Another model from the Infinix Note 12 series is onboard, and the company has named it the Infinix Note 12 G96 (also called the Infinix Note 12 Turbo) which is probably derived from the phone’s Mediatek Helio G96 processor.
This model delivers a decent performance, large display, and huge battery capacity which is around the core values of a quality budget smartphone. And coming at a $282 price tag, the Infinix Note 12 G96 is moderately priced.
The Infinix Note 12 G96 was launched as the 4th model in the company’s high-end Note 12 series and consists of Infinix Note 12, Infinix Note 12 Pro 5G, and Infinix Note 12 VIP. Undoubtedly, the Infinix Note 12 G96 is an outstanding device with top-notch specs especially its MediaTek Helio G96 chipset.
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Thankfully, the display is built with an AMOLED panel for punchy colors and standard contrast. The 60Hz of refresh rate is a downside we can’t easily look past, but it doesn’t end there. More like the pros and cons you normally get from budget smartphones, the Infinix Note 12 G96 doesn’t support 5G network connectivity, and you might struggle to get used to the software.
Fortunately, you’ll operate on a large 6.7-inch display and capture using a 50MP camera which feels great to have at this price point. But while there’re other affordable phones like the Redmi Note 11S and Motorola Moto G62 with higher 90Hz and 120Hz of refresh rates respectively, the Infinix Note 12 G96 will hardly excel with its 60Hz, even at the $282 price tag. Let’s dive into the Infinix Note 12 G96 full review.
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Table of Contents
Infinix Note 12 G96 Key Specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch AMOLED, 60Hz
- Resolution: 1080 x 2400 pixels
- Processor: MediaTek Helio G96
- Front Camera: 16-megapixel
- Rear Camera: 50-megapixel + 2-megapixel + QVGA
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB /256GB
- Battery Capacity: 5000mAh
- OS: Android 12, XOS 10.6
Design
The design of the Infinix Note 12 G96 doesn’t dull in any way. With the glossy rear, you’ll find the phone very attractive which is what most users probably enjoy in a smartphone. Fortunately, the phone has a square-sided plastic frame that sits in between the front and rear panels. The rear features a frosted finish and a rectangular camera bump on the left.
The camera bump is raised a little bit from the surface as well as the lenses, but all look neat and less brutish. Meanwhile, the Note 12 G96 feels moderately sized at 185g and thickness doesn’t seem to be an issue at 7.8mm which is balanced.
The side-mounted fingerprint scanner that has taken over all the smartphones of late isn’t missing on the Note 12 G96, but you have to get used to the unnecessary buzzing when you mistakenly touch the power button.
The Note 12 G96 is well-built as a budget smartphone and the shiny rear adds a little bit of a good impression on the phone’s design. Fair enough, Infinix has provided a headphone jack and microSD card slot, but no waterproof or dustproof rating which is still considerable for the price. You either get the Force Black, Snowfall, or Sapphire Blue colors.
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Display
The Infinix Note 12 G96 can only do well for watching content as you’ll have enough real estate to watch movies or scroll through your media feeds. However, the higher refresh rate that’s needed for a quick touch response while gaming is missing. Also, scrolling through the screen with 60Hz of refresh rate wouldn’t be as rapidly quick as other phones with 90Hz of refresh rate.
From the large 6.7-inch screen, the Note 12 G96 offers an AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution for sharp contrast and vibrant colors. At peak brightness, the phone measures 514nits which makes using the Note 12 G96 in a sunny environment stressful. The display has some noticeable bezels on each side, especially above and below.
Camera
We’re delighted to see that Infinix has only added a 2MP auxiliary sensor instead of making it double just to increase the lens count on the rear.
At least putting much effort into the 50MP main shooter, and then supporting it with a 2MP depth sensor is very okay. Meanwhile, we couldn’t figure out the use of the third sensor and how it adds to photos that were taken with the Note 12 G96.
As far as we know, the 50MP main camera is very good at capturing decent shots with enough details and punchy colors. You can’t expect the best from it unless you’ll have to be disappointed by the noticeable noise and grains that are present in some shots. Nevertheless, the main camera performs incredibly well for some casual shots which you can share on social media.
Low-light photography is nowhere near decent, and even with the use of the super night mode, photos weren’t detailed as daytime photography.
