These budget smartphones are now being sold in Russia to replace the fugitive Samsung, Huawei and the "lurking" Xiaomi

For 15-18 thousand on Aliexpress, savvy people will be sold a good Xiaomi or Realme, and naïve stooges will be sold a fake iPhone

12.In Russian chain stores there are the same tops, only more expensive. For parallel imports in this budget, they will sell you the crappiest, slowest Samsung (did you think parallel imports are more profitable?) or even a Nokia that is even more worthless in terms of characteristics. So people are running to Russian online stores to order Infinix, Tecno, TCL and other exotics - they say, they are the lesser evil and generally good smartphones. Is it so? Today we will touch the new Infinix in the “senior budget” class and check it out. Discuss7.5/10Rated by FerraInfinix Note 12

Table of contents

  • What other Infinix? Yes nafig all this is needed at all?!
  • old new note
  • Specifications
  • Vivo-Pixel, but beautiful
  • Very bright display...with very Chinese color reproduction
  • The sound is not for aesthetes, but not bad either.
  • Everything is configured in the shell. Sometimes with "spent" translation
  • Senior low level processor
  • The camera is unpretentious, like almost all competitors
  • Autonomy - corresponds to 5000 mAh ... for IPS smartphones
  • Competitors
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
  • Realme Q5 Pro
  • findings

What other Infinix? Yes nafig all this is needed at all?!

In fact, not everything is so bad - having linkson Aliexpress or Price.ru (after February, Yandex.Market either collects the seller who is crazy with prices, or takes such commissions from them, that everything is very expensive there now) a smartphone nerd will find options for cool smartphones for 15-18 thousand and write in comments: "The reviewer is rubbing ads - out, check out what a cool last year's Xiaomi is for sale in Vasyan's store!". True, in Russian cheap (non-chain) stores, payment is almost always accepted only in cash, and there are very few stores themselves outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The fact that repairs under warranty will be in a nearby stall at an apprentice, and not in an official service center - that's the hell with it, smartphones rarely break in a new state.

AliExpress is even more expanse.Some time ago, for 18 thousand, they gave away a smartphone with 8/256 GB (!), Snapdragon 865 (!!) and a 144 Hz display (!!!) with 33 W charging. In Eldorad-Connected, they usually ask for 25-30 thousand for this. True, the firmware on the smartphone is Chinese-curve, and Mir Pay will send you in the ass until you flash it to a normal one. So - a “semi-finished product”, but if you are with Android ADB on “you” (or there is a familiar schoolboy / student sitting on the w3bsit3-dns.com forum), then save out of the blue something like 12 thousand rubles (well, or less, depending on how much to magary for the firmware have to).

A moment of political information

But if you "know the places" and by looking atyou know the name of the smartphone its characteristics - why do you need to read about Infinix in retail? I'm serious - take something fatter from the Chinese, put on (if necessary) a global firmware instead of the Chinese one and everything will be wonderful.

And Infinix, like the rest of the new ones (for the Russian Federation)exotic manufacturers are for those who do not want to pick anything and understand nothing beyond the table with characteristics. Like those who change to Haval and Geely due to the fact that Hyundai and Renault are now worth "space". And you, who brought a Volkswagen from Germany, and then re-registered it through "cheating" with registration for a disabled person in Belarus, are in different multiverses with Russian buyers of "what is from the local" in general.

In general, today we have a budget smartphone from"Having replaced the departed" manufacturers in the budget of "15-18 thousand rubles" for those who are too lazy to cover themselves with Aliexpress and Russian small Chinese Xiaom resellers. As they say, "Is it sad or funny?". Well, if only not sadly, although now we'll see ...

old new note

Strictly speaking, the Infinix Note 12 is not completelya new model, but just a new version of Note 11 NFC, which began to be sold in Russia in December 2021. We have already reviewed this device, and its innovations are now hidden in a different case and firmware updates. Therefore, if you are such a frequent visitor of ours that you remember the old review, you are unlikely to find revelations here.

Infinix Note 11 NFC was released in December 2021 and… this is the same smartphone in a slightly different case

On the other hand, Xiaomi is the same shitre-released Redmi 9A in a new case under the name Redmi 10A, and nothing - there are bloggers who crow "There hasn't been such a successful smartphone for a long time!" and ask for more. I generally keep quiet about clones between Redmi and Poco, Realme and Narzo.

