Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G Review with Pros and Cons

Infinix has announced an all-new Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G Series in the country today. The series includes two smartphones- Infinix Note 40 Pro and Infinix Note 40 Pro+ 5G. With this Note 40 Pro Series, Infinix had its first major launch in 2024, wherein the brand claims to have focused on three main aspects- design, performance, and charging. 

In an era when brands like Samsung don’t offer a single adapter inside the box, Infinix has built an ecosystem of charging options, including wireless and magnetic charging, which are seen only on iPhones.

It also features an AMOLED display, a 5000mAh battery, a 108MP camera, OIS, a Vegan leather design, a clean UI, and much more. However, with fierce competition from various brands, will the Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G be able to make its mark? Let’s find out.

Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G Review: Design & Build

With the Infinix Note 40 Series, the brand has emphasized offering a premium leather finish design. The Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G comes in Vintage Green and Titan Golden shades, out of which I received the former for review purposes. The Vintage Green version has an urban-inspired design with a vegan leather finish for the rear panel. The design and feel of the back panel impressed me when I first held the device in hand. It doesn’t catch any smudges or dirt, which is very good. If you like a glass finish more, opt for the Titan Gold variant.

A slightly protruded golden-colored rectangular camera module at the back has three camera cutouts and a HALO light, a new feature for the device. At the bottom is Infinix branding scribbled in golden color. The back panel has a matte finish, so it grips comfortably in hand, and using the Magsafe case makes you feel like you’re getting an Apple-like experience. Overall, it has a clean design and a sturdy build.

At the front is a curved display with sleek bezels and a punch-hole notch at the top for the selfie camera. The right edge houses the volume rocker and power button, while the left is vacant. At the bottom is a USB-C port, speaker grille, and SIM tray, while the top side includes a secondary speaker and IR blaster. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack, which is a bummer. The smartphone weighs 190 grams b, but the weight is evenly distributed s, so it doesn’t feel heavy (even when MagPower is attached). It is 8.09mm thick, which gives it a sleek look. Moreover, the IP54 rating ensures protection against splashes.

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Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G Review: Display

The Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G flaunts a 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED display. The display has sleek bezels, which make it look enormous, and the visuals feel decently sized. The display comes with 2160Hz PWM dimming and 10-bit color depth, offering bright, detailed, and crisp visuals while gaming and content consumption.

The blacks and whites are well differentiated, and viewing angles are decent. 1300 nits brightness ensures the display is visible indoors; however, it feels inadequate under harsh sunlight. There is also a high brightness mode, which can increase brightness even more under harsh lighting conditions, but that doesn’t have any significant effect. Moreover, this mode consumes more battery, so it’s better to not enable it.

120Hz refresh rate gives a buttery smooth scrolling experience while reading books and playing games. One can choose between 120Hz, 60Hz, and auto-switch modes depending on usage. Low blue light protection ensured my eyes were not strained even after long hours of usage.

The display on Note 40 Pro is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass GG5, so you don’t have to worry about accidental drops, scratches, and bumps. The Display Settings Menu also offers features like changing font size, color style, eye care mode, light and dark themes, and more.

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Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G Review: Performance

The Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G draws power from a MediaTek Dimensity 7020 chipset, which might not be the fastest in the segment but still easily handles maximum everyday tasks. The chipset, combined with 8GB onboard RAM, ensured fast performance. The apps loaded and opened swiftly, and switching between apps was smooth. However, the stutter could be felt when more than 12 apps were running in the background, and some were games.

When I tried to switch between them, it took the device a few seconds to make the switch, and the apps lagged for some time when opening. 256GB storage was ample enough to store important documents, precious memories, favorite videos, and more.

Talking about gaming, heavy titles with intense graphics like Asphalt 9 ran well, even in high graphic settings. However, running a heavy title with the highest quality and graphics starts lagging after 20 minutes of gaming. The device also warmed up a little as the gaming session was in progress. Light games like Burger Shop, Township, Goods Sort, Car Park, Candy Crush, Cake Mania, and more could be played for hours without issues. The device is not meant for something other than avid gamers who like to participate in tournaments throughout the day. Otherwise, it is okay.

Regarding software now, Infinix claims to have worked hard in this department as well. The smartphone runs XOS 14 based on Android 14 out of the box. The UI has been made lighter and cleaner this time, as there’s hardly any bloatware. The pre-installed apps are Caricare, Chrome, Facebook, and others. If you don’t need them, you can always uninstall them. Infinix has promised two years of Android updates, which means you’ll only get Android 15 and 16 on it, which feels less in today’s times. Security patches for thirty-six months are fine, though.

