Infinix ZERO X NEO Review - Rare periscope telephoto lens under PHP 11K

Infinix ZERO X NEO launched in November 2021. It is the most affordable among the ZERO X family and has the largest display at 6.78-inch.

Meet ZERO X NEO

The device also has a 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate, 48MP main shooter, extra 2MP mono camera, and side-mounted fingerprint reader. It has no OIS for the primary camera, but it has an OIS for the periscope camera.

Powering the handset is the 2.05GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G95 octa-core processor, but there is no Boost Intelligent Display Chip to help optimize refresh rates better.

For only PHP 10,990, the Infinix ZERO X NEO is the most affordable with a superzoom camera.

Aside from its "rare" periscope telephoto lens at this price point, let's see how the Infinix ZERO X NEO's overall performance fares in the real world.

Unboxing/Accessories

What's inside?

The ZERO X NEO arrived in a black box similar to its premium brother, NEO X Pro. It is a pretty huge package with the product name and information around it.

Inside, we find the following: the handset, clear protective case, SIM ejector tool, USB-A to USB-C data/charging cable, a Type G power brick, and paper documents.

Since the power brick uses a 3-pin design which is common to countries like the United Kingdom. This means that you would need an adapter to use this if there's no available Type G socket in your home. 

Build Quality/Design

ZERO X NEO in Nebula Black

Infinix ZERO X NEO sports a plastic build with a front glass panel. There's no mention of Gorilla Glass protection, but the handset has a pre-installed screen protector.

There's also no mention of water and dust resistance. Of course, these are some of the compromises needed to be made to make the cost low.

Out of the box, Infinix ZERO X NEO is a beautiful, lightweight handset. It is available in three colors: Nebula Black, Starry Silver, Bahamas Blue. We are loaned with the first colorway.

Gorgeous design!

At the back is the triple rear camera setup consisting of a 48MP main sensor, 8MP periscope, and 2MP mono sensor with LED flash. The text "60X 48M OIS /ASPH 1.8-3.4 /25 - 125" lies at the bottom of the rectangular camera hump.

Top and bottom

The handset has a smooth finish with stars that somehow depict a nebula. Despite its huge display, the build is not as huge as some may think. The ZERO X NEO also rests nicely on the palm.

Upfront, the phone sports a big 6.78-inch display with slim bezels around it. The punch-hole selfie camera sits in the middle of the screen with a cleverly hidden earpiece just above it. 

Despite the soft and round corners, the ZERO X NEO has a flat top and bottom design. The top of the handset is clean. Meanwhile, the 3.5mm headphone slot, microphone, USB-C charging slot, and down-firing grille speakers.

Left and right

The hybrid SIM tray, where the microSD slot is found at the back of the two SIM slots, is found on the left of the smartphone. Meanwhile, on the right side are the volume rocker and power button that doubles as the fingerprint scanner.

There is no mention of how much it weights but if you're wondering, the Infinix ZERO X NEO measures 168.42 x 76.45 x 8.77 mm. It isn't that heavy as well.

Multimedia Experience

HUGE display with 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate

As mentioned earlier, the display is the biggest of the ZERO X series. It is a 6.78-inch 2.5D curved LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate at 396 ppi.

The panel gives us a bright, vibrant color, nice sharpness, and detail. It's not AMOLED but we tend to forget that it is not during our experience with it.

The 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate make it feel smooth and responsive. As expected, it has 10 points of multitouch.

It's not AMOLED but we tend to forget that it is not in our experience

In terms of audio, the single, bottom-firing speakers produce relatively loud sounds. It's not so loud and not so quiet, just the right amount. However, don't expect it to fill up at least a medium-sized room.

Despite amping up the volume to the highest level, we did not notice any distortions. We recommend putting on a 3.5mm headphone jack for better sound enjoyment.

The single microphone, on the other hand, gave us clear calls and voice quality. Overall, we had a pleasant listening experience and microphone quality.

Cameras

Triple camera setup!

As mentioned above, Infinix ZERO X NEO has a triple camera. It consists of the following: 48MP with PDAF, 8MP f/3.4 5x periscope with OIS, 2MP mono, and LED flash.

The stock camera app has the following modes: short video, video, AI Cam (the usual photo), beauty, portrait, super night, AR shot, slow motion, pro, panorama, documents, time-lapse, and super moon. 

ZERO X NEO's full list of camera modes can be accessed by swiping the arrow-up on top of the default modes. 

The Pro mode allows for the following settings: ISO (100-6400), Shutter speed (1/1500s to 30 seconds), White Balance, EV (+-2), and for controls to switch between the 1x, 5x, and 60x zoom.