Well, today, unlike last year,the circumstances are a bit different, you know why. In December 2021, in addition to Infinix smartphones, there was a shitty cloud and no sanctions, but there was a shortage of semiconductors. Now there are a lot of sanctions and “departed” manufacturers, but the ruble exchange rate is slightly higher and there is no shortage of semiconductors. Won't Infinix blossom in this atmosphere with a new color, like all Beko and Candy after Indesit and Samsung / LG merged from the washing machine and refrigerator market?

Specifications

SmartphoneInfinix Note 12 (X663D)operating systemAndroid 11, XOS 10 shellScreen6.7”, 2400×1080, AMOLED, 393 ppiCPUMediaTek Helio G88, 8 cores (2x Cortex-A75 2.0 GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 1.8 GHz), 12 nmGraphicsMali-G52 MC2RAM6 GBPersistent memory128 GB eMMC 5.1, microSD slotConnection4G, 3G, Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, NFCCamerasmain: 50 MP, f/1.6 aperture, video shooting 2560×1440 30 fpsadditional (depth sensor): 2 MP, f/2.4 apertureadditional: QVGAfrontal: 16 MPBattery5000 mAh, non-removable, 33 W fast chargingDimensions161×75.7×8.7mmWeight200 gPrice at the time of publication16-19 thousand rubles

Vivo-Pixel, but beautiful

Of course, I'm no longer at the age of tiktoker, soI don’t pull on a “young man”, but it’s not like a grandfather yet - but I can’t remember which smartphone the back cover of Infinix Note 12 reminds me of. Does anyone remember what we produced there with a top glossy insert among a matte plastic cover in basis?

The first generation of Google Pixel comes to mind,which came out in 2016. But it always seemed that Pixels are a remake, but time flies ... So, I digress. And the second “spiritual parent” is probably budget Vivo, and maybe some Meizu models. In short, Chinese smartphones look the same as their creators - if you start digging deep, you will find many similar models (write in the comments). And I'm tired of looking for something, so I'll tell you further.

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Well, if you look for similarities…

Looks nice and better than last yearInfinix Note 11 NFC in the same size case - you don’t even want to hide your smartphone in a case (and, by the way, it is included, and not bastard transparent silicone, but durable plastic with a matte rough coating inside).

After I almost broke my flagship shit phone, I began to really appreciate the cases that come with mobile phones. And by the way, the cover is quite high quality.

Infinix at the presentations sentence:"Well, look how thin he is!" And everyone brushes it off, they say, “again, marketers are lying.” But in fact, yes - a mobile phone with a full 5000 mAh battery and a thickness of 7.9 mm. The Samsung Galaxy A23 of the same size and price has a thickness of 8.4 mm, Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S has 8.3 mm, and Realme 9 Pro has 8.5 mm. It seems to be symbolic nonsense, but in fact it means that other smartphones without a case are the same thickness (if not thicker) than Infinix in a case. And this is good.

To smudge 5000 mAh in a slim body,the smartphone was made relatively long - 164.4 mm. But to be honest, the length went not only into the flattened battery, but also into the screen size – 6.7”. The frames are thin, by the standards of smartphones of this price: for comparison, the slightly cheaper Realme C25S, Samsung Galaxy M12, Vivo Y21 in the same dimensions are only 6.5”. The slightly more expensive Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro (6.67”) and Realme 9 Pro+ (6.6”) also have a 6.7” diagonal at best.

What else?Outstanding practicality: a full triple slot for 2x SIM and microSD memory cards, there is even a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The fingerprint scanner is in the side key (power key), as in other smartphones, it is cheaper than 20 thousand rubles. It works fine, but it’s a pity that it’s not on the screen - this “royal luxury” is now only in Realme 9 and Samsung Galaxy A32 from sane smartphones for the price.

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And the slot is full…

But, like the Infinix Note 11 NFC, hereDrop dead fast face unlock. At one time in December 2021, I was pretty freaked out by the fact that Infinix recognized me in the dark and unlocked the screen faster than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. And, unlike Samsung, he recognized my cabbage soup (and distinguished it from the cabbage soup of other people) even in an antique mask. In short, the Chinese in the era of "sanitary muzzles" trained the algorithms so much that my respect.

