Infinix Note 30 5G Review: a Cheap Choice to Consider

Infinix has introduced a new addition to its smartphone lineup in India: the Note 30 5G. This is the first gadget to use the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC, including a 108MP primary camera. In this review, we’ll look at the Note 30 5G’s capabilities and determine whether it’s the right smartphone for you.

The Infinix Note 30 5G is priced competitively and boasts great features such as a MediaTek Dimensity 6080 chipset, a 108MP camera, and decent performance. There are some UI and camera performance issues, but it has a robust construction and a good battery life. Overall, it appears to be an excellent pick for value-conscious users.

INFIFINIX NOTE 30 5G KEY FEATURES

Infinix has been gaining popularity outside of its traditional regions, thanks primarily to its solid midrange offerings. The Chinese Transsion Holdings company, together with sibling businesses Tecno and Itel, has a large market presence in Africa and South Asia and is trying to broaden its global reach.

Today, we got the Infinix Note 30 for review. To clarify, this is the 4G version, not the 5G model. The Note series is Infinix’s mid-range product line. Note models are not as low-cost or entry-level as the Hotline, but are more akin to the company’s higher-end Zero line.

The Note 30 features a massive 6.78-inch 120Hz display, a competent MediaTek Helio G99 CPU, and a large 5,000 mAh battery with 45W fast charging. The phone also includes a dual speaker configuration tuned by JBL.

The Note 30 does not go overboard with its design, instead going for a more classic and classy look. You may have the phone with a frosted glass back or a faux leather finish for a more sophisticated look. Infinix certainly has ambition and wants to outperform its competitors, which we appreciate.

INFINIX NOTE 30 5G UNBOXING

The Infinix Note 30 ships in a conventional two-piece package. A rather solid one, which is appreciated, complete with a plastic cradle to keep the phone on the inside for further security. We enjoy Infinix’s green color palette. It’s eye-catching. You also receive a lot of hardware information regarding the phone directly on the package, which we love.

Infinix has always been very generous with its accessory packages, and the Note 30 is no exception. The packaging includes a lovely transparent TPU cover, a pair of wired 3.5mm earphones with an inline microphone for phone calls, an Infinix 45W fast charger, and a USB Type-A to Type-C cable. You can also choose between a glass screen protector and a plastic screen protector, which comes pre-applied on the phone display from the factory. You couldn’t ask for a better accessory set.

CAMERA

The Infinix Note 30 5G includes three rear-facing cameras, however only one can be accessed by the user. There’s a 108-megapixel primary camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a third AI camera. Selfies are handled by a 16-megapixel front-facing camera.

When taking shots in daylight, the main camera produced sharp-looking images with good detail. The dynamic range was adequate, but not spectacular, as I saw some clipped highlights in the brighter regions of certain images. I chose to turn off the AI scene recognition tool because the colors were a little too saturated. Despite the lack of a macro mode or camera, close-ups of objects showed good detail and brilliant colors.

In low light, the primary camera produced average-quality photographs with good dynamic range and color saturation equivalent to those taken in daylight. Details were on the low side, and I noted some clipped highlights near bright light sources as well as black areas in shadows.

Enabling the dedicated Night mode resulted in improved image quality, including good dynamic range, detail, and sharpness. However, this only applied to street-lit settings (or those with abundant illumination), as using the Night mode in dimly lit regions produced poor results, with flat textures that resembled paintings when zoomed in slightly.

Selfies taken in daylight appeared good at best, with minimal detail and dynamic range. Edge detection in Portrait mode was extremely inaccurate, so the overall results were unimpressive. In poor light, images exhibited moderate detail and seemed soft. Selfies can be taken in Night mode, but it appears to oversharpen the pictures, providing no more detail.

