Infinix Note 40 Pro+ review: Note quite there

Infinix has been building a name for itself over the past few years, with phones that may not compete with the top-tier flagships, but still have a lot going for them in their price range. The latest device from the new brand is the Infinix Note 40 Pro+ — a phone that’s built to offer a premium design and super-fast charging speed.

But it also goes up against tough competition in the budget smartphone space. How does the Infinix Note 40 Pro+ perform? I’ve been using it for a while to find out.

Infinix Note 40 Pro+ specs

What I like

Stylish design

I really like the overall design of the Infinix Note 40 Pro+. The device has a nice vegan leather back that looks and feels very nice in the hand, and I really like the green-on-gold color scheme for the model that I’m reviewing.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The device is very light, which I find to be a bit of a double-edged sword. Obviously having a phone that’s light makes it easier to carry around, but it can also make the phone feel a little cheap. Thankfully, not overly so, however.

The phone has a curved-edge display, and while I prefer flat displays these days, it still looks relatively nice. On the right side, you’ll find a power button and volume rocker, while on the bottom is a USB-C port for charging. On the back is a large square camera module, and it doesn’t quite protrude from the back of the phone as much as many other devices do.

Solid battery

The Infinix Note 40 Pro+ has a 4,600mAh battery, and I found that it was easily big enough to get me through a full day of use. Of course, your mileage will vary a little, especially if you game a lot or keep the screen on full brightness. However, I think most users will easily be able to get through a full day of use without having to charge up the phone.

Super fast charging

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Perhaps even better than the battery life is the charging speed. This may be a relatively low-cost phone, but it boasts a 100W charging speed — allowing you to fully juice up in under 30 minutes from 0%. Infinix includes a 100W charger in the box, too, which is always handy.

The phone also supports 20W wireless charging, using Infinix’s own MagCharge technology. The device comes with the MagKit, which includes a wireless charging pad and a magnetic charging case. It’s a slightly sloppy take on Apple’s MagSafe, which doesn’t require things like a particular case, for example, as that’s where the magnets are actually stored. And, it’s not built on the Qi2 standard. But, if you don’t mind using the case, it works well — and it allows for faster charging than MagSafe too, which caps out at 15W.

Nice-looking screen

The display on the Infinix Note 40 Pro+ is quite nice. It’s a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 1080p resolution, and it can reach 120Hz. Unfortunately, it’s not a fancy new LTPO display that can range from 1Hz to 120Hz. You can, thankfully, choose to lock at 60Hz or 120Hz or have the phone automatically switch between them based on what you’re doing. Lastly, the phone has a peak brightness of 1300 nits.

Generally, I found the display to look great. It’s not the brightest out there, but it is bright enough for the majority of use cases. And, while it might have been nice to get a higher resolution screen at this size, it’s still crisp enough. The big feature is support for 120Hz, and I’m really happy to see that becoming more common on even cheaper phones.

What I don’t like

Sub-par camera

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

There are good things about the camera on the Infinix Note 40 Pro+ — like the 108-megapixel main camera. But ultimately, the camera experience as a whole kind of falls short.

Even in well-lit environments that should seemingly produce detailed photos, the phone generally produces slightly grainy, washed-out images. It’s technically a triple camera array, but the 108-megapixel main camera is coupled with two 2-megapixel cameras that are used for macro shots and, seemingly, as a depth sensor. Macro images look grainy and low-quality, as expected.

It’s a bit disappointing to see a camera this low-quality, on a phone in this price range — especially in a world with Pixel A series phones.

Slow performance

The Note 40 Pro+ isn’t incapable, but it’s not the highest-performing phone either. The device comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 7020 processor, coupled with 12GB of RAM. On paper, this should be a decently good experience, but I found the software to lag, and even the viewfinder in the camera to be a little jumpy and stuttery.

It wasn’t consistently slow, but it did lag a little more than I would have liked.

Lackluster software experience

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The overall look and feel of the software on the Note 40 Pro+, called XOS 14, is a little dated, and filled with extra bloat. There are lots of apps you won’t need, like Carlcare, Infinix’s Hola browser, WPS Office, and even a secondary App Store called Palm Store. Some of these can be uninstalled, while others can’t.

The phone does come with Infinix’s Folax AI assistant, which can be activated by long-pressing the power button. It’s kind of a neat tool that’s based on ChatGPT 3.5, and it works quite well, as expected. I’m expecting more manufacturers to build better AI assistants into their phones in the near future — especially Google.

Conclusions

The Infinix Note 40 Pro+ is a solid phone with some standout features. I really like the design of the phone, and it has a solid display and good battery — not to mention the super-fast charging speed. But it’s definitely held back by relatively slow performance and a sub-par camera.

The competition

There are some great phones in this price range, and some of them offer a better overall experience. The Nothing Phone 2a, for example, has a sleek software experience and solid performance. And while the 2a’s camera isn’t the best, it’s better than what’s on offer by the Note 40 Pro+. The big missing feature on the Phone 2a is the lack of wireless charging.

Another solid alternative, especially for those who want solid performance, is the Poco X6 Pro, which is also similarly priced.

Should I buy the Infinix Note 40 Pro+?

Maybe, but only if you prioritize design, battery, and charging over camera quality and general performance.