Very bright display...with very Chinese color reproduction

Do you have friends who are generally good?people, but sometimes they like to lie / embellish or, as they say now, “clickbait”, talking about their merits? This is the manner Infinix pursues in displays - they try to seem like they are not.

For example, in budget Infinix with IPS and resolution1612×720 declared (and selected in the system) 90 Hz. But... either the Helio P22 cannot display 90 Hz and they were included in Android “through the ass”, or the display initially worked at 60 Hz, and then it was “overclocked” to 90 Hz. But everything is drawn slowly during any scrolling or rewinding, and if you stick your nose to the screen, you will see subtle “trails” of letters when scrolling, which should not happen at real 90 Hz.

Well, in general, brighter and more readable than even the Samsungs (which are AMOLED and stamped mostly) at an equal price

In Infinix Note 60 Hz is stated - 60 Hz is, thank God. Because we don't need this 90 Hz and 120 Hz. But still, the manufacturer used other tricks:

  • In Note 11 NFC, the maximum brightness in manual adjustment mode was about 410 cd / m2

  • In Note 12, with the same screen, the brightness increased to 450 cd / m2

Do you think they "removed the electronic limiter"? Nope.It’s just that in Note 11 NFC the color temperature was 7700K (not neutral white, but it will do), and in Note 12 it became 8200K (the blue has already “splashed”). And nayarivanie blue and gives a higher brightness.

You can, of course, turn on the "reading mode" and the color reproduction of the display will go somewhere to 5900-6200K, but this is another extreme. What the hell is stopping you from doing it right?

Infinix Note 12 display specificationsMaximum Brightness Level (Max/Min)450/2 cd/m2Contrast (more = better)Color gamut (sRGB) (90-100% is ideal, more = worse)>100%DeltaE (less = better)6.2Gamma (ideal - 2.2)2.1Color temperature (ideal = 6500K)8300K

As you can see from the 8300K in the table, Infinix love the blue. Only not liquid, but liquid crystal

And after all, the display itself is normal -Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S (main competitor) brightness is about the same, just the colors are not oversaturated and the white color is closer to neutral white. And Realme 9i generally has IPS at a higher price, which with the same brightness (450 cd / m2), but with a contrast ratio of 1100: 1 (versus "infinite" in AMOLED) is dimmer. Samsung Galaxy A22 also smokes on the sidelines in terms of brightness (that is, the readability of the screen on the street).

But Infinix does not pay attention to color reproduction.- I suppose, the Chinese are already normal, and it’s better to spend extra money on fake additional cameras than to adjust the color reproduction of the screen to the level of the Samsung Galaxy A32 or iPhone 11 (physically this is possible, there would be a desire).

No, you can use it - if you do not lay it outnext to Infinix Note 12, Realme 9 Pro + and Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S and do not compare the screens, you will not understand at all what the hell I got here. But I believe that in 10 months of the release of the same screen (it appeared in Infinix Note 11 NFC) and firmware updates on it) it would be possible to tighten the color rendition, and not “we just shifted the white color a little towards blue to make it brighter it seemed."

The sound is not for aesthetes, but not bad either.

The sound in the headphones is "boyish".That is, a little more than we would like, bludgeons with bass (not straight to the brain, but not neutral either). Clarity is average: flagship mobile phones sound a little clearer, but in general they are normal.

Expensive (40+ thousand) large headphones, likeBluetooth, as well as wired, purposefully used in tandem with this mobile phone makes no sense - they will play “not for all the money”, but for TWS and less pretentious monitor headphones, the sound quality is enough. Moreover, here you can broadcast via Bluetooth both in aptX HD and LDAC (these are such higher standards of sound quality "over the air") - they are not processed at the audiophile level by the smartphone's processor, and yet even with such a sauce it is better than simple lousy SBC, which is suitable only for small headphones (you can hardly hear the nuances in small “gags”) or large speakers (do not care how the maximum quality is there - Dolbit Normal'no, and it will do).

Speakers?There are two of them here for playing music and other things at once - loud and squeaky. Not for music, obviously, but to make the ringtone scream louder, and so that you can hear the words of YouTube bloggers when you sit and play the video through the smartphone's speakers like the last bastard at a bus stop near the highway.

Everything is configured in the shell. Sometimes with "spent" translation

From December 2021Android 11-based XOS in Infinix smartphones hasn't changed much: if you're super-curious, you can read more about its bells and whistles in the Infinix Note 11 NFC review (the same smartphone in a slightly different body).

