PROS: Impressive charging capabilities Generous package including charger and MagSafe compatible case Seamless AI integration through “One-Tap Infinix AI” Versatile camera set up CONS: Limited software update support Not available in the US RATINGS: AESTHETICSERGONOMICSPERFORMANCESUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITYVALUE FOR MONEYEDITOR'S QUOTE:The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G impresses with its robust performance, premium design, and an array of thoughtful features, all wrapped in an affordable price tag of $370. Smartphone shoppers often face a frustrating dilemma: spend a fortune on a premium device with all the bells and whistles, or settle for a budget phone that cuts too many corners to hit its price point. This compromise typically means sacrificing camera quality, display performance, or processing power – the very features that enhance our daily digital experiences. The mid-range market attempts to bridge this gap, but rarely delivers a truly satisfying balance of high-end specifications and reasonable cost without significant compromises in build quality or user experience. The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G boldly challenges this status quo by bringing genuine flagship-level features to the budget-conscious consumer. What makes this offering particularly intriguing is how Infinix has prioritized features that genuinely impact user experience rather than simply checking specification boxes for marketing purposes. Let’s see if it manages to meet those goals or if it cut too many corners to achieve its mouth-watering price point. Designer: Infinix Aesthetics The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G stands out in terms of design, drawing inspiration from automotive engineering. The frame is crafted from Armor Alloy, a robust blend of Damascus steel and aerospace-grade aluminum alloy, paired with a durable glass back panel. This combination enhances both strength and premium appeal. The Note 50 Pro+ 5G is available in three color variants: Titanium Grey, Enchanted Purple, and the Racing Edition. We had the chance to review the Racing Edition, which draws influence from BMW’s Physital design philosophy, blending physical and digital aesthetics. The Racing Edition features a matte silver back panel with textured vertical lines, complemented by the iconic tri-color racing stripes, symbolizing dynamism and speed. The device is also defined by its glossy octagonal camera island, located at the upper left corner. The camera island houses a triple camera setup, paired with the Bio-Active Halo AI Lighting System and an LED flashlight. The lighting system reacts to your phone’s activity, changing colors in response to charging, notifications, incoming calls, and gaming, adding a touch of flair to everyday interactions. It is also a sensor for measuring heart rate and blood oxygen levels. While the concept is intriguing, the term “AI” seems a bit of a stretch, as the feature feels more gimmicky than groundbreaking. Ergonomics With dimensions of 163.36 x 74.35 x 7.99 mm and a weight of 209 grams, the device feels solid and premium in hand. However, this solid build comes with a slight downside. That is, the phone is a bit top-heavy, creating an unbalanced feel when holding it. Another notable ergonomic issue occurs when the phone is placed face up on a flat surface. Due to the pronounced camera island, the device has a tendency to wobble, making it less stable when resting on a desk or table. While the phone’s design is generally comfortable for regular use, gaming is where the camera island becomes an ergonomic hurdle. When holding the device horizontally for gaming, the raised camera module interferes with your grip, which can be distracting and uncomfortable during longer sessions. The fingerprint scanner, located near the bottom of the display, also presents a bit of a challenge. The placement makes the transition from unlocking the device to navigating through the interface somewhat awkward. Overall, the Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G is solidly built, but the top-heavy design, wobbling issue, and less-than-ideal fingerprint scanner placement can make for an occasionally frustrating user experience. While it’s not uncomfortable to hold, these small design decisions can impact long-term usability. Performance The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G boasts a 6.79-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2436, supporting a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and up to 1300 nits peak brightness (550 nits typical). The display is vibrant and fluid, offering rich colors and smooth animations whether you’re browsing, watching videos, or gaming. Even in direct sunlight, the screen stays bright and readable. Additionally, it remains responsive when used with wet fingers or in wet conditions, ensuring precision without any issues. The bezels are impressively thin and nearly symmetrical, enhancing the immersive viewing experience. Complementing the display is a dual speaker setup tuned by JBL, which promises a more premium audio experience on paper. However, in practice, the speakers felt inconsistent. Volume remains relatively quiet up to around 80%, then suddenly spikes when pushed