As we head toward the end of 2025, the flagship season is already heating up. Xiaomi’s 17 series has launched, OnePlus 15 is getting ready, and now iQOO is teasing its next flagship phone. Funny enough, just like OnePlus and Xiaomi did, iQOO is skipping a number too, no iQOO 14, straight to iQOO 15.
The Vivo subsidiary has now also officially teased the iQOO 15 on Weibo, which gives the clearest look yet at what their next flagship might pack, including its display, performance, and features. Now, let’s jump into this article where I will discuss everything about the iQOO 15, including its major specs.
iQOO 15 Rumors
Display and Design
The iQOO 15 will feature a 6.85-inch QHD Samsung AMOLED display, dubbed the “Triple Peak Screen”. As confirmed, iQOO 15 will be using an M14 luminescent material and claims a 98.1% screen-to-body ratio. The display is rated at 2,600 nits peak brightness, up 100% from previous generations, with anti-glare layers and eye protection 2.0 hardware. According to iQOO, glare is 40% lower than that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and readability at very low light (4.4 lux) is very much possible.
Performance and Software
Inside, iQOO 15 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (Qualcomm’s newly launched flagship chipset of the year). It is coupled with the “Q3 gaming chip”, their new take on a mobile “graphics card”. The numbers they’re giving are eye-catching, with “+60% performance, +400% AI capability, and improved efficiency”, and so much more, but only after a full review will their actual capability be revealed.
Similarly, it supports 2K native gaming in select titles with low frame variance and around 144FPS average. Multi-game support is also baked into the iQOO 15, and there’s deep game recognition and frame insertion in over 180 games.
But, letting that aside, all these stats only matter if you are buying for gaming. Even though camera specs have not yet been revealed, and unlike Vivo’s flagship phones like the X200 Ultra and the upcoming X300 series, iQOO phones have never been a proper flagship material if we consider their camera capabilities.
Audio, Haptics, and Durability
iQOO upgraded audio and haptics with dual X-axis vibration motors and wide dual speakers. For durability, iQOO 15 carries IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is apparently faster than the iQOO 13’s, and the USB-C port supports USB 3.2.
Battery and Charging
Like cameras, the Battery details are also not fully fleshed out, but it uses a silicon anode battery, which iQOO says improves lifespan by 50%. iQOO also mentions in their teaser that Wireless charging is supported for the first time in the series. The charging display is updated with a “50+” indicator for durability.
iQOO 15 Rumors and Availability
Vivo, which owns the iQOO brand, does not sell iQOO phones in Nepal, nor are there any current talks about it. That said, an iQOO flagship would be a welcome addition here. Anyway, regarding the launch date, the iQOO 15 is rumoured to be launched on October 15 and is expected to be priced at INR 64,999 in India.
Vivo’s V series is among the most popular mid-range lineups across the Indian subcontinent. In that same vein, Vivo has quietly pulled the curtain on its new V60e in India. This is also another one in the company’s midrange lineup that looks oddly familiar if you’ve seen the recent Vivo releases. Now, let’s jump into this article, where I’ll discuss the latest Vivo V60e, including its specifications, availability, and expected price in Nepal.
Vivo V60e Overview
Display and Design
At first glance, you’re getting the same 6.77-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display we’ve already seen on the V60 Lite 5G (which is coming soon to Nepal, by the way), a 120Hz refresh rate, curved edges, the same performance, and battery as well. However, the V60e falls short on brightness with 1,600 nits compared to 3,000 nits of the V60 Lite. The phone is relatively light at 190g, and the frame is only 7.48mm thin. The back, as expected, is plastic.
The Vivo V60e is IP68 and IP69 rated. And for the front protection, Vivo is using what they call “Diamond Shield Glass”, which they have been using in previous iterations as well.
Inside, the Vivo V60e runs on MediaTek’s new Dimensity 7360-Turbo chip. It’s technically a “new” chip launched back in September, but digging a little will reveal that it’s mostly the Dimensity 7300 again. The only difference is what MediaTek now calls “Adaptive Gaming Technology 3.0.” And it’s not even a hardware update; rather, it’s a software-based feature.
Anyway, the chip’s built on a 4nm process with the same CPU setup as before, four 2.5GHz cores and four efficiency cores at 2.0GHz. It is paired with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage (UFS 2.2, not 3.1), and runs on Android 15 out of the box with Funtouch OS 15 layered on top. One of the striking things about this phone is that Vivo promises three major OS updates and five years of security patches.
The big headline, of course, is the 200MP main camera. Except, Vivo hasn’t said what sensor it actually is, but rather said it’s a “big sensor”. That’s usually not a good sign. But it does have OIS and f/1.8 aperture, plus 30x SuperZoom. You also get an 8MP ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and a 50MP front shooter for selfies. And as usual, you also get the LED “Aura Light” ring at the back.
Battery’s a big one, but not as big as what you find in the market these days. It’s a 6,500mAh tank with 90W wired charging. And it’s exactly the same as you would find in the Vivo V60 Lite.
Vivo V60e Specifications:
Design, build: 163.53 x 76.96 x 7.49 mm, 190 gm, IP68 + IP69 rating
Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient light, E-compass, Gyroscope, IR blaster, Proximity
Battery: 6500mAh with 90W charging (90W power adapter provided)
Vivo V60e Price in Nepal and Availability
Right now, the V60e is only confirmed for India. No word about Nepal, and this one probably won’t make it here since the V60 Lite is already lined up for launch soon. However, if the Vivo V60e launches in Nepal, we can expect the price to start from Rs. 47,999.
Realme just dropped its latest midrange phone, the Realme 15x 5G, in India. This one packs a huge 7,000 mAh battery and an “IP69 Pro” dust and water resistance for enhanced durability. Now, let’s jump into this article, where I will discuss everything about the latest Realme 15x 5G, including its expected price in Nepal, specifications, and availability.