Over the past time, part of the badly translatedmenu items were translated normally, but basically everything remained as it was (Infinix employees are just as lazy to involve Russian-speaking people in translating the firmware as I am too lazy to screenshot and paint all the functions in their system shell).

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The shell is adaptable, but…

It's super-fancy - as if collected wishesto the functions of the system for every resident of China, and then embodied - and at the same time very fast (Realme UI from Realme smartphones and OxygenOS from OnePlus is just as fast, but MIUI from Xiaomi and Samsung One UI is much slower) shell of the system, to configure which you in any case, spend a few days. Even if you don't want to customize anything.

It's just that pop-up notifications will bother you.literally from every function or application, shouting: “Well, try how it works, well, don’t be shy!”. You will either have to block notifications (fortunately, this is done very easily), or follow the notification and set it up so that they arrive only on business.

But there is everything you need (for example, recording calls) andeven more - those who love smartphones for the ability to customize everything for themselves, and not just like grandfathers launch WhatsApp / Telegram / VK / Chrome, will be very pleased.

Senior low level processor

I will not open America to you if I say that the steepnessprocessors in budget smartphones depends on how large the circulation of the manufacturer of this smartphone. Xiaomi, Realme, Samsung (and once Huawei) have huge production scales, so the managers of these companies can open offices of MediaTek and Qualcomm on their feet and bargain for better prices for processors for their smartphones.

Infinix is ​​also slowly growing in sales, but for nowit still looks more modest, and, in principle, does not break into “luxury” - the most expensive and technically cool Infinix smartphone (Zero 5G) runs on MediaTek Dimensity 900. This is such a mid-range processor, like Snapdragon 778G or Snapdragon 855, as you prefer.

And the rest of the smartphones, respectively, are equipped with a simpler. In Infinix Note 12, which we are talking about today, Helio G88 is a standard processor for smartphones costing 15-18 thousand, but definitely not the fastest.

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In terms of processor performance, everything is within the normal range. I wish it was better, but it will do

In the performance graphs we do not have budget smartphones, butanymodern smartphones sold in the Russian Federation, so it’s hard to figure out whether a smartphone is fast or slow for a specific 16 thousand rubles. Therefore, here is more visual information for you:

Processors in smartphones from 15 to 20 thousandIs it worth buyingSnapdragon 480/678/680, MediaTek Helio G95,G96 Above average, fast smartphones MediaTek Helio G70/G80/G85/G88, Unisoc T606/610/612/616/618, Snapdragon 662 Pretty good Helio P22, P23, P35, G35, Snapdragon 439

Well, in general, keep in mind that for the same money,if you're lucky, the processor will be 20-25% faster. This is ideal. Perversions in the form of “but I took a Xiaomi Snapdragon 865 with Chinese firmware, and then unlocked the bootloader, flashed it to custom and changed the Device ID so that Mir Pay worked” will not be taken into account as a rule.

For games - well, on low quality graphicsplay almost everything. On the middle - "back to back" and not in everything, on the high - in nothing. For gaming, shell out for a smartphone with Helio G90T/G95/G96, Snapdragon 720G and the like.

At the same time, as I said in the review of Infinix Note11, everything works very quickly. Android is not overloaded with anything, so with the same processors, Infinix is ​​faster than Xiaomi. Well, if you don't believe me, here's a video where a valiant Indian visually compared everything at the same time. At least someone is not as lazy as us to shoot such vids:

Infinix and Xiaomi with the same processors in comparison for the speed of work (in benchmarks and in fact in the system)

But this is offset by the fact that some modelsXiaomi (2021 with a more powerful processor in official retail can still be bought at the same price as Infinix with a less powerful one. But Aliexpress is a separate issue altogether, we already talked about this at the beginning of the article.

In any case, it's nice that the smartphone itselfnot a “brake” for yourself, but 6 GB of RAM can be expanded up to 11 GB. In computers and laptops, this function is called swap (swap) - a piece of internal memory is “bited off” and “glued” to the role of operational. The Helio G88's internal memory is not super-fast, so games on the "extended" memory will run slower than on the built-in one. But the very fact that Telegram will stop “falling off” from background work if you run a lot of things besides it, and that Yandex.Maps will stop opening from scratch if you switch to them after traveling to VK, Yandex.Music and Chrome is already a plus.