beyond that. The overall sound lacks balance. Bass is weak, and the mids and highs don’t carry much depth. For casual use, it’s adequate, but audio enthusiasts may find it underwhelming. Under the hood, the Note 50 Pro+ 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Ultimate chipset, coupled with 12GB of RAM (expandable virtually to 24GB) and 256GB of storage. Running Android 15 with Infinix’s XOS 15 skin, the phone delivers a smooth, responsive experience across the board. Performance holds up impressively well even during graphically intense games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Genshin Impact, with no noticeable lag or stutter. For the first time in an Infinix smartphone, the Note 50 Pro+ 5G introduces a comprehensive suite of AI features. What stands out, however, is how these tools are seamlessly integrated through “One-Tap Infinix AI”. By simply long-pressing the power button, regardless of the app you’re using, Folax, Infinix’s AI assistant, is instantly accessible. From summarizing or translating on-screen content to describing images or even editing photos, the AI offers a wide range of functions. The addition of Google’s Circle to Search further enhances the experience. This integration feels incredibly well-thought-out, as it consolidates multiple AI tools under a single gesture, eliminating the need to switch between apps. It’s a convenient, user-friendly feature that simplifies multitasking without compromising functionality. Another interesting addition is the ability to measure heart rate and blood oxygen levels by placing your finger on the Bio-Halo AI lighting sensor. While it may not replace dedicated health devices, it’s a novel feature to have built into a smartphone, particularly at this price point. Its usefulness will vary depending on user habits, but it adds an unexpected layer of utility. The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G boasts, which is relatively rare in this price range. The system consists of a 50 MP main sensor, a 50 MP 3x telephoto lens, and an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, offering great versatility for mobile photography. While this combination is a standout feature at this price point, the real question is how well it performs in everyday use. Let’s dive in and see how it stacks up. The main camera uses a 1/1.56-inch Sony IMX896 sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS). In well-lit conditions, it produces sharp, detailed images with vibrant colors, though the contrast can sometimes be a bit strong. Night mode performance is solid, capturing clear and well-exposed shots with minimal noise, although light sources can occasionally appear overexposed. The telephoto camera delivers 6x optical zoom with lossless clarity and extends up to 100x zoom. Between 3x and 6x, photos are rich in detail, with a good dynamic range that performs well across different lighting conditions. Beyond 6x, image quality starts to degrade, which is expected at higher magnifications. The ultra-wide camera also performs admirably. While it’s not as sharp as the main or zoom cameras, it still captures vibrant and clear images. Selfies from the 32 MP front-facing camera are generally good, though they can sometimes appear a bit faded. For video, the Note 50 Pro+ 5G can record up to 4K at 60 FPS with the main and telephoto cameras, while the ultra-wide is limited to 2K at 30 FPS. The front-facing camera is capped at 4K at 30 FPS. Video footage from the main and telephoto cameras is smooth, though there are some minor hiccups. Unfortunately, you cannot switch between cameras while recording. Additionally, panning can cause stuttering in the viewfinder, and rapid movement results in judder in the video. Fortunately, you can turn on ultra-stabilization at 4K 60 FPS, and it works quite well. With its sizable 5,200 mAh silicon-carbon battery, the Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G ensures you can go about your day without worrying about battery life. It easily lasts a full day of regular use. But the impressive battery specs don’t end there. The device supports 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, both of which are flagship-level capabilities. Additionally, the phone offers reverse charging, providing 10W through wired connections and 7.5W wirelessly, adding even more versatility to its power management. Sustainability The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G is designed with durability in mind. The phone’s side frame is made from Armor Alloy, a robust blend of Damascus steel and aerospace-grade aluminum alloy, ensuring the phone is built to last. Paired with a durable glass back panel, this combination enhances the phone’s overall sturdiness, making it a reliable option for everyday use. Additionally, the phone comes with an IP64 rating, offering protection against dust and water splashes. While this level of protection is not the highest available, it provides sufficient durability for typical day-to-day scenarios, giving users confidence that their device can handle the occasional exposure to water or rough environments. However, when it comes to software longevity, the phone’s sustainability potential falls short. Infinix promises two years of Android updates and three years of security