Realme 15x 5G Overview
Design and Display
The 15X has what Realme calls a “Crystal Wave Design”, a Realme jargon for designs that are no less typical of glossy or gradient backs. The rectangular camera module on the top left features three large lenses arranged vertically, with only the top lens serving as the rear camera. The purpose of the second lens is unclear, as it is not specified whether it serves any functional role or is merely a placeholder that most smartphone companies love to put.
Additionally, the Realme 15x includes a “Pulse Light” at the back for notifications, offering nine color options and five glowing modes. The phone is MIL-STD-810H certified, and as Realme mentions, the 15x is shock-resistant up to a height of 2 meters. Water protection is another feature boasted about this device. With its IP66 + IP68 + IP69 certification and a special “IP69 Pro” rating, it can survive up to 2 meters underwater for 60 days and handle 36 different liquids. Compared to the standard IP69, which only protects for 30 minutes and only under clear water.
The screen here is quite big, at 6.8 inches. Although this IPS panel still sticks to an HD+ resolution only, meaning content could end up looking a bit soft here. But at least it has a smooth 144Hz refresh rate, a 180Hz touch sampling rate, and a respectable 1,200 nits of peak brightness.
Performance and Software
At the core is the 6nm Dimensity 6300 chipset, an extremely familiar player in budget phones by 2025. Perhaps so familiar, it has been a go-to chipset for almost every other budget smartphone company. Regardless, Realme claims it can run 13 apps simultaneously and adds AI Boost to optimise frequently used apps for “smoothness.” There’s also a “Smart Touch” feature for wet-hand responsiveness. Meanwhile, the phone runs Realme UI 6.0 on Android 15, with promised updates for two Android generations.
The camera setup on the Realme 15x is interesting: with both front and rear cameras getting a 50MP sensor. Realme has used Sony’s IMX852 sensor at the back with an f/1.8 aperture, while the selfie shooter gets Omnivision’s OV50D40 f/2.4 lens. The 15x even has “AI Edit Genie” feature that lets you edit your images using voice commands.
The 7000mAh battery provided in Realme 15x 5G is massive by today’s standards, though definitely not mind-blowing considering Realme teased a 15,000mAh phone back in August, which I have covered here.
Anyway, the phone charges at 60W via the included 80W charger, supports 6.5W reverse charging, and Realme claims it can handle 23 hours of YouTube or “1 charge for 2 days of usage”. Connectivities and sensors are usual stuff like Bluetooth 5.3, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual-band WiFi, which aren’t worth elaborating upon. The one interesting thing here is that Realme’s “AI Call Noise Reduction 2.0” feature apparently filters ambient sounds up to 70dB, claiming an 86% noise reduction.
Realme 15x 5G Specifications:
Design, build: 166.07 x 77.93 x 8.28 mm, 212 gm, IP69 Pro rating
Battery: 7000mAh with 60W charging (80W power adapter provided)
Realme 15x 5G Price in Nepal and Availability
In India, the Realme 15x is available in “Aqua Blue”, “Marine Blue”, and “Maroon Red” colorways, with prices starting at INR 16,999 for the 6/128GB model. The phone is launching soon in Nepal as well, where we expect the price of the Realme 15x 5G to start at around NPR 31,999.
HMD Global, the Finnish company that manufactures Nokia phones, has launched a unique phone named the “HMD Touch 4G”. It’s not exactly a typical smartphone, and it’s not exactly a feature phone either since it does have some smart features. So in this article, we will take a closer look at what this hybrid phone has to offer, including the expected price in Nepal of the HMD Touch 4G.
HMD Touch 4G Overview
The handset looks
Although the HMD Touch 4G looks tiny in size—measuring 102 mm tall and weighing just 100 grams—it’s actually quite thick at 10.85 mm. Its simple design is very much reminiscent of smartphones from 10 – 15 years ago with thick bezels at the top and a button at the bottom.
But its circular camera ring gives off a “modern design” energy since we have seen this approach from so many Chinese smartphone makers lately.
And besides its power key and volume rockers on the side, the HMD Touch 4G also has a “Quick-Call” button on top that lets you record a voice message. The phone is available in “Cyan” and “Dark Blue” finishes, and it has also earned an IP52 rating.
The display here is also pretty basic. It’s got a 3.2-inch touchscreen that is covered by a 2.5D cover glass. Not to mention its QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels) mostly found in older feature phones. I can’t even remember the last time I heard of a phone with a QVGA display!
Performance
The HMD Touch 4G uses a single-core Unisoc T127 chip, which is paired with 64MB of RAM and 128MB of internal storage. Yep. That’s “MB” as in megabyte. HMD also lets you further expand the storage up to 32GB using a microSD card.
Here’s where things get interesting. So the HMD Touch 4G runs on a super lightweight RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) Touch. We’ve heard of RTOS on smartwatches like the OnePlus Watch 3, but this is the first time we’re seeing RTOS on a phone.
And with this, HMD Touch 4G supports “Cloud Phone Service” that lets you run browser apps. So you can get the latest news, weather, and stuff, whereas it also comes with the Express Chat app pre-installed. HMD says you can use this app to make video calls, send texts, voice messages, and images to Android and iOS users who have this app installed. However, we can’t find the link to download this on iPhones.
In terms of cameras, the HMD Touch 4G brings a 2MP camera and an LED flash at the back. While this has been complemented with a 0.3MP front-facing camera. It gets its juice from a 1,950 mAh removable battery that HMD claims should last up to 30 hours on a single charge.
Other than this, it’s got a USB-C connection and a 3.5mm jack to plug in your earphones for music playback or FM radio. It supports WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity, and a full band of 4G LTE network.
HMD Touch 4G Specifications:
Design, build: 102.3 x 61.85 x 10.85 mm, 100 gm, IP52 rating
Battery: 1,950 with USB-C charging (power adapter provided)
HMD Touch 4G Price in Nepal and Availability
For now, the HMD Touch 4G is exclusive to India, where it costs INR 3,999. And if it ever arrives here in Nepal, we expect the price of the HMD Touch 4G to be around NPR 6,999.
Just a few weeks ago, Honor launched its latest midrange phone—the Honor X9d—with a massive 8,300mAh battery that made some noise online. The company has now come up with a couple of budget phones, although the new Honor X5c and X5c Plus don’t exactly go big on the battery like you might expect. Anyway, let’s jump into this article, where I’ll discuss everything about the latest Honor X5c and X5c Plus, including their features, specifications, availability, and expected price in Nepal since it’s launching pretty soon here.
Honor X5c and X5c Plus Overview
Display and Design
Both the X5c and X5c Plus come with a 6.74-inch TFT LCD panel that runs at 90Hz. Resolution sticks to just 720 × 1600 pixels, so not much of a jump from last year’s Honor X5b except for the slightly larger display. They also support “Dynamic Dimming” feature to reduce eye strain.
As for the design, the Honor X5c duo brings a redesigned camera module that resembles the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. They both have a side-mounted fingerprint reader and come in a few color options. Including “Ocean Cyan” and “Midnight Black” for the X5c Plus, while the regular X5c is also available in “Tidal Blue” and “Meteor Silver” finishes.
Performance and Software
Powering these budget phones is MediaTek’s Helio G81 (12nm). We have seen this same chip in the Honor Play10 as well, which was recently launched in Nepal. It’s a noticeable jump from Helio G36 on their predecessors, which honestly struggled to keep up even with light multitasking. The G81 gives you a bit more headroom, though calling it fast would be generous.
As for memory, you’re getting up to 4GB of RAM (plus another 4GB virtual) and 128GB of storage on the X5c Plus. The Honor X5c comes in a 64GB configuration too, while both of them run on MagicOS 9.0 on top of Android 15.
Camera setup
Besides memory configuration, these two have a slightly different camera setup as well. Honor X5c packs a 13MP main sensor and a mostly useless 0.08MP QVGA lens. I call it useless because it’s quite well known that it’s mostly a placeholder for an image sensor rather than a camera itself.
The Plus version, however, swaps that 13MP camera for a 50MP primary sensor, which is a decent step up if you care about photos. Both share the same 5MP front camera for selfies and video calls.
As I mentioned right at the beginning, Honor surprisingly didn’t go big with the battery here, as both of them carry a 5260mAh battery. A small bump from last year’s 5200mAh. Charging speed has also improved slightly from 10W to 15W.
Other than this, Honor’s latest budget phones have dual 4G SIM support, Bluetooth 5.1, and dual-band WiFi connectivity. There’s no NFC support, and neither do they have any sort of IP rating.
Battery: 5260mAh with 15W charging (15W power adapter provided)
Honor X5c and X5c Plus Price in Nepal and Availability
These budget phones from Honor are currently only available in South Africa, where the Honor X5c costs SAR 299 (~USD 80 / INR 7,080) for the 4/64GB variant. While the 4/128GB model of the X5c Plus costs SAR 329 (~USD 88 / INR 7,790). They are arriving in Nepal pretty soon as well, and we expect the price of the Honor X5c and Honor X5c Plus to be around NPR 11,999 and NPR 12,999, respectively.
OnePlus officially revealed the look of its upcoming flagship phone, the OnePlus 15, at the end of last month. And we now have real-life promo images of the phone that showcase its “Sand Storm” color in all its glory.
OnePlus 15 Overview
Design and Display
So as you can see, the OnePlus 15 features a revamped squarish camera module this time, which is very similar to the OnePlus 13s (review) or the OnePlus 13T. Its two camera lenses sit in a pill-shaped arrangement, while the LED flash and another camera are separated on the right.
Up front, the phone will bring a 6.78-inch flat LTPO AMOLED panel with a 1.5K resolution. It supports Dolby Vision and ProXDR, and its advertised peak brightness is 1,800 nits. What’s more interesting is that the OnePlus 15 will also support up to 165Hz refresh rate, which OnePlus says should give you a big competitive advantage in gaming.
Performance and Software
As expected, the OnePlus 15 will be among the many other flagship phones to feature Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.
Including the already-available Xiaomi 17 series, and the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra and iQOO 15. Geekbench results reportedly show 3,709 in single-core and around 11,000 in multi-core benchmark for this new mobile silicon. Whereas it will be paired with 12/16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB UFS 4.1 storage. Additionally, OnePlus is integrating its “Wind Chi Game Kernel 2.0” to optimize gaming performance.
According to the new rumors, OnePlus is going with a familiar 50MP triple rear camera setup this time as well. The main camera uses a Sony LYT-700 sensor with 24mm focal length, f/1.8 aperture, and OIS. While its ultrawide (15mm, f/2.0) and telephoto (85mm, f/2.8, 3.5x optical zoom) lenses both use Samsung ISOCELL JN5 sensors.
Other than this, the OnePlus 15 also marks the end of the company’s collaboration with Hasselblad for image optimization. Instead, it will come with an in-house “DetailMax Engine” that is said to improve sharpness and detail in photos.
Battery and the rest
Rumors also suggest OnePlus using a giant 7,300 mAh battery for its new flagship phone with 120W wired and 50W wireless charging. Which puts its battery size significantly higher than flagships from non-Chinese phonemakers like Samsung or Google.
Meanwhile, the OnePlus 15 should arrive in “Sand Storm”, “Absolute Black”, “White”, and “Mist Purple” colorways. We’re also expecting a new linear dual speaker setup, a large-volume vibration motor, and a new wet-hand touch algorithm for better responsiveness (this could be an increment over the “Aqua Touch” that we first saw on the OnePlus 12 series).
