The Infinix NOTE 12 VIP is quite an interesting device that Infinix unveiled into the Kenyan market back in May.
Infinix is selling this device for Ksh 41,999 and it’s probably the best Infinix device we’ve ever used. Infinix went all in to offer some pretty exciting specs – from the display to the 120W hypercharge, and a 108 primary camera, the phone is a good option to consider if you’re looking for a phone within that price segment.
At the launch, Infinix Country Manager, Mike Zhang said the company is creating a new standard for high-quality smartphone performance and design, especially with the new NOTE 12 Series, which represents impeccable form and function. This series he said packs quick-charging power and strong chipsets into an iconic design that is perfect for emerging professionals who need a light, flexible and high-performance device.
“The Note Series has always been an important series which has evolved with every launch. Innovation is the motivation for Infinix. We put all our efforts to make products and applications interesting and of great value. Our goal to innovate our products, especially in the NOTE series is to deliver users a fantastic operating and visual experience,” Zhang added.
Well, we have been using the NOTE 12 VIP and of course, we have so many things to say about the device.
Infinix NOTE 12 VIP Design and Display
The Infinix NOTE 12 VIP display is an amazing 6.7 inches Amoled, 120Hz, with HDR10+ support, and 1002 nits (peak) brightness display. It is also Full HD+ with a PPI density of 409. This is a very powerful display and the addition of 120Hz support is a plus. Anyone who loves gaming or watching so much content will love this. It delivers faster performance and gives you that premium feel.
When it comes to the design, we’re getting what most phones are offering us in 2022 – some thin bezels, a punch-hole at the centre of the screen, and some nice rounded edges and corners. On the rear, there’s a camera module that runs horizontally across the top side. Looks pretty good.
There’s a 3.5mm jack at the base and a USB-C port alongside a mono speaker. On the right of the phone is a power button which also serves as the fingerprint sensor. This is also where we have the volume buttons.
The rear and back are all made of plastic but you might think it’s actually glass. This build gives you a more futuristic and stronger look which we really like.
Infninix NOTE 12 VIP Camera
The camera is one of the best things about this phone – explains why the whole camera experience is built around them. The camera setup is quite amazing – it’s a triple camera setup with a 108-megapixel F/1.8 main sensor and an ultra-wide lens of 13 MP as well. There is also a 16MP front-facing camera.
The camera performance is fantastic, the night and portrait mode was our best. Under low light the camera is not that bad, the photos produced are usable. The selfie camera does not disappoint either.
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).
You are also able to shoot videos in 2k resolution but of course, 4K resolution would have been better.
Infinix NOTE 12 VIP Performance and battery life
When it comes to performance the chipset inside this device is the MediaTek Helio G96 chip with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Apart from the 8GB, there’s also a 3GB dynamic RAM meaning you can boost the RAM to 11GB total to enable you to multitask smoothly.
This chipset handles things just fine including playing your favourite graphics-intensive games.
For the 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. Important to mention that XOS is just the same one we have known for years and comes with lots of unnecessary bloatware which you can get rid of. Infinix however really tried to make a few tweaks to it to accommodate Android 12.
The battery is one of the key selling points for the Infinix NOTE 12 VIP. It comes with a 4500mAh battery and Infinix also added support for a 120W fast charge. You can juice up the phone from 0 to full in just 20 minutes. This is the first phone from Infinix that supports 120W of fast charging.
The battery life is also quite strong and should last you a full day of light use with at least some 20% left.
Should you buy the Infinix NOTE 12 VIP?
There are so many things to like about the NOTE 12 VIP. Infinix did introduce some new stuff that we find quite interesting – from the colourful display, the new Helio G96 chipset, massive RAM and storage, a good 108MP primary camera, quality build, and of course the 120W hypercharge.
The selfie camera is not the best and the fact you can shoot videos on 4k is also a downside. Also, we were hoping this would be a 5G device, well, that’s not the case but again that’s not a dealbreaker considering our market has not even gone commercial with 5G.
Overall, it’s a good device to consider.
The NOTE 12 series come in three models – the NOTE 12 VIP which is available for Ksh 41,999, the NOTE 12 (G96) which Infinix is selling at Ksh 27,999 and the NOTE 12i available for Ksh 20,999. You can grab one offline from the company’s retail stores across the country. The phones are also available for purchase online at XPARK – Transsion’s official online store and other online e-commerce stores like Jumia.
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