What does it mean to be a VIP? Personally I think being a VIP means no expense spared. So when I was offered to review the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP, I had certain expectations. Of course, at the very top is a VIP experience. As I had the chance to use the phone, I found myself pleasantly surprised; Infinix really did manage to produce an outstanding device at an astonishingly great price of PHP14K. VIP treatment, indeed.
All-Round Fast Charging and Ultra Fast Wireless Charging
The main highlight of the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP is its 68W All-Round FastCharge which is rated to fully charge the 5000mAh battery in just under an hour. During our test, it took just a bit over hour, but still quite fast for its class. What makes the Infinix Note 30 VIP extra special is the inclusion of its 50W Wireless charging capability. I truly appreciate this feature and hope that more phone makers would bring wireless charging to more affordable devices.
As a daily driver, the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP performs very well. It has enough battery to last me through the day. On a long event day, I also used it to recharge my main phone with its reverse charging capability. It still had enough juice to get me through a night of Netflix and some last minute dailies on Honkai Star Rail. Unfortunately, I was not able to test reverse wireless charging. For regular wireless charging, Infinix did provide us with a 15W wireless charger, but it really doesn’t reflect the full 50W capability.
Hardware: 5/5
It has been a while since I was seriously blown away by a smartphone’s specifications. As a fan of bang for the buck mid-rangers, the last couple of years have been disappointing, to say the least. The silicon shortage towards the end of 2020 was among the leading reasons why smartphone prices suddenly went up while specs stayed low (end). Finally, after two years, the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP is a shining star as a great mid-ranger.
The Infinix NOTE 30 VIP runs on MediaTek Dimensity 8050, a newly released octa-core processor which packs a punch similar to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G. Our unit had 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, which can be expanded up to 21GB thanks to the Infinix Mem Fusion feature. The storage itself can also be expanded via the MicroSD slot.
Benchmark actually affirmed the placement of the Dimensity processor with Antutu v10 scoring it 660815. GeekBench 6 has its single-core at 1109 points and 3355 for multi-core performance. Meanwhile, PCMark had it at 14694. For graphics, the Mali-G77 MC9 garnered a scored of 4554 with an average of 27.30 frames in 3DMark Wild life. All very impressive, considering the phone’s price.
In real world use scenarios, the phone is a surprisingly great performer. There was no slowdown during my testing and thermals were top notch even under extreme load. For gaming, the Infinix Note 30 VIP can handle the most graphicly intensive games with ease. It can handle Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail at high setting at 60fps. It can also run League of Legends: Wild Rift at 120fps with high settings.
For the camera, the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP shares a similar camera setup with the NOTE 30 5G. It has a triple camera setup with a 108-megapixel shooter main shooter, as well as a 2-megapixel depth and 2-megapixel AI camera. There’s also a 32-megapixel selfie shooter in front. There is no secondary ultra-wide nor dedicated macro lens, so the main camera is essentially a jack-of-all-trades.
The camera system produces great shots in daylight. At low light and with a difficult subject, it can be hit or miss, but when it does hit, oh boy, does it look great! There is a super night mode that does help to brighten darker scenes a bit, but it feels a tad too artificial for my taste.
In terms of video output, the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP is able to produce up to 4K 30fps videos. The camera lacks optical stabilization, so shooting while running or moving is a definite no-no, unless you use a gimbal. It does have an ultra-stable mode, but this lowers the maximum output to 1080p 30fps with a fair bit of cropping.
Design: 4/5
The Infinix NOTE 30 VIP has a very similar design to its recently-launched Infinix NOTE 30 5G. However, unlike the NOTE 30 5G, the VIP edition is a bit smaller, with a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display. The display has a 120Hz refresh rate and is rated for 100% DCI-P3 color accuracy and TUV Reinhart Eye-Care.
Our review unit was the Glacier White colored variant. Its gradient changes color depending on how the light reflects on the phone. There’s also a Magic Black variant. The back of the phone is made up glass for a perfectly good reason. The sides are plastic but look like aluminum.
Another unique thing about the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP is the inclusion of a hard plastic case instead of the now standard jelly case. I honestly think that a jelly case is better, with the hard plastic case earning scratches much more quickly than a jelly case. It also felt a bit brittle, like it could crack anytime whenever I reattach or remove it from the phone.
On the front of the phone is the earpiece and beneath that is the 32-megapixel selfie camera. At the back is the 108-megapixel Master Triple Camera setup. I’m not really a fan with how the camera setup looks, with most of the lens occupying a massive space. I really hope that they move away from this design layout in their next device and return to a more simple layout.
On top of the phone is the secondary speaker, and a mic hole. On the left is the sim-card and microSD tray. On the right are the volume rocker and power button. Finally, beneath is the main speaker, the USB-C charging port, the main mic hole, and surprisingly a 3.5mm headphone jack (audiophiles rejoice). Another thing to note is that both speakers are tuned by JBL and can get pretty loud for their size.
User Experience: 4.5/5
One of the notable things about the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP, is its heft and bulk. It’s not heavier compared to its competitors in the segment, but it does have heft. This heftiness isn’t a bad thing; on the contrary, it makes the device more solid. It feels like you’re holding a much more expensive device and this is confidence-inspiring.
Gaming is a blast with the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP, and I found myself doing more mobile gaming on it rather than my regular device. The combination of the processor and speakers just makes it a must-have for mobile gaming. Additionally, the thermals on this phone are so amazing, even long Genshin sessions don’t make the phone burn up.
The JBL tune speakers are also great for media consumption. Netflix-binging is great on the Infinix Note 30 VIP with the outstanding speakers and great display. There are also built-in sound profiles, though accessing them can be a bit of hassle considering you’ll need to get into the settings menu to find it.
There are some nuisances to the phone. The XOS needs some time getting used to. As someone who has not tested a lot of Infinix devices, I struggled to find some of the necessary settings options. The Infinix smart menu has the same gesture as Android’s back, so there are times when I unintentionally open it rather than go back to the previous webpage. There are certain notifications which can’t be turned off, as well as the looking at you gesture control and navigation.
Value: 4/5
Coming at PHP13,999 the Infinix NOTE 30 VIP surpassed my expectations and reignited my interest in the lower mid-range segment. It has a great price to performance ratio, with tons of neat features. That said, being a mid-ranger means there are certan trade-offs like its camera system and the some nuances with the OS. But for me, I genuinely think that this phone a great device with its current feature set.
The Infinix NOTE 30 VIP will be available in the Infinix Philippines TikTok Shop during its super brand day sale. It’s also available at Infinix’s Lazada and Shopee stores. You can also check the device yourself at Infinix Kiosks and concept stores nationwide.
Bottomline:
- The Infinix NOTE 30 VIP gives the mid-range a much-needed VIP treatment.
What’s Hot:
- Great Processor
- All-Round Fast Charging
- Wireless Charging
- Great speakers
- Price
- 12GB RAM + Mem Fusion
What’s Not:
- Single camera
- Bulky Camera layout at the back
- XOS needs getting use to
Specs:
- Display: 6.67-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2400) AMOLED Display with 120 Hz refresh rate and Eye-care.
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 8050
- Graphics: Mali G77 MC9
- Storage: 256GB expandable via microSD
- RAM: 12 GB (can be expanded up to 21GB)
- Camera: Rear: Triple Master Camera (108-megapixel main + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixle AI camera); Front: 32-megapixel
- Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, Radio, USB-C
- Battery: 5000 mAh with 68W All Around Fast Charging and 50W wireless charging and bypass charging
- Dimensions: 162.7 x 75.9 x 8.2 mm
- Weight: 190g