Rear Camera Samples

Daylight

Daylight 2

Daylight 5x zoom using periscope telephoto lens 

Daylight 3

Daylight 5x zoom using periscope telephoto lens 2

Daylight 60x zoom

Daylight AI Cam

Daylight beauty

Daylight portrait

Daylight portrait 2

Daylight close-up portrait

In daylight, all three cameras are reliable in producing sharp and detailed images with satisfactory colors and nice contrast.

 We also like to commend how the 8MP periscope telephoto did its magic on the 5x telephoto zoom. As seen in the sample photo, the image didn't lose sharpness, details, color, and contrast. 

However, this is not the case for the 60x hybrid zoom. The images taken with this are full of noise. It also loses its color accuracy and detail.

To spoil you this early, Infinix ZERO X NEO's cameras work the best under daylight.

Rare periscope telephoto lens is impressive!

The Portrait mode and the rear cameras seem to be under a quiet fight. They don't work well together as I look darker in the photos than in real life. Saturation is stronger here.

Indoor

Indoor 5x zoom using periscope telephoto lens

Indoors, the photos are still nice so long there is enough artificial light. However, the 5x zoom is not so good when used indoors.

Infinix ZERO X NEO takes decent photos at night using the super night mode. Although the sharpness and detail are lesser are seen in the sample photo. But, this is way better than using the AI Cam mode.

Super night

Super night 2

Low light using AI Cam

The 5x telephoto zoom is not usable whether using the super night mode or AI Cam.

Of course, we can't forget about the Super Moon camera mode. As soon as we were using this mode, the "zoom meter" appears, and the recommended zoom level to take a photo of this Celestial body has a "moon icon" on top of it. 

Super Moon mode on Infinix ZERO X NEO

Take a look at the screenshot above to see it. This particular, recommended zoom level is at 24.5x.

We also took a Super Moon photo using the 60x zoom. The moon looks bigger in this photo. We just love how this camera mode makes us feel closer to the moon. 

Super moon at recommended zoom level (24.5x)

Super moon 60x zoom

Of course, the noise is evident, but this is so much better than other smartphones at this price point that doesn't have a similar feature.

We love the Super Moon mode!

Overall, our experience with Infinix ZERO X NEO's triple cameras is more impressive than we expected. 

Single selfie camera rests on the punch-hole

Moving on to its front shooter, the ZERO X NEO has a single punch-hole 16MP selfie camera. It has similar camera modes with the rear cameras except for slow motion, pro, panorama, documents, and super moon (of course).

But, it has a wide selfie which is the selfie camera's answer to rear cameras' panorama.

Selfie Camera Samples

Daylight AI Cam selfie

Daylight beauty selfie

Daylight portrait selfie

The daylight selfies we took during our experience vary from time to time. There were times the selfies would come out burnt, pale, and just okay. What we noticed in all of these variations is that the Infinix ZERO X NEO cameras struggle with skin tone accuracy. 

The selfies look darker than they are in real life. I got my tan last summer 2021 and regained my natural skin tone months after, but in these selfies, I look like I just got out of a beach trip. (lol)

Nice selfies on portrait mode

With the beauty mode, we get smoother and whiter skin. Some may like this, but personally, I like "natural-looking" selfies. As for the portrait selfies, the background seems washed out and is brighter than it should be. But we're not forgetting to commend how the subject is being highlighted well in portrait mode.

Indoor AI Cam selfie

Indoor beauty selfie

Indoor portrait selfie

Indoor AI Cam selfie 2

Indoor beauty selfie 2

Indoor portrait selfie 2

For selfies taken indoors, the images came out nicely with an ample amount of sharpness, details, and contrast. With the beauty mode, the selfies look similar to the daylight ones.

However, the portrait mode for indoor selfies works better than those taken outdoors. The subject to background separation looks cleaner, and the ZERO X NEO didn't wash out the background this time.

Lowlight AI Cam with front flash selfie

Lowlight beauty with a front flash selfie

Lowlight portrait selfie (front flash not available)

Super night mode selfie

In low light, the super night mode is present. However, it makes photos look so much bright, creating soft and detail-lacking images. It seems like the AI Cam with the help of front flash takes better low-light selfies. 

The low-light images look even softer when taken with the beauty mode. Meanwhile, the portrait mode, when used at night, produces grainy photos. Note that the front flash is unavailable with the portrait mode.

All in all, the Infinix ZERO X NEO's selfie shooter can take great selfies for daylight and indoor settings. It also works decent enough during nighttime.

