Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Review; Play More, Pay Less

Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Review; Play More, Pay Less

INTRODUCTION:

Smartphone brand Infinix welcomed the year 2024 on an optimistic note with the local launch of its affordable, gaming-branded smartphone lineup. A product of collaboration with Free Fire, among the most downloaded battle royale games in the world, the limited edition HOT 40 Series is a treat to mobile gaming enthusiasts on a budget. Let's take a closer look at the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire.

Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Review; Play More, Pay Less

DESIGN and BUILD:

The Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire is largely similar to the Infinix HOT 40 Pro Free Fire version. Available in colors of black, blue, green, and gold, its slim body exudes a sleek look, albeit mostly made with plastic. Simply put, it's not the kind of budget device that screams entry-level when held in the hands.

Starlit Black

Adding up to the good looks of the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire are its flat edges and rounded curves accentuated by a faux metallic plate similar to the smartphone's main color.

Volume Keys and Power Button / Fingerprint Sensor

Ports and buttons come standard with the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire. Despite its budget tag, the smartphone comes with features that are commonly found on higher-end offerings. These include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and Face Unlock that grant access to the device quickly and a USB-C port that supports fast charging (more on this in the latter part of this review).

Speaker, USB Type-C, Microphone, Audio Jack

It's also worth noting that the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire has a 3.5mm jack – something that's slowly becoming obsolete among newer smartphone models.

Overall, the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire is undeniably a notch above other smartphones in its price bracket when it comes to its design.

Since the smartphone is a co-branded, limited-edition device, it comes in a special packaging with interesting freebies related to Free Fire.

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DISPLAY:

The display department of the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire is one of the significant differences it has from the Infinix HOT 40 Pro Free Fire. Its screen runs only on a 90Hz refresh rate, while the Pro variant goes as high as 120Hz.

FHD+ 90Hz Display

However, this really isn't a deal breaker, especially for users who aren't particular about this specification. After all, even with a toned-down refresh rate, the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire is still capable of providing a smooth scrolling experience.

Details are sharp and colors are vivid enough on the 6.78-inch LCD screen of the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire with its FHD+ resolution. Outdoor use is also a breeze as its display remains decently visible, thanks to its 500 nits peak brightness.

On the downside, it's hard not to notice the thick bezels of the Infinix HOT 40 Pro Free Fire, especially on its chin.


PERFORMANCE:

For a budget smartphone, the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire exceeds expectations when it comes to performance. Powered by a 12nm MediaTek Helio G88 processor alongside internals like a Mali G52 MC2 GPU and a combination of 4GB or 8GB native RAM, 8GB virtual RAM, and either 128GB or 256GB of storage, the smartphone handles app-switching and multitasking fluidly. It also supports storage expansion via a microSD card.

XOS 13.5 Based on Android 13

Given its pricing, the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire is considerably commendable in gaming. It can handle common mobile games like Mobile Legends and Call of Duty Mobile, provided that graphics and audio settings are in mid-levels.

Here are the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Edition benchmark results for reference.

• Antutu - 280,722
• Geekbench Single-Core - 441
• Geekbench Multi-Core - 1,478
• Geekbench Compute - 584
• PC Mark Work Performance 3.0 - 10,657
• PC Mark Work Storage 2.0 - 23,102
• 3D Mark Wild Life - 738
• 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test - 744
• 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme - 191
• 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test - 192
• 3D Mark Sling Shot - 1,869
• 3D Mark Sling Shot Extreme - 1,416

The XOS 13.5 of the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire based on Android 13 also comes with exclusive Free Fire-themed app icons and wallpapers. Bloatware is unfortunately present, and there are more unnecessary apps than usual.

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CAMERA:

Photos we took using the camera system of the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire consisting of a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel macro, and AI triple rear shooters were impressive, especially in terms of color saturation and detail sharpness.

50MP Triple Rear Camera

We are expecting that there are some challenges here and there – particularly when it comes to night shooting. Surprisingly, the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire can capture good images in dark environments.

32MP Front Camera

Its 32-megapixel front camera works pretty impressive considering HOT 40's asking price, with portraits appearing with the subject's natural skin tone and a seamless blur effect to separate the foreground and background.

You can check some of the sample shots we have taken on our Facebook page.


BATTERY:

As power users, the 5,000mAh battery of the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire is an absolute delight. On a single charge, the smartphone was able to withstand a whole day of moderate to heavy usage without dying on us, even by the end of a busy work day.

Recharging the Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire takes about a little over an hour only, thanks to its 33W FastCharge support.


CONCLUSION:

Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire

The Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire is hot proof that affordability doesn't mean sacrificing quality. For Php6,499, it undeniably punches above its price.

How much is the Infinix HOT 40 price in the Philippines?

• The Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Edition Price Philippines is Php6,499.
• Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Edition on Lazada Philippines
• Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Edition Shopee PH

When will the Infinix HOT 40 be available in the Philippines?

• The Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Edition is now available in the Philippines.

Infinix HOT 40 Specifications:

• Dual SIM, dual standby, supports 4G/LTE connectivity
• 6.78-inch FHD+ (2460 x 1080) IPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate
• Dimensions: 168.6mm x 76.6mm x 8.3mm
• Weight: 196grams
• XOS 13.5 based on Android 13
• Octa-core (2x2.0GHz Cortex-A75 + 6x1.8GHz Cortex-A55) CPU, ARM Mali-G52 MC2 GPU, Mediatek MT6769H Helio G88 12nm 4G chipset
• 8GB RAM (physical) + 8GB RAM (dynamic)
• 256GB UFS 2.2 storage, expandable via MicroSD up to 1TB, uses a dedicated slot
• 50MP f/1.6 PDAF main + 2MP f/2.4 macr0 + 0.08MP auxiliary triple rear cameras with quad-LED flash, 1440p video recording at 30fps
• 32MP f/2.2 PDAF front camera, 1080p video recording at 30fps, dual LED flash
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
• Bluetooth v5.2
• NFC
• USB Type-C 2.0 with OTG function
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
• Multimedia Player
• FM Radio
• Sensors: fingerprint (side-mounted), light, proximity, accelerometer, gyroscope
• Battery: 5,000mAh non-removable; supports 33W fast wired charging
• Colors: Palm Blue, Horizon Gold, Starlit Black, Starfall Green
• Infinix HOT 40 Free Fire Edition Price Philippines: Php6,499