NEW FEATURES

Infinix has introduced the first AI assistant, Folax, which has two significant functions- Folax Voice and Folax Translate. Folax Translate allows you to get chat translation in real-time and voice and image translation as well when you need it. Folax Voice will enable you to perform various actions with just your voice. You can say ‘Hi, Folax’ to wake up your device and ask Folax to write you a report, give you ideas for something, and much more. Although functions are limited, Folax works well for the most part.

The other notable and funky feature is Active Halo Lighting. This can be seen at the back alongside the camera cutouts, indicating incoming calls, notifications, charging, and much more. You can choose the color of these lights, and three effects are available- lively, rhythmic, and AI. The experience is fun as you try and play with these effects.

Other notable functions include a kids mode, smart panel, dynamic bar, floating windows, XClone, and Game Mode.

Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G REVIEW: CAMERA

The Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G has a triple camera setup at the back, which includes a 108MP primary sensor, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro sensor. At the front is a 32MP snapper for selfies.

The 108MP primary sensor takes good shots in daylight, both in default mode and 108MP mode. The shots are bright, crisp, detailed, and color-accurate. The photos look almost natural, as the processing doesn’t oversaturate or overexpose. This is good, as one can edit the images how they want.

The optical image stabilization works well, and shots of moving vehicles and shots while the device is in a moving car are stable.

Let us talk about the quality of low-light/indoor shots now. The shots clicked indoors with low light and decent overall quality. They were clear, mostly color-accurate, and natural too. However, the problem lies when you zoom into these shots, as the detailing is lost in low-light images. It is not as if there are no details, but one will still feel its inadequacy.

Portrait shots are super-detailed and clear indoors as well.

The other two 2MP lenses take just about ok close-up shots but there isn’t much to talk about them.

The 32MP selfie camera takes works exceedingly well. Outdoor selfies are amazing, but what impressed me was the quality of indoor low-light selfies. These were captured well, with all details and skin tones looking natural and balanced. There is some noise, but that is acceptable. Otherwise, the selfie snapper worked fine for this price range.

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Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging

One of the highlights of the Infinix Note 40 Pro Series is the charging ecosystem the brand has tried to offer. The Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G is the first Android device with magnetic charging capability. In an era when some companies are not providing even a single adapter inside the box, Infinix is offering not one or two but three charging solutions bundled with it.

Before we discuss charging solutions, let’s discuss battery life first. The 5000mAh battery easily lasts an entire workday with tasks including video calling, browsing social media, listening to music, reading articles, playing light games, messaging, and more. I started using the device with 100% battery at around 9 a.m., and after continuous usage for around 10 hours, there was still 20% battery remaining.

Now, let’s discuss the charging solutions. First, the device can be charged with a regular adapter and USB-C cable that offers a 45W fast charging speed. Using the charger, the device can be charged from 0 to 100% in about 1 hour and 15 minutes, which is acceptable considering the price point.

Now, onto the wireless solution. If you opt for Magkit, you’ll get a MagPower bank that can be snapped onto the device (with MagCase) anywhere to start charging. While it has a 3000mAh battery, it can’t charge the battery completely, but it comes in handy when you need power during emergencies. The power bank is compact and lightweight (86g), which ensures that the device does not feel bulky even with MagPower snapped on its back.

The third solution is MagPad, a small, round magnetic charging solution offering 10W to 22W charging speeds. Infinix has powered the device with a Cheetah X1 chip to manage power efficiently. There is also bypass charging 2.0 and reverse charging, which are not gimmicks but work well.

All in all, Infinix is offering a decent charging ecosystem with the Note 40 Pro 5G.

Review Verdict: Should you buy the Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G?

The Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G is a good deal for Rs. 19,999. It has a vegan leather design, curved AMOLED display, clean UI, 108MP camera, 5000mAh battery, and an entire charging ecosystem to make you go wireless. While it does come with limited OS updates and is not meant for intense gaming, this one can be a decent option for those looking to buy an affordable yet premium-feeling smartphone. Not only does it offer 5G, but it also comes with three chargers inside the box (early bird offer). Some fierce competitors that Infinix Note 40 Pro gets are Nothing Phone 2a, iQOO Z9, Vivo T3, Realme Narzo 70 Pro, and Poco X6 5G.