Review Summary
Expert Rating
The Infinix Note 40X is the entry-level smartphone in the brand’s Note 40 lineup. The new smartphone features MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC at its core, packs a 108MP primary camera and has a generous 256GB of internal storage. This is all packed in a sleek body and can be had for under Rs 15,000. The price segment pits the phone against many noteworthy smartphones, so the question is, does it offer enough value to differentiate itself in this price bracket? Let’s find out in this review.
Table of Contents
Verdict
Design
| Infinix Note 40x | Lava Blaze X | Redmi 13 5G | |
| Thickness | 8.26mm | 8.45mm | 8.3mm |
| Weight | 201 grams | 183 grams | 205 grams |
You’ll find that the smartphone’s design draws inspiration from the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The rear cameras & flash unit are all placed similarly to Apple’s offering. The camera rings protrude a little, which makes the phone wobble when placed on a flat surface. The rear panel is made of PMMA (rigid plastic) and features a gradient design, which changes colours depending on the angle you look at.
The phone has flat edges and they can dig into your palms if you hold it tightly. The rear panel’s finish makes it very resistant to fingerprints and smudges, so rest assured on that front. While the phone is not exactly lightweight at 201 grams, you quickly get used to the heft.
The device features a 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grille and a Type-C port on the bottom. The volume rockers and power button are located towards the right edge and the latter is placed a little lower, so you can comfortably reach it with your thumb. The placement is intentional since the power button also doubles as a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Display
| Infinix Note 40x | Lava Blaze X | Redmi 13 5G | |
| Display | 6.78-inch IPS LCD | 6.67-inch curved AMOLED | 6.79-inch IPS LCD |
| Brightness | 500nits | 800nits | 550nits |
The Infinix Note 40X flaunts a 6.78-inch LCD panel with FHD+ (2,460 x 1,080p) resolution that refreshes at 120Hz and can go up to 500 nits in terms of brightness levels. The brightness is sufficient for indoor use but falls short outdoors. The display has a noticeable chinat the bottom with thin bezels around the other sides, though that’s commonplace for the price segment. The screen offers good viewing angles and comes with eye care (reading mode), which makes it comfortable to look at the panel for extended periods.
I wish the display could be an AMOLED panel instead since competitors like the Lava Blaze X, Realme P1, and POCO X6 Neo all feature an AMOLED panel, which elevates the multimedia experience significantly. The viewing experience on the smartphone is satisfactory, and the paired stereo speakers get sufficiently loud. The phone also supports QHD playback on YouTube, which is a pleasant surprise.
Cameras
The Infinix Note 40X features a triple rear camera setup, which consists of a 108MP primary camera, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. At the front, there’s an 8MP selfie camera. The primary camera takes good daylight images with a balanced colour profile and a decent level of dynamic range. There’s a dedicated 108MP mode to capture images with a higher level of detail.
The primary camera comes with a 3x in-sensor zoom, which takes satisfactory images without losing too much detail. The phone has surprisingly good low-light capabilities and outputs sharp, detailed night shots. There’s also a sky shop mode, which adds pre-loaded skies to your images. I compared the Infinix Note 40X’s cameras against some of its key competitors to see how they compare. Here’s how it went:
Daylight
Comparing the daylight shots of the Infinix Note 40X and Redmi 13 5G, you’ll notice the latter has more saturated colours and a higher contrast level. The dynamic range is slightly better in the former’s image, and the detail level is on par for both phones. The Redmi 13’s image is slightly sharper, and due to its high contrast, it might appeal more to users who like social media-ready images.
Portrait
For portrait shots, the Infinix Note 40X does a slightly better job of isolating the subject compared to the Redmi 13 5G. The level of facial detail and sharpness are on par for both phones. The former, however, has a more natural colour reproduction, while the latter adds an orange tint to the skin.
The Lava Blaze X’s edge detection is not on par with the Infinix Note 40X and the image also appears a lot softer. The face appears blurry, and the image appears washed out due to overexposure. The Infinix Note 40X takes much better images compared to the Lava Blaze X.
Selfie
When it comes to selfies, the Infinix Note 40X’s colour science differs from its primary camera. The image has boosted colours and a good level of facial detail. The Redmi 13 5G also changes colours, with the image having more balanced colours. The level of detail in both images is on par, and the choice boils down to personal preferences.
The Lava Blaze X’s selfie appears even more boosted when compared with the Infinix Note 40X. The image also lacks sharpness compared to the latter and has a high level of contrast.
Low light
The phones in this segment are not known for their low-light photography capabilities, but the Infinix Note 40X is a surprisingly capable low-light shooter. The phone takes better low-light images compared to the Redmi 13 5G. It maintains better sharpness and the noise level is comparatively lower. The former also preserves the shadows better and reflects the actual scene more closely.
The Lava Blaze X also fails to measure up to Infinix Note 40X’s low-light images. The image is not as sharp compared to the latter and appears hazy due to overexposure.
Performance and software
The Infinix Note 40X features the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS2.2 storage. I received the 12GB variant and had a pleasant day-to-day experience with the smartphone. There were no issues with general everyday usage, which included browsing apps like Instagram, UPI apps, YouTube, Netflix and such.
