Infinix launched the Hot 40 smartphone in the Kenyan market on December 15, 2023. The smartphone, which is targeted at a youthful user base, is set to be popular with gamers and content creators as it has enhanced speed and exceptional cameras.
It has a great battery life and performance as well, meaning users can do the things they enjoy and love with the Hot 40 for longer.
Here are our initial thoughts on the Infinix Hot 40.
Design
The Infinix Hot 40 comes with a glass front, plastic frame, and plastic back construction that gives it a sleek, sturdy structure. The frame has a high gloss finish, while the plastic back has a matte finish that repels fingerprints while offering a secure grip surface when in hand.
The Infinix Hot 40 measures 6.65 inches in height. It is 3 inches wide and 0.32 inches thick. It weighs 199 grams, making it an extremely light device in hand.
The monolithic glass screen has a punch-hole camera towards its top edge. Above that, on the seam where the screen and the frame meet, is the minimalist earpiece.
A secondary loudspeaker is situated on the top edge of the device, while the left edge has a dual nano-SIM card and Micro SDXC card tray. The 3.5 mm jack port, microphone, USB Type-C charging port, and primary loudspeaker of the Hot 40 are located on its bottom edge. Its right edge has its volume rocker and power button, which also doubles up as its fingerprint sensor for securing the device and other functions.
The top left side of the back of the Infinix Hot 40 features a trio of primary cameras on a multi-step bump. The bump is also home to the Hot 40’s quad flash as well as text showing details of the cameras.
It comes in four colour options: Horizon Gold, Starlit Black, Palm Blue, and Starfall Green, giving buyers options to match their preferences.
Screen
The Infinix Hot 40’s glass screen covers an IPS LTPS liquid crystal display that measures 6.78 inches. This gives ample real estate for viewing, making everything from browsing to gaming a blissful experience. Its 90.7 percent screen-to-body ratio and 1080 by 2460 full high-definition resolution further enhance the viewing experience on the Hot 40.
Additionally, the device has 500 nits of peak brightness coupled with a Dark Region Enhancement that enables reading in bright sunlight while minimizing eye strain. The best-in-class screen functionality does not stop there.
The Hot 40 has a base refresh rate of 60 Hz which is variable depending on usage to 90 Hz and 120 Hz. This is handy when executing functions that require seamless rendering of commands on screen. Mobile phone gamers will especially love this function, along with the Hot 40’s 1200 Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate for quick command execution and feedback.
Cameras
The device comes with a total of 4 cameras: the 32-megapixel selfie camera and the triple-lens setup primary camera with its 108-megapixel wide-angle shooter, 2-megapixel macro lens, and AI lens.
This setup of cameras gives content creators the promise of capturing great photos and videos at every instance of use. In-app functions such as Sky Revamp and Professional Portrait modes ensure stunning post-production photographs are ready to share with their communities.
Dual-View Video mode will enable creators to capture multiple scenes to tell more engaging stories. Speaking of videos, the selfie camera can capture footage in 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second. Additionally, a user can opt to capture footage in 720p resolution at 30 frames per second.
The primary camera can capture footage in 2K resolution at 30 frames per second, or 1080p at 60 and 30 frames per second.
Performance
The Infinix Hot 40 continues the Hot series’ track record of high performance and comes fitted with the MediaTek Helio G99, which is good news for gamers. The gaming experience is further enhanced with the in-house developed XBOOST gaming engine, which allows gamers to optimise their gaming by selecting from low power, balance, and boost options for better performance.
The Hot 40 is also fitted with an octa-core processor that clocks a maximum speed of 2.2 GHz for quick execution of tasks. This already impressive stand-out performance goes a step further with the Hot 40’s base RAM of 8GB, which is expandable to 16GB via its UFS 2.2 functionality. This allows the allocation of unused ROM to function as the device’s random access memory. The 256 GB of ROM that the device comes with makes this reallocation possible.
The Infinix Hot 40’s external storage is expandable by 1 TB using a Micro SDXC card, which has a slot next to its dual nano-SIM card on the SIM tray.
Battery
The device is powered by a 5000 mAh, non-removable lithium polymer battery. Infinix says it can recharge from 20 percent to 75 percent in just 35 minutes. Additionally, Infinix says that from a depleted charge to a full charge, it will only take an hour.
The manufacturer further adds that the battery, if charged daily, will retain integrity for 1600 charge cycles, or 4 years. This is great news for users, be they gamers or content creators, who can have confidence that even with heavy use, the device will still give years of reliability.
The Hot 40 is sold with a 33-watt fast-charging power brick to enable the quick recharge times advertised.
Communication, Connectivity and Sensors
The Infinix Hot 40 comes with a metamaterial antenna, which is three times larger than the conventional size, is among its most impressive features. This antenna, according to Infinix, promises a 6 dB increase in signal strength. Further, the antenna yields 68 percent faster download speeds, a 60 percent Bluetooth range, and a 36 percent decline in gaming latency. This means connectivity strength is increased over wider ranges.
For the 2G, 3G, and 4G network communications, the larger antenna provides great reception.
Other bells and whistles include Near-Field Communication (NFC) for the induction transfer of data packets and Bluetooth 5.2, which enables stable connectivity and low-power data transfer.
The Hot 40 also has the newest version of Wi-Fi to connect to local networks quickly and securely. FM radio, GPS navigation, and USB Type-C OTG 2.0 are also included in the device.
With sensors, the Infinix Hot 40 has a G-sensor, light sensor, proximity sensor, gyroscope, e-compass, fingerprint sensor, and facial recognition sensor.
Incidentally, the facial recognition sensor is packaged in a feature that Infinix calls the Magic Ring. Magic Ring is a notification panel that expands outward horizontally from the punch-hole camera to show when facial recognition is in operation to unlock the Infinix Hot 40. The panel also shows active phone calls and battery recharge status. It is certainly an innovative function that lets the user know the precise action the phone is executing.
Our verdict
The Infinix Hot 40 is priced at Ksh28,399 across Infinix stores and retail partners. For that price, the device is punching well above its in-class competition with its speed and performance.
The great chipset, coupled with the battery, guarantees users great performance for extended periods. Content creators will also enjoy the cameras that raise the bar on quality while not running the battery dry.
It would have been great to have 5G connectivity as an option, but for the price point and features such as a metamaterial antenna that already boosts connectivity, the Infinix Hot 40 is guaranteed to deliver on its promise of performance.