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By the way, it doesn't throttle at all. Squeezes out 135.9 GiPS in an extreme load in an average of 15 minutes. Is it a lot or a little?

GPS, Bluetooth and cellular workadequately, and Wi-Fi tosses and turns at a maximum of 390 Mbps - not an extreme amount, but even YouTube in 4K consumes about 50 Mbps, so that's enough for everything.

The camera is unpretentious, like almost all competitors

There is only one camera on the back. The rest are for show-offs and do not participate in the work. Today, almost all smartphone manufacturers are cheating like this (and Chinese ones are generally all)

The main camera in Infinix Note 12 is a 50 MP sensorSamsung S5KJN1. Same as Xiaomi Poco M5, Redmi 10, Redmi Note11, Redmi Note 11S Samsung Galaxy A23, Realme 9i… should I continue? In short, any modern smartphone cheaper than 20 thousand with a probability of 80% is equipped with the same camera. Only the settings differ.

How are the settings on the Note 12?Yes, in general, the average - "maximum potential" of the Infinix sensor is still not squeezed out, but if you take a Redmi 10 or Realme 9i and take a picture, the result will be about the same. Unless at night in the semi-darkness Xiaomi and Realme sometimes give slightly clearer pictures. But these are trifles.

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Photo on the main camera of Infinix Note 12

Photos are still normal, for the most part.And here's the video - well, so-so. It seems that there is 1080p with stabilization, but this is far from the 1080p quality that you see on YouTube from bloggers or in videos shot on expensive smartphones. But 1440p (2K) is already quite good in quality, but without stabilization, so it twitches so that it’s better not to shoot it on the go. This is a common feature of all budget smartphones with a 50 MP camera, and for better video, go to buy smartphones for 22-25 thousand (Realme 9 Pro +, OnePlus Nord 2) with optical stabilization, or something better with 64-108 MP.

During the day, when shooting on the go, it shakes noticeably even at 1080p, not to mention 2K

Night video shooting on the experimental Infinix. Yes, jingoism and patriotism hit examples of records in smartphones. But you can't throw words out of a song

The quality of the selfie camera is not bad: it’s also not a flagship, but at this price it’s a sin to complain. And it’s also pleasing that even in poor lighting conditions, it takes selfies that are quite acceptable in quality.

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Your face when you are going to cook kebabs, but here the smartphone has not been tested. And yes, this is a photo on the front camera of the Infinix Note 12

And in Infinix Note 12, night works wellphoto mode: honestly, no worse than in the Huawei P20 (and maybe in the P20 Pro) at one time. Taking into account the fact that the photos at night on the camera in the standard mode most often turn out to be loose, the night mode will help to take radically high-quality pictures. Unless, of course, the objects in the frame do not move, and your hands do not shake like a drunk.

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Night mode rules. Here, for example, is a photo without him…

Autonomy - corresponds to 5000 mAh ... for IPS smartphones

First look not at the Infinix Note 12,and on Note 11 NFC in the table - once again I remind you that this is exactly the same smartphone, and in comparison with it, in 10 months only due to firmware updates, autonomy has improved, but not radically.

Progress with last year's firmware is noticeable, but basically smartphones with 5000 mAh and AMOLED work 15 percent longer

On the one hand - well, next to Realme C30 and C31 with a Unisoc T612 processor (almost the same in performance), with the same 5000 mAh, they work the same. So everything is ok?

Well, it is worth considering the nuance that these budgetRealme work on IPS displays (more voracious) and with 2-4 GB of RAM. And Infinix is ​​turning over a more economical AMOLED with 6 GB of memory - that is, this memory can easily fit background processes that Android has to “throw / throw” every second on smartphones with 2 GB.