With 12GB RAM, I was also able to keep multiple apps running in the background without the system shutting them down to optimise performance. Though that did lead to slight lag, it’s only when you push the system beyond what’s usually required in everyday usage. The 256GB internal storage will also serve users well into the future, eliminating concerns about running out of space anytime soon.
We compared the phone against its key competitors, the Redmi 13 5G, Lava Blaze X and Realme P1 in performance-based benchmark tests. The phone’s performance output is modest compared to its peers, and it falls short in terms of benchmark numbers. The phone, however, can play demanding games like COD: Mobile and BGMI at medium graphic settings and offers an average frame rate of 27FPS on these settings. Lowering the resolution helps boost frame rates and leads to a more enjoyable gameplay experience. The Infinix Note 40x manages its thermals quite well. The device registered a total temperature rise of 15 degrees Celsius in roughly 1.5 hours of gameplay, which is lower compared to its peers.
The smartphone comes with XOS based on Android 14 out of the box. Infinix has worked to reduce the clutter in its UI, and I did not encounter any ads during my time with the phone. There’s also a lower number of pre-loaded apps, and those can be removed easily if you wish to. The UI is well-optimised and offers a host of features to enhance your productivity. There’s also NFC support for contactless payments, which is a welcome addition.
There’s a dynamic bar function, which is similar to Apple’s dynamic island and it pops up when you use face unlock, put the phone to charge, during calls and while recording. The software is quite feature-rich and offers functions like a smart panel (similar to the quick sidebar found in other phones), MemFusion (virtual RAM expansion), floating windows, game mode and more.
The phone also incorporates some AI functions: an AI wallpaper generator, a text extractor that works with almost all apps, and an app booster which preloads frequently used apps and smart scenes for important reminders. I tested out the AI wallpaper generator and text extractor (smart touch) extensively and they work quite well. You can check out some of the nicer wallpapers that I managed to generate:
The wallpaper function takes a few tries to get it right but does offer some pleasing results. The smart touch is quite a boon for picking up text from apps and images where you can’t directly copy, though the text often comes out disjointed and needs some tweaking. Still, it is a great function if you tend to have a lot of documents in the form of images and want to quickly transcribe them.
| Pre-loaded apps | Software updates | |
| Infinix Note 40X | 46 | 2 years of security updates |
| Lava Blaze X | 31 | 1 year OS, 2 years security |
| Redmi 13 5G | 60 | 2 years OS, 4 years security |
| Realme P1 | 53 | 2 years OS, 3 years security |
The brand does not mention any major Android upgrades for the device, although it will receive two years of security updates. This remains one of the issues with the smartphone, considering competitors offer an average of 2 major OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates in this price bracket.
Battery and charging
A standard 5,000mAh battery fuels the Infinix Note 40X and comes with 18W fast charging support. The phone registered around 13 hours and 24 minutes on our PCMark battery benchmark test. The result is comparatively lower compared to other phones within the segment. In real-world usage, the battery registered an aggregate battery drain of 27 percent in roughly 2 hours of heavy usage, which includes gaming and streaming videos.
The phone offers roughly 5–6 hours of screen time with heavy usage and can last an entire day easily with moderate usage levels. The included 18W charger takes 2 hours and 12 minutes to recharge the device completely from 20 percent capacity. The charging time is certainly on the higher side, since a lot of phones in this price range offer around 33W or better fast charging support.
| Infinix Note 40X | Lava Blaze X | Redmi 13 5G | Realme P1 | |
| Battery size | 5000mAh | 5000mAh | 5030mAh | 5000mAh |
| Charging speed | 132 minutes (18W) | 90 minutes (33W) | 86 minutes (33W) | 48 minutes (45W) |
Final Verdict
The Infinix Note 40X carries a starting price of Rs 14,999 for the 8GB+256GB variant and Rs 15,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant. The phone sits at an extremely competitive price point and faces stiff competition. Its key competitors include the Redmi 13 5G (review) and Lava Blaze X (review), both of which have a similar starting price.
The Redmi 13 5G is a better performer, has superior daylight cameras, charges faster, and offers longer software support compared to the Infinix Note 40X. The Lava Blaze X also outperforms in terms of speed, boasts an exquisite design, charges as quickly as the Redmi 13 5G, features an AMOLED display for a better multimedia experience, and has a clean, stock Android-like UI.
The Infinix Note 40X shines in that it offers a good mix of features. While it may not be as fast as its peers, it comes with a generous 256GB internal storage and 8GB of RAM in the base variant. Its multimedia experience, while not exceptional, is still adequate for the segment, and the phone takes much better low-light images compared to its competition. Not to mention, the phone easily delivers an entire day of battery life for an average user. If these aspects appeal to you, the Infinix Note 40X is an option worth considering.
Editor’s Rating: 7.5 / 10
Reasons to buy:
- The smartphone offers a smooth 120Hz display.
- The phone delivers great battery life that can easily last an entire day for most users.
- The device comes with 256GB of internal storage, even in the base variant.
- The handset takes good low-light images for the price segment.
Reasons not to buy:
- The Infinix Note 40X does not offer much in the way of software support.
- The phone’s charging speed is slow compared to the competition.
- The phone’s performance is average at best for the price segment.
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