Moreover, it will have an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint reader and a next-gen cooling solution, IP69 dust/water resistance, an IR blaster, and a USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C port with 5Gbps transfer speed.
OnePlus 15 Launch and Availability
It seems that the OnePlus 15 will make its debut next week on October 13 in China. We will keep you posted with all the new details once they’re available, so stick around.
Samsung has added another budget phone to its F series in India, the Galaxy F07. It’s essentially the same phone as the Galaxy M07 and Galaxy A07, with the only difference being that this one is exclusive to Flipkart. And also that it’s available in a single “Green” color option. Now, let’s jump into this article, where I’ll discuss everything about the Galaxy F07, including its expected price in Nepal, specifications, and availability.
Samsung Galaxy F07 Overview
Design and Display
The Galaxy F07 here has the same Samsung budget look, something we have seen time and again. It has a slim 7.6mm body weighing 184 grams, with a sorta matte finish at the back. And as I mentioned before, the F07 is only available in a green finish. Versus how the Galaxy M07 only comes in “Black”, while the A07 can be configured with either “Green”, “Black”, or “Light Violet” finishes.
The display here is a 6.7-inch PLS LCD panel with an HD+ (1600 x 720) resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. Compared to last year’s Galaxy F06 5G, the F07 has a more muted design, and it’s also IP54 rated for dust and splash resistance.
Under the hood is the MediaTek Helio G99, an octa-core chip with two Cortex-A76 cores with a maximum clock speed of 2.2 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores with a 2 GHz peak clock speed. It sits in the same performance range as Dimensity 6300 on the F06 5G, but in many ways, the Helio G99 is actually a step down.
Because:
Number 1, it doesn’t have 5G connectivity.
And number 2, Dimensity 6300’s dual Cortex-A76 CPU cores also have a higher 2.4 GHz maximum clock speed.
Anyway, the Galaxy F07 comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage (expandable up to 2TB). It runs on One UI 7 (Android 15) out of the box, while Samsung also promises 6 major Android upgrades and 6 years of security updates for this budget phone.
At the back, you get exactly the same camera with the same setup as last year’s F06 5G. There’s a 50MP f/1.8 main camera paired with a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. You’re looking at an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera inside the teardrop notch, and both the main and the selfie camera max out at FHD (1080p) 30 fps videos.
Battery and connectivity
The battery side of things doesn’t see any change either since the Galaxy F07 has the same 5,000 mAh battery as its predecessor. Charging speed is limited to 25W as well, although we appreciate how Samsung is still keeping a 3.5mm headphone jack and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor alive here.
Other than this, the Galaxy F07 has a single bottom-firing speaker, uual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.3, and all standard 4G LTE bands.
Samsung Galaxy F07 Specifications:
Design, build: 167.4 x 77.4 x 7.6 mm, 184 gm, IP54 rating
Battery: 5000mAh with 25W charging (no power adapter provided)
Samsung Galaxy F07 Price in Nepal and Availability
In India, the Samsung Galaxy F07 costs INR 7,699 for the sole 4/64GB variant. And if it comes to Nepal, we expect the price of the Samsung Galaxy F07 to be around NPR 13,999.
The last two weeks have been big for major smartphone companies. On one hand, we’ve had all the hype around the launch of the iPhone 17 series, and on the other, plenty of chatter about the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Pro Max redesigns, with those rear screens making headlines. Now it’s Samsung’s turn to step into the spotlight, as the Galaxy S26 Ultra has now leaked in renders and other features in a pretty substantial amount that give us our clearest look yet at the Korean giant’s next flagship. So, let’s jump into this article, where i will discuss everything about the upcoming Samsung’s flagship: the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Rumors
Design and Display
A little while back we had already affirmed that through the leaked renders of that time, it fairly appeared that the Galaxy S26 Ultra didn’t seem to reinvent itself, not by any stretch, but it definitely looked more polished than the S25 Ultra.
And now, just a couple of days earlier, the newest CAD renders had leaked online, which suggest that the Galaxy S26 Ultra is exactly as previously rumored. The bezels are now slimmer, which makes the 6.89-inch display feel even larger, even though the actual size barely changes from last year’s model. Samsung will almost certainly market it as a 6.9-inch screen, just like before. The camera island has been redesigned into a pill-shaped module, similar to Samsung’s FE and lower-tier S models.
The overall design is noticeably curvier, both along the edges and in the corners. If you’ve been following Samsung’s design language, you’ll notice the S25 Ultra leaned a little flat and boxy, but the S26 Ultra looks more organic. Even from the side profile, the edges now form more of a pill-shaped curve rather than the flat sides we’re used to.
Privacy Display Feature
The next S26 Ultra will have a privacy feature that keeps people from peeking at your screen. pic.twitter.com/tFcgeFpCqG
One of the most interesting-sounding additions is Samsung’s potential ‘Privacy Display.’ Functionally, it could act like a built-in privacy screen protector that limits visibility from side angles without any additional accessories. The feature can then reportedly be toggled on automatically in crowded places, applied to specific apps, or scheduled to turn on and off. It can obscure notifications, picture-in-picture windows, gallery images tagged as private, and even screen lock interfaces. Maximum Privacy mode will apparently even reduce screen brightness to make it even harder for people nearby to peek. Some new reports now also suggest this feature will require One UI 8.5 and hardware support, which basically means it will likely be exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra only.
