trend.
Instead, the back panel is matte and shows no signs of use (except for the shiny part under the camera unit).
The screen bezels are relatively small (especially for a budget model), and there is no “chin” at all. The front camera is built into the screen, and next to it is an unobtrusive flash for selfies, which is rare.
On the back, we see not only a beautiful shiny panel, but also a camera island, which also has a flash (note that it has 3 options – front, rear and 360°, when both work). The camera island protrudes above the body, so be careful when you put the phone with the screen up.
On the right side, you’ll find the volume and power buttons (with a fingerprint scanner). The power button is located at a comfortable height and responds quickly to touch when you try to unlock the device.
On the left is just a SIM card slot. Above is the inscription: “Sound by JBL”. And below is a 3.5mm jack for conventional wired headphones, a USB-C input, and speakers.
Even at this price, the phone is certified as dust and water resistant to IP53. Of course, this is basic protection against moisture penetration, but it’s better than nothing. The build quality of the smartphone is excellent.
We only have two colour options to choose from: golden – as in our review – or classic black (it’s also nice, but not as colourful).
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In my opinion, the screen of the Infinix NOTE 30 Pro can definitely be called the strong point of the device. We are dealing with a good display: AMOLED 120 Hz, 1080×2400 pixels. Thanks to AMOLED technology, the colours on the screen are juicy and rich, the contrast is phenomenal, the blacks are deep, and the viewing angles are wide. The display does not lack brightness even in the sun, and if you are still not satisfied with it, you can set up a special high-brightness mode.
Of course, there are additional screen personalisation options in the settings, such as dark mode, font size or eye protection. From the available refresh rate options (60, 90, 120 Hz), I recommend choosing to automatically change this parameter. This way, the phone adjusts this parameter itself and saves battery power.
There is also an AoD mode, in which the content is displayed only for a while after touching the screen. There are many settings and beautiful animations.
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The heart of the device is an octa-core MediaTek Helio G99 MT6789 chipset. It is also complemented by an AGM Mali-G57 MC2 graphics card. This processor has proven itself in mid-range devices. In performance tests, the model showed the following results:
The model has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (again, a big plus considering the price). It is also possible to expand the RAM by another 8 GB, and the permanent memory can be expanded up to 2 TB using a microSD card.
From my personal impressions, the phone is fast and agile for its price, does not slow down or heat up during prolonged work or gaming. There is also a game mode that will improve the gaming experience. Infinix does not break records, but again, let me remind you that this is not a flagship. For undemanding users, it is quite enough.
Infinix has never relied on photo and video capabilities. However, the pictures have always been fine. Will the hero of our review make a revolution or remain at the level of its brothers in the series? Of course, you shouldn’t expect super-quality and incredible features from the middle class, but let’s see what the Pro is capable of.
We have two cameras, namely a wide-angle main camera with 108 megapixels and a front-facing selfie camera with a resolution of 32 megapixels. The macro module and depth sensor are present, but unfortunately there is no ultra-wide-angle camera.
108 megapixels is a lot, but you should understand that a big number does not always mean high quality. Nevertheless, the main camera is fine. To improve the quality, photos are saved in 12 megapixel resolution by default. The pictures don’t impress with much detail or colour reproduction, but the current dynamic range gives a good impression: shadows and dark elements are clear and recognisable, and clarity is good. The camera lacks contrast and vivid colours, but at least we can see the naturalness in the frame.
The 2x zoom is acceptable, but you can see that the detail is reduced when you zoom in. Colours are still nice, but close-ups could be sharper.
At night, I recommend using the Night mode. This feature will enhance the colours and help you take really good photos in low light conditions. But even without it, the lens can capture a lot of light.
The front camera (32 megapixels, f/2.0) takes good selfies. I got the impression that selfies are soft, with good contrast, without excessive saturation. The pictures are detailed, contrasty and pleasant – you can safely insert them into social networks. Examples:
There’s even a front flash with adjustable saturation. It allows you to take super selfies even in complete darkness!
Portrait mode focuses more on the user’s face than on recognising background contours, which is a bit annoying, but if you have a homogeneous space behind you, the mode should work well.
We have a choice of modes: normal, 108 megapixels, beauty, panorama, portrait, time-lapse, slow motion, document scanning. And, as standard, night mode and quite a few settings.
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The model runs on Android 13, the latest version of the operating system, which focuses on user-friendliness and security. I was even surprised to see: Google Play Protect, anti-theft, emergency notifications, app lock.
Of course, there are other useful options available: parental controls, PC connection, system cloning, wallpaper style, long battery life, simple and intuitive gestures, windowed mode, and much more. Part of the reason for this is the XOS 13 shell: it’s convenient, functional and has a lot of customisability. XOS 13 is definitely not inferior to the Android shells from Xiaomi/realme or OPPO. There are some built-in apps, but I wouldn’t say there are too many, and I even liked the Folax translator, for example.
The face and fingerprint scanners are responsible for data security, the latter being located on the side of the power button. The fingerprint scanner works perfectly and quickly. I have no complaints about the face scanner, it works well. But if you are in a room with not enough light, it may take longer to unlock, so I would still recommend using the fingerprint scanner or a code.
Infinix NOTE 30 Pro is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery. It charges quickly thanks to a 68W wired charger – super for a smartphone in this class (for comparison, flagship Samsung and iPhone have less than a watt!). It takes 40-45 minutes to charge from almost zero to 100%. 80% is reached in 30 minutes.
With fairly intensive use, the phone lasts 1.5 days – and this is a good result. With less active use, you can count on two days, which is quite realistic. I didn’t have to charge the phone every day, which makes life much easier.
But that’s not all! The Infinix NOTE 30 Pro has a 15W wireless charger. Among the mid-range smartphones, I have seen this option only in the Motorola Edge 30 Neo, which cost more at the start of sales.
Your smartphone can also share power with another compatible device (wireless reverse/reverse charging), such as headphones or a Qi smartwatch.
Read also: Blackview A53 Pro review: ultra-budget with decent battery life
I must say that, in my opinion, the sound is the Achilles’ heel of this device. Despite the fact that the speakers were developed in conjunction with JBL, and the phone is Hi-Res certified, I was disappointed. There are stereo speakers, but the sound is average, lacking bass and clarity. And even improving the settings and the equaliser does little. But let’s remember that we are looking at a fairly inexpensive smartphone.
But if you pick up high-quality wireless headphones (I prefer this solution, although a 3.5 mm jack is also available), the sound is clear, excellent, detailed, i.e. true Hi-Res.
The NOTE 30 Pro has a decent set of data and communication tools: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC. Everything works as it should. The call quality is decent, but there were times when I couldn’t hear someone – the volume was sometimes not enough.
NOTE 30 Pro is a device that is not without its nuances, but it also has many advantages. In particular, an affordable price, a capacious 5000 mAh battery, fast and even wireless charging, attractive design (like flagship smartphones) and mega-colour, a 120 Hz super AMOLED screen, a fast interface, good cameras both day and night, and Hi-Res sound certification. However, the smartphone doesn’t have the best speakers, despite its potential, and doesn’t have an ultra-wide-angle camera. Of course, it’s up to you to decide whether to buy a new product, but I think the Infinix NOTE 30 Pro is worth taking a closer look at.
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