Infinix Note 12 VIP Review: The Infinix Note 12 VIP is the first Infinix smartphone to feature a 120W hypercharge. Coupled with its 108MP primary camera, this phone looks pretty nice. However, while the 120W hyper-fast charge and 108MP camera are a step forward, the phone is also two steps backward.
So, in this Infinix Note 12 VIP review, we’ll explore all the specifications of this phone and see if it’s actually worth the $335 price tag. In this review, the actual performance, camera quality, battery life, etc of this phone will be explained. So, if you want to really know more about the pros and cons of the Infinix Note 12 VIP, then keep reading.
See Also: Infinix Note 12 VIP vs OPPO Reno7: Which is Better
Infinix Note 12 VIP Review
Display, Design, and Build
The display size of the Infinix Note 12 VIP is 6.7-inches. Its display panel is AMOLED, features a 120Hz refresh rate, has support 1B colors, and features 700 nits brightness. The display is colorful, smooth, and very bright. But you’ll struggle to use the phone under direct sunlight.
The design of the phone is beautiful. The front has a simple punch-hole while on the rear it has a camera module that runs horizontally across the top side. The build of the phone is glass front, plastic back, and plastic frame. Although the general idea is the back of the phone is made of glass but is plastic.
The back panel is made of glass material but it’s not actually glass. One good thing is that it feels premium and retains fewer fingerprints. The volume rocker and the power button are located on the right-hand side. It also has stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Overall, the build of this phone is solid. The phone is light weighted and is easy to use with one hand. The display is colorful smooth, and fast thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate and AMOLED display panel.
See Also: Infinix Note 12 VIP vs Infinix Note 11 Pro: Which is better?
Chipset and Performance
Talking about performance, the chipset inside the Infinix Note 12 VIP is the MediaTek Helio G96 chip. This chipset has support for only 4G network connectivity. Its CPU is octa-core with a speed clocked at 2.05GHz and the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. Infinix also included a thermal cooling system that keeps the temperature of the chipset down when under heavy use.
Playing games with the Infinix Note 12 VIP makes it warm. But you can’t play graphics-intensive games using the best settings. For example, you can play Call of Duty using HD settings and it’ll work fine. This means you won’t get the best graphics quality when playing graphics-intensive games. This is a result of the limitations of the Helio G96 chipset.
However, the performance of the chipset is pretty consistent when playing games. When playing games with the default settings, the game does not slag too much or throttle. Below are the test scores of the Infinix Note 12 VIP.
| Tests | Infinix Note 12 VIP |
| GB5 Single Core | 499 |
| GB5 Multi-Core | 1495 |
| AnTuTu Score | 345149 |
NB: GB5 refers to Geekbench 5
Using the Infinix Note 12 VIP, you can play graphics-intensive games using its default settings but you can’t play these games using the maximum settings. If you need an Infnix smartphone that can play graphics-intensive games at higher settings then look the way of the Infinix Zero 5G.
See Also: Infinix Note 12 VIP vs Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G: Which is better
Photography and Videography
The Infinix Note 12 VIP comes with a 108MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 16MP front-facing camera. The 108MP primary camera comes with PDAF and Laser AF features. It can take really good photos with nice colors. It can also shoot videos in 2k resolution (4K resolution would have been better.
Under low light conditions, both the front and back cameras are not that bad. But the front camera is not consistent (sometimes it takes good selfies other times it’s bad). The portrait mode on the phone is also really good. For a phone that will cost you $335, the cameras are not that bad (but could be better).
However, the camera of the Infinix Note 12 VIP lacks any stabilization feature. This means you must hold your hand steady when taking photos so the camera won’t lose focus. You also can shoot steady videos which in most cases results in bad video quality.
Overall, the photography and videography experience of the Infinix Note 12 VIP is just there. Although the photo quality is good (especially for the 108MP primary camera), the other cameras won’t give you any VIP treatment.
See Also: Samsung Galaxy A33 5G vs Infinix Note 12 VIP: Which should you buy
RAM, Storage, and Software
Infinix Note 12 VIP comes with 8GB RAM that can be expanded to 13GB virtually (it has 5GB of virtual RAM). It also comes with 256GB of internal storage and has space for storage expansion via a microSD card slot.
As per software, the Infinix Note 12 VIP boots XOS 10.5 based on Android 12 out of the box. Infinix promises one year of major software updates and two years of monthly security patches for the smartphone. Before we round up the review of the Infinix Note 12 VIP, let’s talk about its battery and charging features.
Battery and Charging
Infinix Note 12 VIP is powered by a 4,500mAh battery with support for a 120W fast charge. You can charge this phone from 0 to 100% in about 19 minutes. When fully charged, this phone can take you for 7 hours and under heavy usage, you can get 3 hours of use. For light users, you can more than 24 hours of use with this phone.
See Also: Infinix Note 12 VIP vs Samsung Galaxy A53 5G: Which is better
Infinix Note 12 VIP Review: Price
The starting price of the Infinix Note 12 VIP is $335 or 200,000 Naira for the model with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Although Infinix likes to claim that the phone is priced at $299 but in reality, its price is about $335 (in the Nigerian Market).
Buy Infinix Note 12 VIP
| Infinix Note 12 VIP | Price | Price |
| Buy on Jumia | $335 | ₦285,000 |
Infinix Note 12 VIP Review: Verdict
The Infinix Note 12 VIP is a good phone but it’s a one-step forward and two steps backward deal. Infinix did introduce some new stuff but also removed other good features. Let’s talk about the good stuff first.
Some of the good things about the Infinix Note 12 VIP are its colorful display, new Helio G96 chipset, RAM and storage, good 108MP primary camera, quality build, and convenient charging solution (120W hypercharge). But, it can’t shoot videos in 4K resolution, can’t play games in higher settings, has a very weak front camera, has no 5G connectivity, and it’s overpriced.
For the price of the Infinix Note 12 VIP, you can get other 5G smartphones that can play games at higher settings, allows you to shoot videos in 4K, gives you stabilization features, and also gives you 5G connectivity. Below are the alternative phones to buy instead of the Infinix Note 12 VIP:
