Infinix NOTE 40 5G Review: Features, Flaws, and Everything in Between

When was the last time you saw wireless charging on a phone under 20,000 rupees? Never, right? Well, that’s where the Infinix NOTE 40 steps in. Infinix is aiming to shake things up with a 120 Hz AMOLED display and wireless charging in the budget segment. It’s a first in this price range, according to Infinix.

The device packs a solid camera sensor that snaps impressive photos, supports wireless charging akin to MagSafe, and boasts a stereo speaker setup alongside a stunning 120 Hz AMOLED display. It also supports 33W fast charging via wire and 15W wireless charging, enhancing its appeal.

With a premium feel and excellent grip without a case, the Infinix NOTE 40 5G is also IP53 dust and splash resistant. But is it worth sacrificing certain features for wireless charging and a 120Hz display? Or does the Infinix NOTE 40 5G stand tall as the all-rounder you’ve been searching for in its price bracket? Let’s find out in this review of the Infinix NOTE 40 5G. 

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Infinix NOTE 40 5G Review - Unboxing

The unboxing experience with Infinix phones is always a delight, and the Infinix NOTE 40 5G lives up to that. Firstly, it comes with a MagPad Wireless Charger worth ₹1999 for a limited time, which means you can start wirelessly charging your phone right out of the box at no extra cost. Notably, this offer is for a limited period, so grab it while you can.

Inside the box, along with the Infinix NOTE 40 5G itself, you’ll find a Mag case. This case is essential because while the phone supports wireless charging, it doesn’t have built-in magnets. The Mag case allows you to magnetically attach the wireless charger securely.

Additionally, the box includes a 33W fast charger and a Type-A to Type-C cable for efficient charging (Type-C to Type-C cable would have been better). There’s also a good-quality screen protector provided, complete with wipes and a guide for easy installation. To round it off, the box includes a SIM ejector tool. 

Infinix NOTE 40 5G Review – Design & Build

Let’s dive into the design of the Infinix NOTE 40 5G. It shares a similar look with its siblings, the NOTE 40 Pro and Pro+. At the back, you’ll find a triple camera setup—a main 108 MP sensor alongside two 2 MP cameras. The circular module includes a flashlight and “Active Halo Lighting” for notifications.

The phone’s sleek but slightly boxy, with a minimal camera bump. Up top, there’s a microphone, stereo speakers, and an IR blaster.

At the bottom, another stereo speaker, USB Type-C port, and mic complete the setup. 

On the left, there is a SIM tray, which, surprisingly, has a dedicated microSD slot, alongside the dual nano SIM slots. This means that you can use dual SIMs and have expandable storage simultaneously.

To the right, conveniently placed, are the power button and volume rockers. While the power button feels ergonomically positioned for my thumb reach, I do find the volume rockers require a slight stretch, though overall, the button placement is adequate for daily use.

The device has minimal side bezels, though the top and bottom bezels are slightly more pronounced. The in-display fingerprint sensor placement may also seem a tad lower than optimal for some users. The punch-hole cutout seems a tad large at first but it should blend in with use. The display is protected by NEG glass.

The Infinix NOTE 40 5G employs glossy plastic for its frame, which is prone to fingerprints and smudges. The matte back feels good, but the glossy camera module contrasts. Holding it bare is secure, but the Mag Case demands a firm grip. It’s a hard case, not TPU, and leaves top and bottom exposed.

Active Halo Lighting adds lighting up for notifications, gaming, music, and charging, adjustable in settings. Available colors include Titan Gold and Obsidian Black. I got the latter one for review and it looks more like a deep blue rather than black.

Plus, it’s got NFC for contactless payments and more, so you can tap for payments straight from your phone. And it’s IP53 rated, so no worries about minor water splashes or dust.

Infinix NOTE 40 5G Review – Display and Speakers

The Infinix NOTE 40 5G rocks a 6.78-inch Full HD+ 120 Hz AMOLED screen. It’s got an in-display fingerprint sensor and boasts a screen-to-body ratio of 93.8%. With a peak brightness hitting 1300 nits and TUV Rheinland EyeCare certification, this display is top-notch, offering 100% PCIe or DCI-P3 color gamut for vibrant visuals.

While the display feels a bit large for my liking, it’s perfect for binge-watching and content consumption. The punch hole may seem large but it doesn’t distract from the viewing experience. Colors pop with vibrancy, making everything look sharp and pleasing to the eye.

Brightness is solid both indoors and outdoors, even under harsh sunlight, thanks to that impressive 1300 nits peak brightness. It’s definitely one of the brightest displays out there (in this segment), so no worries about visibility in any setting.

