Infinix Note 12: Full review

As a gaming enthusiast, it’s essential to equip yourself with a high-performing smartphone to be at the top of your game. But it’s equally important to look at the bigger picture and see if the device can deliver in other aspects — the proper balance of fun and practicality. Tagged as a gaming smartphone, what else does the Infinix Note 12 have to offer? 

Design and build

It’s not difficult to grow fond of the Force Black colorway. The textured wave finish of the rear added personality, while the matte texture prevented me from having to wipe the phone every contact. I wish I could say the same about the area of the camera module since it comes in a fingerprint-magnet finish. 

Thanks to its lightweight and slim profile (185g and 7.89mm thin), long hours of mobile browsing or gaming won’t be a problem for you and your wrist. This is even compounded by its flat edges, making it easy to grip — less drops too! 

To add to its ergonomic factor, the power button conveniently works as a fingerprint scanner as well. The only disadvantage it poses is its sensitivity even while just gripping or holding the phone. 

Display

Featuring a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen display, it showcases vivid colors, deep blacks, and good contrast ratio, which you’ll appreciate while bingeing on your favorite series or playing Asphalt 9. It can use added sharpness, but it’s already above satisfactory given its price point. 

Camera

Greeting you at the rear is the triple camera setup — 50MP main camera, 2MP depth sensor, and QVGA. Meanwhile, the front receives a 16MP selfie camera. 

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What amused me was the product of the shots taken by its Portrait mode (2MP depth sensor), which vividly and seamlessly highlighted the subject of the photo. 

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As for the 50MP main camera, it fared well in favorable lighting, capturing sceneries in adequate detail. Unfortunately, it was a chore taking photos amid harsh lighting — much effort is needed to avoid overexposed and oversaturated photos. However, when you manage to get it right, the outcome can be rewarding. You’ll be delighted with the dramatic effect that comes from the vibrant colors. 

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Performance

Powered by Helio G96 processor and equipped with 8GB RAM, it’s highly capable of delivering a seamless gaming experience while playing Asphalt 9 at the highest visual setting. Even while running multiple apps, I didn’t encounter any issue or interruption — from watching Umbrella Academy on Netflix to checking notifications and reels on Instagram. 

You have 128GB storage at your disposal; it’s large enough to accommodate several apps, photos, videos, and the like. 

After running the device through 3D Mark and Geekbench, here are the results: 

• Sling Shot: 3446
• Slingshot Extreme- OpenGL ES 3.1: 2471
• Wild Life: 1167
• Wild Life Stress Test: 1,174
• Geekbench Score: 499 (Single-Core score), 1,709 (Multi-Core Score) 

Battery

Housing a large 5000mAh battery life, you can feel confident engaging in light-to-moderate tasks during work hours then going full blast on mobile browsing, gaming, and streaming. It can last you a little over a day with light use. And finally, powering up to 100% took 90 minutes based on my experience. 

Verdict

If you’re in a quest for a budget-friendly gaming smartphone with other highly capable specs up on its sleeve, look no further. For a price point of P8,999, you get more than you’ve bargained for — exceeding performance in gaming and photography, highly reliable and clothed in a unique frame.