Videos captured at 1080p 30fps exhibited average detail but were unsteady. Using the Ultra-video stabilization mode resulted in much-improved quality. Unfortunately, the camera’s maximum video resolution is 2K, and the electronic stabilization feature is limited to 1080p 30fps (despite the phone’s ability to shoot at 1080p 60fps), so that is the best quality you can obtain. Videos shot at 1080p 30fps in poor light appeared unsteady and of average quality.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The Note 30 has a unibody polycarbonate design with a matte finish on the back. The rails are polished and complement the style, while the massive camera enclosure protects the triple camera and flash combination. In terms of in-hand feel, the Note 30 weighs around 210g, which is somewhat heavier than I would have preferred, and is 8.5mm thick. I have the Magic Black color choice with me, which has a nice appearance and is generally resistant to fingerprints and smudges. Finally, the phone includes JBL-tuned stereo speakers, a USB Type-C connection at the bottom, and a fingerprint reader on the side.

The Note 30 has a unibody polycarbonate design with a matte finish on the back. The rails are polished and complement the style, while the massive camera enclosure protects the triple camera and flash combination. In terms of in-hand feel, the Note 30 weighs around 210g, which is somewhat heavier than I would have preferred, and is 8.5mm thick. I have the Magic Black color choice with me, which has a nice appearance and is generally resistant to fingerprints and smudges. Finally, the phone includes JBL-tuned stereo speakers, a USB Type-C connection at the bottom, and a fingerprint reader on the side.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

The Infinix Note 30 5G is the first device to be powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 6080 processor. Without delving into too much detail, it is clear that the Note 30 operates at the expected level for a cheap phone. The phone receives a respectable Antutu score of 394,293 and a Geekbench 6 multi-core result of 2050. Both statistics are consistent with current offers in the segment, and throughout my time with the Note 30, it provided little resistance to medium to low-level work. This includes general browsing using the UI and Chrome, as well as the use of social media applications. In terms of GPU performance, the device achieved 24fps on GFXBench’s Manhattan 3.1, but it did heat up slightly.

To that purpose, the phone includes a technology known as bypass charging, which allows you to charge the phone without first charging the battery. Infinix claims this is done to keep the phone cool while playing high-intensity games. I tried CoD: Mobile on the phone alongside some BGMI, and while the device could maintain around 40fps on medium graphic settings, it did become a little warm in my hand. To summarize, the phone is effective for gaming, although fans should investigate more expensive choices for a better experience.

The phone includes 8GB of RAM that can be expanded by another 8GB via a virtual swap to 256GB of internal storage. You’d be hard-pressed to find a gadget with this much storage for the price. There is also the option of expanding it with a 2TB microSD card.

Aside from that, the device’s stereo speaker arrangement is rather outstanding, with clear music quality that can be heard even in a noisy setting. The phone’s fingerprint sensor and 5G connectivity function as claimed. The Infinix Note 30 5G comes pre-installed with XOS 13, which is based on the latest Android 13 operating system. The user interface is jam-packed with functions such as peak proof, eye care, focus mode, and kids mode, to name a few. Although the UI includes some pre-installed apps and adverts, users can disable or remove them to improve their customized experience.

Buy it if...

• Generous accessory package.
• The body is solid and powerful. IP53 rating. Glass on both the rear and front. Stylish design with faux leather back options.
• A high-performing fingerprint reader with numerous additional functions.
• Stereo speaker setup with a clear output, JBL tuning, and a DTS sound adjuster.
• Excellent battery life and rapid 45W charging, as well as other battery features such as bypass and reverse charging.
• XOS13 is packed with features and customization possibilities.
• FM radio, 3.5mm jack, microSD card slot, NFC, FM radio.
• The main camera produces good overall image quality. Powerful camera app with numerous possibilities. 1440p video capturing is decent and uncommon in this price range. The brilliant rear quad-LED and front LED lights are welcome additions.

Don't buy it if…

• No 5G support.
• The display has a low maximum brightness, poor color accuracy, and a slow pixel reaction time, which causes smearing.
• XOS 13 still includes a lot of pre-installed bloatware and some of its menus are poorly organized.
• There is no ultrawide or even macro camera, only a single 64MP primary camera.

FULL SPECIFICATION