The Infinix Note 40 Pro was released last year in March and was in Kenya by April. I have had the chance to use it for 8 months. For a casual phone user, I’ve done almost all the mundane tasks and a bit more.
From May 2024, I’ve taken and edited photos and videos on it, logged my health metrics, used it for work video calls, and tried out its gaming capabilities for good measure.
To be honest, this is the first Infinix phone I have ever used, and I can confidently say I now fully trust the brand.
Infinix Note 40 Pro Design
So, let’s start with the Infinix Note 40 Pro design, which for me, is one of the best phone design trends around. It brings a design language once exclusive to flagship devices to lower-cost mobile options.
Featuring a curved Gorilla Glass screen and a surprisingly slim and svelte feel for its display size, the device also offers an optional leather rear. In my case, I was using the Titan Gold leather rear.
Both with the leather back and without, this device is definitely a head-turner because of its design. It exudes a premium vibe with its sleek look and feel, and I was often asked the phone brand, just because of the look, with many thinking it’s an expensive flagship.
It’s lightweight (190g); however, for me, I felt it was lighter without the leather back. It is slippery without it, and its curved edges are left exposed. Interchanging when to use or not to use the back gives a different phone look. Either way, the weight is optimally distributed.
The camera module sticks out a tad, but Infinix keeps it stylish. Decent IP53 protection to keep dust and splashes at bay, but there’s no headphone jack.
Next to the 3 cameras at the back of this phone is a little LED porthole that’s called Halo Lighting. This can light up with a color or color sequence of your choosing when charging, when notifications come in, when you play music, or when you use the Folax AI. Each of these can be toggled on or off.
There are three effects to choose from: lively, rhythmic, and AI. It looks cool, especially in the dark, but it wasn’t for me, and I had it off entirely.
Display
This phone has a 6.78-inch curved OLED screen. Despite its screen size, the phone feels remarkably compact thanks to the curved sides. With a 2436 x 1080 resolution and a standard punch-hole, the OLED display offers very good maximum brightness, a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and superb contrast.
It has two color modes, but I left it at the default original color mode with the color temperature set at default.
HDR functionality is present; furthermore, with the exception of nuanced color calibration options, the display experience is comparable to that of considerably more expensive handsets. I was capable of playing HDR videos on YouTube but not on Netflix.
With a resolution of 393 ppi and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, I found the display a smooth viewing experience for video content I indulged in. Yes, it’s AMOLED with a nice-looking Corning Gorilla Glass protection.
Camera Capabilities
I have to admit early, I am not much of a photographer. However, I found that the three main cameras on the Infinix Note 40 Pro and a front-facing selfie camera are pretty decent. The specs are a 108MP wide-angle lens, along with a 2MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro. The front camera is 32 MP.
There is the AI option and portrait for most standard photography. The portrait option impressed me for close-up photos, and you can alter the focal length, which can go from f/1.0 to f/16.
With portrait mode, you can tweak the effects to the best of your knowledge. I sort of tweaked with them until I hit my sweet spot. What I can say is that it can surprise you, and when you need some quick product photography for a small business brochure, I would not hesitate to recommend it.
The default AI camera automatically enhances images, which I guess is nice because I mostly take them to share on my WhatsApp status. It can take photos well in bright sunlight.
In dark places or in the evening, the AI recommends the super night mode, which helps take photos in dim conditions. It, however, does not achieve good clarity in these situations.
For a normal user, the occasional need to scan documents comes in, and with this phone you need no 3rd party app. It has the feature to scan, which is on by default. For those needing to scan QR codes directly, you can turn that on too.
However, while the quality of the document scanned is satisfactory, I would recommend using Google Docs or OneDrive, which are cleaner and have the option to save in different formats. The camera only saves as JPEG, which is okay if it fits your needs.
Daytime video recording on the Infinix Note 40 Pro (2K at 30fps) is clear and smooth, but night videos can be choppy.
For me, the camera isn’t the best even among its peers, but it was alright, especially if you just want pictures for Instagram and Snapchat.
Performance
This phone runs on Android 14 with XOS 14, which displays beautifully when the phone powers on. The OS and the XOS wrapper utilize the capabilities of the MediaTek Dimensity 7020 (6 nm) chipset.
For me, a phone user with no heavy demands for the hardware, the performance was spot on. I did not experience lagging switching from app to app, especially as I usually jump from my email to TikTok via X. There was never a problem.
I especially liked how it could reliably support 3 apps using the phone’s floating window feature. This is actually a cool feature you use, including pushing an active open app to the side to run in the background.
In today’s world, where one spends a lot of hours on a streaming app, I found it had no problem supporting any streaming application for hours on end. I used to join Zoom calls, TikTok live streams, and other online video forums. No lag and a decent front camera, which you can enhance by a ring light.
I am a lightweight phone gamer, and this performs without issue. This gaming can be extended to streaming on TikTok to those who would like an audience when playing. On one Saturday morning, I had an audience of close to 1000 as I played for 8 hours on the way to breaking my Subway Surfers high score, then at 21 million before setting the current of 26.09 million. I had no performance issues.
You can also use light editing apps like CapCut comfortably as well as streaming apps like Netflix.
There is lagging in games requiring faster motion processing. For instance, playing PUBG Mobile at HD graphics and high frame rate settings was not an all-smooth experience. For users with demanding gaming or content creation workloads, this device may prove inadequate.
Gaming or watching Netflix is supported by the JBL-tuned speakers, which offer high volume. The speakers do lack bass, though, producing a flat sound. I had to look for headsets when I desired bass. Wired headsets are USB, and they are required if you are to use the phone’s radio.
Battery and Charging
Battery life is pretty great, and I would hazard it’s about 12 hours if you are on a full charge and on normal use. The 5000 mAh battery reaches a full 100% battery level from zero in just over 40 minutes using the included 70W charger. It’s one phone I have never cared to carry a charger around. But if you have to, there is a wireless option.
The phone supports 20W Wireless MagCharge and includes Infinix’s MagKit—comprising the MagPad and a 3000mAh magnetic power bank (MagPower). This feature that looks really cool is rare at this price. It also supports reverse charging.
Oh, the Cheetah X1 chip designed by Infinix is excellent at power management. I know of no case of this phone overheating as some urban myths may claim.
Should You Buy the Infinix Note 40 Pro?
The quick answer is yes. 8 months later it still performs like it’s new. This is an affordable phone that looks really expensive. A casual phone user who uses their phone and rotates around social media and watching different media, especially on its large screen.
This phone is packed with features, including a stunning AMOLED display perfect for videos and games, a reliable main camera for preserving memories, and exceptional battery life.
Infinix’s Folex AI is a unique AI LLM that can take over as a voice assistant, and I found it to work pretty well.
Read: Infinix Note 40 Pro 4G Review: Big Step Forward
You throw in the AI, the features, and the fact that it does not hurt your bank balance; this is a perfect phone for standard users or if you are a heavy gamer and would like a second phone. Buy it for less than KES 40,000 in Kenya at the Infinix stores.
