In the last few years, Infinix has emerged as one of the best brands to offer bang-for-the-buck smartphones. So, it’s no surprise that many are excited with their latest entry-level phone, the Infinix HOT 40.
On paper, the HOT 40 has one of the better sets of hardware you can get for the price of under Php7,000. But is that enough to make it worth it? How do these specs perform in the real world? Does the software and user experience make it a good daily driver? We’ll answer these questions in our Infinix HOT 40 full review.
Infinix HOT 40 Specs
- Android 13, XOS 13.5
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.78-inch FHD+ LCD display, 2460 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~396ppi
- 90Hz refresh rate, 270Hz touch sampling
- MediaTek Helio G88 octa-core processor
- Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
- 32-megapixel front camera, LED Flash
- 50-megapixel + 2-megapixel (macro) rear cameras, LED flash
- Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- HSPA+, 4G LTE
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- GPS
- USB-C
- Dimensions: 168.61 x 76.61 x 8.25mm
- Weight: 196g
- Colors: Gold, Blue, Black, Green
- 5,000mAh non-removable battery, 33W fast charging
Design and Build Quality
Infinix smartphones always have a flamboyant design on them, and the Infinix HOT 40 is no different. It has a large camera island on the back, with unnecessarily large camera lenses in an iPhone 15 Pro-like layout. The surface of the island is really shiny, a stark difference with the black panels matte finish.
The entire rear panel has a plastic material with a shimmering pattern that looks as expressive as the large camera island. The rear panel attracts fingerprint smudges but it’s barely noticeable.
We suggest you use the included free case in the box to keep the rear panel clean, and the shiny frame from hairline scratches, and protect the whole device from drops. The free case is also as exuberant as the device itself with distinct artwork as the unit we got is the Free Fire Edition.
The Infinix HOT 40 weighs 196g. But in the flesh, it sure feels lighter, even with its thickness of 8.25mm which is thicker than most smartphones today.
As for the build, the HOT 40 feels sturdy enough despite being predominantly plastic. But since it’s still a budget piece of tech, we suggest you put a case on it if you want it to last longer.
Now let’s take a look at each side of the device. The front is dominated by the large 6.78-inch display with a punch-hole for the selfie camera. The bezels are thicker than other phones we’ve seen, especially the lip. The earpiece for calls is on the top bezel.
The left side has a large tray for two nano SIMs and a microSD card slot.
On the left, we have the volume controls and lock/power switch that doubles as the fingerprint scanner. The physical buttons feel tactile and clicky, although we prefer if they are pronounced a bit more, so they are easier to press.
The top has the second speaker for the stereo setup, while the bottom is quite busy as it houses the 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone, USB-C port, and the primary loudspeaker.
It may look too much for some, but we do get why the Infinix HOT 40 looks as over the top as it is. It is a budget phone, and knowing Infinix, it doesn’t want its owners to feel like they are using a cheap smartphone. Hence, the flashy design, and we appreciate them for that.
Display and Sound Quality
The Infinix HOT 40 has a huge 6.78-inch FHD+ LCD with a 2460 x 1080 pixel resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, and 270Hz touch sampling.
There’s a setting for switching between 90Hz, 60Hz, or Auto-Switch refresh rate. A basic Color temperature adjustment, as well as a section in the display settings called Ultra Touch that lets you adjust the swipe speed and motion speed.
Display quality is fine for the price with acceptable colors and ample sharpness. We just wish that the maximum screen brightness was a little higher, but it’s still fairly usable outdoors, so we’ll give it a pass.
The fact that Infinix was able to include a stereo speaker for this price is impressive enough. But the company didn’t stop there as the speakers themselves surpassed our expectations.
Sound quality is not the cleanest, but the bass is present while the treble is not ear-tingling. Volume is not the loudest at max, but still audible even if other speakers or TV are playing around. The stereo setup also gives you an advantage in shooter games as you can easily hear where enemy footsteps are coming from.
Hardware and Performance
The Infinix HOT 40 is rigged with a 2.2GHz MediaTek Helio G88 octa-core processor, Mali-G52 MC2 GPU, with very generous 8GB RAM and 256GB of expandable storage.
Infinix HOT 40 Benchmark Scores
Performance exceeded our expectations. Sure, it’s not safe from the occasional lags, stutters, and slow app launches, but its overall processing capability is still much better than most devices in this price range.
Scrubbing through the interface and social media feeds doesn’t feel like we’re using a display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Still, the fact that apps run fast, and the large memory allows us to multitask with ease, is more than enough to satisfy us.
The gaming experience was not the best, but good enough considering the price of the device. Titles such as Call of Duty Mobile and Farlight84 were playable under medium settings with acceptable frame rates, while PUBG Mobile was set to HD by default.
As expected, it had a hard time handling Genshin Impact. While it did play relatively smoothly, it was only in the lowest graphics settings. Plus, we already noticed the device starting to heat up after 10 to 15 minutes of playing.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Medium • Frame Rate: High |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: Minimal • Frame Rate: Medium |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: HD • Frame Rate: High |
| Genshin Impact | • Graphics Quality: Lowest (Default) |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Graphics Quality: Medium • Frame Rate: High |
Software and User Interface
Our biggest issue with Infinix phones is their user interface, and right upon holding the device the first time, we’re already certain that it has the same problem.
