Infinix Note 50 Pro+ review

Versatile camera system, unusually nice telephoto

The Note 50 Pro+ is equipped with a well-rounded triple camera setup on the back that's hard to find in the class. Probably the standout module is the 3x telephoto with properly close focusing, but the main unit isn't half bad either. The ultrawide, in turn, is unusual in this market segment in offering autofocus.

The telephoto uses a Samsung JN5 sensor, a proper 50MP Quad Bayer-type imager (Tetrapixel in Samsung speak). It's mated to a 70mm equivalent lens that can focus down to 12cm, making for some great closeups.

The main camera is based on a reasonably-sized 1/1.56" 50MP Sony sensor with an OIS lens and a decently bright aperture. The ultrawide's 32MP sensor isn't too popular, but it isn't exactly tiny for the class either, and the autofocus capability is always welcome (and most surprising at this level).

The camera app has its peculiarities, the full auto photo mode being called AI CAM (though that's more or less traditionally been the Infinix way). There are a ton of modes and some panes don't exactly come out the way you'd expect them to, but it generally doesn't get in the way.

• Wide (main): 50MP Sony IMX896 (1/1.56", 1.0µm - 2.0µm), f/1.8, 23mm, multi-directional PDAF; 4K@60fps
• Telephoto, 3x: 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN5 (S5KJN5, 1/2.76", 0.64µm - 1.28µm), f/2.4, 70mm, multi-directional PDAF; 4K@60fps
• Ultrawide: 32MP GalaxyCore GC32E1 (1/3.1", 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/2.2, 14mm, PDAF; QHD@30fps
• Front camera: 8MP GalaxyCore GC08A8 (1/4.0", 1.12µm), f/2.2, 21mm, fixed focus; 4K@30fps

Daylight photo quality

Main camera

Main camera photos from the Note 50 Pro+ are very good for the class. Detail is processed very conservatively - too conservatively perhaps, and has a gritty, almost noisy structure. We do like it for its natural look, but it may not be to everyone's taste. The auto white balance is leaning towards a little extra warmth indoors, but is more or less on point outside, and colors have a well-judged saturation level. Dynamic range is excellent.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x)

Skin tones are rendered well, though that pesky wood wall panelling did mess up the white balance in the second scene. The Portrait mode is doing alright with subject separation.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Portrait mode

The 50MP mode may get you a little bit of extra detail in some scenes, but generally we wouldn't bother.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP

The 2x zoom level will get you alright shots - certainly nowhere near the sharpest around, but usable nonetheless.

Daylight samples, main camera (2x)

Daylight samples, main camera (2x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, main camera (2x), Portrait mode

Telephoto camera

The telephoto is delivering some pretty great results too. Its images have a similar grainy texture to those from the main camera, but there's plenty of detail and sharpness is on point. Colors are nicely vibrant, dynamic range is excellent again. The 12cm close focusing is most welcome as well.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3x)

Skin tones are looking slightly lifeless, but other than that the 3x camera is great for portraits.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3x), Portrait mode

The 50MP shots look more like upscaled versions of the 12.5MP images - we're not seeing extra detail in here.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (3x), 50MP

The 6x zoom photos have a somewhat oil painting-like detail rendition, but they're actually pretty good, even excellent for the class.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (6x)

Ultrawide camera

The overall grittiness continues into the ultrawide camera's images, though once again we're not really complaining because the detail is among the better ones in the class. Colors and dynamic range are quite great too.

Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)

Selfies

Selfies are decent on the Note 50 Pro+, though you probably know by know that we don't like those 32MP files. There's good detail in there, but probably around 8-10MP of it, and that's what you should be getting instead of 32MP. Dynamic range is great, but saturation could use a nudge, we reckon.

Selfie samples

Low-light photo quality

Main camera

In the dark, the man camera captures very good to excellent images for the class, and does so effortlessly - there's no need to worry about Night mode yourself. Detail is great, colors are on point, dynamic range is nicely wide.

Low-light samples, main camera (1x)

2x zoom results aren't amazing on a pixel level, but they're alright and the global characteristics remain very good.

Low-light samples, main camera (2x)

Telephoto camera

It's hard to find grounds for complaint when looking at the zoom camera's low-light images. Perhaps the white balance isn't spot-on when that fire hydrant fooled it and the first scene is also a little off. But other than that, we're looking at excellent shots with wide dynamic range, vibrant colors, and nicely fine detail.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (3x)

At 6x, it's more of a hit or miss type of deal, but it's more often hit, and the misses tend to be in particularly difficult lighting.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (6x)

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide's low-light results are good for the class. Detail is a little soft and noisy, but in a non-offensive natural-looking way - it's not praise really, just pointing out what we're seeing. The auto white balance remains unfazed in difficult conditions and dynamic range is quite good.

Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)

Video recording

The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ can record video up to 4K60 with its main camera and the telephoto, while the ultrawide maxes out at 1440p30 (and no 60fps on it even in lower resolutions). The selfie camera can do 4K30.

The usual selection of h.264 and h.265 codecs is available. HDR recording is possible on the main and the telephoto cameras. Stabilization is available for all resolution/frame rate modes and you can enable or disable it with a toggle in the viewfinder.

You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples.

Video sample playlist

Daylight videos from the main camera have excellent dynamic range, accurate white balance and overall likeable color presentation, though pixel-level detail isn't the sharpest. This largely holds true of the zoom camera's clips too, with the important distinction that few midrangers have zoom cameras in the first place. The ultrawide's clips maintain great global parameters, but are kind of soft when viewed from up close.

Low-light footage is pretty solid on the main camera - it's well exposed and has good dynamic range, but it remains on the soft side, though it's still probably among the better ones in the class. The telephoto's exposure can be a bit dark and gloomy, but detail is alright on a pixel level. The ultrawide footage is soft and noisy, but colors and dynamic range are fine.

Stabilization is very good on the Note 50 Pro+ if you're standing in one place - static shots are very stable, pans are quite smooth (in the resulting video, at least - the transitions in the viewfinder may appear abrupt, but the processing seemingly catches up in the background). Walking did introduce plenty of shake in our experience though, with some focus hunting thrown in for good measure.