Infinix NOTE 30 VIP Review - 2023's PHP 14K disruptor!
After using the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP for quite some time, we share our thoughts and experiences with the new affordable ranger.
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| Infinix NOTE 30 VIP in Glacier White |
To recap, the NOTE 30 VIP carries a 120Hz 6.67-inch 10-bit FHD+ AMOLED screen. Inside is the 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 8050 octa-core processor, Mali-G77 MC9 GPU, LPDDR4X RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast wired charging.
At the back are the 108MP primary rear camera, and a 32MP selfie camera.
In the Philippines, the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP is priced at PHP 13,999 for the 12GB/256GB variant.
Let's dive into the review!
For our review part 1: Infinix NOTE 30 VIP Unboxing and First Impressions
Multimedia Experience
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| Infinix NOTE 30 VIP front display with punch hole |
In front is the aforementioned 6.67-inch 10-bit AMOLED screen with a 2400 x 1080 resolution, a 360Hz touch sampling rate, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 1920Hz PWM dimming.
Bright and pretty good panel for the price!
The panel is bright and we find it readable under sunlight at the 80 percent brightness level. Around the panel are slim side bezels with a thicker top and bottom bezel.
The panel supports 10 points of multitouch simultaneously which makes it perfect for complicated taps and gestures simultaneously like in mobile games.
On the upper part of the panel is the punch hole that houses the front-facing camera. Above it and hidden within the top bezel is the slim earpiece.
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| Infinix NOTE 30 VIP top and bottom |
For audio, the phone is equipped with JBL-tuned stereo speakers with a high maximum volume strong enough to fill a decent-sized room.
However, we recommend lowering the volume to 80 percent as at max volume, the sound becomes distorted. The sound stage is not that large and it will struggle in noisy or open environments. This is still better than most at this price point.
The microphones do a decent job of picking up sounds from a meter away while the noise-cancellation for calls is decent too.
Cameras
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| Infinix NOTE 30 VIP rear cameras |
As mentioned earlier, the rear camera set-up is composed of a 108MP f/1.75 main camera with an HM6 sensor, a 2MP f/2.4 macro, and a 2MP f/2.4 portrait camera with a quad-LED flash.
The stock camera app comes with the following modes: AI Cam, Video, Super Night, Beauty, Portrait, Pro, AR Shot, Short Video, Slow Motion, Dual Video, Panorama, Super Macro, Documents, Timelapse, and Sky Shop.
The Pro mode comes with controls for ISO (100-6400), Shutter Speed (1/1,500-30 seconds), EV (+-2), Focus, and White Balance.
Rear Camera Samples
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| Rear camera daylight 1x |
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| Rear camera daylight 2x |
The 108MP primary camera produces daylight images with strong contrast, plenty of detail, good sharpness, and vibrant color. What is interesting is that even though the phone crops the image to achieve 2x, the white balance is inconsistent between the two images from the same primary sensor.
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| Rear camera indoors 1x |
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| Rear camera indoors 2x |
The same can be said for indoor shots. Fortunately, the white balance is the same for both images.
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| Rear camera low light |
For low light, the amount of noise is more apparent and the camera's lenses are prone to reflections and lens flare. We do commend the retention of color even with the increase in noise.
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| Rear camera night mode |
The Night mode significantly improves the sharpness, detail, and contrast across while dramatically reducing noise and grain.
Overall, the rear camera produced good images across most situations but will struggle with low light images. We also found inconsistencies with the white balance.
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| Infinix NOTE 30 VIP's selfie camera |
On the punch hole is the aforementioned 32MP f/2.45 front-facing camera.
Camera mode includes Photo, Video, Portrait, Super Night, and Beauty
Selfie Camera Samples
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| Selfie daylight 1x |
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| Selfie daylight portrait |
Daylight selfies from the NOTE 30 VIP are sharp, detailed, and vibrant however, like the rear cameras, the white balance is inconsistent. This inconsistency can be seen with the skin tones of the daylight selfies.
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| Selfie indoors 1x |
Indoors, the image is still sharp but detail, contrast, and color took a hit. Additionally, if you look closely, the noise and grain are more noticeable in the shadow areas.
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| Selfie lowlight |
In low light, the selfie camera's images have reduced sharpness and detail but the color remains vibrant. Noise and grain are more apparent in the shadow areas.
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| Selfie Night Mode |
The Night mode improves the sharpness, detail, and contrast of the low-light images. It also dramatically reduced the noise and grain.
We recommend using the Night mode
Overall, the front cameras produce images with good selfies but struggled with noise and grain in lower light conditions.
The rear cameras can record up to 4K at 30fps while the front-facing cameras can record video at up to 2K at 30fps. The resulting footage is sharp and vibrant but is noticeably shakier than we would like. Noise and grain are noticeable too.
