Most flagship smartphones can deliver a dedicated gaming smartphone-like experience. However, with extended sessions, the performance takes a hit, as most of them are cooled passively meaning they heat up quickly under heavy load and take a while to come back to normal temperature.
So far, we have seen some unique solutions to this problem, but they were largely limited to expensive gaming smartphones. Now, Hong Kong-based smartphone maker, Infinix, is offering a practical feature, and that too on a much more affordable device.
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I have been testing the Infinix GT 20 Pro with a detachable active cooling solution for over a week, and here is my take.
Infinix GT 20 Pro price in India (as reviewed) Rs 24,999.
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Designed like a gaming smartphone
The phone looks different with its mechanical-inspired design (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
From the first look, it’s very evident that the Infinix GT is a gaming phone with its Cyber Mecha 2.0 design. That’s not it, it also has a Nothing Phone (2a) like glyph lighting system at the back. Despite being an inspired feature, I liked how Infinix had implemented it, unlike Nothing’s approach with just a single coloured light, the Infinix GT 20 Pro offers RGB lighting, which can be customised according to one’s needs.
The phone has a boxy design and a 6.78-inch flat panel display with a higher 144Hz refresh rate, and the display also has minimal bezels on all four sides, making it look like a high-end device. Unlike its predecessor, this one doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, but the USB-C port does support high-resolution audio output.
The display is crisp, colourful, and supports variable refresh rates (60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz) with a higher PWM frequency of 2304Hz, during nighttime usage, the screen doesn’t flicker.
The 144Hz display is fast and colour accurate (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
A few other things that I liked about this phone include the case that’s included in the phone. The device comes with two cases, a regular case and a Mag case which is used to attach the external cooling solution. The box also includes a tempered screen guard to help protect the screen.
For a limited number of users, Infinix is including a complimentary GT Pro gaming kit, which includes a Mag case, cooling fan, and finger sleeves.
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A decent primary camera
The phone has a 108 MP primary camera (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
The Infinix GT 20 Pro has a 108 MP primary camera, which can take some sharp images under normal lighting conditions. The device also supports 4K video recording with up to 60fps, and the same is limited to just 2K resolution on the selfie camera.
Here are some samples, straight from the Infinix GT 20 Pro:
Infinix GT 20 Pro camera sample (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
Infinix GT 20 Pro camera sample 2 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
Infinix GT 20 Pro camera sample 3 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
Infinix GT 20 Pro camera sample 4 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
Infinix GT 20 Pro camera sample 5 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
Excellent day-to-day and gaming performance
The Infinix GT 20 Pro is the first phone to launch in India with the Mediatek Dimensity 8200 Ultra processor with 8/12 GB RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. On AnTuTu, the device scores over nine lakh points, and in the real world it offers solid performance.
I used this device like my regular smartphone, which includes streaming music, scrolling on social media platforms, downloading, and gaming, and it did not showcase any form of heating, except while gaming, where, the back panel, with over 30 minutes of continuous gaming did get a bit hotter, but nothing alarming.
On some games, the device supports 90fps, and titles like BGMI, COD: Mobile, and Asphalt 9: Legends run smoothly. I also played some casual games like Subway Surfers and Clash of Clans, which also ran without any issues.
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Does the cooling fan really work?
The cooling fan magnetically attached to the phone (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
To test how well the cooling fan works, I ran a CPU benchmark for 20 minutes, where, at the end, the CPU clock speed dropped down drastically, however, when I ran the same benchmark with the cooling fan, at the end of the test, the CPU maintained a much higher clock speed.
This test is evidence of the fact that the cooling solution can improve heat dissipation, allowing the CPU to maintain a higher clock speed for a long period, resulting in a stable gaming experience without any frame drops. However, I also noted that, as the cooling fan is powered by the internal battery, it does consume a lot of battery, and in just 30 minutes, it can consume up to 30 to 35 per cent of the battery.
When the fan is attached, the phone runs significantly cooler and maintains a higher clock speed (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
Another interesting observation is that the cooling fan is compatible with iPhones with MagSafe, and it worked flawlessly with iPhone 15, where I was even able to power it using the iPhone’s USB-C charger. However, I got a notification that the “accessory consumes too much power.”
However, during normal usage, the 5,000 mAh battery on the Infinix GT 20 Pro can last for an entire day, and there is also 45W fast charging support, and the fast charger is included in the box. Another feature that’s worth mentioning is the fact that the phone ships Android 14 based xOS 14 with zero bloatware that’s quite feature-rich, and Infinix is promising two major OS upgrades and three years of security updates.
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Verdict: A unique-looking phone that performs well
An excellent budget gaming phone (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
The Infinix GT 20 Pro blends features that are practical with a really unique design, which makes it look unlike anything in the market. If you are looking for a phone under Rs 25,000, primarily for gaming, the GT 20 Pro is a no-brainer.