Competitors

SmartphoneInfinix Note 12Xiaomi Redmi Note 10SRalme Q5 Prooperating systemAndroid 11 XOS 10 SkinAndroid 11 MIUI 12.5 SkinAndroid 12 Realme UI 3.0 SkinScreen6.7”, 2400×1080, AMOLED, 393 ppi6.4”, 2400×1080, AMOLED, 409 ppi6.65”, 2400×1080, AMOLED, 120 Hz, 398 ppiCPUMediaTek Helio G88, 8 cores (2x Cortex-A75 2.0 GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 1.8 GHz), 12 nm MediaTek Helio G95, 8 cores (2x Cortex-A76 2.0 GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 2.0 GHz), 12 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, 8 cores (1x Cortex-A77 3.2 GHz + 3x Cortex-A77 2.42GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 1.8GHz), 7nmGraphicsMali-G52 MC2Mali-G76 MC4Adreno 650RAM6 GB6 GB8 GBPersistent memory128 GB eMMC 5.1, microSD slot (triple) 128 GB UFS 2.2, microSD slot (triple) 128 GB, UFS 3.1, no card slotConnection4G, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, NFC4G, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, NFC5G, 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASSCamerasmain: 50 MP, Samsung S5KJN1, f/1.6 aperture, video shooting 2560×1440 30 fps, sensor size 1/2.76main: 50 MP, Omnivision OV64B, f/1.8 aperture, video shooting 3840×215;2160 30 fps, sensor size 1/2main: 64 MP, Samsung S5KGW1, f/1.8 aperture, video shooting 3840×215;2160 60 fps, sensor size 1/1.72additional (depth sensor): 2 MP, f/2.4 apertureadditional (depth sensor): 2 MP, f/2.4 apertureadditional: QVGAoptional (ultra wide): 8 MP, Sony IMX355, f/2.2, 1/4” sensor sizeoptional (ultra wide): 8 MP, f/2.2, pixel size 1.12 µmadditional (macro): 2 MP, Omnivision OV02B10, f/2.4, sensor size 1/5”, pixel size 1.75 µm,additional (macro): 2 MP, f/2.4frontal: 16 MP, f/2.0frontal: 13 MP, Omnivision OV13B10, f/2.4, sensor size 1/3.0”, pixel size 1.12 µmfrontal: 16 MP, Sony IMX471, f/2.4, sensor size 1/3.13”, pixel size 1.0 micronBattery5000 mAh, non-removable, 33W fast charge 5000 mAh, non-removable, 33W fast charge 5000 mAh, non-removable, 80W fast chargeDimensions161×75.7×8.7mm160.5×74.5×8.3 mm162.9×75.8×8.7 mmWeight200 g178 g194 gPrice in official retail16-19 thousand rubles16-19 thousand rublesnot availablePrice on AliExpress13-14 thousand rubles 16-17 thousand rubles 18-19 thousand rubles

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S

In December 2021competitors to this smartphone were Realme 8 and Samsung Galaxy A22. Since then, “A has fallen” (A22 is not for sale, or it is sold at a fucking price of 20-21 thousand, but you can take A22s - it is a little faster, but it takes much longer to charge from the outlet, and its screen is worse). Realme 8 is still on sale - you can also take it if you find it, it will be larger, but slightly better than Infinix Note 12.

But it is much easier to find an analogue at a reasonable priceRealme 8 - Redmi Note 10S. At the time of release, it was an inadequately expensive smartphone of the “neither fish nor fowl” category - Xiaomi asked for 24 thousand for it in the 128 GB version, while Redmi Note 10 in its standard form for 20 thousand was both cheaper and better.

Since then, a lot has changed - Xiaomi pulled upthe quality of the shitty (at the time of debut) 64 megapixel camera in Note 10S, the price of the smartphone fell to 16-19 thousand rubles, and competitors produced slightly weaker models at the same price.

In terms of display quality, autonomy in games andperformance in applications smartphones are approximately equal. Yes, Xiaomi has a more powerful processor, but it heats up like the roof of my five-story building in the summer of 2022, so the final performance is lame. But in games, more powerful graphics do their job - for "playing" it is already better to take this Redmi Note than Infinix.

Camera - during the day, about the same tops, at nightin Xiaomi in standard mode (not night, but just to take a quick picture), the pictures will be a little better. And video shooting is much better - you can even choose 4K mode, in which the smartphone shakes, but when recording from a place, it really writes in decent quality. Xiaomi also has an ultra-wide-angle camera! It will come in handy if you like to photograph something in a cramped apartment or on the street, but in front of huge buildings - with it everything you need will fit into the frame.

The speed of the system is the sameapproximately (Infinix has a slightly weaker processor, Xiaomi has a shell slowed down by advertising inserts everywhere). But a worthy option: if gaming performance and video recording quality are more important to you than compactness, it is quite worthy of a purchase.