The Infinix HOT 40 comes with Android 13-based XOS 13.5 software. XOS is one of the most over-decorated interfaces in the market, which was made worse by this Free Fire theme that comes pre-installed on the device.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I know design preferences vary per person, but I bet a lot of people would agree that this Free Fire theme looks and feels a bit too much. In case it’s not your cup of tea, you can easily switch launchers and icon packs to make it more bearable.
We’re also seeing a lot of bloatware around here, most of which are redundant apps. Unfortunately, they cannot be uninstalled, so they take up unwanted space on your storage.
As an example, there’s the Hola Browser, which exists together with Google Chrome — both of which can not be uninstalled.
Possibly the only way around these bloatwares is to embrace them. Some of these apps are useful. There’s the Phone Master app that lets you optimize the system so, in theory, it should run faster. This is great for users who are obsessed with getting the best performance every time.
There’s also the Power Marathon app, which could’ve just been part of the battery settings but became its own app for some reason. That said, hardcore users will appreciate all the power management options it offers to get the most out of the device.
One thing we liked is the Suggestions home screen widgets, which can suggest apps, shortcuts, and more. The suggestions should improve over time as it learns your usage habits.
There’s also Infinix’s Magic Ring feature, which is their take on Apple’s Dynamic Island. It’s a special notification animation that comes out of the punch-hole for the selfie camera. This feature surprisingly works seamlessly and looks cool.
We just wish it was utilized better by also showing notifications for incoming messages, social media, etc. Instead, it’s only for system notifications like charging and low battery reminders.
The Control Center looks pretty decent with a whole bunch of buttons that you can customize. The app drawer is also clean while still having a search tab and a single row for Recent Apps on top for convenience.
As an Android phone, it offers a lot of personalization features. You can choose from pre-installed themes or those available via an internal online store. You can also pick from live and online wallpapers, adjust the fonts, and use Magazine Lockscreen.
The Camera app fixed one big issue we’ve had for a long time. The standard photo mode is finally called “Photo” instead of the old “AI Cam”, which could confuse a lot of users who don’t care about AI in their photos. Plus, the whole interface feels more organized than before.
Finally, we have the Google Keyboard set by default. As you already know, it’s convenient and straightforward, familiar to use, and very flexible. Since this is Android, you can easily change it to whatever you want if it’s not what you are used to.
Camera Quality
The Infinix HOT 40 has a 50-megapixel main camera, a normal find at this price. It is joined by a relatively usable 2-megapixel macro lens, a depth sensor, and a surprisingly sharp 32-megapixel selfie camera.
Color quality looks a bit washed out, and the contrast is uninspiring for a 50-megapixel camera, but more than enough for an entry-level device. The interesting part is that the details are sharp, giving you a lot of room to edit if you want a much better image for social media. Portrait Mode also worked nicely.
We’re seeing a similar case with low-light shots, but only with worse details. It also gets blurry easily, so make sure you have steady hands and your subject is perfectly still.
The shots from the 2-megapixel macro lens look just like everyone else. It lets you get very close to a subject, but don’t expect much from its quality.
Finally, we have the 32-megapixel front camera. As expected, selfies look sharp and detailed but inherit the washed-out colors that the main cameras have.
Like the rest of its hardware, the cameras on the Infinix HOT 40 take acceptable photos as long as you set your expectations right. And at this price range, we can’t really complain much.
Battery Life and Charging
The Infinix HOT 40, like almost every smartphone out there, has a large 5,000mAh battery. And like other handsets with similar battery capacity, this one performs really well.
In PCMark’s battery loop test, it was able to last for 14 hours and 13 minutes before it dropped from 100% to 20%, after a loop of synthetic workload. In real-world use, it should last you for an entire day of casual use with still about 15-25% of juice left.
What’s impressive is the 33W charger, which is the fastest you can get for the price. A 15-minute charge got us from 0-28%. A full charge took around 1 hour and 27 minutes.
Verdict
Does the Infinix HOT 40 have one of the best hardware combinations you can get for the price? It definitely has. It has a respectable processor with a bunch of RAM and storage, a big display, decent cameras, and fast charging — basics that every smartphone should have in this day and age.
All these features make for a good daily driver. However, the software desperately needs to be reworked and the amount of bloatware can be annoying. The list of issues might be minuscule, but it greatly affects the user experience. But if you know how to tweak things up, you could probably work around some of it and set it up to your liking.
Still, if you just want a snappy phone in the sub-Php6,500 range for basic tasks and gaming, then the Infinix HOT 40 is the one to get.
Pricing and availability in the Philippines
The Infinix HOT 40 was launched in the Philippines in early January 2024 for a price of Php6,499 for the sole 8GB/256GB model. You can get it at physical stores nationwide and online through Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop.
Pros
- Eye-catching, light design
- Stereo speakers
- Impressive price-to-performance ratio
- Decent cameras
- Fast charging
Cons
- Interface is begging for an overhaul
- A lot of bloatware