Will there be an S Pen?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra was previously rumored to ditch the S Pen to make room for a bigger battery or new features like Qi2 wireless charging, but from recent leaks, it looks like it is set to keep the beloved built-in S Pen. Recent leaks from tipster Ice Universe have confirmed that the phone will feature a dedicated S Pen slot on the bottom. And according to the leaks, the S Pen could see some upgrades too, a new hexagonal shape, an improved digitizer to reduce magnetic interference, and better compatibility with foldables and magnetic accessories.
Cameras
Samsung’s Ultra series has always been about cameras, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra looks set to keep that tradition. The main 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor is rumored to feature a wider f/1.4 aperture, up from f/1.7, which could let in about 47% more light for sharper shots and better low-light performance. It’s also expected to get AI-powered processing through the upgraded ProVisual Engine, including 8K 60fps video. The 50MP ultrawide might get a brighter f/1.9 aperture, while the 50MP 5x periscope telephoto could go up to f/2.9, with the AI-assisted zoom reach up to 100x, featuring a new laser autofocus system rumored across all lenses. Even the 12MP front camera may get laser AF for portraits.
The 3x telephoto lens, though, could be a bit controversial. New leaks suggest it might use a 12MP sensor, possibly cropped down to 10MP, which could hurt low-light performance compared to competitors. The same leaker, Ice Universe, even called it a “downgrade,” so it will be interesting to see how it performs in real life. Early rumors about a 200MP periscope or variable-aperture main lens have died down, with Samsung likely sticking to the existing sensors to save space for a slightly bigger battery.
On the design side of the camera module, the leak shows us that Samsung is about to switch things up with a single raised camera module instead of the separate floating rings from the S25 Ultra. The triple camera plus periscope setup is still there, but the unified module makes the back look cleaner and more like Samsung’s midrange Galaxy A phones.
Samsung was rumored to be developing silicon-carbon batteries to improve power efficiency while maintaining a slim design at the same. But it is now certain that this device will not be featuring the 7500 mAh Silicon Carbon battery as previously told.
Although it’s about time for Samsung to go big on batteries because Chinese smartphone manufacturers have already started adopting Si/C batteries. Almost every other Chinese smartphones, from budget to flagship now feature batteries that range anywhere from 6500 mAh to 8500 mAh as well.
Performance
On the performance front, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is likely to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It is perhaps plausible that Samsung will get an exclusive Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, like it always. But we are uncertain if this flagship processor will be present in the entire family. Nonetheless, the recently released Xiaomi 17 series already features this chipset, and performance is also expectedly to be very good.
Samsung Galaxy Price in Nepal and Availability
Samsung has not officially confirmed pricing or availability for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Based on current flagship trends, the starting price in Nepal is expected to be around NPR 190,000.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Galaxy S26 Ultra
So, the iPhone 17 series has been receiving overwhelming love all over the world.Pre-orders are up by 19% compared to last year’s iPhone 16 series, and it looks like this is going to be a great year for Apple!
There’s so much to like about the iPhone 17 lineup—well, maybe except for the iPhone Air. I honestly think you should not get the iPhone Air because there are just so many compromises to achieve that slim factor!
Personally, the base iPhone 17 is my favourite, and I am guessing it will win “the phone of the year”award from all the top reviewers! Now, without further ado, let me walk you through my experience with the iPhone 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max.
iPhone 17 Pro Max Specifications
Design, build: 163.4 x 78 x 8.75 mm, 233 gm, IP68 rating
And the first big upgrade here is, of course, the design. And because of this new design, I’m sure lots and lots of users are going to upgrade tothe iPhone 17 Pro — even last year’s 16 Pro users.
Personally, I really like this new design – despite the mixed reaction. The back is mostly made of aluminium now, except for this portion, which is glass that covers the wireless charging coil. The frames and these edges are so seamless that they reminded me of my iPhone 6 days.
Apple, however, removed the Titanium frames, which are stronger/ more durable than aluminium, and they can resist scratches/dents better too. But Apple says they have decided to go with aluminium as it helps with better heat dissipation – which I think is a fair tradeoff!
At the back, we have the brand new Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says is better drop resistant and 3x more scratch-resistant. Even in JerryRig’s video, where most phones scratch at level 6–7, the new iPhone 17 series only scratched at level 8.
And on the day I bought the iPhone 17 Pro Max, I accidentally dropped the phone straight onto concrete—surprisingly, nothing happened to the phone. Just a few scuffs! And I have been using the phone without a screen protector, and there are no visible scratches on the display – which is nice!
But online, people are noticing that the Orange and Blue colours pick up scratches on the camera module quite easily. Reviewers are already calling it “scratchgate. Even in my unit, the coating on the edge has already chipped off!
But all in all, this year’s design feels refreshing; finally, it doesn’t look like any previous iPhones, and the smooth curves give it an excellent in-hand feel.
Display
However, the display is practically unchanged from last year—it was already excellent, with one of the best touch responses on a smartphone, one of the best haptics and speaker output, and accurate colour calibration out of the box.
There are only two upgrades. No. 1, we get an Anti-Reflective Glass, which I found to benot as good as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, but still a good addition—it works quite well under harsh sunlight.That said, it does come with a trade-off: the 17 Pro Max actually looks a bit dimmer compared to last year’s 16 Pro Max, likely because of this extra layer.
And the second noticeable upgrade is that we can simply turn off PWM dimming entirely, so if you are someone sensitive to low-frequency flicker, you can disable the PWM dimming, and you will notice much less eye discomfort, fewer headaches, and less fatigue when using the phone at low brightness.
Still, I think Apple should have gone with a high PWM dimming solution like we get with almost every Chinese brand!Because when I turn ON the PWM dimming on the 17 Pro, there are slight colour shifts and reduced smoothness at low brightness!
But the reason I think Apple has avoided this new tech is that Apple itself heavily relies on Samsung Display for its iPhone OLEDs, and Samsung itself tends to stick with low-to-mid PWM frequencies on its flagship phone. So, clearly, these two smartphone giants are not risking adopting this newer dimming tech yet.
