Infinix HOT 40 Pro (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
Gaming smartphones are not generally known for being budget-friendly. One of the first such phones to pack the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Vivo’s iQOO 12, retails for around $650 and the price easily goes up from there. Infinix has made a name for itself for delivering affordable, yet quality phones, with the trade-off being that their phones pack mid-range specs. The company is back with a similar philosophy with the Infinix HOT 40 Pro budget gaming phone. We’ll take a look at what this trade-off delivers in practice in this review.
Contents and specs
The Infinix HOT 40 Pro retails for $195 and comes with the following items:
Considering the gaming focus of the HOT 40 series, Infinix went for an edgy design for the box. While I’m not exactly a fan of that approach, it gets some points for being original. What’s more, there are some welcome accessories, especially considering the price of the package.
As for the specs of the device, they can be found below:
Infinix HOT 40 Pro hardware impressions
While the HOT 40 Pro’s box adopts an edgy design, the phone itself is thankfully discreet-looking. It packs a decent build, while the reflective backplate and triple camera array add a premium touch. It also features an Apple-like “Magic Ring” panel around the front-facing camera that notifies you of face unlock, charging progress, and voice calls. More notification options would be welcome but it’s a nice-to-have feature for now.
However, some compromises had to be made on the hardware to keep costs down. This is evident when holding the phone in your hands as the plastic material of the frame can be felt. That said, this material helps keep the phone relatively light at around 199g.
Another compromised aspect is that the USB port does not support video output. This means that the display of the HOT 40 Pro cannot be mirrored on a portable monitor or a pair of AR glasses.
Somewhat making up for these missing features is the inclusion of the elusive 3.5mm headphone jack and the ability to expand storage. These are features that even high-end smartphones don’t pack but are welcome by most users.
As this is a gaming-focused smartphone, I will again point out to the lack of physical gaming controls on the device. This is practically expected on the market but doesn’t mean that there’s no room for a gaming smartphone with built-in controls to do what it aims to do: game.
Gaming performance on the Infinix HOT 40 Pro
Powering the Infinix HOT 40 Pro is a MediaTek Helio G99 chip, 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage (depending on the model). With these specs, the HOT 40 Pro positions itself towards the lower-mid range in terms of performance as its GeekBench 5 benchmark scores indicate. You’ll thus have to adjust your expectations accordingly for its performance.
The Helio G99 processor handles Android games decently at low/medium settings. Android versions of Dead Cells, Half-Life 2 and Portal run fluidly on the device, with no issues.
Regarding emulation, the HOT 40 Pro can handle Dreamcast games well. For more demanding systems like the Gamecube and PS2, the performance will be title dependent. Gamecube via Dolphin Emulator is playable on default settings at 1x resolution for the most part but expect some drops in performance. For example, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes runs at an average of 45 fps but drops to 30fps often. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess runs at a variable 25-30fps. That said, these are playable speeds and there are no audio issues.
You can also expect to play PS2 games via AetherSX2 but you’ll need to fiddle with the settings. At 1x resolution and mild underclock, I could get Ratchet & Clank to run at 60fps while Shadow of the Colossus would run at an average of 45fps. These games are playable but do suffer from occasional choppy audio.
As such, the gaming experience is as expected on a budget device and fairly decent for what you get for less than $200. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures a smooth experience and the XArena gaming overlay helps provide a unified gaming space with some handy stats. However, the display of the HOT 40 Pro is an LCD one and not a superior AMOLED one. Visuals are still crisp and details are well discernible but the quality isn’t on par with AMOLED displays.
Decent daily driver on a budget
While the Infinix HOT 40 Pro won’t be on par with its pricier counterparts, as a phone that costs less than $200, it delivers. It packs a sleek look, delivers decent pictures thanks to its camera array and offers a decent level of gaming and emulation, as long as you temper your expectations for a mid-range device. The audio output is vibrant, adding a touch of immersive audiovisual experience. That experience is sustained with the beefy 5,000mAh battery that ensures a whole-day use. While its LCD display might not offer the best visuals, it is decent enough for gaming and entertainment.
As a mid-range, budget-friendly phone, the Infinix HOT 40 Pro is worth looking into if you’re on the market for a decent phone that won’t break the bank. However, Infinix does not release all of its devices in international markets, so it might be worth keeping in mind that availability might be limited to certain markets only.
Verdict
- Affordable phone
- Expandable storage
- Headphone jack included
- No video output support over USB-C
- LCD display
- Lack of physical controls on a gaming phone