The 16MP selfie camera can also try some portrait shots which weren’t that sharp, but normal selfies are decent and well-detailed. The video quality is nice though it lacks optical image stabilization.
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Performance, Storage, and Software
Just like the name suggests, this smartphone comes with a Mediatek Helio G96 processor. With this chipset, the Infinix Note 12 G96 performs more powerfully than the standard Infinix Note 12 with the Mediatek Helio G88 processor.
We found the phone a bit more quickly with opening and closing files than other phones due to the extended 8GB of RAM.
There’s no 5G so if you need to work with fast network connectivity, the Note 12 G96 isn’t a better choice. However, you can go for the Infinix Note 12 Pro 5G that costs almost the same price with the Note 12 G96.
For your daily usage, the Infinix Note 12 G96 runs smoothly for multitasking, but gaming with the phone could bring a lot of stuttering, though you can mitigate that by going to the sensitive option on the display settings.
Then under “Ultra Touch, change the swipe speed to ultra-fast and motion to fast. Along with 8GB of RAM, you’ll get 5GB through ROM storage with either 128GB or 256GB of in-built storage depending on the model.
The Infinix Note 12 G96 runs Google’s Android 12 OS alongside Infinix XOS 10.6 overlay. We’ve seen lots of companies adding some useful features and setting tweaks to improve their user interface. But here, Infinix has overdone a lot of things trying to imitate Apple’s iOS. Nevertheless, there’re some features that we found very useful like swiping from the left side of the screen to access the smart bar which shows some app shortcuts and tools.
The junk of bloatware on the phone were up to 20 apps which are just there to occupy space and nothing more. Fortunately, Infinix has provided an option to do away with all those apps, but why include them in the first place? Meanwhile, the Note 12 G96 will be among the Infinix phones to receive the next-gen Android 13 update next year.
- Here are the rest of Infinix phones that’ll receive Android 13 update
Battery
The battery capacity has raised this phone’s standards a little bit, thanks to the 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. The Infinix Note 12 G96 can easily last for two days with relatively light usage, meaning you’ll have to skip gaming and other activities that run down the battery.
However, you could get up to 9hrs of screen-on-time with this phone. Charging the Infinix Note 12 G96 doesn’t take much time, at least 1hr from 0%, and the phone is fully charged.
Infinix Note 12 G96: Price in Nigeria and Release Date
Infinix launched the Note 12 G96 in May 2022 and has since been available for purchase across the globe. However, the company hasn’t made any statement regarding the launch in the UK and Europe at the time of writing, so the phone isn’t available in both region.
The Infinix Note 12 G96 was released in India on May 2022 and we expect a global release later on. As for the price, the Infinix Note 12 G96 will cost ₦195,000 (roughly $282) for the 8GB /128GB variant.
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Infinix Note 12 G96 Full Specifications
General
- Brand: Infinix
- Model: Infinix Note 12 G96
- Release Date: May 2022
- Weight: 185g
- Colours: Force Black, Snowfall, Sapphire Blue
Display
- Touchscreen: YES
- Type: AMOLED, 60Hz
- Display Size: 6.7-inch
- Screen Resolution: 1080 x 2400 pixels
- Facelock Support: YES
- In-display fingerprint scanner: No
- Sensors: Fingerprint (side-mounted)
- Dimensions: 164.6 x 76.8 x 8 mm (6.48 x 3.02 x 0.31 in)
Platform
- Operating System: Android 12, XOS 10.6
- Chipset: Mediatek Helio G96 (12 nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (2×2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Mali-G57 MC2
Memory
- RAM: 8GB
- Inbuilt Storage: 128GB /256GB
- SD Card slot: Yes (dedicated slot)
Camera
- Rear Flash: Quad-LED Flashlight
- Rear Camera: 50-MP f/1.6 (wide), 2-MP f/2.4 (depth), QVGA
- Video: 1440p@30fps
- Front Camera: 16-MP f/2.0 (wide)
- Front Flash: Dual-LED Flashlight
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi: YES
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- USB: MicroUSB-C
- GPS: YES
- WLAN: YES
Network
- SIM: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
- Technology: GSM | HSPA | LTE
- 3G Support: Yes
- 4G/ LTE Support: Yes
- 5G Support: No
- Speed: HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE
Battery
- Capacity: Li-Po 5000mAh, non-removable
- Fast Charge: 33W
Price
- Price in Nigeria: ₦195,000
- Price in the US: $282
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