updates only, which is relatively limited when compared to other devices in the same price range. Many competing smartphones offer three or more years of operating system updates and security patches for up to four or five years, which means that the Note 50 Pro+ 5G may require a replacement sooner than some users might expect in order to stay up-to-date with the latest features and security improvements. Value At a price of $370, the Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G delivers exceptional value for money. With a feature set that includes a 6.79-inch AMOLED display, powerful performance, and a versatile triple-camera setup, it competes well in the mid-range smartphone market. Infinix has certainly packed a lot of premium features into an affordable device. What truly sets the Note 50 Pro+ 5G apart is the inclusivity of its package. Along with the phone, Infinix includes a 100W charger brick, a USB-C to USB-C cable, earphones, a MagSafe-like phone case, and a glass screen protector, offering a generous bundle that enhances the overall value of the device. That said, it’s worth noting that the Note 50 Pro+ 5G isn’t available in the US. Verdict The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G impresses with its robust performance, premium design, and an array of thoughtful features, all wrapped in an affordable price tag of $370. It stands out in the mid-range segment by offering a large, vibrant AMOLED display, a capable triple-camera setup, and strong performance driven by the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset. Additionally, the generous package that includes a 100W charger, USB-C cable, earphones, a MagSafe-like case, and a glass screen protector further enhances its value proposition, making it a complete package for those who want more out of their device. While the device has a few ergonomic quirks, such as a top-heavy design and camera island wobbling, the overall user experience remains solid. The AI integration through “One-Tap Infinix AI” is a standout feature, providing quick and effortless access to a wide range of AI tools. Despite some limitations in software support, the Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G remains a well-rounded, feature-packed option for tech enthusiasts, gamers, and photographers who don’t want to break the bank. However, its absence in the US market is a downside for those hoping to purchase locally. The post Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G: Flagship features packed in a budget phone first appeared on Yanko Design.

When you look up Damascus steel saw blades on the internet you'll find many tutorials for would-be blacksmiths about upcycling end-of-use bandsaw blades into the pricey material that practically defines the garish realm of collector knives.This tool from Woxna, completes that circle in a way, rescuing Damascus steel from the display case and putting it back to practical use in an everyday workhorse: the pruning saw. Woxna is a relatively new company looking to produce premium outdoor gear and with their folding saw aim to upgrade the (likely) weakest leg of a well-heeled bushcrafter's blade tripartite of axe, knife, saw.  The founders turned to Nikita Golovlev of Struktur Design, a Swedish industrial design firm, to help them develop it.The saw folds for protection of both hand and blade, in the garden or out in the wild. The handle is offered in walnut and oak, and initially the blade came in high-carbon and stainless steel flavors. The Damascus version emerged as a bit of a lark for the company, but one rooted in a foundational desire to make objects worthy of passing down through generations. The conceptual power of Damascus steel derives from its formation, the folding and welding of its layers at anvil and furnace. Its visible path through forging is the selling point, but ironically in the market its story is held to surface level on the seamless edge of knives, reduced simply to style. Woxna and Struktur have serendipitously stumbled upon the natural medium for the narrative of Damascus – the thick blade and serrations of a pruning saw. Here the variegated strata of force and material are sharply delineated in every angular tooth. Stainless or not, sticking your saw blade in water, especially in the boonies, is not Core77 approved.Could Damascus steel's implied promise of high-performance be realized in this form? When you look closely you see that during manufacture, when the teeth are ground, the varied hardness of the layers create mini-serrations on the cutting edges. If you've ever been tempted by the look of Damascus this is the moment to take action — in Woxna's outdoor saw its beauty runs more than skin-deep. Also, through May 28th the kickstarter has some hefty-discounts for backers.Thanks to Nikita at Struktur for the following pics of the product development process:Initial idea sketch - wooden handle saw inspired by axes and knives Fitting the blade, locking and assembly screws in CAD Concept render 3D-printed scales on a fuctional prototype First milled samples arrive and assembled Softening up the edges and oiling the scales Ramping up the small scale production

