The foldable craze might be dominating headlines, but the real action is happening in the midrange. Here, phone makers are quietly delivering exceptional value, pushing the boundaries of what a sub-flagship phone can give you under a certain price ceiling.

Challenger brands like Infinix Mobile are leading the charge, resetting our expectations for what’s possible at a budget-friendly price tag. The midrange is no longer a wasteland of compromises; it has become a hotbed of innovation, offering features and performance that used to be exclusive to more expensive premium devices.

We recently got our hands on the Infinix GT 20 Pro, and it’s a revelation. Priced at P15,999 (roughly $273) in the Philippines, the smartphone raises the bar with high-end specs that would feel right at home on a flagship. But beyond the impressive specs sheet, it delivers exceptional day-to-day performance that surpasses expectations.

Here’s why we’re so impressed, and why the Infinix GT 20 Pro might be the gaming phone you didn’t know you needed, especially if you have pro-gamer aspirations for games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

@revuphilippines Open… sesame! We unbox the #InfinixGT20Pro. Local availability details at #RevuDotComDotPH. #MLBB #MPLOfficialTournamentPhone #MobileLegends #AreYouAnMLBBPlayer #Infinix #Infinix #InfinixPH #InfinixPhilippines @infinixphilippines @monch @Alora Uy Guerrero ♬ original sound – Revu Philippines

The Infinix GT 20 Pro unboxed

All about that gamer speed

Forget midrange mediocrity. The Infinix GT 20 Pro arrives with the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate, a powerhouse chipset that’s usually reserved for pricier sub-flagship devices. This 4nm chip promises both efficiency and muscle, packing a six-core Mali-G610 graphics engine and a mix of high-performance Cortex-A78 power cores clocked at up to 3.1GHz and frugal A55 cores for less serious tasks. On paper, it’s a spec sheet that rivals the best mid-level phones you can buy today.

MediaTek’s impressive SoC is paired with up to 12GB of fast LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage — rarities in this price bracket. This is the first handset we’ve tested with the Dimensity 8200 Ultimate, and we’re happy to report it lives up to its high-performance billing. Real-world performance has been smooth-sailing so far. Apps launch in a snap, multitasking feels effortless, and even the heaviest apps struggle to make the device break a sweat.

But Infinix isn’t just boasting about raw power; the GT 20 Pro also seems to have a well-optimized cooling system in place. We pushed our unit with a 40-minute session of Honkai: Star Rail at High graphics settings, and even under this load, the surface temperature never climbed above 52 degrees Celsius. This suggests efficient heat dissipation, which is a key factor for extended gaming sessions and maintaining peak performance over time.

Our benchmarks flirted with the million mark in Antutu, while Honkai: Star Rail ran at nearly 60 fps at High settings. That’s actually incredible for anything outside the flagship landscape, making the GT 20 Pro a contender for serious mobile gamers, emulator enthusiasts, and power users.

Pixelworks X5 dedicated gaming display chip and 120fps stable frame-rate engine

Beyond its highly capable chipset, the Infinix GT 20 Pro introduces a dedicated gaming display chip, the Pixelworks X5 Turbo, which aims to deliver smoother frame rates and a higher-quality visual experience by lightening the load on the GPU. It can take games running at 60 fps and boost them all the way up to 120 fps, effectively doubling the frame rate for select titles. This is achieved through distributed rendering, which also keeps power consumption in check. Meanwhile, frame interpolation creates a smoother and more natural motion flow that stays true to the vision of game developers.

Paired with the Dimensity 8200 Ultimate chipset under the hood, the X5 Turbo visual processor even allows for HDR graphics during high frame-rate sessions, making colors pop and details stand out. This feature boasts compatibility with popular titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Honkai: Star Rail, and Genshin Impact. While playing Genshin Impact with HDR does enhance the visuals in our testing, expect some tradeoffs with regard to frame rates and battery life.

The Pixelworks chip isn’t just for gaming, though. It adds HDR magic to your favorite video apps, such as YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+. This real-time SDR-to-HDR conversion bumps up the brightness and contrast, revealing details often lost in standard smartphone displays. Basically, your movies and shows will look more lifelike and immersive on the Infinix GT 20 Pro.

The phone’s 6.78-inch flat AMOLED panel likewise supports a gamer-friendly refresh rate up to 144Hz (with a 120Hz option for battery-conscious users), which gamers will appreciate. Resolution lands in a comfortable FHD+, offering a reasonably sharp viewing experience of 388 pixels per inch without overtaxing the battery.

Software optimized for speedy performance in MLBB

Infinix isn’t just throwing hardware and specs at the wall with the GT 20 Pro. The software has been optimized for high-end gaming, too. The company’s proprietary Stable Frame-rate Engine optimizes thermals and keeps power consumption efficient, translating to smooth gameplay without the unnecessary battery drain.

Infinix’s Xboost software feature goes the extra mile with sustained performance management. It utilizes vertical sync to eliminate screen tearing while prioritizing resources for the game itself. This ensures the smoothest possible experience during those intense online battles.

