Infinix and Pininfarina rethink smartphones with supercar design principles
Promotion: the Note 60 Ultra by smartphone brand Infinix and Italian design house Pininfarina uses supercar design cues to rethink how smartphone components are designed.
According to Infinix, smartphones have become increasingly defined by their camera systems, often at the expense of visual coherence.
The brand explained that Note 60 Ultra responds to this trend by reducing visible fragmentation and rethinking the device as a single, unified volume.
In the making of the smartphone, Infinix partnered with Pininfarina – known for designing cars for Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo.
The collaboration focused on translating its principles of proportion, surface continuity and ergonomics into a handheld device, reflecting a balance between performance and elegance.
Rather than expressing performance through visible components, the Note 60 Ultra conceals them beneath a single surface, which is intended to read as one volume.
The design draws from Pininfarina's approach to automotive form-making – where performance is expressed through continuous surfaces and restrained geometry.
At the centre of the design is a camera system conceived as a single integrated structure. Here, cameras, sensors and lighting elements were combined into what the brand describes as a "Uni-Chassis" Camera Module.
The entire camera matrix area is covered by a single piece of high-strength glass that extends to the upper half of the device, eliminating the physical dividing lines around the lens edges.
The result is a continuous surface rather than a collection of separate components.
The upper camera module is shaped with softened contours intended to evoke a sense of calm. In contrast, the lower half adopts a Tripartite front-end segmentation resembling a car's rear wing, creating a sense of playfulness.
A sleek gear-shaped metal trim marks the transition between the camera area and the body, reinforcing the perception of a unified exterior.
According to Infinix, this approach also aims to reduce the visual fragmentation that typically accompanies increasingly complex camera systems.
"We do not want the Note 60 Ultra to look like a box crammed with components; it should be like a continuous living entity," said Matteo Fioravanti, senior vice president of design in Pininfarina Shanghai.
The design language also extends into the device's lighting system.
A rear light strip named Floating Taillight activates during power-on and notifications, simulating a hypercar's engine ignition and rear wing lighting to signal movement.
The device also incorporates a small LED interface, referred to as an Active Matrix, which remains hidden when inactive and can transform into a pixelated pet, mini games or a customisable canvas.
Infinix explained that this allows the technology to function as a "personality" or creative component.
When inactive, all lighting elements remain fully concealed within a darkened surface, preserving the device's continuous appearance.
While visually minimal, this concealed approach adds significant manufacturing complexity, enabling precise control of lens coating and component colour calibration.
"An essential design does not equate to a simple one," added Fioravanti. "It means that after countless iterations, we arrived at the perfect shape, a balance between aesthetics and functions."
The Note 60 Ultra represents Infinix's move into the premium smartphone category. Beneath its sculpted exterior, the Note 60 Ultra includes a 200MP imaging system, multi-country satellite communication and audio tuned by Sound by JBL.
Rather than equating performance with visual complexity, Infinix explained that its design proposes an alternative approach that embeds capability within a restrained and integrated form.
According to Infinix, the result is a device that treats technology as something to be "absorbed into structure" rather than exposed on the surface, resulting in a quieter definition of what a flagship smartphone can be.
To learn more about the Note 60 Ultra, visit Infinix's website.
Partnership content
This article was written for Infinix as part of a partnership. Find out more about our partnership content here.
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