- Infinix and BMW partner on a new Android phone called the Note 40 5G Racing Edition.
- BMW Group Designworks created a race car-inspired “Wings Of Speed” design.
- Prices of the Note 40 5G Racing Edition will start at around $225.
Grabbing the brand cachet of a premium automaker is a seemingly desirable strategy employed by all manner of non-car-related companies keen to forge some kind of association with the automotive world. That’s why we’ve witnessed things like the €250,000 Bugatti pool table, Bentley’s take on Skis, and a Fiat 500-shaped fridge by Smeg.
But when it comes to phones, there’s seemingly no automaker more eager to prostitute lend their name out to mobile devices as there is BMW. Over the past few years, we’ve seen BMW’s M stripes grace a few phones from niche device-maker Iqoo, with the 9 Pro and 12 Legend Edition offered in select markets worldwide. There was also the South Korea-exclusive Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra M Edition, which came in a fancy boxset with some other Bimmer goodies, too.
Read: Samsung’s New BMW M Galaxy S23 Has A Kidney Grille On The Case
The latest phone to feature BMW’s branding is from Infinix. If you haven’t heard of them, that’s because they primarily offer budget-friendly Android devices to the Asian, Middle Eastern, and African regions. The Infinix Note 40 Series Racing Edition has been created in partnership with BMW Group Designworks and is said to be “built like a race car.”
Ironically, the BMW division, which is best known for its racing cars, BMW M, isn’t mentioned. However, you’ll find a small blue, purple, and red badge on the phone’s camera bump.
BMW Group Designworks’ main input to the device’s styling is the “Wings of Speed” design, which features advanced UV transfer printing on the back of the phone, with tiny ridges that double as a grip. The Note 40 Series Racing Edition is said to be built out of premium composite materials, too, and it’ll also come with an exclusive wallpaper and UI skin preinstalled out of the box.
In terms of tech, the Note 40 Series features 5G and up to 100-watt fast charging, magnetic charging, and sound by JBL. The display is a curved 120Hz AMOLED, while the main shooter is a 108-megapixel superzoom camera system with optical image stabilization. Updates will be offered until Android 16, with three years of security patches promised.
Available in several variants, the Note 40 5G Racing Edition will start at around $225 and go up to $350 for the Note 40 Pro+5G Racing Edition.
