You might recall that Infinix Mobility launched the newest entry to its mainstream smartphone line, the Infinix ZERO 30 5G, in the Philippines late last month, following the phone’s global launch during the 80th Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy, in September.

Now that the highly anticipated phone is here with a price of P14,999 (roughly $264) for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, we can finally give our final verdict on whether or not it’s worth your money. Did the Infinix ZERO 30 5G impress us? Read our review to find out.

Vlog in style

Obviously, the most talked-about feature here is the camera system on the front and back. And that’s not surprising considering the company sees the Infinix ZERO 30 5G as an ideal choice for vloggers and content creators who shoot and produce engaging videos with their smartphones.

We previously wrote about the features that make the ZERO 30 5G a powerful and versatile camera phone, and if there’s a takeaway from that, it’s this: This device is an excellent selfie shooter, capable of sharp and detailed selfies and vlogs at up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second. It’s also a great point-and-shoot alternative if you don’t have the budget for a modern flagship.

@revuphilippines We give you a tour of the #InfinixZERO305G's front camera UI! #InfinixZERO30 #ZERO305G #ZERO30 #CreateYourOwnStory #vlogging #VlogMasters #Infinix #InfinixPH #InfinixPhilippines #RevuDotComDotPH ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

Tour of the front-camera UI

The front camera sits in a punch-hole cutout and has been fitted with a 50-megapixel Samsung Isocell JN1 image sensor behind a 5P lens with an aperture of f/2.4. The JN1 has been designed to offer greater light sensitivity than the previous generation, with the ability to capture roughly 16% more light when taking a picture.

Sample selfies

In practice, this should translate to better low-light performance, and indeed, the Infinix ZERO 30 5G produces bright and clear selfies even when the lighting isn’t ideal. The high-res sensor also lets you capture selfies with a 2x crop, making it great for beauty vlogs and makeup tutorials. There’s even autofocus with eye tracking, too.

Taken with the rear camera

The rear camera is kitted with a 108-megapixel sensor with 9-to-1 pixel binning for improved color reproduction and wider dynamic range. The pictures out of the phone’s Night mode are surprisingly good for the price — even when you use the 3x hybrid zoom. Portrait mode, meanwhile, provides consistently accurate edge detection in ample lighting. You also have a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera on the rear for shooting cityscapes and landscapes, if that’s your style.

Another thing that stood out to us: Most camera settings and shooting options in Video mode, including Short Story and Film, can be used on both front and rear cameras to give you greater flexibility when vlogging and shooting B-roll footage. Film mode will help you produce engaging videos with just a few taps, and there are plenty of easy-to-use video templates to choose from that can take your project to the next level.

@revuphilippines Another sample clip captured in Short Video mode on the #InfinixZERO305G! Our full review of the aggressively priced phone with 4K 60 fps ultra-clear fonrt vlog camera should be up at #RevuDotComDotPH in a few minutes. #InfinixZERO30 #ZERO305G #ZERO30 #CreateYourOwnStory #vlogging #VlogMasters #Infinix #InfinixPH #InfinixPhilippines ♬ original sound – Revu Philippines

We shared one sample clip last week. Here’s another one that’s captured in Short Video mode

Power to do more than shoot selfies and vlogs

Powering the rear camera system and vlog-focused selfie camera on the Infinix ZERO 30 5G is MediaTek’s Dimensity 8020 chipset, which is built on a 6nm process node courtesy of TSMC and supports 5G data where available. In terms of benchmarks and gaming performance, the chip is slightly faster or pretty much neck and neck with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus SoC depending on the application.

It can play Genshin Impact and other resource-intensive titles at reasonable graphics settings while maintaining a solid frame rate of 30 fps during gameplay. Our benchmark scores paint a similar picture, indicating that you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more capable processor in the same sub-P15,000 ($264) price range. And with up to 21GB of dynamic RAM on the 12GB RAM model, the Infinix ZERO 30 5G tackles multitasking without stuttering or other issues.

