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.