The rear camera can take the videos at the following resolutions: 4K at 30fps and 1080p at 30fps. Meanwhile, the selfie camera can take videos of up to 1080p at 30fps. Sadly, it has no 4K video mode.

Performance

The benchmarks

Powering the Infinix ZERO X NEO is the 2.05GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G95 octa-core processor with no Boost Intelligent Display Chip to help optimize refresh rates better. It is also coupled with Mali-G76 3EEMC4 (900MHz) GPU, 8GB RAM, and 128GB UFS 2.2 internal memory.

Infinix ZERO X NEO benchmark scores:

1. AnTuTu - 358,631

2. Geekbench - 501 (single-core), 1,662 (multi-core)

3. 3DMark WildLife - 1,499 and average 9.00 fps

These scores are similar to what the Infinix ZERO X Pro got since they have the same SoC. By default, the graphics quality of the Genshin Impact on ZERO X NEO is at Medium. While this is the case, we recommend lowering the graphics quality to low because the handset can't manage its temperature on the said default setting.

Infinix ZERO X NEO game settings

Meanwhile, on Call of Duty: Mobile, the ZERO X NEO performs better. Its graphic quality is set on high by default. But, the handset allows the user to put it on Very High. \

Good for gaming, too!

While Infinix did not market this phone for gaming, in our experience, the ZERO X NEO is no slouch on casual gaming.

In terms of security, the phone is equipped with a fingerprint scanner (on top of the power button) and face unlock. Both are easy to set up and responsive. 

Battery settings

The Infinix ZERO X NEO is packed with a 5,000mAh battery paired with 18W fast charging support. Under the PC Mark 3.0 battery life test, it achieved a score of 14 hours. That's decent for a device with a large screen and high refresh rate that is not AMOLED.

Infinix ZERO X NEO's PCMark Battery Test result

Infinix ZERO X NEO is an easy almost all-day phone in real-world usage. After 12-hour worth of moderate usage consisting of text and calls, social media, music playbacks, and casual gaming, the Infinix ZERO X NEO is almost used up. It only requires us of charging once for the whole day.

Using the in-box power brick and charging cable, the ZERO X NEO can be filled up to 100 percent from zero in an hour. It's not fast, but if you're a home person, this should be the least of your concern.

ZERO X NEO also has an OTG feature that is enabled manually. The WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE, and NFC connections are fast, stable, and reliable. 

XOS 7.6

For software, the smartphone runs on Android 11 with XOS 7.6 on top. The overall design is okay, the icons look generic. We hope this could be improved soon. 

We are also concerned with the pesky pre-installed apps that come with the ZERO X NEO. It can be uninstalled, but it's much better if it doesn't come with the initial setup.

A ton of bloatware is present

Overall, we are satisfied with the performance of the Infinix ZERO X NEO. We just wish that the annoying bloatware are not there.

Pros - Lightweight build, huge & nice display, good cameras, great performance, 3.5mm jack, rare periscope telephoto lens, super moon mode

Cons - Low light camera performance can be improved, quiet speakers, a ton of bloatware

Infinix ZERO X NEO Specs

Display: 6.78-inch 2.5D curved LCD screen w/ 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 396 ppi

CPU: 2.05GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G95 octa-core processor

GPU: Mali-G76 3EEMC4 (900MHz)

RAM: 8GB

ROM: 128GB UFS 2.2

Back Camera: 48MP w/ PDAF + 8MP f/3.4 5x periscope w/ OIS + 2MP mono + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 16MP

Battery: 5,000mAh w/ 18W fast charging

OS: Android 11 w/ XOS 7.6

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, FM Radio, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, dual SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock, dual-mic, USB-C, Colors: Nebula Black, Starry Silver, Bahamas Blue

Dimensions: 168.42 x 76.45 x 8.77 mm

Price: PHP 10,990

Verdict

Attractive smartphone

The Infinix ZERO X NEO is an attractive smartphone with a periscope telephoto lens that is rare for the under PHP 11K price point.

It has a beautiful, premium design, lightweight build, and impressive performance. Even if it isn't that stunning in low light, we still commend how its cameras take great daylight and indoor photos. 

The periscope telephoto lens is something to love about this phone, too. At this price segment, this feature is a plus for the ZERO X NEO. Not to mention how cool it takes moon photos.

It's safe for us to say that this handset is a good pick for PHP 10,990 regardless of the nitpicks.

Do you agree with us?

Build/Design - 4.5

Multimedia Experience - 4.25

Cameras - 4

Performance - 4.25

Average - 4.25/5