The Internet has greatly shortened product life cycles. Objects that stood the test of time offer lessons for today. So do designs that are intentionally ephemeral.Designing applications or websites means your designs don’t survive very long. Even if your product or app survives for a decade or more, there will be pressure to update the design every few years. This got me wondering how long designs of other things stay around. So here is a curated survey of how long our designs survive.Sticky NotesThe sticky note… a lab experiment gone awry(average lifespan: several hours) — The ubiquitous sticky note famously emerged from a lab experiment gone awry. Glue that wasn’t very sticky. Although sticky notes have been around for 45 years, the life of any single sticky note is probably measured in hours, not days. Nevertheless they have been a boon to brainstorming sessions and design sprints around the world. Their ephemeral nature is the key to their value. Don’t like what you wrote? Throw it out and write another one. Don’t think it belongs in this group? Move it to another. Sticky notes are the rare object that is as easily used digitally as their physical counterparts.Sand MandalaA finished sand mandala — Attribution: By the original uploader was Colonel Warden at English Wikipedia. — Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by SMasters using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16371236(in use for a few days or weeks) — A sand mandala is a symbolic representation of the universe made of colored sand. Creating them is a ceremonial act practiced by Tibetan monks and nuns and takes a few days to several weeks to create. Constructing one is an act of meditation requiring immense focus. After the mandala is finished, it is on view for only a short period of time. It is then destroyed in a dissolution ceremony meant to emphasize the impermanence of all things. Finally the sand is released into a river to transfer the spirits embodied in the mandala back into nature and the rest of the world.The first time I saw a video of this process, it shocked my world. The design was vivid, ornate, and beautiful. To see something so beautiful then destroyed by the people who made it jolted me. When swept into a pile, the vivid pigments quickly become a single gray mass. They are an amazing lesson about the nature of our lives and the world of things.WebsitesThe SF bay area edition of Craigslist.com barely changed from when it launched in 1995!(in use for 32 years) — The lifespan of your average website is about 2 years according to this post. Many sites are up for much longer but even those tend to need a refresh. Craigslist is the notable exception by still proudly sporting its original 1995 web 1.0 look and feel. I’ve worked on around 14 websites and apps. Of those, only 2 (7%) are live and still reflect the design I worked on. As dominant as the Internet is in today’s culture, “built to last” simply does not apply. Permanence is an anti-pattern.Thonet №14 ChairThe Thonet №14 Chair — Attribution: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.(in use for 166 years) — Michael Thonet’s №14 Chair is a design classic. Simple and minimal. Introduced in 1859, It was the first chair to be mass produced but does not look like an industrial product. It is sometimes called the cafe chair due to its strong association with Parisian cafes. It was also sometimes referred to as the “lion-tamer chair”. You can see one in use in this post.BicycleThe ‘Flying Pigeon’ bicycle. Since the 1950s, over 500 million of these bikes have been produced and sold.(in use for 208 years) — The bicycle was invented in Germany and introduced in Paris around 1817. It is an amazing design object matched only by its engineering simplicity. The basic triangular geometry is minimal, strong, and still recognizable 200 years after being invented. There have been many improvements to the underlying technologies but the basic design remains.BuildingsThe Pantheon of Rome — Attribution: By Macrons — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49683083The Pantheon in Rome was completed around 126 AD and has been in continuous use for almost 2000 years. It is widely considered the oldest building still in continuous use today. It began as a Roman temple. For the ceiling of the Parthenon, the Romans used cement mixed with ash which kept it light but strong. In the 7th century, it became a Christian church, the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs. Adaptive reuse helped preserve it through centuries of war, weather, and regime changes.“Built to last” is a phrase sometimes used for things like old cars, buildings, and walls. It certainly applies to the pyramids and the Pantheon. It is much less frequently applied to objects today. It doen’t apply to the majority of objects we use in our daily lives. Consumer culture has driven us towards a throw away culture. This impacts the environment and our ability to build things to last.What does it take to build something that will last?This is a question asked by Louis Kahn, one of the great American architects. His Exeter Library is his answer. He wanted to pursue an architecture that would stand the test of time. He wanted to build something that would be monumental, strong and, like the pyramids, remain beautiful even in ruin.The interior of the Phillips Exeter Academy Library showing the raw, monumental