Infinix Note 60 Pro review: Lots of style and some substance

The Infinix Note 60 Pro is now available in India. The device is entering the market during testing times. RAM prices are going through the roof, and it is starting to take a toll on phonemakers, when it comes to delivering value. Smartphone shipments are also falling. So, what does a brand do to grab your attention? It seems that Infinix might have the answer with the Note 60 Pro.

The Note 60 Pro comes with a striking design, premium finish, and a new active-matrix display, to set it apart from competition. At first, the device appears to be a decent package, at a price of Rs 31,999, when compared to some other recent launches.

But packing features isn’t enough, unless it adds to the user experience. So, does it hold up? Let’s delve into our full review here at India Today Tech.

Infinix Note 60 Pro design

When you look at the Note 60 Pro for the first time, you can’t help but compare it to a different ‘Pro’ phone that is actually quite popular. You get a large camera module on the back that extends through the entire width of the phone, with three cutouts. The orange shade only adds to the deja vu effect.

But Infinix has managed to give the Note 60 Pro a distinct identity regardless. Yes, there is a large camera module, but it is not too thick, and you do get a metallic outline on the bottom of it which gives it a premium feel.

You also get a matrix display, which blends into the body when unused. But that’s not all, on the right side, there is also a sensor for measuring heart rate and SPO2 levels. While on the left side of the frame, you get a “one-tap” button, think something similar to Apple’s Action Button.

Coming to the frame itself, it is made of aluminum and gives the device a good in-hand feel. Usually, phones at this price stick to plastic frames, such as the Nothing Phone 4a or the Redmi Note 15 Pro. The back, however, is made of plastic. The phone does come with a matte finish, which doesn’t pick up fingerprints or smudges.

Infinix also gives a magnetic case with the Note 60 Pro, which can attach to MagSafe accessories. Though do note that it is a hard case.

The Note 60 Pro is also quite thin, at a thickness of 7.4mm. So, when you hold the phone, you may be surprised by how sleek it feels. At a weight of just over 200 grams, it doesn’t feel too heavy.

The Infinix Note 60 Pro comes with an IP64 rating for dust and splash resistance. While this is okay for everyday use, many phones in this price range, such as the Realme P4 Power, come with IP69 rating.

Infinix Note 60 Pro active matrix display

Now that design is out of the way, let’s talk about the unique additions on the Note 60 Pro. First is the active matrix display, which comprises 288 individual LED units. The display can show the time, weather, notify you about calls, messages and the works. You can customise specific patterns for particular contacts too. Infinix has also packed a couple of games that you can play by using the phone’s buttons or tilting the phone.

You also get a bunch of cute cats and unicorn characters that can just hang around on it when you are not using the phone. There are options to customise this with text or hand-drawn patterns.

While you do get the option to adjust the brightness, under direct sunlight, it is quite hard to see this display. Granted that you probably wouldn’t be staring at the back of your phone outdoors.

At first, it feels quite fun, especially when it comes to using it as a party trick. But it is not exactly groundbreaking. The Nothing Phone 3 and Phone 4a Pro have similar matrix displays, with arguably more functionality, at least right now. I could not get apps like Uber or Zomato to work with the matrix display on the Infinix Note 60 Pro, apps which usually do work with Nothing’s glyph interface. Though I hope that Infinix adds more functionality to the matrix with software updates.

Infinix Note 60 Pro display and sound

Now that we have discussed the back of the Note 60 Pro, let’s bring our attention to the front. The Infinix Note 60 Pro packs a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Though the 144Hz refresh rate is limited to certain games, and for the most part, the display works up to 120Hz, which is usually the case with most phones.

The display has a peak brightness of 4,500 nits. During my time with the device, I found that the screen gets quite bright, even outdoors.

Coming to the streaming experience, the Note 60 Pro delivers good colours. You get the option to choose between two colour modes – bright and original. You can also adjust the colour temperature for coolness or warmth.

I kept my review unit in original mode for the most part. I found that the Note 60 Pro can provide a good viewing experience. The phone also gets JBL-branded stereo speakers, which can get quite loud. I never really considered using earphones when I was watching shows on the device at home.

The Note 60 also gets features like eye care modes, and an anti-motion sickness mode that comes with dots on the screen that move based on movement. Though for me, at least, I did not find a big difference with this feature while travelling.

Infinix Note 60 Pro performance

Under the hood, the Note 60 Pro packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. This is paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. UFS 3.1 would’ve been better though.

On paper, the chipset seems fairly capable for the price. For context, the Nothing Phone 4a comes with the same processor. However, the Poco X8 Pro comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra chipset, which could be a bit more powerful.

Though the market is not so easy. In recent weeks, we have seen phones like the Realme 16 and Oppo F33 launch with MediaTek Dimensity 6400 and Dimensity 6360 respectively.

In the real world, I found performance of the Note 60 Pro to be quite decent. There are no issues, apps open smoothly, and the phone doesn’t really stutter even with heavy load. I used the Note 60 Pro outdoors often while taking walks, with music, Bluetooth, and navigation open too. And the device never really struggled.