The one chink in the armor is the smartphone’s throttling, which would kick in under heavy load, such as when gaming for extended periods of time or running the CPU Throttling Test app for 30 minutes. Otherwise, it’s a solid everyday performer. We found it fast enough for casual tasks, such as checking emails, websites, and social media, and its back panel doesn’t heat up as badly as our CPU Throttling Test result might have you believe under heavy load.

As for the software, the Infinix ZERO 30 5G boots Android 13 layered with the company’s custom overlay on top. We can’t put our finger on the exact reason, but we’re not big fans. Perhaps because the latest version of XOS lacks identity and looks a lot like OPPO’s ColorOS 13, particularly when you compare their default icons and Settings apps. The notification shade leaves a lot to be desired; for starters, it looks dull and shows too many toggles by default.

More to like…

There are plenty of other specs and features to like here, including the premium design topped with a curved AMOLED display that offers 950 nits of peak brightness, 2,160Hz PWM dimming for better eye protection, and an impressive refresh rate of 144Hz. The latter allows fast-moving visuals to be seen with greater clarity while playing certain games, as well as a smoother experience when navigating Infinix’s Android 13-based custom overlay. There are a total of four refresh rate modes to choose from in the display settings — 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, and Auto-switch. The screen gets bright and has vivid, detailed colors.

There’s more to it than just aesthetics, though. The other advantage the display brings to the table is its curved edges, which make the device easier to handle while shooting a vlog or video in landscape orientation one-handed. Its excellent ergonomics likewise reduces the depth of the handset when you hold it, making it far easier to reach elements of the camera viewfinder, launch apps, type using the onscreen keyboard, or certain parts of the panel without occasionally busting out some finger gymnastics.

The addition of an IP53 rating for dust and water resistance is always a welcome sight on a midranger, on top of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which brings durability and much-needed scratch resistance to the front panel. Meanwhile, the Golden Hour color variant, which we used for this review, has a smooth matte finish, which transitions between gold and pink depending on the angle, and features a holographic diamond pattern that shows through under the glass back of the phone. The Infinix ZERO 30 5G is also available in Rome Green with an eco-leather rear panel that feels like leather to the touch.

Finally, there’s the 5,000mAh battery that lasts a whole day on a single charge with mixed use, including some light gaming, using the camera to take photo and video samples, and web browsing. The good news is that if you deplete the battery pack rather quickly, you can top up the phone from zero to full in under an hour, thanks to the included 68-watt proprietary charger. In our testing, it usually takes us roughly 50 minutes to fully charge our unit’s dead battery.

Final thoughts

The Infinix ZERO 30 5G, with its powerful and versatile cameras, curved 144Hz screen, and above-average performance, is a formidable option. Infinix has always been about providing excellent value to customers and packing as much cutting-edge tech as possible under a certain price ceiling. While its latest offering doesn’t reinvent the wheel, the ZERO 30 5G is as good as it will get right now in this segment. A great blend of design, performance, and affordability means it’s easy to recommend, especially if you’re a selfie kind of person or aspiring content creator.

Video featuring brand ambassador Rhian Ramos, volleyball player Kianna Dy, and YouTuber Benedict Cua. The Infinix ZERO 30 5G is now available for purchase offline and online — on Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop

Infinix ZERO 30 5G specs

• 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display, FHD+ resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 10-bit colors, 950 nits peak brightness, 2,160Hz PWM dimming, Corning Gorilla Glass
• 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 8020 with 5G
• Mali-G77 MP9 GPU
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB storage
• Triple 108-megapixel main, 13-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel depth rear cameras
• 50-megapixel front camera, with flash
• Under-display fingerprint reader
• 5,000mAh battery with 68-watt fast charging
• IP53 rating
• XOS 13 based on Android 13
• Colors: Rome Green, Golden Hour, Fantasy Purple

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