Infinix Note 40 Pro

If you want a phone with the look and charging speed of a Note 40 Pro but do not need 5G, Infinix has a model for that: the Infinix Note 40 Pro, a 4G-only handset with a 3D-curved 120Hz AMOLED display, a MediaTek Helio G99 Ultimate chip, a 108MP stabilised main camera and a 5000 mAh battery that charges at up to 70W. This review is based on the published specifications and manufacturer information, and it is organised around one question: what do you gain, and what do you give up, by choosing the 4G Pro rather than one of its 5G relatives?

The short version

The Note 40 Pro (model number X6850 on the spec sheet) is the fast-charging, no-5G member of the Pro family. It shares its screen size, its main camera and its colour options with the Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G, but swaps the 5G chip and 45W charging for a 4G chip and 70W charging. It is also slimmer, at 7.75 mm against 8.09 mm, and a little lighter at 190 g. As for pricing, we found no official US price, and Infinix's pages we read do not print a launch date; the March 2024 date shown here is an approximate launch date, not a verified on-sale date.

What the Helio G99 Ultimate means in daily use

The Helio G99 Ultimate is a MediaTek chip with eight cores: two Cortex-A76 at up to 2.2GHz and six Cortex-A55 at up to 2.0GHz, with a Mali-G57 MC2 graphics unit. It is a long-lived mid-range design whose strengths are efficiency and good all-round behaviour for messaging, video and casual games. It is not a performance chip, and Infinix publishes no benchmark figures we could verify, so none are quoted here. The network side is 4G LTE with a long list of bands, which means that in countries with a mature 5G rollout the phone will not use the fastest available networks. Where 4G remains the main network, that matters far less.

The memory configuration is generous on paper. The spec sheet lists 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM with 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage, and the headline claim is up to 24GB of extended RAM. That figure adds virtual memory borrowed from storage to the physical 12GB; it helps with keeping apps alive, but it is not as fast as real RAM. The phone runs XOS 14 and the page lists two years of Android updates plus 36 months of security patches. Dual nano-SIM, Wi-Fi on 2.4 and 5GHz, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, FM radio, an infrared blaster and USB-C with OTG complete the connectivity list.

A slimmer curved body

The 6.78-inch AMOLED screen is described by Infinix as 3D-curved, with a 1080 x 2436 resolution, a refresh rate of 60Hz or 120Hz and a screen-to-body ratio of 93.8 percent. The brightness figures are worth reading carefully: 550 nits typical and 1300 nits peak. The lower number is the one that describes ordinary use; the higher one is a short-lived boost. A fingerprint reader sits under the display, touch sampling reaches up to 360Hz, and there is an X-axis vibration motor, which tends to give crisper haptics than a basic motor.

At 164.35 x 74.6 x 7.75 mm the phone is notably slim for a 5000 mAh battery. The back comes in Vintage Green or Titan Gold, and the camera area has a gold-toned plate with a ring-shaped light that Infinix calls Active Halo, which it says responds to calls, charging and other events. The phone is rated IP54, so it handles splashes and some dust but should not be taken into water. The front glass is marketed as Corning Gorilla Glass, with the exact version covered in a footnote on the product page.

70W charging: how to read the claims

This is the model's headline feature. Infinix pairs its Cheetah X1 power-management chip with a 70W charger and offers three charging modes. The page says the faster modes bring the battery to 50 percent in 16 to 20 minutes, and it says five minutes of charging can give up to 2.0 hours of gaming, 9.3 hours of calling, 5.1 hours of video playback or 2.3 hours of map navigation. These are manufacturer lab figures, and real results depend on the charger, the temperature and what the phone is doing. Infinix also lists bypass charging for gaming, which feeds power to the board directly and is said to reduce heat by 4.5 degrees Celsius, charging down to minus 20 degrees Celsius, and an overnight protection mode that parks the battery at 80 percent until shortly before you wake. The company says capacity holds up after 1600 charge cycles.

The phone also supports 20W magnetic wireless charging through the MagKit family of accessories (MagCase, MagPad and MagPower), plus reverse charging, both wireless and over a cable. Infinix states that third-party multi-protocol fast charging works with the PD3.0 standard. If you rely on wireless charging, check which accessories are sold in your country, because MagKit availability varies by market.

Camera: capable lead lens, weak supporting cast

The main camera has a 108MP sensor of 1/1.67 inch with an f/1.75 lens, optical stabilisation and autofocus. Two 2MP sensors with f/2.4 lenses accompany it. In other words, the photography depends on one lens. Any zoom beyond the main lens is a crop of the large sensor and not an optical telephoto, because no telephoto lens is listed. At the front there is a 32MP camera with an f/2.2 lens and a fixed focus. The scene modes include Super Night, Portrait, Slow Motion, Time-Lapse, Dual Video and Super Macro. Video goes up to 2K at 30 frames per second, or 1080p at 60, which is competent but short of 4K.

Buy it if, skip it if

Buy the Note 40 Pro if you want one of the quickest wired charging speeds in this price class, a thin curved AMOLED body and a camera that gets the main shot right, and your local network does not depend on 5G. Skip it if 5G matters, if you want the latest Wi-Fi standard or if you want a telephoto or ultrawide lens. For a 5G alternative from the same brand look at the Infinix Note 40 5G; for a gaming-oriented model, the Note 40 Pro versus GT 20 Pro comparison shows what a performance chip adds. Browse the phone rankings to see how it stands against other devices.

Limitations in one list

• 4G only, with no 5G support at all.
• A chip aimed at everyday use, not at heavy gaming.
• Only one meaningful rear camera.
• No 4K video recording listed.
• IP54 protection, which is splash resistance rather than waterproofing.
• A commitment of two Android updates, shorter than at the biggest brands.
• Peak brightness of 1300 nits is a boost figure; the typical figure is 550 nits.

Judged on its published specifications, the Note 40 Pro is a focused phone: it trades 5G for faster charging, a slimmer body and a lower platform cost, and it is honest about being a mid-range device.