Credit: Infinix
By
Andy Boxall
Published 15 hours ago
Andy is a seasoned technology journalist with more than 15 years experience in the mobile industry, writing for Digital Trends, Wired, and more. During that time he has reviewed hundreds of smartphones and tablets, dozens of smartwatches, and a host of smart rings and smartglasses too.
His daily mobile tech life includes Android and iOS devices, smart rings, and a smartwatch unless it's a special ocassion, when a traditional watch takes its place on his wrist. He has attended multiple CES, MWC, and IFA tradeshows, has a passion for photography and cars, listens to far too much K-pop, and always has a strong opinion on the state of the tech industry.
You can find Andy's portfolio of work on his Authory page.
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I’m interested in design, I like cars, and (obviously) I like phones.
I’m usually quite excited when all these things come together, so when phone maker Infinix started teasing a partnership with legendary design house Pininfarina, my excitement levels should have been off the charts.
Yet I’m holding back, and here’s why.
What’s the announcement?
Infinix x Pininfarina
On November 27, Infinix announced through its social media channels that “something legendary is coming in December.”
The posts mentioned a collaboration, but didn’t explicitly state who it was partnering with. It did drop various hints that made it clear, though.
Italy. 95 years of design. Supercar DNA
These hints and the accompanying image showed a cover coming off the mystery company’s logo, leaving no doubt that Infinix is partnering with Pininfarina on a new smartphone.
The exact date of the phone’s announcement hasn’t been revealed yet, but Infinix’s statement it’ll be a “masterpiece designed by a legend” shows how much confidence the brand has in the new device.
Pininfarina’s wins
And they’re big wins
Credit: Pininfarina
Pininfarina is one of the most celebrated design houses of all time, with a catalog of stunning designs spanning everything from cars and public transport to bikes, watches, and even cutlery.
The company is probably best known for its work with Ferrari. It’s responsible for models including the Ferrari 365 Daytona, Ferrari F40, Ferrari F50, Ferrari Enzo, Ferrari 458, and the legendary Ferrari 250 GT.
Outside of Ferrari, Pininfarina has a host of other successes. The Lancia Aurelia, Alfa Romeo Spider, Peugeot 205 and 306 Cabriolet, MGB GT, and the tiny Honda Beat are all stunning examples of the company’s automotive work. The Automobili Pininfarina Battista (seen above) shows how its incredible work continues today.
Even its less successful designs are memorable. The Hyundai Matrix (AKA Lavita) and Chevrolet/Daewoo Tacuma are not pretty vehicles, but I like how they share similar design principles to maximize interior space and light, and prioritize visibility for the driver and passengers. You don’t quickly forget what they look like.
Infinix’s track record
It needs help
Credit: Infinix
Infinix’s design track record isn’t quite up there with Pininfarina’s. The brand’s phones are a mix of generic styles “inspired by” facsimiles, and attempts to stand out by abandoning symmetry and splashing on a vivid color.
The Pininfarina collab won’t be the first time it has turned to the automotive world for help. In 2024, Infinix worked with the BMW Group’s design department on the Note 40 Series Racing Edition.
The overall shape and look of the phone didn’t change, but instead used familiar BMW design elements and the iconic M stripes to give the phone a sporty, futuristic style. BMW has also worked with iQoo on phone design, again adding the famous M stripes motif to a phone.
Infinix’s phones aren’t hideous, but its catalog shows it would benefit from some outside influence. Is Pininfarina the company to help?
Mobile tech may not be Pinindarina’s thing
Motorola deal may prove it
Credit: Motorola
Pininfarina hasn’t worked in tech all that much, and its highest profile mobile partnership came almost two decades ago, when it teamed up with Motorola for a three-year deal.
According to reports at the time, 10 designers were working with the famous tech brand, so surely the results were spectacular, right?
Examples of the partnership are hard to find, suggesting the partnership may not have been all that successful. Rather than phones, Pininfarina and Motorola seemed to experiment with concept vehicles (Pininfarina’s safe space) instead, including one with Maserati.
The Motorola i833 is one of the few phones with both Moto and Pininfarina branding.
The curvy flip phone is recognizable by its honeycomb motif and aversion to straight lines. Parts of it are very Star Trek, but not in a good way.
Unlike Pininfarina’s cars, it doesn’t embody a timeless style, except when paired with its fantastic charging cradle, which I now really want as a desk ornament.
Motorola has long been a force to be reckoned with in the mobile design space. See the original Razr and the Motorola V70 for proof.
Its partnership with Pininfarina should have resulted in some truly memorable phones, but instead, if any did arrive, they’ve been entirely lost to time.
Heritage matters
Still intrigued to see the results
This isn’t a good sign.
Infinix doesn’t have Motorola’s design pedigree, and Pininfarina’s mobile design journey is hardly lined with stunning examples. It’s barely lined with any examples at all.
Infinix and Pininfarina’s first phone will be a flagship model, with the pair working on the phone’s hardware and materials, along with the user interface, according to an anonymous source speaking to Notebookcheck.net.
It’s not clear how long the partnership deal will last.
It’s certainly very intriguing, and if the resulting phone is more Ferrari Daytona and less Motorola i833, it may give Infinix the boost it clearly wants from signing such a high-profile design deal. We’ll find out more in December.
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