INFINIX NOTE 40 5G

INFINIX NOTE 40 5G REVIEW; The last two mid-range phones from Infinix that I reviewed - the Zero 30 5G (review) and GT 10 Pro (review) - left a good impression on me. I even got to use the GT 20 Pro (review) for some time and the handset seemed to have a lot going for it. This is why I was keen to get my hands on the Note 40 5G and see if it comes with the same ethos that makes the brand's other recent handsets compelling buys or not. Priced at Rs 18,999 (Rs 17,499 with bank discounts), the Note 40 5G is the most affordable handset you can buy right now that supports wireless charging. While this USP alone makes it worth checking out this phone, there is much more to it. Having spent more than two weeks with the phone, I can now share with you whether you should consider buying the Note 40 5G or opt for another phone in this price range. Without further ado, let's get into the detailed review. Verdict While the Infinix Note 40 5G offers decent performance on most fronts, the key selling point of this phone is that it supports wireless charging. No other phone in its price range can boast of this feature. The phone offers a comprehensive set of features and a clean UI on the software front but performance-wise, it faces stiff competition in its price range. Design and display Infinix Note 40 5G CMF Phone 1 OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Thickness 7.75mm 8.2mm 8.1mm Weight 190 grams 197 grams 191 grams IP Rating IP54 IP52 IP54 Although design has been a strong point for some of the Infinix phones in the last year, the Note 40 5G feels a bit underwhelming in this department. The handset features a matte finish at the back and a glossy finish on the sides. This means that while the phone doesn't collect fingerprints through its back panel, the sides of the phone act as a magnet for these. Infinix has gone ahead with a very minimalistic design here and apart from the camera setup, nothing sticks out (pun intended). The rectangular protruding camera setup comes with three sensors and an 'Active Halo' circular light with an LED right around it. Infinix says that this is "first-in-segment AI lighting" and that "it effortlessly sparks up engaging conversations and brightens up various scenes with mesmerizing light effects." The lighting effects can be used for different scenarios - incoming calls, notifications, charging, games, music, startup, and voice assistant. You get three settings for the lighting effect - Lively, Rhythmic, and AI. In the AI setting, the colours in the backlight change dynamically, according to the scenario. In all three of these effects, you can choose to either have a primary solid colour or a mix of colours. Although the phone has a blocky design and features a massive display (one of the largest in its price range), the handset doesn't feel unwieldy. Power and volume buttons are located on the right spine of the Note 40 and are easily accessible with the thumb. The USB Type-C charging port is present at the bottom of the phone but there is no 3.5mm headphone jack here. Infinix Note 40 5G CMF Phone 1 OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Size 6.78 inches (AMOLED) 6.67 inches (AMOLED) 6.67 inches (AMOLED) Peak Brightness 1300 nits 2000 nits 2100 nits Refresh Rate 120Hz 120Hz 120Hz You get an FHD+ AMOLED panel here with a maximum refresh rate up to 120Hz and a peak brightness of up to 1300 nits. These specifications translate well to real-life usage too as the phone holds up well under direct sunlight and provides you with butter-smooth animations. The AMOLED panel offers an impressive contrast ratio that provides a good viewing experience, irrespective of the content you're watching. I enjoyed watching TV shows on Netflix on this handset and the bottom-firing speaker also did a reasonably good job whenever I didn't want to connect my Bluetooth earphones to the phone. phones, some of the features just feel like gimmicks. The dynamic bar feature shows notifications around the selfie camera cutout but this feature is more for the aesthetics than anything else. Talking about the more useful features, The handset also comes with 'Note AI', a group of AI features that help you with content creation, content summarisation, natural language image search and more. In my usage, I found these features to work well and the added convenience does make its presence felt. The brand is offering 2 years of OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates with this phone. However, this is the same issue that plagues the CMF Phone 1, Nord CE4 Lite, and almost all other phones in this price range. It'd be good to have at least 3 years of OS upgrades and 4 years of security updates as a standard for this price range. PHONE PRE-LOADED APPS (OUT-OF-THE-BOX) OS UPDATES Infinix Note 40 5G 35 2 years OS, 3 years security CMF Phone 1 29 2 years OS, 3 years security OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 50 2 years OS, 3 years security Battery and charging Infinix Note 40 comes with a 5,000mAh battery and supports 33W fast charging. In regular usage, the phone will easily last you a day of usage but will need charging at the end of it. In the PCMark battery test, the phone lasted 10 hours and 3 minutes for us. This is short of the battery life offered by CMF Phone 1 and the Nord CE4 Lite in this test. These handsets registered timings of 15 hours and 11 minutes, and 11 hours and 32 minutes, respectively in the same benchmark test. With a standard charging speed, the phone charges in over an hour. It is pretty much in line with the competition in this price range. However, the standout feature is of course wireless charging support. The Note 40 5G holds the distinction of being the most affordable handset in the market to support wireless charging right now. This is indeed a convenient feature to have and 15W Wireless MagCharge never feels slow either. While the brand initially offered a wireless charger bundled with the phone, it can be bought separately for Rs 1,999. Final Verdict Infinix Note 40 5G comes with a good display, offers decent performance, and acts as an all-rounder. As we mentioned above, the CMF Phone 1 offers a compelling package in this price range too, but the Infinix phone offers a better camera performance. While the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite offers a better camera performance and faster charging, it doesn't match up to the Infinix handset in general performance. If you have your priorities set in mind, you can easily take your pick out of the three. As one of the biggest feathers in its cap, the Inifinix Note 40 5G supports wireless charging, which comes in handy and helps the phone stand out in its price segment. We earlier reviewed the Pro variant of the phone and it won't be wrong to say that this phone offers a similar experience at a more affordable price point. Editor's rating: 7.5 / 10 Reasons to buy The 120Hz AMOLED display is ideal for watching video content. This is the most affordable phone that supports wireless charging. Night shots are good for the price range. Offers consistent performance under load. Reasons to not buy Powerful competition in the same price range. The camera performance could have been better.