Motorola introduced two new smartphones today: a premium X-series handset and what will most likely be the company’s cheapest 5G phone for the foreseeable future. For the time being, they are only available in China, but they should eventually find their way to the rest of the world.
Motorola Moto X40
The previous X30 Pro had an intriguing blend of strong hardware and low pricing. The Motorola Moto X40 doesn’t call itself a “pro,” but it packs a punch with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 engine and a 165Hz display – Motorola really likes their high refresh rate screens.
The dimension is 6.7″ and the resolution is 1,080 x 2,400px. It is a 10-bit panel with HDR10+ and DC dimming capabilities. The fingerprint reader is now situated beneath the display rather than on the side. This is Motorola’s first 165Hz display, and with the strong Adreno 740 GPU, it may entice users away from more expensive gaming phones.
Whether it’s Pro or not, the Moto X40 has 125W wired charging and wireless charging – but only at 15W, down from 50W on the X30 Pro. Nonetheless, non-Pro Motos typically avoid it entirely. If you need to charge your phone quickly, the cable charger will take you from a dead battery to 50% in just 7 minutes. The battery has a capacity of 4,600mAh. By the way, it’s essentially the same as the old Pro.
The camera follows a similar logic: instead of a 200MP primary sensor, the Moto X40 has a 50MP sensor (1/1.56″). It has OIS, 1.0m native pixels, and 4-in-1 binning. This leaves the door open for an X40 series flagship vehicle.
Apart from the primary camera, there is a wide-angle lens (117°) with a 50MP sensor (1.3m pixels). This one features autofocus and can snap macro photographs from a distance of 2.5 cm/1″. A 2x portrait camera with a 12MP sensor (IMX663, 1.22m pixels) is also included. A 60MP selfie camera with a centred punch hole is available for selfies. Aside from the main sensor, this design is really identical to the X30 Pro.
Returning to the chipset, it is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and it is cooled by an 11-layer arrangement with a vapour chamber (3,002mm2 in size). The processor is combined with 8/12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB UFS 4.0 storage. Because this is a dual SIM phone, there is no space for a microSD card. There was also no 3.5mm jack, as was the case with the 2021 model. The new one comes pre-installed with Android 13.
The IP68 certification of the X40 confirms its water resistance (it can withstand 1.5m/5ft under water for 30 minutes). The mid-frame is built of 7000-series aluminium, while the back is coated with soft-touch Gorilla Glass Victus (available in Blue and Black). We’re not sure if it applies to the front as well; Motorola’s specifics are unclear. In any case, the phone is 8.6mm thick and weighs 199g, which is approximately the same as its predecessor.
The Motorola Moto X40 is currently available for pre-order in China, with shipment slated to begin on December 22. The entry-level 8/128GB model costs CNY 3,400 ($490/€460/40,500). In comparison, the Moto X30 Pro (the foundation for the worldwide Edge 30 Ultra) began at CNY 3,700 for an 8/128GB variant. Other options are 8/256GB for CNY 3,700, 12/256GB for CNY 4,000, and 12/512GB for CNY 4,300.
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