Realme Q5 Pro

But how much is Realme Q5 Pro with European firmware. Fuck it, don't you?

I'm not a big fan of comparing official retail.with "gray" - it's like comparing workers under an employment contract with migrant workers, whose passports were taken away. But Aliexpress fanatics will definitely start squealing in the comments that “the author is obscure and not telling”, so here’s the coolest Chinese smartphone on Aliexpress at the moment for 18 thousand rubles.

You just think:the processor of this Realme is 2.5 times (!) Faster than that of the test Infinix. The screen is no less clear and bright, but not a simple AMOLED, but 120 Hz (!!). The charging power is not 33 W, but 80 W (!!!). The camera there, however, is set to change (smartphone, like, gaming), but also a level higher than the standard 50 megapixels. This smartphone has 64 megapixels on the Samsung Bright S5KGW1 sensor, the same camera was installed in the Samsung Galaxy A71, Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro, Realme X3 Superzoom. In general, awesome characteristics and I can’t even believe that this is being sold for 18 thousand, however, they are being sold.

Realme Q5 Pro

What's the catch? There are several.The smartphone (specifically Q5 Pro) was created by the Chinese for the Chinese, so the native firmware for it is without Google services and with non-removable applications signed with hieroglyphs. To return Google Play there, you need to reflash it with your own hands with firmware from Realme GT Neo 3T (the same smartphone, but released for India / Malaysia, already with Google Play).

After that, NFC payment will not work for you.(Google Pay, Mir Pay and the rest did it so as not to be responsible for your money on smartphones that were not flashed with factory firmware, and in general on smartphones for the domestic Chinese market, getting NFC to work is a problem) and, perhaps, bank applications will not work fully. You will have to hide the fact of flashing from Google using MagiskHide or whatever they are having fun with now.

More nuances?Well, 4G will not be full-fledged - Band 20 is not supported, so it will not be very confident to catch a signal and try to switch to 3G at times when other smartphones catch an LTE signal, although not strong.

Do you know how? Can you?Then buy - get for 18 thousand a smartphone with the characteristics of smartphones for 30 thousand rubles. And if you don’t know how, don’t go in - “she will devour you.” If you really want to take something ready to use and stable on Aliexpress, take Realme 9 for 17 thousand - it has a 108 megapixel camera and a processor that is about 15-20% more vigorous than that of Infinix. Unless there will be a charger with a Chinese plug, but wait a month (approximately) for delivery.

Depending on the tricky dollar exchange rate on Aliexpress, the price goes between 18 and 21 thousand rubles.

findings

A smartphone is not for extremists and extremists at allnever. The owners of Realme 9 and Redmi Note 10 Pro, who bought mobile phones for nothing on AliExpress in July, will now be crucified, saying: "Well, what's the point at all?" And you guys fly high and are far from the people.

The majority of people still openthe site of some "Svyaznoy" and sees the Samsung Galaxy A23 for 20 thousand rubles. And it has a worse screen (IPS-like) and only 64 GB of memory. Although the camera is slightly better (optical stabilization).

And they also open the official Xiaomi store inRussia and see Redmi 10 for 18 thousand, which is like “this is at a discount, in general it costs 25, and here we are doing you a favor again.” Only it has the same camera, the screen is worse (IPS, again), the speed is lower (throttling, ads in the shell), charging is slower (18 W versus 33 W) and 4 GB of RAM versus 6 GB for Infinix. They close the Xiaomi website and go to take Infinix / Tecno / Realme (sometimes).

No need to tryndet that "the prices are fucking crazy in general."In off-line retail, they are all fucked up, and between the offers of official representative offices of smartphone manufacturers in the Russian Federation, as well as the network retail of the Russian Federation, you just have to choose who is “a little less fucked-up”. And Infinix against this background, as you can see from the previous paragraph, looks normal, although not the "top" choice.

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Come on, tell me Infinix is ​​overpriced

Like an everyday smartphone for those who don'tsmeared with information about smartphones every week - fine, you can buy mom / dad / children, they will be fine. For avid gamers or photographers, it makes sense to study new items on Aliexpress - much cooler options periodically flash there. But for this you need to understand what you are buying and whether it will work fine out of the box in Russia.

And we will help everyone else with the choice of articles and selections. There must be at least some benefit from the reviewers.