Coolpad Cool 40i Smartphone Review

Coolpad Cool 40i Smartphone Review – Coolpad announced the Coolpad Cool 40i in December 2024 and later went on sale the same month. The smartphone is available globally in a few select regions where Coolpad phones are most successful like China, South-east Asia, India, and parts of Europe. It will expand to more countries in the coming weeks.

The Coolpad Cool 40i is designed for the budget market, so it sports budget hardware and doesn’t include 5G connectivity. The inclusion of 5G would have certainly increased its cost and made it difficult for Coolpad to keep a budget price tag. However, just because it’s a budget phone doesn’t mean it’s a cheap-looking phone.

In fact, you will have a hard time believing it’s a budget phone when you first glance at it. It features a modern design that is quite pleasing to the eye and Coolpad believes this phone can provide a decent smartphone experience, but that remains to be seen. So, let’s begin with a detailed review of the Coolpad Cool 40i smartphone and see if this smartphone is worth purchasing.

Coolpad Cool 40i Smartphone Review

Highlights

1. The Coolpad Cool 40i has a 6.56-inch IPS display with 90Hz high refresh rate support.
2. The chipset inside the smartphone is the MediaTek Helio G37 4G SoC, which is capable of reaching clock speeds of up to 4×2.3 GHz.
3. The Coolpad Cool 40i comes with Android 14 OS with a CoolOS user interface for more customization options and provide a better experience.
4. The smartphone has a 50MP dual rear camera with an 8MP selfie camera.
5. The Coolpad Cool 40i is powered by a 4500 mAh battery with a 10W wired charger.

Design and Display

It seems Coolpad has taken inspiration from the iPhone 16 design for the Coolpad Cool 40i. It has a similar design language and the camera module looks strikingly close to the Apple iPhone 16 but that’s a good thing. That’s because it’s an attractive design and users will actually love it. Many budget phones have weird designs that are not very appealing but that’s not the case here.

In terms of build quality, the Coolpad Cool 40i is quite solid. It is made of up plastic completely, but it’s the good kind and provides strength and rigidity. The phone is available in Phantom Black, Glacier Blue, Lite Pink, and Ivory White colors. As for the display, the smartphone features a 6.56-inch IPS display with 90Hz high refresh rate support.

The display consists of an HD+ panel, but it is color-accurate and looks quite pleasing to the eyes. The lack of an FHD display could be a deal breaker for some people, but it is acceptable considering the price. At least, the screen has a 90Hz high refresh rate, which should improve the user experience somewhat. Unfortunately, there’s no protection for the display and there’s no water resistance either. These are hardly the priority for budget phones.

Memory and Internal

Coolpad has equipped the Coolpad Cool 40i with the MediaTek Helio G37 4G SoC, which is capable of reaching clock speeds of up to 4×2.3 GHz. This chipset has enough performance to run all your daily apps and other things you do on a smartphone but don’t expect it to be super-fast. You cannot do any serious multitasking either. All basic tasks can be done without any issues but don’t expect too much from it.

As for gaming, it can play some games, such as PUBG mobile or CODm with low graphics but don’t expect it to play demanding games like Genshin Impact smoothly. It’s not a gaming phone, and it cannot do that. Also, there’s no 5G connectivity option. This is an extremely budget smartphone, so a 5G option wasn’t possible in this price range anyway.

As for software, the Coolpad Cool 40i runs on Android 14 OS a CoolOS user interface for more customization options and provides a better experience. For RAM and storage, the smartphone can be purchased with either 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage or 6GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. However, the smartphone supports microSDXC storage expansion, which will come in handy if you manage to fill up your internal storage.

Camera

Coolpad has equipped the Coolpad Cool 40i with a 50MP dual rear camera system. The primary rear camera is capable of taking some decent photos with a good amount of detail and a natural color tone. However, don’t expect something extraordinary in terms of picture quality. It’s a budget phone, so its picture quality is similar to other smartphones in the same price range.

There’s a 0.3MP secondary camera but it’s not useful in any meaningful way. It’s there just for the show. At the front of the Coolpad Cool 40i, there’s an 8MP sensor that can capture some decent selfies with even skin tones. The details on the subject’s face are not as sharp as those of other smartphones but are acceptable for the price tag. For video recording, the Coolpad Cool 40i can shoot at a maximum of 1080p@30FPS from both the rear and selfie cameras. Video stabilization is not supported.

Battery and Others

The Coolpad Cool 40i has a 4500mAh battery that can provide a fantastic battery life. With light to medium usage, the smartphone can easily last for 2 – 3 days on a single charge, which is something a lot of other smartphones will struggle to do. However, the battery will drain faster if you play a lot of games and may not even last a full day.

As for charging, the smartphone supports 10W wired charging, which is just standard speed. The lack of fast charging is a huge con, especially since we are approaching 2025. The 10W charger should take 3 – 4 hours to fully charge the smartphone, and it comes bundled in the box, so you don’t need to purchase it separately. Apart from that, the phone also has Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The smartphone is available for purchase at $106 (Rs 8,999 in India) approx.

Coolpad Cool 40i Pros and Cons

Coolpad Cool 40i Specifications Detail

Down below you can see the full specifications of the Coolpad Cool 40i smartphone.

Conclusion

The Coolpad Cool 40i is a really well-designed smartphone. It’s well-built and looks quite fantastic. The performance of the phone is quite decent and apps will run just fine. The camera performance is also quite satisfactory and comparable to other phones in the same price range. However, the battery life is where this smartphone excels. Getting 2 – 3 days’ worth of battery life is quite easy on this phone.

The Coolpad Cool 40i’s design, features, and performance capabilities set it a class apart from all the other smartphones in the same price category. However, none of that will matter if the pricing is not done correctly as it’s a very competitive market. In that regard, we are happy to say that the pricing is quite decent and can happily recommend it.

The only alternative smartphone for this would be the Lava Blaze X, which provides similar specs for a slightly higher price tag. It’s a Lava phone that many people have come to trust. However, the final decision is up to you, so it is better to choose a smartphone based on your needs and requirements.