On the gaming front, Infinix has partnered with Call of Duty Mobile for the Note 60 Pro for 120FPS gameplay. Do note that this can work with up to medium graphics.

I found that the gameplay was quite smooth for the most part. However, on medium graphics, the frame rate would not consistently stay at 120, but vary between 100 and 120. This was visible even during the first 10 minutes of gameplay. Though at low graphics, the Note 60 Pro consistently delivered 120FPS gameplay even during long sessions.

This partnership also gives you a custom COD Mobile theme on the homescreen.

The phone doesn’t get hot, courtesy of a 4,758sqmm vapour cooling chamber. But it will get warm after some time, which is to be expected. Though if you like to play less demanding games, think Real Cricket or Clash of Clans, the Infinix Note 60 Pro can easily handle it.

In terms of benchmarks, the Note 60 Pro scores just over a million on AnTuTu. On Geekbench, the device scores 1,237 points in single-core and 3,311 points in multi-core. The scores are in the same ballpark as the Nothing Phone 4a.

Infinix Note 60 Pro battery life

The Note 60 Pro comes with a 6,500mAh battery. This is larger than some phones like the Phone 4a, but pales in comparison to something like the Realme P4 Power.

Nevertheless, I found battery life to be decent, but not something that will blow you away. On most days, I would find that the Note 60 Pro would still have around 50 per cent left in the tank when I reached home after a full day in the office. Browsing through social media, watching some videos, and I’d end up the day with around 30 per cent still in the tank.

That is to say, that the Infinix Note 60 Pro should easily last you for more than a day on a single charge, potentially giving you a day and a half of use. But now that we’ve seen so many phones with batteries over 7,000mAh in capacity, this doesn’t feel mind-blowing, but decent, and acceptable.

Charging is where the Note 60 Pro wins back some points. You get 90W wired support with 30W wireless charging. With the adapter in the box, the phone would get back to full charge in under an hour. You can also reverse charge at up to 10W, but that is wired only.

Infinix Note 60 Pro cameras

The Note 60 Pro comes with a dual rear camera setup. You get a 50-megapixel main camera, paired with an 8-megapixel ultrawide. The front packs a 13-megapixel selfie shooter. Infinix doesn’t say which sensors it is using.

The cameras do the job for the most part but are nothing to write home about. You can capture some good shots with the main camera, but it lacks the detail we have seen on phones like the Realme 16 Pro. Nighttime images do sometimes struggle, such as when you are taking photos of a road with lights.

There is no telephoto either. So, the main sensor is responsible for portraits. While you can sometimes get good results, it is a hit or miss. I found images of people to be okay, but not as appealing as what rivals offer. The ultrawide images are acceptable, but the colour accuracy does suffer when compared to the main sensor.

Selfies on the other hand, do turn out to be fairly decent. Details on the face don’t look too sharp, and there is no unnecessary smoothening, too, during the day. Edge detection does the job well, with no real issues with hair. But at nighttime, you do start losing out on sharpness, and details.

You can see the camera samples below. Click on any image to view the entire gallery.

For video, the Note 60 Pro supports 4K at 30fps for the main sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS). The footage turns out fine, you get decent details and stability is acceptable. There are also Vlog modes that help guide you how to take videos for different things like driving or playing sports. The front camera can shoot up to 4K at 30 fps too, but no OIS. While the ultrawide can record up to 2K at 30fps.

Infinix Note 60 Pro user experience

The Note 60 Pro runs on XOS 16, based on Android 16. XOS is quite similar to Hi OS, offered by Infinix’s sister brand Tecno. You get the glass-like theme that almost every phone has these days, but Infinix has pulled it off well. The transparency effects look decent, and not like an afterthought.

You get a sidebar for apps, floating windows, and the works – everything we expect from an Android smartphone nowadays. There are customisation options for the theme, lockscreen and even depth effect on the homescreen. Though XOS 16 can do with some polish. Sometimes, I would notice that the phone may skip animations while opening or closing the app – not a dealbreaker though. Android skins such as Oppo’s ColorOS or Vivo’s OriginOS simply feel smoother to use.

Infinix promises 3 years of OS updates and 5 years of security patches for the Note 60 Pro, which is decent.

Apart from the UI, you also get Infinix’s Folax assistant. Though you can switch to Gemini, or any other assistant as well. As is the case with most phones these days, you get a bunch of AI features, including various editing options for images and Circle to Search.

Infinix Note 60 Pro verdict: Does it deliver?

The Note 60 Pro is not trying to be just another phone. It wants to be the phone that you notice. And in that aspect, it holds up quite well. Yes, the design looks “inspired” but it gets people talking. And the matrix display is cool, though it can do with more functionality.

And in terms of real-world use, the device delivers, for the most part. The performance is quite decent, watching shows or listening to music is a decent experience, and the battery life is fine. While the Note 60 Pro may not be the best camera phone out there, it is not exactly targeting those who want a camera phone anyway.

For the price of Rs 31,999, the Infinix Note 60 Pro delivers on what it promises – a phone that catches your eye and doesn’t make any big compromises in the process. At a time when just getting a phone with a decent spec-to-price ratio is becoming difficult, the Note 60 Pro gives you something more, a fun experience.