One thing I’ve noticed with the display is a noticeable touch delay when using the UI. I’m not sure if it’s the touch sampling rate or something in the UI causing this issue, but it’s definitely something that needs to be improved.

Now, onto the speakers—this phone packs a pair of stereo speakers tuned by JBL. They deliver solid audio with noticeable bass and crisp treble. However, the mids can feel a bit muffled at times. Overall, it’s a great setup for enjoying media and watching content.

Infinix NOTE 40 5G Review - Software

This is my first time using an Infinix phone with XOS, and I’m pretty impressed with what it offers. XOS brings all the customization you’d expect from an Android skin, like lock screen and home screen tweaks. 

The Folex AI system on the Infinix NOTE 40 5G is a really good addition. It can make phone calls, take selfies, clean your storage, activate the hyper-charge feature, get directions to a train station, open maps, open apps, download apps, and even search Google for pictures of zebras. 

It’s super handy for writing, too. Let’s say you’re typing a message, just press and hold to select the text, then activate the Ask AI assistant. It can generate content, optimize your text, or even check your grammar. It’s a free tool right at your fingertips. It’s like Google Assistant on steroids (seriously, this assistant is not just a gimmick; it’s super helpful).

When it comes to privacy, XOS is loaded. You get features like Blank Data, Xclone, AppLock, Peek Proof, Secure Keyboard, and Repair Mode. And for the cool stuff, there’s the Dynamic Bar, which is a copy of the Dynamic Island on iPhones. 

Apps can be swiped left or right to activated floating windows or accessed from the Recents menu. The Smart Panel lets you copy and drag images, text, and files, similar to the File Dock on OxygenOS and ColorOS. There’s also a built-in PC connection mode, so you can mirror your phone to your PC.

Battery features are on point, too. You can limit charging to a certain percentage, use bypass charging, and even do reverse wireless charging. Another cool feature is the ability to generate AI wallpapers. XOS really impressed me, but it has some downsides. 

The design doesn’t look modern, and the quick settings is limited to just 24 toggles, the notifications can be a bit chunky, and the default Emoji Keyboard is a nightmare. Speaking of which, the haptic feedback on the Emoji Keyboard or even Gboard, for that matter, is really bad.

Oh, and did I mention? The Infinix NOTE 40 5G runs on XOS 14 based on Android 14. Infinix promises 2 OS updates and 3 years of security updates for this device, although their track record on timely updates is spotty. Hopefully, the company will take the feedback positively and work on the flaws of the UI and the delivery of software updates on time.

Infinix NOTE 40 5G Review – Performance

Let’s talk about performance on the Infinix NOTE 40 5G. It’s powered by the Dimensity 7020 chipset, which is a scaled-down version of the Dimensity 7050. This chipset is slightly better than the Snapdragon 695, commonly seen in this price range. 

The Dimensity 7020 features two Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.2 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz, with an IMG BXM-8-256 GPU running at 900 MHz. It’s built on TSMC’s 6nm manufacturing process.

The device comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage, which is fine for this segment. While the performance isn’t groundbreaking, it’s decent. 

The focus is more on the wireless charging and display features. The NOTE 40 5G handles day-to-day tasks like chatting, browsing, and social media smoothly. It can also handle light gaming.

For instance, I played PUBG for an hour, and the experience was smooth, though there was a 9% battery drop. The highest settings available are HD + High, which will get you around 30 fps. On Smooth + Ultra settings, though, you get around 35 to 40 fps. It’s not the best for hardcore gaming but works for casual play.

For Call of Duty Mobile, I managed high settings with max frame rates, getting around 60 FPS. The battery drain was 8% over an hour, which is reasonable. 

If you’re into benchmarks, here are the numbers: AnTuTu scores around 479929, which is solid for the Dimensity 7020. On Geekbench 6, it scores 892 for single-core and 2135 for multi-core. 

I ran a thermal throttling test of 30 threads over 30 minutes that showed the CPU throttling to 84% of its max performance, with an average GIPS of 211,368. In the Slingshot Extreme 3D Mark test, it scored 2,534.

The Infinix NOTE 40 5G isn’t a gaming powerhouse, but it’s optimized well for its chipset. It’s more suited for casual gamers and those who prioritize features like wireless charging and a 120 Hz AMOLED display over raw gaming performance. 

Infinix NOTE 40 5G Review – Cameras

The Infinix NOTE 40 5G has a decent camera setup. It has a triple camera setup on the rear (technically a single camera setup) that includes a 108 MP main camera, a 2 MP depth sensor, and a 2 MP macro. On the front is a 32 MP selfie camera.

