Infinix has always strived to be the first in many things, the first to feature a 200 MP camera in a phone and the first and only manufacturer to date to have a 180W Thunder Charge technology.
Now, they’re raising the bar yet again with what they proudly call the first Snapdragon-powered Infinix under 20K pesos, a device designed like an iPhone but powered by Android. Hell, as recently as last year, their Infinix NOTE 50 Pro was the first in its class to feature an all-metal frame in a phone that costs just under 15K.
After almost a year, they’re back with an all-new NOTE phone, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro, bringing in a whole new set of firsts to the series. Curious as to what those are? Well, so am I. So, let’s strap in and explore what surprises Infinix has in store for us.
What’s in the Box?
For this year’s NOTE 60 Pro, Infinix has chosen to forego the gaming themes that were plastered all over last year’s model. Not because it’s no longer capable, but because Infinix wanted to appeal to a broader audience, not just gamers.
Instead, Infinix went with a clean and straightforward design for the box. The box comes in this gray plastered wall looking color with a distinct rough texture. At first glance, the whole package looks like it put on a few inches due to how thick it looks, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see that there are actually two boxes.
Aside from the main box that houses the phone and its accessories, there’s also an included 30W MagPad wireless charging puck. Now, whether that’s standard for every purchase or just an early bird promo still remains to be seen. Regardless, you’ll still receive the following:
- The Infinix NOTE 60 Pro itself
- Hard clear plastic case
- SIM ejector tool
- Warranty information and safety guide
- 90W FlashCharge charger
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
There’s one thing that piqued my curiosity while unboxing the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro. The box that houses the USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable has two compartments. One for the charging cable and then another space, perhaps for wired earphones?
More Than Just a Pretty Face
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, it does look very similar to the “Pro” version from a certain fruit brand, especially in the Solar Orange colorway, which I also call the DPWH orange. Even Infinix themselves are aware of the similarity, but that doesn’t mean that the NOTE 60 Pro is just a cheap copycat.
It’s actually quite the opposite. Instead of just building a similarly designed phone using cheap materials like plastic, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro has the unique distinction of using an all-metal build, making it a far more durable and premium feeling phone than the others.
Sure, it does take up a bit of weight and thickness, 201.7 g and 7.4 mm, to be specific, but I mean, come on… what’s a millimeter of difference?
Pair that with rounded edges that sit comfortably in the hand, and you have a package that’s designed like an iPhone but powered by Android (plus, it costs a third of the former…).
But if the Solar Orange isn’t your vibe, you can opt for the other equally premium colorways: Mist Titanium, Deep Ocean Blue, and the soon to be released Torino Black and Mocha Brown.
You can find buttons on either side of the device, with the volume rocker, power button, and what I think is a heart rate and oxygen sensor found on the right side. On the left is an Infinix NOTE first, a multi-functional one-tap button which you can configure to toggle a number of things in the settings menu.
And lastly, the pièce de résistance. Alongside the Halo Light which first appeared in last year’s model, is a brand-new Active Matrix Display that’s also situated in the camera island. The pixel display can be configured to your heart’s content with emojis that suit your current mood.
But it’s not just there to look pretty. The Active Matrix Display also doubles as a visual alert for any calls, notifications, or alarms that require your attention. Hell, you can even play mini games on it or interact with what Infinix calls “Pixel Pets,” similar to the 90s hit toy, Tamagotchi.
Where Content Comes Alive
Of course, you won’t be spending all your time looking at the pixel display at the back. At some point, you have to admire the large front display that’s just as premium and sturdy as the build that encases it. At 1.87 mm, it’s the only mid-range phone I’ve seen so far to have bezels as thin as they can be. Any more than that and you’ll be bending the laws of physics.
Feature wise, it’s packed with all the bells and whistles that you wouldn’t think exists in a sub-20K mid-range smartphone. At the very least, the 6.78-inch 1.5K Ultra HDR LTPS AMOLED display brings every content, whether that’s movies, games, or your memories, to life. Even if you’re outside, the 4500 nits peak brightness handles extreme sunlight with ease.
And even though the packaging no longer shows characters from CODM, gaming on the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro is still as smooth as butter, thanks to the 144Hz refresh rate that it supports. Of course, you’ll do most of your gaming inside or at night, which is why it’s very important to have eye care features like low blue light emission and zero flicker PWM dimming to keep your eyes from being strained.
In my mind, there’s no doubt that the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro will be an entertainment powerhouse because apart from the feature packed display, Infinix also partnered with JBL to tune the 360° Dual Stereo Speakers. So even without the supposedly included wired earphones or any earphones for that matter, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro’s dual stereo speakers sound just as good.
A First in Infinix’s History
It would be difficult not to notice the biggest change in this generation of the NOTE Series. Even if you didn’t notice the logo at the front, the large text at the front that says “Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 5G Performance Platform,” should give you an idea of what it is…
Like I said, this year’s NOTE 60 Pro comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip, paired with up to 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM (12GB physical + 12GB extended RAM) and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. According to Infinix’s own testing, the SD 7s Gen 4 brings a 75% uplift in CPU performance over last year’s model and a 210% improvement in GPU performance.
While most of it can be attributed to the new chipset, it also benefited from the all-metal build, which sort of functions like a large heatsink, drawing heat away from the chip and distributing it evenly. Another factor is the 3D IceCore Vapor Chamber cooling system which, under intense loads, cools the chip by 3°C.