Nowhere is this more evident when playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The game runs great on the Infinix GT 20 Pro with the graphics and frame-rate settings set to Ultra, close to 120 fps at all times. Our 40-minute playtime averaged 113 fps — a seriously impressive achievement given the smartphone’s wallet-friendly price tag.

This kind of performance makes the GT 20 Pro a compelling option for budget-minded mobile gamers, especially considering it’s the official tournament phone of MPL Philippines, the country’s pro MLBB league. If you’re a big fan of the highly popular MOBA game, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better-performing phone alternative to this GT model for under P16,000 ($273).

On the OS front, the Infinix GT 20 Pro runs a near-stock version of Android 14 wrapped in the brand’s XOS 14 interface. The software delivers a mostly clutter-free experience, with a welcome reduction in preinstalled apps from both Google and Infinix. Most of these can be easily uninstalled or disabled if you don’t need them.

Infinix has also promised two years of OS updates and an additional year of security patches with this device, potentially extending support all the way to Android 16. That’s solid software support for a budget-focused smartphone.

Mecha-inspired design that matches the muscle

The Infinix GT 20 Pro isn’t shy — or even subtle — about its gaming focus. Its design, dubbed the Cyber Mecha Design, is all about attracting hardcore mobile gamers. The back is dominated by the C-ring Mecha Loop Lighting interface, which translates to a dazzling array of customizable RGB LED lights.

These aren’t just flashy aesthetics, though. With eight color combinations and four lighting effects, you can personalize your entire phone experience. Incoming calls, notifications, charging status — even booting up your favorite games — can be accompanied by a customized light show. It’s a level of personalization that caters directly to gamers who enjoy a bit of flair to go along with the device’s muscle.

Infinix has opted for a semi-transparent plastic back on the GT 20 Pro. The look is undeniably cool, especially with the RGB lights pulsing beneath the surface. It gives the handset a unique, almost Tron-like aesthetic, with the only tradeoff being the material is prone to fingerprint smudges.

But for a gaming phone, function arguably takes precedence over pure aesthetics. So while the boxy design might not win any awards for elegance, the slightly curved edges ensure a comfortable grip during those extended gaming marathons. It’s a design that prioritizes ergonomics over slippery curves, making it a practical choice for long gameplay sessions.

Pump up the volume — and more!

The Infinix GT 20 Pro doesn’t skimp on the audio experience either. It boasts a dual stereo-speaker setup that’s been tuned by iconic audio brand JBL. This isn’t just marketing jargon. JBL’s expertise should translate to rich, immersive sound that elevates both gaming and multimedia consumption.

Whether you’re blasting through frenetic action sequences in your favorite mobile game or jamming out to your music library, the GT 20 Pro’s speakers deliver. Expect clear audio with a good balance between highs and lows. While audiophiles might crave a separate headphone jack for the absolute best sound quality, the onboard speakers are a clear step up from the norm, especially in this segment.

For taking pictures, the Infinix GT 20 Pro is equipped with optical image stabilization for sharper photos, especially in low-light conditions. You also get up to 3x zoom, leveraging the power of the high-resolution sensor. There’s also a 32-megapixel camera in a punch hole on the front for selfies and vlogs.

While it might not challenge the top camera phones, the GT 20 Pro holds its own in decent lighting. Both the rear and selfie cameras can capture good-looking photos. Plus, the ability to record 4K video at 60 fps or 1080p with Ultra Steady enabled makes it a viable option for capturing everyday moments.

A few sample shots

Final thoughts

The Infinix GT 20 Pro is a bonafide gaming phone. It checks the boxes with a flagship-worthy Dimensity 8200 Ultimate chipset, a buttery-smooth 144Hz display enhanced by a dedicated gaming display chip, and software optimized for mobile dominance. This unit is built to compete with the fastest in its segment — all at a price that won’t burn a hole in your wallet.

Whether you want to become a professional Mobile Legends player or level up your mobile gaming hobby and enjoy console-quality games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail with smooth, high-quality graphics, the GT 20 Pro is a compelling option. Infinix understands that performance is king, but doesn’t demand a royal ransom for it.

*You can purchase the Infinix GT 20 Pro for only P15,999 ($273) on TikTok Shop, Shopee, Lazada, and offline kiosks and concept stores nationwide starting June 13. Every early purchase comes with a free GT gaming kit for a limited time. Need a powerful companion to the GT 20 Pro? The Infinix GT BOOK laptop will also be available from the 13th.

Infinix GT 20 Pro specs

• 6.78-inch AMOLED display, FHD+ resolution, 10-bit colors, 144Hz refresh rate
• 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate processor with 5G
• Mali-G610 MC6 GPU
• 8GB/12GB RAM
• 256GB expandable storage
• Triple 108-megapixel main, 2-megapixel portrait, 2-megapixel macro rear cameras
• 32-megapixel front camera
• Under-display fingerprint reader
• 5,000mAh battery with 45-watt USB-C charging
• Customizable RGB LED lights at the back
• Stereo speakers with JBL tuning
• IP54 rating
• X0S based on Android 14
• Color options: Mecha Blue, Mecha Orange, Mecha Silver

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