Infinix Note 30 review

The competition

At the time of writing, it is still hard to find the Infinix Note 30 in a retail outlet to nail down its exact price. Still, we have the pretty aggressive official MSRP of $230 to go by. Let's cast a slightly wider net and look at devices up to EUR 250 in price, just to cover our basis. There's a pretty big budget selection in this price bracket.

Before we get into other manufacturers, we should mention that Infinix has the slightly more-expensive Zero series and the Zero 5G 2023 in particular. We haven't reviewed it, but we did kind of like its Zero 5G predecessor, sans some unfortunate camera woes. With the Zero 5G 2023, you are basically getting a very similar display and camera setup, but the Dimensity 1080 chipset is a lot more capable than the Helio G99, has 5G and can do 4K video capture. There are no stereo speakers on the Zero 5G 2023, though, which is a bummer.

Sister company Tecno also has the Spark 10 Pro, which is worth mentioning. Overall, it is a cheaper and less technically-impressive phone than the Infinix Note 30.

Let's kick things off with the ever-popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 12. It is a direct competitor to the Infinix Note 30 and retails for about as much. However, Xiaomi offers a significantly better and much brighter 6.67-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display. You also get a newer, but not necessarily much better, Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset and arguably a more versatile camera setup with an 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro, supplementing the main 48MP camera. Though, the Redmi Note 12 is even more limited in video capture to 1080p. Also absent from the Redmi - stereo speakers.

If you would rather prioritize saving a few bucks over 5G, you could just as easily go for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G instead. It generally delivers a very similar experience.

Speaking of Xiaomi phones, we would be remiss, not to mention the Poco X5. Some of its highlights include a bright, 6.67-inch, 120Hz Super AMOLED display, IP53 protection, stereo speakers, just like on the Infinix and an 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro to go with its 48MP main camera. You will have to settle with the older Snapdragon 695 chipset, but unlike the Helio G99, it is a 5G part. According to our testing, you will have to live with shorter battery life. Even so, the Poco X5 looks like one of the closest competitors to the Infinix Note 30.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 • Xiaomi Poco X5 • Realme 10 • Samsung Galaxy A24 4G

The Realme 10 is a good competitor to the Infinix Note 30. It is a slightly older device, though. Still, it delivers a better display - 90Hz AMOLED, though one that is notably smaller at 6.4 inches. The Realme 10 runs the same MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, and its camera setup is nothing to phone home about. It also lacks stereo speakers, and its charging is a bit slower than the Infinix. It is, however, notably cheaper than the Note 30. And if you want to save even more money, the Realme C55 is quite a popular device at the moment. However, you will have to downgrade to an LCD and a Helio G88 chipset.

Over at camp Samsung, the Galaxy A14 5G looks like a good competitor to the Infinix Note 30. As its name suggests, it delivers 5G through the Exynos 1330 or the Dimensity 700 chipset, depending on which version you get. However, getting the Galaxy A14 5G over the Note 30 will likely fall down to its lower price or the experience and support One UI deliver since the A14 5G is not as impressive in the hardware department. Its LCD is just 90Hz. It lacks stereo speakers and charges at just 15W. Though, you can expect excellent battery life from its 5,000 mAh pack.

May we suggest going for the new Galaxy A24 4G instead? Sure, you'll miss out on 5G connectivity, but you will get a 90Hz, much brighter, Super AMOLED display. A 5MP ultrawide camera is also part of the mix, arguably increasing the camera setup's versatility. Still, however, compared to the Infinix Note 30, the Galaxy A24 lacks stereo speakers, tops out at 1080p video capture and charges notably slower with its 25W charging.

Our verdict

Infinix has managed to craft a surprisingly competitive device, given the limitations of the $230 budget it is working with. Like any budget device out there, the Note 30 juggles various compromises to hopefully make things work for the end user. There are definitely shortcomings to consider, but more than a few excellent features as well.

Let's start with the positive. We like how the Infinix Note 30 looks and how well it is constructed. The glass back punches above the phone's price class. The IP53 ingress protection is also appreciated. We definitely like the stereo speaker setup as well. Though we can't say that the advertised JBL tuning really shines through that much in actual performance, simply having stereo speakers elevates any budget device in terms of multimedia consumption.

Another major plus the Note 30 has is an all-around great battery experience. Our tests measured great battery endurance, but the 45W charging was still more impressive. You don't really see quite this charging speed on budget devices. Surprisingly enough, the 1440p video capture the Note 30 manages is relatively high compared to most of its competitors, which are stuck at 1080p. And overall, while a bit limited in versatility, we can't complain about the camera setup on the Note 30. The main camera on the back and the selfie do quite alright. The latter even has a dedicated LED flash, which you don't see every day.

XOS is still a bit bloated and chaotic. However, we won't nitpick too much about that since it runs smoothly and is chock-full of useful additional features. Honestly, the single letdown on the Infinix Note 30 is the display. Sure, it is large at 6.78 inches, and on paper, it looks pretty fluent with a 120Hz refresh rate. In practice, however, its pixels are quite sluggish, which makes for a lot of ghosting and smearing. The panel isn't particularly bright either, and its color reproduction is all over the place.

However, if you can live with an inferior display, the rest of the Note 30 package is solid for its price tag. It definitely deserves a recommendation, or at least a consideration, if you are in the market for a budget device.

Pros

• Generous accessory package.
• Solid and strong body. IP53 rating. Glass back and front. Stylish design with faux leather back option.
• Well-performing fingerprint reader with lots of additional features.
• Stereo speaker setup with good clean output, JBL tuning and a DTS sound equalizer.
• Great battery life and very fast 45W charging, plus lots of battery features like bypass charging and reverse charging.
• XOS13 is chuck-full of features and customization options.
• FM radio, 3.5mm jack, dedicated microSD slot, NFC, FM radio.
• Good all-around camera quality from the main cam. Powerful camera app with lots of options. 1440p video capture is decent and not common in this price segment. The bright rear quad-LED and front LED lights are a nice addition.

Cons

• No 5G support.
• Display has disappointing max brightness, terrible color accuracy and sluggish pixel response time, which leads to smearing.
• XOS 13 still has a lot of pre-installed bloat and lacks proper organization for some of its menus.
• No ultrawide or even a macro cam, just a single 64MP main cam.