Battery
Battery and Charging
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And you can see a similar pattern when it comes to the battery, too. While all Chinese brands come with the fancy and more massive 6,000–7,000 mAh Si-Ca batteries, both Apple and Samsung continue to play it safe with a more conventional Li-ion tech.
However, thanks to Apple’s excellent optimisation and a slightly bigger battery this time around, I am still getting like 10-15% better battery life on the 17 Pro Max Vs my 16 Pro Max! I’ve been getting around 8 to 9 hours of screen-on time under heavy use, which comfortably translates to about a day and a half of usage. Meanwhile, my colleague with the smaller 17 Pro manages 7 to 8 hours of SOT, which still gives him a solid full day of use.
Charging speed has improved, too. If you get Apple’s new 40W AVS charger, you can get 50% charge in just 20 minutes. But, if you have an older 65W or a 30W PD charger from Ugreen or Anker, I don’t think you need to go and buy this new 40W charger! You will not see a big difference!
Ok, another new upgrade with this year’s iPhone 17 Pro is the new chip. If you remember, last year there were huge improvements when it came to chipsets – not just from Apple, but from Qualcomm and Mediatek too!
But this year, with the A19 Pro chip, there isn’t a massive leap compared to the A18 Pro. And for day-to-day routine tasks, you won’t notice much difference either.
Although in heavy workloads and gaming, there’s a big improvement thanks to the new VC cooling system. Earlier iPhones only had graphite sheets (very old tech), but now we finally get vapour chamber cooling like on Android phones. This results in:
Much better sustained gaming performance after 30–40 minutes.. There are no screen-dimming issues, so it’s great for Pro-Gamers!
Better component health overall, including the battery and logic board, since I noticed temperatures while playing games are now 2–4°C lower compared to the 16 Pro Max, and the heat was spread out throughout the chassis.
OS and Software
OS
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And of course, we finally get the stable version of iOS 26. I am someone who has been using this new Liquid Design iOS 26 since its beta release. And, with each beta release in the last 3 months or so, Apple has improved the UI and UX, fixed a lot of tiny bugs, and it’s more stable & functional now!
Plus, for the first time, iOS feels highly customizable, like Android. I can set MP3s as ringtones, there’s a built-in call recording feature, and many Android-like features have finally arrived, including the ability to shoot videos from the front and back cameras!
But one thing Apple still lags behind is with the AI features, especially if you look at where Samsung or Google is!
Apple promised a smarter, more personalised Siri more than a year ago, and a year has passed by and Apple didn’t even talk a bit about it during the iPhone 17 keynote – which I find a bit uninspiring!
I remember Apple pitched this as“AI for the rest of us”, just like when Steve Jobs launched the original Macintosh as “the computer for the rest of us.” But here we are!
Camera
Ok, so how’s the camera on the iPhone 17 Pro? Here, there are basically two upgrades you will notice over the 16 Pro.
First is the selfie camera! It has been upgraded to 18MP, which has a large square sensor and a wide field of view.
Selfie
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While the wide FOV might not be useful for everyone, I’ve found it really handy. For group selfies or vlogging, I used to rotate the phone to fit everything in, but now I can simply switch to the square mode in the camera app and capture photos or videos directly—much more convenient. Even in the regular portrait orientation, compared to the 16 Pro Max, I found selfies to have more detail and are noticeably wider.
Likewise, the zoom lens also got a decent upgrade. Last year, it was a 12MP 5x lens. Now it’s a 48MP 4x lens. And even though 4x might sound like a downgrade, the sensor now is larger, and it shoots in 24MP by default, so the details are slightly better on the 17 Pro. Yet it’s not a huge improvement over last year, as the Apple keynote had us believe!
For portraits, this 4x (100mm) focal length is, however, more practical compared to the old 5x (120mm). You don’t need to stand as far back to capture portraits now.
Portrait
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And overall, the Portrait shots now have better edge detection and better details.That being said, when it comes to portrait photography, I still think Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Vivo X200 Pro.. they are just streets ahead of Apple. Plus, Xiaomi and Vivo’s telephoto cameras can also shoot really good macros, whereas Apple still uses the U/W camera.
The main reason Apple still lags here is that it uses a smaller sensor for the zoom camera. I guess Apple avoids larger sensors because that would make the camera module even bulkier which would make the overall structure of the phone uneven in weight, and less aesthetically pleasing.
Daytime
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As for the Main and Ultra-Wide cameras, Apple has used the same sensor as before. So there is not a huge difference in images, except that the 17 Pro handles highlights and shadows slightly better!
Ultrawide
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Plus, at night, I noticed lens glare is reduced compared to the 16 Pro Max.
Night
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And another strength of iPhones is the colour consistency across all three lenses. That’s something the Pixel 10 Pro also does so well, but all in all, if i have to rate the photography aspect of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, its a solid A-, and in 2025, Chinese phones have taken a lead now; they are collaborating with big Camera companies like Zeiss and Leica, they are using newer and bigger sensors.. And the upcoming X300 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Ultra are going to take the lead even further.
But when it comes to video, Apple is still the king. Compared to the 16 Pro Max, highlight and glare management during low light have improved, but there isn’t a whole lot of difference. In fact, they are almost identical 95% of the time.
Where Apple continues to lead is with the ProRes videos.. It is excellent as alway,s perfect for professional colour grading. Portrait video mode is also superb, switching between lenses while recording is seamless and as I mentioned earlier, selfie videos are fantastic. Video quality overall is unmatched!
iPhone 17 Pro Max Review: Pros and Cons
Pros
Refreshed design
Excellent battery life
New vapor chamber cooling for gaming
Upgraded 18MP selfie camera with wide FOV
Cons
Removed stronger titanium frames for aluminum
Camera module scratches easily
Minimal main camera improvements
Disappointing AI features delivery
iPhone 17 Pro Max Review Conclusion
Ok, let me give you my verdict! And I know for a fact that the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are going to be bought out by millions and will outsell the last 3-4 generations of iPhone Pro models for sure!
