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Infinix HOT 40 Pro Free Fire Review—As Hot as Hotcakes

Smartphone maker Infinix welcomes the new year with a new lineup of affordable offerings under the HOT 40 Series, which consists of models HOT 40 Pro Free Fire, HOT 40, and HOT 40i. As its name suggests, the HOT 40 Pro Free Fire leads the pack, gearing toward mobile gaming enthusiasts, according to Infinix. This review looks closer at the capabilities of the new HOT 40 Pro Free Fire.

The Infinix HOT 40 Pro Free Fire features curved bezels bordered with a seemingly chrome-plated frame. Arriving in Horizon Gold color, the smooth back cover of the phone shows a meteor shower effect, which becomes more visible as the angle of light changes. Other colors available include Starfall Green, Palm Blue, and Starlit Black, according to the Infinix website.

The Infinix HOT 40 Pro Free Fire sports a display optimized for gaming. The phone boasts a 120Hz FHD+ 6.78-inch display with a 90.7% screen-to-body ratio that looks clear and vibrant to make visual content more riveting. Viewing content under broad daylight with the HOT 40 Pro Free Fire is not a concern because it features Dark Region Enhancement, which makes display content visible despite intensely bright ambient light.

To achieve software and hardware optimization in the HOT 40 Pro Free Fire, Infinix has collaborated with Free Fire to reach 90fps graphics performance, a step up from the usual 60fps frame rate. Such a performance boost is made possible with a robust hardware platform composed of a Helio G99 processor with up to 16GB extended RAM and software features like XBOOST Gaming Engine that comes with a tactical panel for one-click optimization and enhanced stability. Running on Infinix XOS 13.5 based on Android 13, the HOT 40 Pro Free Fire scored 412626 in AnTuTu Benchmark.

The HOT 40 Pro Free Fire also comes with a Metamaterial Antenna. Although the feature is primarily associated with networking and wireless connectivity, it plays a crucial role in mobile gaming. With the Metamaterial Antenna, the phone has a three times larger antenna area, resulting in enhanced faster download speeds (up to 68% better), broader Bluetooth range (up to 60% wider), and lower game latency (down to 36%).

Infinix anticipates HOT 40 Pro Free Fire users to spend long hours of gaming. Hence, the smartphone maker packed the device with a 5000mAh battery, which features Power Marathon. With this feature, the phone can support all-day standby time or up to two hours of calling even when the battery health is at five percent. The battery supports 33W FastCharge technology as well.

According to the Infinix website, HOT 40 Pro Free Fire buyers get a Free Fire Loot for every phone purchase. The bundle includes a Winterlands cooling fan, Waggor Tray ejector pin, Warrior lanyard, and an FF Limited phone case. The package we received includes only the limited edition phone case with a regular ejector pin with the usual USB Type-C cable and charger. The software interface also showcases elements associated with the game to make the phone look more Free Fire exclusive. The phone has 46 original widgets and icons (in a black and yellow color scheme), screensavers, and dynamic wallpapers based on the game characters.

On the imaging front, the HOT 40 Pro Free Fire carries a 108MP Triple AI Camera with an HM6 sensor, and a high-resolution lens that captures details with 0.64-micron pixels, and a 2MP macro lens. Meanwhile, the punch-hole camera on the top of the display carries a 32MP sensor with a wide-angle lens so more people can be included when shooting group portraits. Images we got using the HOT 40 Pro Free Fire are decent with relatively mellow colors. The 2x zoom of the camera is practical and produces satisfactory results.

Infinix sells the HOT 40 Pro Free Fire for ₱6,999. With a price point that falls under the entry-level category and compelling features that people can find in more expensive offerings, the HOT 40 Pro Free Fire must be selling like hotcakes nowadays. The phone has been out there along with its siblings, namely the HOT 40 (₱5,999), HOT 40i 8+256 (₱5,299), and HOT 40i 8+128 (₱4,799), which potential buyers might also find more attractive depending on budget considerations.