Gaming phones are often associated with premium price tags, but with mid-range phones getting better and faster every year, gone are the days when you had to spend a ton of money to play the latest and greatest Android titles. Infinix recently launched the GT 30 Pro, a mid-range gaming phone with a unique design and capacitive shoulder triggers, a feature rarely seen in this price bracket. I have been testing the phone for about two weeks, and here’s what I like and don’t like about Infinix’s latest gaming phone.
The Infinix GT 30 has a rather unique design that makes it stand out in a segment full of phones with faux leather backs. I received the Blade White version of the phone, which looks and feels futuristic despite the plastic back panel.
As one would expect from a gaming phone, the back panel has a lot going on with all sorts of geometric patterns. Arranged in a diamond shape, there are a total of four LED strips, which consist of two long lights and two shorter ones. And while you cannot customise the colours and how the panel lights up, Infinix lets you choose if you want the back panel to light up when you receive calls, get notifications or launch a game.
The LED lights on the Blade White version cannot be customised. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/ Indian Express)
Compared to the one I have, the black coloured variant, which Infinix calls Dark Flare, gives off a more gaming phone vibe. Another difference between the two is that the black colourway actually comes with RGB, which Infinix lets you customise to a certain extent.
Despite having a plastic frame and back, the Infinix GT 30 does not feel like a plasticky piece of slab but instead makes you feel like you are holding a premium device. This is something I appreciate since most performance-oriented, mid–range devices cut down on build quality and feel like you are holding a budget phone. Also, the back panel has a matte finish, which offers an excellent grip. I am pretty clumsy and prone to dropping things, but not once did I feel like the phone would slip out of my hand.
Infinix says that the GT 30 Pro is the first mid-range phone with capacitive triggers. (Image Credit: Chitral Khambhati/ Indian Express)
The left side of the phone does not have much going on. Like most modern Android phones, you get slightly raised volume buttons and a power button with an orange accent on the right side. However, the highlight of the phone is the two capacitive shoulder triggers, which is something I have only seen on premium devices like the ROG Phone 8 and the iPhone 16 series.
And while you can set these capacitive triggers to perform certain actions like launching the camera app, it does not support swipe gestures. Infinix lets you map these capacitive triggers to on-screen buttons in games, and they are pretty easy to access and work the way they should. And while I don’t play BGMI regularly, I noticed that using the capacitive button to toggle the scope when shooting was faster than tapping on the awkwardly placed on-screen button.
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Coming to the display, the Infinix GT 30 Pro sports a huge 6.78-inch LTPS AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz and 1.5K resolution. Infinix says the phone can go up to 1,600 nits on bright days. The phone’s screen was pretty much readable even on Delhi’s hottest days. As for the picture quality, it is on par with other devices in the price bracket, and there’s nothing I would want more from a mid-range gaming phone.
The Infinix GT 30 Pro offers IP64 dust and water resistance, which means it can easily handle water splashes, but be careful of submerging it underwater. You also get an IR blaster on the top, which is something I cherish a lot.
The Infinix GT 30 Pro comes with XOS 15 based on Android 15 and will get 2 OS updates. (Image Credit: Chitral Khambhati/ Indian Express)
Performance and software
The Infinix GT 30 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Ultimate chipset, which the company claims has an AnTuTu score of 1.5 million. While I was unable to reach the advertised score, the phone did easily handle whatever I threw at it.
I spent hours playing the latest and greatest Android titles like Wuthering Waves, Genshin Impact, Diablo Immortal, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, CarX Street, Wreckfest, Honkai Star Rail, GRID Legends and others at the maximum settings available, and rarely did I feel like the phone had trouble keeping up. That said, the phone did get warm, especially around the camera island. I suspect this might be because the chipset is located in that area, since the frame wasn’t too hot or uncomfortable to hold even after long gaming sessions.
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I was able to hit the 1.23 million mark on AnTuTu. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
My Infinix GT 30 Pro review unit came with 12GB of RAM, which definitely helps with multitasking. However, since most modern AAA Android games occupy anywhere between 5GB to 30GB, you might quickly run out of space if you, like me, install many games.
