Hands-On Review: Infinix Zero Flip in Nigeria

Infinix has made a groundbreaking attempt at folding phones with the Flip, which will join the company’s more upscale Zero line of phones. Similar to one of sister brand Tecno’s most recent efforts, the Infinix Zero Flip is a mature entry into the clamshell foldable market rather than a first-generation product, and it’s affordable.

With its alluring triple camera configuration and 50MP sensors, the little foldable has characteristics that even the current Galaxy of the same type does not have. The selfie camera has autofocus and a flash, while the ultrawide camera has autofocus on the rear as well.

Both the huge 3.64-inch cover display and the 6.9-inch bendy panel are OLEDs with a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. The cover also offers a plethora of features. Plenty of active hours are promised by the large 4,720mAh battery, and quick top-ups should be possible thanks to the 70W charging capability.

Although there had to be certain compromises, the Zero Flip’s lower price point is evident in a few areas. For example, the chipset isn’t a powerhouse, but it should be powerful enough roughly comparable to the technology in the Razr 50. However, the Razr is stronger in water sealing; the Zero Flip lacks an IP classification. The software update policy is also not very good.

Infinix Zero Flip Unboxing: What’s in the Box?

Given the current situation, the Zero Flip’s retail bundle could be considered extravagant. You also get a wire and a charger (a rather high-spec 70W charger), as well as a two-piece protective case with a finger grip. A pair of USB-C earbuds is also provided. When was the last time you saw one of these?

Body & Design

The Zero Flip features a clamshell style that is more or less traditional. There are no indications of a “budget” approach to the build because of the zero-gap folded state, the excellent substantial clunk when folding, and the lack of wobble in any position.

Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is used to protect the cover display, and Corning provides both glass panels. The other sheet is made of an unidentified kind of Gorilla Glass. A pinkish Blossom Glow and our Rock Black review unit are the two color variants available.

As usual, the hinge mechanism’s 400,000 fold rating may seem excessive, but it should provide trouble-free functioning for many years to come. The hinge’s 30-150 degree range of intermediate semi-open states makes it possible to use a tabletop camera, for instance.

The IP-rated dust and water resistance is what the Zero Flip lacks in terms of construction. Though the Infinix’s SIM slot (dual nano, no eSIM option) has a gasket to keep some of the elements out (by now a seemingly mandatory fixture), even more reasonably priced bendy phones, like the Motorola Razr 50, have IPX8-grade water tightness. In the past, only the Galaxy foldables could offer water resistance.

Perhaps more frustrating is the screen protector’s propensity to smear. The inside display has more oily streaks than usual, and it swipes a little less smoothly than other foldables we’ve been seeing lately. Furthermore, you can’t just peel it off the flexible screen.

There is a somewhat slight crease in the center when the internal display opens up. If you look for it, you can feel it when you run your finger across it, but it’s not very noticeable and isn’t even close to being a problem when it’s working.

Somewhat extraordinary was the setup process for the side-mounted capacity fingerprint reader – the phone insisted we don’t lift the finger, but instead swipe it around on top of the sensor. It’s not strictly better or worse than the tap-and-lift way, and after registering the fingerprint, unlocks were fast and trouble free.

A gorgeous, large cover display was installed by Infinix; the 3.64-inch square panel was larger than the Galaxy’s 3.4-inch notched device and almost identical to the Razr 50’s. The camera parts are arranged to provide a good, useful, and proportionate “active” area, and the bezels are very appropriately sized. In case something goes wrong, a plastic screen protector is on here.

Camera Features

There are three 50MP cameras on the Zero Flip: two on the exterior and one inside. While the selfie unit has a combination of characteristics that few can match, the rear combo consists of a wide primary unit and an ultrawide sidekick (so no telephoto, though you definitely shouldn’t be expecting one).

The primary camera on the rear has a Samsung sensor that has been proven and tested, and its 1/1.57″ optical format makes it a decent size as well. The ultrawide includes an autofocusing lens and a Hynix imager, which is about the same size as the selfie camera, so it’s not too bad.

In contrast, the widely used Samsung JN1 sensor serves as the foundation for the selfie camera. Along with focusing, this camera also comes with an LED light. Although the selfie arrangement seems a bit excessive for a phone that allows you to take selfies with the “main” camera, it can’t hurt to have superior hardware overall, can it?

The Zero Flip’s primary camera takes good daylight pictures. Despite the current cloudy weather, the phone was still able to record a large dynamic range and perform exceptionally well in terms of color reproduction. Though not necessarily the worst offender in this regard, detail is generally acceptable at the pixel level, but it has a rather overly processed character to random textures.

In our opinion, the ultrawide camera’s results fall further into the “excellent” range. Even though the photos have some grain, there is a remarkable deal of detail and sharpness, even in the corners. The dynamic range is difficult to criticize, and the colors are spot on.

The Zero Flip’s primary camera footage is passably good. Although the colors and dynamic range are excellent, the detail isn’t nearly as crisp as we would like. Similarly, it is difficult to criticize the ultrawide’s global qualities, although the detail is a little softer than ideal—still not too awful for an ultrawide.

The clips from the main camera are well-exposed in the dark, with realistic colors and a good dynamic range. But detail is essentially noise in the dark.

Shooting while walking isn’t the best for stabilization, but staying still and simply directing the phone at your subject will yield very solid footage.