But the sales number is not because of how innovative Apple has been with this year’s Pro iPhones. It’s more about Apple’s ecosystem, brand power, and the overall reliability that keeps users locked in — just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.
But overall, I am a little disappointed with this year’s iPhone! Except for the refreshed design and the selfie camera upgrade, Apple didn’t bring a meaningful upgrade elsewhere – there isn’t a huge upgrade in the back cameras as I hoped for, especially when you compare them to how fast Chinese Ultra phones are evolving. And the biggest disappointment has to be the lack of AI features that Apple promised before!
Meanwhile, check out our review of the iPhone 17 Pro Max
So every year, when new iPhones are announced, the base iPhone model used to get a lot of criticism for bringing little to no improvements in each generation. But at the same time, the funny thing is, these base iPhone models are also the ones that sell the most. The iPhone 15 was the best-selling device in 2024. And the iPhone 14 was the second-best-selling phone in 2023.
And this year, we saw almost every Android phone maker launching a compact version of their flagship devices, which shows how the demand for compact phones is at its peak. And I think Apple has played this trend perfectly and made a really smart move with this year’s iPhone 17. They have pushed some much-needed upgrades on this phone, like 256GB of storage and a 120Hz refresh rate display, making it possibly the BEST value for money iPhone this year! Let me tell you all about it in my iPhone 17 review.
iPhone 17 review: Specifications
Design, build: 149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95 mm, 177 gm, IP68 rating
Alright, starting with the looks, this year, we get the same design language with the iPhone 17 that we got with the iPhone 16 last year.These phones are pretty much identical, except Apple has introduced new colour options for the 17, and the display size on the iPhone 17 is slightly bigger at 6.3 inches, over the iPhone 16’s 6.1 inches.
Design
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The build material is also the same, aluminium frames sandwiched between glass. Still, the good news is that we get the new Ceramic Shield 2 Glass on the iPhone 17, which Apple claims to be 3x more scratch resistant than before, and since I have been using it without a screen protector for over a week now, there’s not even a single scratch right now – which is incredible!
And just like the Pro models, Apple thankfully didn’t cheap out on the anti-reflective coating on the iPhone 17 either! If you don’t know, Samsung doesn’t provide such coating on the base S25; it’s only available on the S25 Ultra! But Samsung’s coating on the S25 Ultra is so much better at preventing reflections in a bright sunny environment vs what you get here.
Display
Anyway, I am happy that Apple has finally treated the entry-level iPhone 17’s display with the same love as the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max this year.
Not only the iPhone 17 finally has the same 120 Hz display like the iPhone 17 Pros, the display quality, the brightness numbers, the LTPO technology, everything is literally the same.
Display
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So, watching videos, scrolling to browsing, everything feels so good on the iPhone 17, as good as the iPhone 17 Pro that I have been testing simultaneously. And the stereo speakers are sufficiently loud, although they don’t sound as balanced as the iPhone 17 Pro, the highs on the iPhone 17 are a little more pronounced, but good for all kinds of multimedia, nonetheless. So no complaints.
Next, Apple has finally addressed the low-light display flickering issue on iPhones and included a new Display Pulse Smoothening Setting to reduce flickering in low brightness situations. They haven’t disclosed the exact PWM numbers like other Chinese manufacturers do, but it’s good to see that Apple has at least listened to everyone’s feedback. Although you have to know that disabling this setting might affect the display’s performance.
Performance
When it comes to performance, Apple has stepped it up this year with the new A19 chip. In my tests with benchmarks like AnTuTu and 3DMark, I saw a solid 15–20% boost in GPU and multi-core performance compared to last year.
Apple has also used the faster LPDDR5X RAM and NVMe storage, so needless to say, this is one of the fastest phones for the price! Like app opening, app loading, etc, finally feels extremely fast here compared to the sluggish 60Hz on the base iPhone before.
BTW, I am using both the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro with a more powerful A19 Pro chip, and honestly, I can barely feel any difference in normal day-to-day use.
In terms of gaming though, there is still a noticeable difference. Like if you are a pro gamer, you are better off getting the Pro iPhones because here on the iPhone 17, even though you can push higher than 60 fps, in my gaming tests, the fps has never reached more than 80 fps in games like PUBG.
To be fair, Genshin Impact runs very well at a constant 55-58 fps in the highest settings, and in both PUBG and Genshin, the 1% low numbers are also respectable, but I think Apple has deliberately limited the fps to prevent heating issues on the iPhone 17. Because when we tested PUBG here for around 35-40 minutes, we ended up with a 42°C temperature on the iPhone 17.
You see, while the 17 Pro and Pro Max come with a new Vapor Chamber Cooling system, which is really proving to be a game changer in terms of thermals on those phones, like I said in my review, the iPhone 17 still uses the same old Graphite sheets. That old technology, combined with this compact design, isn’t enough for efficient cooling in any way.
So, deciding not to push higher fps in games seems like a strategic move by Apple. But then again, I do feel like this is a bit unfair, considering cheaper compact Android phones like the OnePlus 13s can push 120 fps in games without heating up so much.
Other than that if you are someone who edits videos on your phone, you will have a great time doing so because here on the iPhone 17, you can navigate through the timelines and render videos even in 4k like a breeze, no lag, no stutters whatsoever.
The only thing that might bug you is that Apple is still using the same slower USB 2.0 here, so copying video files to and from this phone to your laptop or SSD will feel slower than other Android phones and also the Pro iPhones, which use a faster USB 3.2 protocol.