To test that theory, we ran our own benchmarks using tools like AnTuTu Benchmark V11, GeekBench 6, and PCMark’s Work 3.0 Performance Test, and here are the results:
- AnTuTu Benchmark V11 – 889,782
- GeekBench 6 CPU – Single-Core: 1232 | Multi-Core: 3373
- GeekBench 6 GPU – 3613
- PCMark Work 3.0 Performance – 14,490
As you can see from the results, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro’s performance never wavered. It’s still as capable as it once was. But benchmarks are only one side of the equation. Real world usage is another, which is why we also ran a few of the most popular games right now such as CODM, Genshin Impact, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
As expected, it ran smoothly, maintaining 120fps throughout the gaming session. You might be asking, “But I thought it supports a 144Hz refresh rate?” and you’d be right, so why is that?
Most games are tailored to run on smartphones with a 120Hz refresh rate displays. That’s because almost all smartphones currently released use that standard. There are only a handful of smartphones, including this one, that come with a 144Hz refresh rate displays. But as the number rises, we might be able to see developers adapt their games to take full advantage of that 144Hz refresh rate.
Anyway, the NOTE 60 Pro runs XOS 16 (based on Android 16), and Infinix promises up to 3 years of major Android updates and 5 years of security patches. Might not be as long as the fruit brand I mentioned earlier, but with a price like this, I think it’s more than enough.
Light Up the Night
Most manufacturers only focus on the daylight side of photos, not just because it’s the time when we’re most active, but also because it’s easier to control. Light is not an issue because you have plenty of natural light, but come sundown and their sensors start struggling.
Not the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro though. For this year, the company focused on making its nighttime performance better than others in its class. Sure, it only has two cameras, a main sensor and an ultra-wide, but what it loses out on a telephoto lens, it more than makes up for in low light performance.
But even without a dedicated telephoto lens, the 50 MP OIS Night Master Camera mitigates the lack of a zoom lens by using all 50 MP in Ultra HD Mode to capture a shot so detailed that you can freely crop to achieve the shot you want.
Infinix also made changes to the software side of things. Ultra HDR photos have now been improved by restoring shadows and capturing light exactly how your eyes would view it. And there’s also a new live photo mode which captures a few seconds before and after you take the shot, so you can choose which shot best represents your memory.
We also took a few shots using the 13 MP front camera, just for good measure.
As you can see from the photos we took, each mode did its job perfectly. The Super Night Mode was able to retain much of the details which you can see on the frayed strands of foam tape. Ultra HD Mode also did its best in capturing immense detail which you can freely crop after the fact. And in all the shots that you see, especially the ones shot in daylight, the sun is portrayed the way your eyes see it, making for a more natural and balanced result.
Built to Go the Distance
Of course, all that new stuff would be useless if it only lasted half a day. Thankfully, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro is equipped with a 6500 mAh battery that not only lasts long each day, it also lasts long in the long term. Well, what do I mean by that?
Infinix is the first manufacturer, period, to use a Battery Self-Healing Technology that extends the life of the battery to at least 6 years. It does that by recovering an extra 1% of battery health for every 200 charging cycles. I mean, how cool is that?
Of course, we all know that a big factor in how long a battery lasts is heat, which is why, combined with the self-healing technology, Infinix also equips the NOTE 60 Pro with High Temperature 2.0 Fast Charging Technology and Bypass Charging for when you’re in the middle of a game.
And speaking of charging, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro supports 90W FastCharge and 30W wireless charging (hence, the MagPad charging puck). In just 16 mins, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro charges from 0 to 50% and 0 to 100% in just 41 mins. Less time on the wall and more time for the things you love.
The Little Things That Matter
Unlike the fruit brand that I mentioned earlier, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro is a phone that you can confidently carry through rain or shine without any fear of it breaking easily through life’s everyday challenges.
Aside from being encapsulated by an all-metal build, the front glass is also protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, making it resistant to accidental oopsies. And for the rain part, it’s rated for IP64 dust and water resistance. Rain drops should be fine, but swimming with it? Yeah, that’s a no go.
The Bottom Line
The Infinix NOTE 60 Pro feels like a childhood friend that you haven’t seen for a long time. It’s familiar, yet aged like a fine wine. Come to think of it, last year’s NOTE 50 Pro is edgy, and I mean that in the literal sense. Yes, it’s sturdy, powerful, and you can definitely see its gamer-esque features, but holding it for long periods of time can sometimes be uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, you have the new Infinix NOTE 60 Pro, which still embodies the spirit of the NOTE series but has since been refined. Refined in every aspect, from the smaller bezels to the improved camera to a new personality through the Active Matrix Display. Even the software side of things has been refined.
Sure, it takes some inspiration from a certain fruit brand, and yes, it skips out on a dedicated telephoto lens, but those feel like small trade-offs considering everything else you’re getting in return.
At the end of the day, the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro delivers where it matters most. It’s powerful, durable, feature-packed, and surprisingly refined for its price. If Infinix’s goal was to make a NOTE-worthy impression, then yeah… they’ve absolutely nailed it.
Pricing and Availability
The Infinix NOTE 60 Pro drops today with an SRP of ₱17,999 for the 8/256GB variant and ₱19,999 for the top of the line model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. But for a limited time, buyers can avail of the NOTE 60 Pro for just ₱15,999 (8/256GB) and ₱17,999 (12/256GB), plus you can even get the XWATCH N5 Pro at a special discounted price with every purchase of the NOTE 60 Pro.
If you want to know more about the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro, you can head on over to Infinix’s own website. Plus, if you want to witness the official first sale livestream of the NOTE 60 Pro, tune in to Infinix’s official TikTok page on April 22, 8 PM. Lastly, if you want your very own Infinix NOTE 60 Pro, you can visit their official Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.