Performance
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| AnTuTu and GeekBench benchmarks |
To recap, the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP features a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 8050 octa-core processor, Mali-G77 MC9, 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, 9GB virtual RAM (total of up to 21GB Extended RAM), and 256GB UFS 3.1.
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| 3DMark and CPDT benchmarks |
Infinix NOTE 30 VIP benchmarks:
- AnTuTu - 792,513
- Geekbench 6 - 1,102 (single-core), 3,2879 (multi-core)
- 3D Mark WildLife - 4,537 at 27.2 average fps
- CPDT - 643.55 MB/s sequential read speeds and 803.92 MB/s sequential write speeds
The NOTE 30 VIP scores in AnTuTu, Geekbench, and 3DMark are impressive and are on par with smartphones that are usually priced higher than it.
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| Infinix NOTE 30 VIP Genshin Impact |
In our experience, this phone is more than good enough for running most of the day-to-day apps for social media and productivity. What is even more Impressive, is that like most flagships from the past few years, the NOTE 30 VIP unlocked the medium graphics settings of Genshin Impact as the default.
Impressive RAW performance
For security, the phone has an in-display fingerprint sensor and face unlock. The Initial setup and subsequent uses are almost instantaneous.
The location of the optical fingerprint scanner is lower than we would like. It is within an inch of the chin bezel which makes it awkward to press while keeping the tall phone balanced.
The face unlocks only struggles when the camera is dirty or when we are wearing a mask and sunglasses. The screen brightens up when used in the dark.
Regarding connectivity, we have the following: WiFi, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5, OTG, GPS, NFC, and GLONASS. It has two nano SIM card slots as well.
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| Infinix NOTE 30 VIP features 68W fast charging, 50W wireless charging, and pass thru charging |
Inside the phone is a large 5,000mAh battery. In our daily use, it managed to last for just under 4 hours and 26 minutes of on-screen time with 22 percent battery left after a long work day with nearly 4 hours and 30 minutes of gaming. This was one of our daily drivers that were constantly connected to either WiFi or 5G. Its battery performance is good.
The battery charges via USB-C with the 68W wall charger or via 50W wireless charging. Infinix claimed that the 68W charging can charge the phone to 100 percent in 40 minutes. But in our experience and testing it achieved the fast result when in a cool environment.
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| Infinix NOTE 30 VIP XOS UI |
It is running on XOS 13 based on Android 13. Visually, it is a slightly more polished version of the previous generation. It adds features that were added with Android 13 with the typical ColorOS look and features.
If you didn't like the older XOS before, odds are you still won't like this one. But if you're a fan of XOS, you will more likely enjoy the experience.
There are a large number of pre-installed apps and services that can be uninstalled. It adds to the initial setup.
Pros - Eye-catching design, decent build materials, lightweight, rear 50MP is decent
Cons - Selfie camera images are soft, pre-installed bloatware, 720p screen at this price point is difficult to justify
Infinix NOTE 30 VIP Specs
Display: 6.67-inch 10-bit AMOLED screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, 1920Hz PWM dimming, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 395 ppi
CPU: 3.0GHz 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 8050 octa-core processor
GPU: Mali-G77 MC9
RAM: 12GB LPDDR4X
ROM: 256GB UFS 3.1
Back Camera: 108MP f/1.75 HM6 sensor + 2MP f/2.4 macro + 2MP f/2.4 portrait + Quad Flash
Selfie: 32MP f/2.45 + Dual Flash
Battery: 5,000mAh w/ 68W fast charging, 50W wireless charging, reverse charging
OS: Android 13 w/ XOS
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (5GHz/2.4GHz), UPS tech, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth, FM Radio, NFC, GPS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IP53 water splash and dust resistance, JBL stereo speakers, Hi-Res Audio, 11-layer VC cooling, USB-C, Colors: Magic Black, Glacier White
Price: PHP 13,999
Verdict
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| GIZGUIDE website on the NOTE 30 VIP |
Infinix continues to push the boundaries of the specs and features while maintaining an attainable price point.
In the Philippines, the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP is priced at PHP 13,999.
The MediaTek Dimensity 8050 octa-core processor and UFS 3.1 storage produce an impressive performance that is usually seen in higher-priced smartphones.
The 5,000mAh battery coupled with the 68W fast wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and pass-through charging gives the phone long battery life even after playing heavy games for more than four hours.
Our other concerns include the noisy low-light camera performance, inconsistent white balance with the rear and front cameras, and pre-installed apps.
But these are just minor inconveniences that can be looked past given the amount of value, performance, and features you are getting for under PHP 14K.
What do you think guys?
Build/Design - 4
Multimedia Experience - 4.5
Cameras - 4
Performance - 4.5
Average - 4.25/5
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