Software
And also, another thing that I have constantly faced is how buggy the new iOS 26 is despite months of beta releases, and the credit for most of those bugs goes to this new Liquid Glass design. Liquid glass does look very fancy while using, but it does drain a lot of battery. On the iPhone 17, I have noticed a lot of displacement of UI elements, like random stuff appearing out of nowhere.
Hopefully, Apple works on this and brings out a new version very soon. Until then, what you can do is just go to the settings and reduce the transparency of the liquid glass effect to make your battery last longer.
Battery and Charging
Talking of battery life, with the efficient 3nm processor, Apple’s optimization, and a slightly larger battery than last year’s iPhone 16, I was able to get a full day of usage from this phone, like about 7.5 hours of SOT, which I would say is good enough for a compact phone.
Although I would have appreciated it more if Apple had adopted the latest Silicon Carbon battery technology like other Chinese counterparts. Like the recently announced Xiaomi 17, which has a similar form factor, but it comes with a huge 7000 mAh battery.
Anyway, another good news is that there is 0% battery drain issue on the iPhone 17 while it’s kept idle. Although I did test the idle battery drain with AOD turned on overnight, and the phone lost around 5% juice, so if you want better battery life, do not turn on AOD.
Next, talking about charging, we get up to 40 watts of charging support here too, like on the Pro iPhones this year. And there’s 25-watt MagSafe Wireless charging support. I used my 100-watt Ugreen PD charger to charge this phone, and it took me around 1 hour and 37 minutes to get the phone fully charged.
Apple says that with their 40-watt charger, the iPhone 17 can charge from 0-50% in 20 minutes, but if you don’t want to spend $40 or some 4000 indian Rupees to get the Apple charger, you can use any PD-PPS supported charger. You have to know that the charging speed won’t be the same, it will be a little slower though!
Camera
Lastly, I know a lot of you guys are waiting to know how the camera performance on this phone is. So, this year, what’s new with the cameras is, we have a new 48MP ultra-wide camera and a newer and better 18MP selfie camera.
For the first time, Apple has given the selfie camera a square sensor. This means a wider field of view, so you can shoot portrait-style selfie videos like this—or go landscape without even rotating your phone.
And as someone who vlogs and makes Instagram reels, I feel like this is a very useful quality of life feature for creators like me since I don’t have to keep rotating the camera while filming anymore.
Moving on, other aspects of videography are similar to last time; there’s up to 4k 60 fps video recording support here from the back as well as the front, which results in really stable, smooth videos. I did notice a little bit of a highlight management issue in some instances, which I am hoping an update will solve. But besides that, I have liked the quality of videos that I got from the iPhone 17.
Of course, you don’t get Pro features like ProRes and 4K 120 fps recording here, but unless you are using an iPhone to make professional videos, I don’t think it will matter to a lot of people.
Day time
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When it comes to photography, from the main camera, I don’t see a lot of improvement here exactly. The phone still produces close to natural colors with a hint of warm tones and a few HDR issues in a sunny environment like with previous iPhones. The main camera produces detailed images, though.
Ultrawide
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Even the ultra-wide camera produces better details than before with its upgraded sensor. And the good thing is, the color consistency between these lenses is absolutely amazing. The ultra-wide camera can shoot macros too, like on the iPhone 16, but I have never been a fan of the subject focus from any ultra-wide lens, so I found the output to be quite average.
Next, you don’t get a Telephoto lens here like the Pro iPhones, so naturally, there’s no option to shoot 4x portraits, but Apple does provide a 2x digital zoom option, and the portraits you can get from it have that classic Apple optimization with a lot of warm tones.
Portrait
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The main camera sensor actually has an f/1.6 vs f/1.8 aperture on the iPhone 17 Pro, so during the night, most times, I got slightly brighter portraits from the iPhone 17. During the day, or let’s say well-lit situations, the portraits look almost the same from the 17 Pro and the 17, just a teeny tiny color difference.
Selfie
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Selfies from the iPhone 17 are good too. Again, you will notice the warm tones, but there are photographic styles/ filters, so you can choose the tone of the pictures according to your liking. I just wish Apple fixed the highlight management issue though!
Night
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During the night, I like how Apple has improved the clarity in images, noise reduction works wonderfully well, and the colors come out nice and balanced too, especially the ultra-wide lens’s output is really good.
However, there still is a little bit of glare issue here when you shoot towards or against a direct light source. In fact, this problem persists even in the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
iPhone 17 review: Pros and Cons
Pros
120Hz display finally included
Great value with 256GB storage
Excellent compact size
Improved cameras and performance
Cons
Gaming performance limited, overheats
Buggy iOS 26 software (for now)
Slow USB 2.0 speeds
iPhone 17 review: Conclusion
This brings me to the end of this review, and after spending time with the iPhone 17, I think that Apple has cut the right corners on this phone. Like, if you compare it with the iPhone 17 Pro, for instance, there are 5 things it doesn’t have: a 4x Telephoto lens, VC cooling, a new design, a faster USB protocol, and a faster “Pro” performance.
All of these things, in my opinion, might not matter to a normal iPhone user. The iPhone 17 still has a great display, good performance, compact form factor, enduring battery life and nice cameras, and a much-needed faster refresh rate! So, for a common person, spending more than NPR 60,000 – 70,000 rupees more to get a “Pro iPhone” does not make sense.
In fact, the iPhone 17 is a really good upgrade for someone who is an iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 user. And after using it, I feel like it’s a much better option than the Galaxy S25 and the Pixel 10, too.
Then again, if you are not a fan of iPhones in general, you can get a lot of good Android phones with great specs at a similar or lesser price, like the S25 Ultra, the OnePlus 13, Pixel 9 Pro XL, or the Vivo X200 Pro!
Meanwhile, check out our video review of the iPhone 17