cement building structure. Image source: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArchitecturePornCities(in use for 11,000 years) — The title of oldest continuously inhabited city is a subject of debate but Damascus is often credited as the oldest city still in use today. Jericho is older but was not in continuous use. Jerusalem & Athens both date back about 5000 years. From a design perspective, I marvel at Venice. It’s been in existence for over 1000 years. Its lasting beauty is amazing when you realize it was originally built to escape invaders on the mainland. The buildings, plazas, along with the canals and bridges that connect them are an amazing experience.The Bucentaur Returns to the Pier at the Doge’s Palace (c. 1730) by Canaletto — Attribution: Google Arts & Culture — mwEV7sO9uSFCpw, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22572210Mortar & PestleThe mortar & pestle — symbol of the pharmacist — Attribution: Image by Evan-Amos — Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12038229Beyond using our teeth, we’ve been grinding up food and other materials for about 37,000 years. The Mortar & Pestle was likely used initially to prepare grains and seeds to be more digestible but they had many other uses.They are still widely used today (guacamole anyone?) and have come to symbolize the pharmaceutical profession. As someone who cooks, I’m glad we figured out ground spices makes tastier dishes.Pyramids(built 4000 years ago) — The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest human-made structure in the world for 3800 years. I’m including pyramids for age reference only. How long they’ve been “in use” raises tricky questions. Should we measure use by the initial construction; as amazing ruins we only look at; or as a tomb for a dead pharaoh? They certainly were amazing feats of engineering.Bow & arrow / stone arrowheads(in use for 37,000–74,000 years) — These two designs are best taken as a connected journey. Arrows are an evolution of the stone-tipped spear. The bow & arrow was a leap in the efficiency and precision of throwing a spear. The innovation allowed hunters to remain farther away from their prey. The bow, arrow, and stone arrowhead built on the previous technology (an interesting concept known as “the adjacent possible” richly described by Steven Johnson in, ‘Where Good Ideas Come From’). Each element required an increase in precision and skill and offered advances over the previous tool. Older arrowheads were mostly focused on the general shape and cutting edges. Later versions were shaped to be more firmly lashed to wooden spears. As the first to enter the battlefield, U.S. Marines sometimes refer to themselves as, “the tip of the spear”. A 74,000 year old metaphor that is still understandable today.Hand axeIllustration of a hand axe.Imagine designing a product that was so good it was used for a million years. That’s 1,000,000 years! I remember seeing a hand axe in the “Tools: Extending Our Reach” exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. I pondered it as a design object that dwarfed my career as a designer. The hand axe is a physical testament to both the slowness of early hominid evolution and the enduring utility of the object. The key innovation was the ever more skilled chipping away of flakes to create the cutting edge. Older versions of the axe are barely recognizable as being intentionally created. Later versions however, show two distinct functional requirements. The part that you held needed to be broad and round so as to be comfortable in the hand. While “the business end” had sharp, carefully-shaped cutting edges. I marvel at anything being used for this incomprehensible span of time.Final thoughts“If you want to go quickly, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.” — African ProverbAs I wrote this post, I thought about the lessons of these very different objects. Here are my takeaways.Monumental acts take monumental teams — It takes incredible effort by many people to build something that has great impact and will last. Monumental achievements are never accomplished by one person. Each hand axe was likely created by one person but the concept we now know as the hand axe happened over a million years of usage. Venice is a singular experience. But building it required the work of many people over centuries.Adaptation is key to survival — The Pantheon survived in part because it is a space flexible in use. If your designs are to survive, you must hand them off to others. Loving caretakers are as important as passionate creators.Celebrate the ephemeral — Sand mandalas and sticky notes allow us to create something without becoming too attached to it. Having worked on lots of long-term projects, I’ve always found making dinner to be a positive antidote. Chopping vegetables can be meditative. A meal is finished in an hour or 2 and then you get to enjoy the creation. Simple acts are still creative.A graph showing how long these designs have been use. The hand axe was excluded because its million years of use reduces the other objects to tiny, barely visible bars.ReferenceTimeline of oldest human inventions — WikipediaOldest still standing buildings — WikipediaHow long designs survive was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.