Apart from popular Android titles, I also tested some emulators like RPCSX to run the PlayStation 2 version of God of War. If you are into emulation and often find yourself playing older Switch, NES and PlayStation titles, the Dimensity 8350 will suffice for your needs.
Coming to the software, the Infinix GT 30 Pro comes with XOS 15 based on Android 15 out of the box. With its latest Android skin, Infinix seems to be taking inspiration from HyperOS, as the quick settings panel looks quite similar.
Infinix seems to have taken inspiration from HyperOS for the quick settings panel. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
The phone is also filled to the brim with several features. Like OnePlus and Oppo phones, you get a sidebar that lets you quickly launch apps in a floating window and see recent images and documents. It also packs in numerous useful AI features like Call Assistant, Translation Assistant, Auto Answer Calls, Social Assistant, Document Assistant, and Writing Assistant, to name a few. To make them easily accessible, all of these generative AI-powered features can be found under Infinix AI in the Settings app.
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Performance is quite smooth, and not once did I face any bugs or issues with the software. And while XOS 15 is far from the best Android skins in terms of features and design, the animations are on par with Samsung, Moto and OnePlus phones. Compared to other smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and OnePlus, which offer a fluid, feature-packed user interface, XOS 15 might feel meh, but it is good for regular users.
The GT 30 Pro sports a 108MP primary sensor alongside an 8MP ultrawide shooter. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
Camera
The Infinix GT 30 Pro sports a dual camera setup that consists of a 108MP primary shooter and an 8MP ultrawide sensor. This means that you will be missing out on a telephoto lens, but that is the case with most mid-range performance-oriented phones in the price bracket.
During the day, the primary camera takes detailed and crisp photos, but they may look oversaturated to some. Also, like most mid-range devices, the 8MP ultrawide shooter is average at best, with photos coming out soft and sometimes lacking details.
At nighttime, the primary camera takes decent pictures, and you might find yourself wanting more from the main sensor. Low-light photos shot using the ultrawide lens are, again, average at best. As for the video, the Infinix GT 30 Pro’s main 108MP camera can shoot videos in up to 4K at 60fps, which is great, but the optical image stabilisation isn’t that great.
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Images captured by the main camera are sharp and detailed during the day. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
The HDR isn’t the best, but it is good enough if you want to share pictures on social media. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
Sometimes, the camera oversaturates the images. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
Here, I felt like the phone struggled to capture enough detail. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
Portrait shots are pretty detailed as well. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
The colour accuracy is really good considering this is a gaming phone. (Image Credit: Anurag Chawake/Indian Express)
During nighttime, the images miss out on detail and sometimes have a bit of noise. (Image Credit: Chitral Khambhati/ Indian Express)
Battery
The Infinix GT 30 Pro packs in a modest 5,500mAh battery that supports 45W wired and 30W wireless charging. You also get 10W reserved wired and 5W reserved wireless charging, which is unusual for a mid-range device. Since this is a gaming device, Infinix has also included bypass charging, which is useful for gamers who play for hours on end.
The 5,500mAh battery might feel small compared to the new wave of phones packing in the Silicon Carbon tech, but the Infinix GT 30 Pro easily offered me a full day’s charge, and not once was I anxious about the phone shutting down. If you are playing games on the go, expect the phone to last somewhere between four to six hours. All in all, this is a solid device if you don’t mind plugging in the phone before bedtime.
Be it gaming or multitasking, the phone can handle whatever you throw at it. (Image Credit: Chitral Khambhati/ Indian Express)
Infinix GT 30 Pro: Is it worth buying?
Mid-range gaming phones are quite rare, but in the last couple of years, smartphone companies like Poco have been upping the game by offering some excellent value for money devices. The Infinix GT 30 Pro caters to users who want a gaming phone without breaking the bank. While it does miss out on a telephoto sensor, the phone makes up for it with its capacitive shoulder triggers, which have never been seen before on a device in this price bracket.
With a starting price tag of Rs 24,999, the Infinix GT 30 Pro is a really good deal if you are looking for a gaming phone that can run all the latest titles, has a unique design, a premium look and feel, and supports wireless charging. However, hardcore gamers who want more performance can also look at some recently launched devices like the Poco F7 or the slightly older and more expensive Realme GT6, which comes with a dedicated telephoto shooter.
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