When buying a budget or mid-range smartphone online, Infinix may not be the top brand that comes to mind. However, the company has a strong offline presence and offers a variety of phones tailored to the budget and mid-range markets.
The recent release of the Infinix Note 40 5G in India, a budget-friendly phone with unique features like wireless charging, has caught the attention of many despite its lack of brand recognition. Despite its brand name, the phone offers excellent value for its price.
After a week of using the Infinix Note 40, it is worth adding to your shopping list. While the phone has many features, there are also some shortcomings. In India, it is available in one configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, priced at Rs. 19,999.
The Infinix Note 40 5G Design
- The lighting currently in use is arranged in a halo formation.
- It weighs 185 grams.
- You can choose from two colors: Titan Gold or Obsidian Black.
The Infinix Note 40 features a plastic build with a matte finish rear panel with a slight shine. The glossy frame is prone to fingerprints.
A rectangular slab in the top right corner of the rear panel housing the camera sensors and Active Halo Lighting. This slab prevents the phone from wobbling when placed on its back due to its coverage of the top area.
The front of the device features a spacious screen with minimal borders and curved edges. The volume and power buttons are on the right side, while the left houses a SIM card tray.
At the top is a microphone and an IR blaster; at the bottom, you will find another microphone, speaker, and USB Type-C port. Additionally, a flash is positioned at the top right corner of the front for improved lighting in lowlight selfie situations.
The Infinix Note 40, which weighs 185 grams and is 7.91mm thin with an IP53 rating, is a well-designed budget phone. Yet, I wasn’t fond of the glossy plastic frame that felt uncomfortable in my hand.
The Infinix Note 40 5G Display
- AMOLED panel measuring 6.78 inches and using LTPS technology.
- Refresh rate of 120Hz
- The screen-to-body ratio is 93.8 percent.
You will enjoy the 6.78-inch display on the Infinix Note 40 if you prefer large screens with minimal bezels.
The company has successfully minimized and balanced the bezels on the top and sides, resulting in a screen-to-body ratio of 93.8 percent. Although the panel does not have Gorilla Glass protection, tempered glass is included in the packaging.
The phone features an LTPS AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, full-HD+ resolution, 1,300 nits brightness, and 240Hz touch response. It also supports a 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut and is TUV Rheinland Eye Care certified.
The screen shines brightly indoors and holds up well in direct sunlight. The colors pop, and the viewing angles are satisfactory.
Users can choose between Original and Bright color modes, with Bright offering more vivid colors. In addition, there is a High brightness mode and an Ultra Touch feature that boosts touch sensitivity. Overall, this display is excellent for watching videos and playing games.
The in-display fingerprint scanner is located at the bottom of the phone, making it slightly inconvenient to reach. While it generally functioned well during my usage, there were instances where multiple attempts were needed to unlock the device.
Infinix Note 40 5G Software
- XOS based on Android 14.
- Android OS updates for 2 years.
- Reduced unnecessary pre-installed software.
The Infinix Note 40 comes pre-loaded with the Android 14-based XOS operating system, free of unnecessary apps and advertisements.
Although the phone has some pre-installed apps, they can all be easily removed. In addition to this, Infinix’s XOS includes special features such as the Dynamic Bar for showing notifications near the hole-punch cutout on the display, Floating Windows, MemFusion for increasing RAM capacity, a Game Mode with XArena, XClone for running dual apps, and a Kids mode.
Additionally, there is the Folax voice assistant, which is similar to Google Assistant, allowing users to set reminders, answer questions, open apps, and perform other tasks. There is also an AI Gallery app, though I found no AI capabilities.
Infinix has committed to providing two years of Android operating system updates and three years of security patches, which is satisfactory for a phone in this price range.
The UI generally operates smoothly, although I encountered some delays and interruptions while using Chrome to browse web pages or scrolling through the Settings app.
The Performance of The Infinix Note 40 5G
- The MediaTek Dimensity 7020 System on a Chip.
- The device has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage capacity.
- Increased virtual memory capacity.
The MediaTek Dimensity 7020 SoC on the Infinix Note 40 5G may not perform best.
It also features 8GB of RAM, which can be virtually expanded by an additional 8GB through MemFusion, allowing for multitasking on the device. However, users may need some help opening multiple apps quickly.
The phone showed satisfactory performance considering its cost. It remained relatively cool during benchmark tests, but I could not run our standard 3DMark tests because the telephone was incompatible.
I tested the phone’s performance with Call of Duty Mobile, BGMI, and Asphalt 9. While Asphalt 9 ran smoothly with high-quality graphics, BGMI and COD Mobile did not support full graphics settings, which caused the phone to overheat.
The phone features hybrid dual speakers that JBL has tuned. They are loud but lack bass. The microphone provides good audio quality for both voice and video calls.
Infinix Note 40 5G Cameras: Functional
- Rear main camera with a resolution of 108 megapixels.
- 32-megapixel front camera.
- Three times lossless zoom.
Despite having a triple rear camera setup, the Infinix Note 40 5G only has a 5Gonal sensor. The other sensors are not available in the camera app and are primarily utilized for capturing depth information in portrait mode. The Camera app is user-friendly and conveniently displays all modes.
During the day, the main rear camera captures quality photos with rich colors and good details. The HDR and white balance performance is also solid. Infinix states that the main camera can capture 3x lossless zoom images, but although the 3x shots are visually appealing, they do not accurately display colors and lack detail.
The main camera had difficulty capturing clear photos in low light, activating the auto night mode. There was a noticeable amount of noise and blurriness in the images due to the limitation of electronic image stabilization on the sensor.
However, using the Super Night mode yielded better outcomes and is suggested for low-light situations. Furthermore, the 3x zoom mode did not perform well when shooting in bright sunlight.
During the day, the selfie camera on the Infinix Note 40 5G captures good quality shots with nice details and slightly less vibrant colors than the rear camera. Additionally, there is an LED slit flash on the front for better night-time selfies.
Regarding video quality, the phone can record videos in 2K resolution at 30fps, with the Ultrasteady stability mode only being available at 1080p 30fps.
The rear camera captures videos with decent quality and detail in daylight, but the stabilization is lacking, causing jittery footage when moving.
Lowlight video quality is poor, with noticeable noise even at 2K resolution. The dynamic range is acceptable, but there is room for HDR and color accuracy improvement.
Infinix Note 40 5G Battery
- Wireless charging with a power of 15W.
- Chip for power management, Cheetah X1.
- Battery capacity of 5,000mAh.
The phone has good battery life, lasting around 18 hours in our HD video test. With the 33W fast charger included, you can fully charge the phone in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The self-developed Cheetah X power management chip provides features like bypass charging, wireless reverse charging, and dynamic charge modes. This chip prevents the phone from heating up while using the wired charger.
The phone features 15W wireless charging, which requires about three hours to charge the device fully and may cause the phone to become warm. It is compatible with the MagCharge accessory by Infinix and includes a supported case in the package.
With activities such as web browsing, YouTube streaming, camera usage, and short gaming sessions, the phone can last approximately a day and a half.
The Final Decision on The Infinix Note 40 5G
The Infinix Note 40 5G competes with devices like the Realme P1 5G, Poco X6 Neo 5G, and the newly released OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite.
While none of these phones have wireless charging, the Realme and OnePlus offer superior design and slightly improved camera capabilities. The Poco X6 Neo 5G is more affordable than the others.
The Infinix Note 40 5G is a great phone under Rs. 20,000 for those seeking wireless charging, a good display, a decent primary rear camera, and decent battery life.
