infinix

Hands-on: Infinix Note 30 series packs 108MP camera, 45W charging for under $300

Ben Schoon | May 23 2023 - 9:00 am PT

Infinix is today launching a handful of new midrange Android phones that bring flagship-level charging and camera specs for under $300.

The Infinix Note 30 series consists of three devices – the Note 30 (4G), Note 30 5G, and Note 30 Pro.

Starting with the base model, the Infinix Note 30 has a 6.78-inch 120Hz display, MediaTek Helio G99, 8GB of RAM, and a 64MP primary camera on the rear. It has 45W charging and a 5,000 mAh battery with no wireless option, but it does have speakers tuned by JBL and a headphone jack. Rounding things out, there’s a 13MP selfie camera, NFC, and a microSD card slot, with Android 13 out of the box.

The Infinix Note 30 5G offers a similar package, with the same display, software, and basic hardware. The main difference is the addition of 5G and a more powerful chip in the MediaTek Dimensity 6080. This model also packs a 108MP ISOCELL HM6 camera backed up by two smaller sensors and a 16MP selfie shooter.

Finally, there’s the Note 30 Pro, which lacks 5G support, but has 68W charging and an AMOLED display. The chip under the hood is the MediaTek Helio G99, which gets vapor chamber cooling, and there’s also a 32MP selfie camera backing up the 108MP sensor on the rear.

Note 30 5G (L), Note 30 (Top), Note 30 Pro (Bottom)

Pricing hasn’t been confirmed on all three models, but the base Infinix Note 30 will cost just $229 – to vary based on region. All three phones are set to cost under $300.

Hands-on with the Infinix Note 30 5G

Over the past several days, I’ve had the chance to try out the Infinix Note 30 5G in person, and it’s really a good show of what’s available in the midrange market outside of the US.

The Note 30 5G is by no means a high-end phone, but it’s a much better offer in actual use than what else I’ve used at this price point in the States. The build is completely plastic, but it’s got a nice look and feels better than you’d expect. The 108MP camera isn’t anything to write home about, with some processing tweaks needed to make it really shine, but it takes crisp shots that aren’t inherently bad as so many other cheap phones do.

The thing that stood out to me, though, was the performance. The MediaTek Dimensity 6080 under the hood really puts out a good show, at least based on my limited use. The software, which is a heavy iOS-like skin on top of Android 13, feels very fast and like it actually hits the 120Hz the display is capable of.

The real kicker was comparing it to other devices. The similarly priced Moto G 5G that Motorola launched early this month provides a similar overall package, but Infinix has managed far better performance, and the inclusion of 45W charging just doubles down that I wish we had options like this in the States.