Detailed specs are as follows:

• Main Camera: 108 MP, 1/1.67”, f/1.8, 23mm, PDAF
• Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4
• Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4
• Selfie: 32 MP, 1/3.15”, f/2.2, 21mm
• Main Video: 2K30, 1080p30, 1080p60
• Selfie Video: 2K30, 1080p30, 1080p60

The most surprising part about this phone, to me, was its main camera. For starters, the Infinix NOTE 40 5G uses a 108 MP Samsung HM6 main lens with no OIS. Although there is no OIS, the shots in daylight come out pretty good.

During daylight, the main camera manages highlights well and brings out shadow details decently. However, there’s a recurring issue with overexposed skies in regular 1x shots. There is also a pinkish tint in most of the shots.

The 3x zoom (digital in-sensor crop) can often mess with color consistency. I found the 3x shots to give out more accurate colors when compared to the 1x shots. Despite these quirks, both 1x and 3x zoom shots offer good detail, especially noticeable when zooming in.

Moving to portraits, the natural bokeh effect from the main sensor adds a nice touch, and edge detection is decent. Also, it’s good to see toggles for 1x and 2x zoom in portrait mode, which isn’t common in this price range. There is decent background and foreground separation, too.

Skin tones generally look accurate, although there’s occasionally a subtle pink tint. The shutter speed impressed me with its quick response, although processing times for portrait mode photos can be a bit slow. I really liked the Pro mode, though, it offers different metering modes for better control over exposure.

Switching to the front camera, it’s not as strong as the rear setup. Details are lacking, and HDR performance can be hit or miss, sometimes resulting in overexposed highlights. The portrait mode on the front camera is decent but may struggle with edge detection at times.

Video-wise, the Infinix NOTE 40 5G supports 1080p portrait mode videos at 30fps, which are generally stable. However, stabilization takes a hit when shooting in 2K resolution. The device maxes out at 2K30 for video recording. 

In low-light conditions, Auto mode tends to introduce noise and overexpose highlights, although Super Night mode helps in controlling highlights better, albeit with longer processing times. Low-light selfies are usable but lack detail and sharpness, often appearing noisy.

Overall, the Infinix NOTE 40 5G delivers solid daylight photography and respectable portrait mode features with good zoom capabilities. 

However, there are some issues with the camera too like subpar low-light performance, the lack of OIS and an ultrawide camera, and the video resolution being limited to 2K30. The Super Night mode enhancements could also be better, pointing to areas for potential future updates.

Infinix NOTE 40 5G Review – Battery Life and Charging

Let’s now get to the main USP of this phone. The Infinix NOTE 40 5G has a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 33W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging. What made me delighted was that Infinix is using a Lithium-ion battery on this phone, and not the inferior Lithium-polymer battery that is infamous for poor ageing.

That aside, the battery life is pretty solid on this device. In my brief testing period, the phone lasted me around 8 to 9 hours with regular usage. I used a bunch of lightweight apps like X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube, played a few games, and did some music streaming. 

When the battery goes low, you have two options: wired charging or wireless charging. Wired charging is, of course, faster and more efficient; hence, it can quickly juice up your phone (from 0 to 100% in about an hour and 15 minutes).

When it comes to charging options, the Infinix NOTE 40 5G provides three modes: Hyper, Smart, and Low-Temp. The Low-Temp mode charges the phone slower to keep it cool, while the Hyper mode charges faster but heats up the device. The Smart mode adapts based on your environment and charging needs, more like a balanced approach.

Infinix has equipped the NOTE 40 5G with the Cheetah X1 chip, a dedicated power management chip that enhances charging speeds and battery life. 

According to Infinix, this chip also helps with wireless charging. Speaking of which, the phone supports 15W wireless charging. In my testing, it took about three hours to charge from 2% to 82% wirelessly. While not the fastest, wireless charging is convenient for overnight or desk charging.

The Infinix NOTE 40 5G also supports reverse wireless charging and reverse wired charging, allowing you to charge other devices either wirelessly or via cable. The Infinix NOTE 40 5G supports Qi charging, so you can use any compatible Qi charger for wireless charging and not just Infinix’s MagPad Wireless Charger.

And I am happy to report that Infinix’s MagPower (wireless powerbank) is also compatible with the NOTE 40 5G. Additionally, it features Bypass Charging, which powers the components directly without stressing the battery, reducing the temperature of the battery and keeping the device cooler.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Infinix NOTE 40 5G?