Infinix is not the first brand you’d think of when purchasing a budget or mid-range smartphone online. However, the company has a good offline presence and makes many phones that cater to the budget and mid-range segment. The new
Running games at full graphics can cause some lag
The phone gets hybrid dual speakers claimed to be tuned by JBL. They get loud but don’t pack in any bass. The audio quality through the microphone was good in both voice and video calls.
Infinix Note 40 5G Cameras: Usable
- 108-megapixel primary rear camera
- 32-megapixel selfie unit
- 3X lossless zoom
Although it looks like the Infinix Note 40 5G sports a triple rear camera setup, there’s only one usable sensor there. The other sensors aren’t accessible in the camera app and are mainly used to provide depth information for portrait photos. The Camera app is easy to use and has all modes right before you.
You get two non-usable cameras on the phone
The primary rear camera takes good photos in daylight conditions, offering saturated colours with decent details. HDR and white balance are also pretty decent here. Infinix claims that the primary camera can shoot 3x lossless zoom photos, and while I did find the 3x shots to be nice to look at, they weren’t colour-accurate and lacked details.
Daylight shots from the primary 108-megapixel rear camera [Tap to expand]
The primary camera struggled to produce good photos in low light conditions, with the auto night mode kicking in. The images had a lot of noise and blur because the sensor only supports electronic image stabilisation. However, the Super Night mode produces better results and I’d recommend using this in lowlight conditions. Once again, the 3x zoom mode doesn’t produce great results when the sun hits the sack.
Top to bottom: Two 3x zoom shots, two lowlight photos (1st with auto night mode, 2nd with Super Night mode) [Tap to expand]
The Infinix Note 40 5G selfie camera produces decent shots in daylight conditions. There are good details, and the colours are less saturated than the photos from the rear camera. You also get an LED slit flash on the front so that you can get some good selfies at night.
Coming to video quality, the phone offers up to 2K resolution video recording at 30fps. However, the Ultrasteady stability mode is only available at 1080p 30fps. The rear camera shoots decent-quality videos with enough details in daylight conditions. Still, the stabilisation is not that great, and you’ll notice jarring and stuttering if you’re moving a lot. Lowlight videos are not good; you can see plenty of noise even at 2K resolution. The dynamic range isn’t too bad, but HDR and colour need improvement.
Infinix Note 40 5G Battery: Say hello to wireless charging
- 15W wireless charging
- Cheetah X1 power management chip
- 5,000mAh battery
The phone offers decent battery performance. In our HD video test, the Note 40 5G lasted around 18 hours. You can charge up the phone from 0 to 100 percent in about 1 hour and 15 mins thanks to the included 33W fast charger. The self-developed Cheetah X power management chip offers features such as bypass charging, wireless reverse charging, and dynamic charge modes. The chip appears to help, as the phone never heats when using the wired charger.
The MagCharge puck magnetically attaches to the provided case
Then there’s also the 15W wireless charging, which takes about 3 hours to charge the device fully and leaves the phone warm. The phone supports the MagCharge accessory from Infinix and comes with a supported case in the box. The phone would last me about a day and a half with some web browsing, YouTube streaming, camera usage, and about 45 minutes of gaming.
Infinix Note 40 5G Verdict
The Infinix Note 40 5G competes with phones such as the Realme P1 5G (Review), the Poco X6 Neo 5G (Review), and the recently launched OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite (Review). None of these phones offer wireless charging, but you get better design and slightly better camera performance from the Realme and the OnePlus. The Poco X6 Neo 5G is also a good choice and costs less.
If you’re looking for a phone with wireless charging under Rs. 20,000 that also offers a good display, decent primary rear camera, and decent battery life, then the Infinix Note 40 5G is an excellent choice. You also get the Active Halo lighting at the back, which is something unique. If wireless charging is not to your interest, then the Realme P1 would be a better option.
