After successfully launching the Infinix NOTE 40 Pro+ 5G in the Philippines, the challenger brand that has taken the country by storm is ready to release another value-for-money smartphone that ticks all the right boxes.

Enter the new Infinix NOTE 40 5G, whose local debut coincides with the music-themed Mobile Legends: Bang Bang All-Star 2024 festival, arriving in a special-edition box sleeve emblazoned with Esmeralda’s Astral Muse skin. This skin, a coveted in-game item, can be unlocked for free by teaming up with friends for specific tasks. It’s a clever marketing play, especially considering the Season 13 playoffs of the MLBB Professional League Philippines are just around the corner, with Infinix as the official sponsor.

Here are five reasons to strongly consider the Infinix NOTE 40 5G as your next phone.

Level up your gameplay with 5G speeds and a gaming-grade chipset

Who says you need to pay a premium for premium performance? The Infinix NOTE 40 5G is powered by the same chip inside the top-tier NOTE 40 Pro+ 5G. We took the former for a spin to see how it handles the daily gauntlet of social media, emails, and the occasional late-night internet rabbit hole — and so far, so good.

In our daily use, the device delivered smooth and responsive performance. And thanks to the smartphone’s generous serving of memory and virtual RAM expansion feature (which we’ll get to in a bit), multitasking between apps felt snappy, and there weren’t any hiccups or lag during those extended browsing sessions. This is impressive considering the budget-friendly price tag.

Infinix says the NOTE 40 Pro+ 5G should be able to keep up to 25 apps alive in the background, and considering the standard version packs mostly the same internals, we wouldn’t be surprised if it could achieve the same feat.

We threw some games at the Infinix NOTE 40 5G to see how it handles more demanding tasks. While it won’t be a powerhouse for hardcore gamers, the handset still managed to surprise us. For titles like Genshin Impact, pushing the graphics settings to the max wasn’t ideal, but the unit delivered a smooth experience on the Low preset.

For the core audience — namely, MLBB fans — the NOTE 40 5G truly shines. We saw it hit 60fps at Ultra settings, making it a capable option for casual gaming. Overall, the Infinix NOTE 40 5G proves you don’t need a flagship phone to enjoy mobile gaming, especially with its attractive price point.

Say goodbye to storage anxiety

MediaTek’s Dimensity 7020 5G chipset is only one part of the equation, though. Working in tandem with the chip is 12GB of physical RAM that can be expanded to 24GB and a whopping 512GB — no, not a typo — of UFS 2.2 storage. That’s a whopping half a terabyte of space, which is substantial even for the most exorbitant of phone users. This makes the Infinix NOTE 40 5G a media hoarder’s dream, offering ample space for extensive music libraries, hefty games, and high-resolution photo and video collections.

Imagine carrying your entire music collection, complete with thousands of MP3s, in your pocket. Picture capturing countless high-quality photos on vacation or during a concert, knowing you have more than enough space for all those memories. For movie buffs, a 512GB phone could be a portable entertainment center, allowing you to download entire movie libraries for offline viewing. That’s a ton of entertainment potential for commutes, flights, or whenever you need a digital escape. As a reminder, a gigabyte or GB is equal to 1,024 megabytes or MB, which roughly translates to 250 MP3 files or 50 high-quality pictures. If you do the math, that’s a ton of media.

Wired and wireless charging options for the ultimate convenience

Look, we’re not exactly pro gamers, but our smartphones go through it. We’re talking endless scrolling on social media, those browsing sessions that take hours, and Netflix binges that last way too late (don’t judge!). Oh, and all this with 5G blasting the moment we escape the home office.

Throughout weeks of testing, the Infinix NOTE 40 5G never let us down. The 5,000mAh battery proved its worth, consistently lasting a full day on a single charge, even with our power-user tendencies. So basically, whether you’re glued to Instagram, a serious gamer, or a Netflix marathoner — or all three — this has the battery life to keep up. Battery anxiety? Not an issue here.

But when you do need a top-up, the NOTE 40 5G boasts 33W All-Round Fast Charge technology. In Hyper mode, that translates to a 50% charge in just 26 minutes.

The real surprise, however, is the inclusion of wireless charging. This feature is a rarity at this price point, and Infinix ups the ante by throwing in a MagSafe-like wireless charging pad along with a transparent magnetic case that perfectly complements our Titan Gold unit. It’s a user-friendly touch that elevates the overall package.

Other NOTE-worthy features

The Infinix NOTE 40 5G goes beyond all-day battery life. The smartphone boasts a smooth 120Hz flat AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, for a vibrant viewing experience. It’s great for everything from social media browsing to watching content and, of course, gaming.

Infinix’s Super-Zoom camera system is another highlight. While it lacks a dedicated telephoto lens, the 108-megapixel main sensor offers a clever trick: 3x lossless-quality zoom achieved by cropping into the full resolution.

Sample shots

This effectively delivers the ideal focal length for portrait photography, capturing subjects without unwanted distortion. Our test shots using the 3x zoom produced surprisingly decent results, proving that software smarts can compensate for the absence of a dedicated zoom lens — at least for moderate zoom levels.

The AMOLED screen is pretty sizable, measuring 6.78 inches diagonally. Unlocking is swift and secure thanks to the integrated fingerprint reader embedded directly in the display. For those who frequently use their phones at night, the phone’s TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification provides peace of mind, filtering out potentially harmful blue light emissions to reduce eye strain during extended viewing sessions.

Pricing and availability

The Infinix NOTE 40 5G is priced at only P12,999 (around $225) in the Philippines. Even better, early adopters can get the phone for as low as P9,999 ($173) from May 23 to 25 on TikTok Shop. That’s an incredible offer, especially if you’re after a feature-packed unit at a bargain price!

This NOTE is also available on Shopee and Lazada.

Want a more affordable alternative? The Infinix NOTE 40 4G is just P9,499 ($164) at retail. Or still in the hunt for more sweet deals? Follow Infinix’s official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InfinixPhilippines) for the latest deals and product releases.

If you can get the new Infinix model at a discount, though, the 5G variant is one of the best deals you’ll ever come across in this price range.

Final thoughts

A new contender has emerged in the budget 5G gaming smartphone scene. The Infinix NOTE 40 5G lands in the Philippines as a strong alternative to many midrange models, with its feature set, aggressive pricing, and strategic marketing for the local MLBB community. This phone offers exceptional value for Filipino mobile gamers who prioritize affordability without compromising on performance and essential features.

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