When we talk of brands that whip out devices that are value-for-money, Infinix is one of those names which usually pops-up. And it’s not hard to realize why. A lot of their phones offer things that you’ll expect to find in more pricey devices, and it’s amazing how they’re able to keep this up for so long.
Today, we’re looking at the Infinix Note 30 5G, one of the brand’s recent releases. For just under PHP10,000, you get a 120Hz display, a Dimenisty 6080 5G processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 108MP camera, and a 5,000mAh battery. That’s a very compelling package.
But before you hit that check out button, let us share with you our thoughts on the device, and whether all that it says in paper, translates to the actual experience.
Design and Build Quality
Contrary to the curved designs that a lot of recent phones use, Infinix Note 30 5G sticks to a boxy design, with flat sides, and just a bit of curve on the edges. It has an IP53 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as a triple slot tray, which means you don’t have to ditch one SIM card to use microSD card.
The rear panel lets you see a different color depending on your viewing angle, changing from Blue to Gold or Orange color. The metallic-matte finish also means that its’ less prone to smudges. The sides, however, aren’t.
The device uses a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which also works as the power button. You also get a headphone jack, something that a lot of brands have been shying away from, especially on mid-range and flagship models.
While the 6.78-inch LTPS display will not compete with an AMOLED screen in terms of blacks and punchy colors, it still is a decent screen to watch videos on and for daily use. Not to mention that visibility is also good in terms of direct sunlight, though you’ll have to crank the brightness to max or very close to it.
Performance
The Infinix NOTE 30 5G’s single-core score on Geekbench 6 puts it in between the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (762) and the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 (748). On the Multi-Core side, it’s in between the Huawei Mate 20 (2142) and the Huawei Nova 5T (2080). That’s a pretty decent placement, considering that some of these devices are flagships or cost a lot more.
Infinix NOTE 30 5G is powered by a 6nm Dimensity 6080 that’s paired with a Mali-G57 MC2 along with 8GB of RAM, and a generous 256GB of storage. There is also an option of using a microSD card just in case you need more.
Now, on benchmarks, this chip shows very consistent and stable results under load, throttling to only 95% of its performance (though it had to turn off some of its cores for a certain duration). On paper, that means you should not see any major dips in performance when gaming.
In PCMark’s Wildlife Stress Test, which subjects the device to load for a number of loops, it also showcased good consistency, showing almost similar performance in the best and worst runs. Thus, the 99.6% stability score.
However, the actual gaming benchmarks tell a more detailed story.
Honkai Star Rail (Avg FPS: 42.580)
Settings
For Honkai Star Rail, I recommend using Low to Very Low Resolution and Low to Very Low Graphics. Even at these settings though, you’ll see that the FPS isn’t as consistent. The game is that demanding, after all. You can still get a decent experience, but not without dips in performance.
Benchmarks
Diablo Immortal (Avg FPS: 29.288)
Settings
Benchmarks
For Diablo Immortal, the Infinix NOTE 30 can only go to Low to Medium preset at 30 FPS. The good news is that it can sustain performance that’s close to that for most for the time. I did not notice any significant dips in performance in-game.
Mobile Legends (Avg FPS: 59.613)
Settings
Benchmarks
Of course, we can’t not include the game that’s on the case of this phone, and as expected, Mobile Legends runs very well on the Infinix NOTE 30 5G even on its highest settings.
While the CPU and GPU temperatures show that things can get a bit toasty, with the case installed, it never felt like I needed to put the phone away to cool it down, neither did it feel uncomfortable at all.
Camera
Infinix NOTE 30 5G has a 108MP main camera, along with a 2MP depth sensor, an AI Camera, and a 16MP front snapper.
AI ON vs AI OFF
Other Samples
Quality-wise, I’d say the amount of detail is decent for the price. The AI also tends to boost colors at times, probably a bit too much in some instances, but turning it off does give you more accurate colors. I would have also preferred an ultrawide unit to a depth sensor. As for edge-detection, well, it can be inconsistent, depending on the subject.
The phone lets you to shoot up to 2K resolution at 30fps, there is an Ultra Steady mode to reduce shakes, but it’s only available at 1080p 30fps. As for the quality, a 1080p video with stabilization enabled yields a jelly effect that makes the end product almost unusable for anything except personal consumption.
2K video on the other hand, is usable, so long as you have very steady hands, or if you’re going for static shots. Video from the front camera is probably better shot in daytime, as the low light output is a bit too grainy and falls short in detail for my liking.
Software
Infinix NOTE 30 5G runs XOS 13 on top of Android 13. If you’re not a fan of pre-loaded apps apart from the default Google Apps, well, you’ll have to make some adjustments, as this phone is loaded with a lot of pre-loaded apps. Most of them are native to XOS, and a there are a number that would seem useful. Some can be uninstalled, and some can only be disabled.
On the bright side, XOS does offer a few nifty features like Lightning Multi-Window, which creates a floating window for multitasking, a Smart Panel, which provides quick access to certain apps, and Social Turbo that adds features like a Voice Changer and Video Retouching, but only works for WhatsApp. Performance-wise, the UI runs smooth, with no noticeable slowdown or lags.
Battery
In PCMark’s Work 3.0 battery benchmark, Infinix NOTE 30 5G managed to score around 13.5 hours, which is a good result.
It charges fast too, with 7% to full taking only 53.5 minutes using the 45W charger that came with the box.
Another notable feature is Bypass Charge, which as the name implies, bypasses the battery to feed power directly to the main board, so you can continue playing your favorite games while charging without having to worry about the phone overheating. I think that this feature should be in more devices, especially those which are being marketed for gaming.
Infinix NOTE 30 5G – Verdict
Infinix NOTE 30 5G offers a compelling package for its starting price of PHP 9,499. The design looks great, and the processing package, well, it’s decent, so long as you don’t throw in anything that’s very demanding, the overall performance is good for the price.
As for the cameras, well, I really would’ve loved to see an ultra-wide here and the AI boosts colors just a bit too much for my liking. For stills that you’ll post on social media, it’s more than enough. For videos though, so long as you’re shooting static clips, it should be okay.
The software, while loaded with tons of apps that you probably won’t need, still runs smooth and has some nifty features. Lastly, it’s got good battery life, and is quite quick to recharge. It’s a phone that’s good at a few things and decent on the rest.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
