Itel S25 Ultra

The Itel S25 Ultra's value depends heavily on the price you pay, because listings vary widely.

• Strengths: very slim and light body, curved AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 7i, 100-day free screen replacement, IP64 rating, good 32MP selfie camera, 8GB RAM with 256GB storage, NFC and an IR blaster
• Weaknesses: weak graphics for gaming, slow 18W charging, no headphone jack, no video stabilisation, flat rear photo colours, and a refresh rate that often drops below 120Hz

At the Rs. 76,999 we currently list, it costs more than the Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 at Rs. 68,999, which has a bigger battery, faster charging, stereo speakers and a stronger gaming chip, so at that price it is hard to recommend.

Verdict: a good choice for non-gamers who value a slim, stylish phone with a great screen, but only when it is priced well below its rivals.

The S25 Ultra has a 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED screen with 1080 x 2436 resolution, 10-bit colour and a 120Hz refresh rate. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, and itel adds a 100-day free screen replacement offer.

• Brightness: rated at 1000 nits in high brightness mode and 1400 nits peak; daylight visibility is fine but not the best in its class
• Refresh rate: 120Hz can be selected, but many apps still run at a lower rate
• Curved edges: the side curve is gentle enough to avoid accidental touches
• Wet touch: the screen keeps working with wet fingers or in light rain
• Streaming: Widevine L1 is supported for HD playback in streaming apps
• Extras: 2160Hz PWM dimming, a fast in-display fingerprint scanner, and a curved glass protector in the box

The always-on display only lights up for a few seconds rather than staying on.

The Unisoc T620 is a 12nm chip with a Mali-G57 GPU, scoring roughly 324,000 in AnTuTu. In everyday use, social media, browsing and calls feel quick and lag-free.

• Multitasking: with five or six apps open at once, it starts to struggle
• Gaming: the GPU is weak, and rival phones with Helio G99 or G100 chips handle games better; it also uses a virtual gyroscope
• Memory: 8GB RAM plus 8GB of virtual RAM (the box says 16GB, but only 8GB is physical), with 256GB of UFS storage
• Expansion: the tray takes two SIM cards and a memory card together
• Connectivity: 4G+ support, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 5 and an IR blaster for controlling TVs and air conditioners

The Smart Accelerator feature keeps frequently used apps in memory so they open faster.

The S25 Ultra has a 50MP main camera with a macro lens and a 32MP selfie camera. Despite the large camera design, there is only one main focal length.

• Daylight photos: good detail without heavy over-sharpening, though opinions differ on colour; many find rear shots flat, and a quick tap on the editor's Dynamic filter fixes this
• Exposure and focus: bright scenes can overexpose, and focus sometimes hunts
• Zoom and portraits: 2x zoom keeps decent detail, and the 2x portrait mode separates subjects well
• Macro: the super macro mode uses a built-in light and gives good close-ups for this price
• Selfies: the front camera has better colours than the rear and good skin tones; the beauty filter only offers intensity levels
• Night: a Super Night mode works on both cameras, and the screen acts as a flash for selfies
• Video: both cameras record up to 2K at 30fps, but there is no EIS or OIS, so 1080p gives steadier results; exposure can shift during recording

The S25 Ultra fits a 5000mAh battery into its 6.9mm body, which is impressive for such a slim phone, though the capacity itself is standard for the price.

Charging is the weak point: it supports only 18W wired charging, while many rivals offer 33W or more. The 18W charger is included in the box. Bypass charging is supported, which powers the phone directly while gaming plugged in.

We did not find a reliable battery life test, so real-world endurance figures are not given here.

The phone runs itel OS 14.5 on Android 14, and itel promises 2 major OS updates.

• Design: the interface feels polished, with attractive icons and weather widgets that do not feel budget
• AI gallery tools: the gallery finds duplicate and blurry photos for cleanup, though it sometimes flags portrait shots as blurry; you can also lift text from images with a two-finger touch
• Back light: the RGB light on the back can be set for calls, notifications, music, charging and games, with custom colours, effects and duration
• Preinstalled apps: opinions differ; some find it clean, while others count several extra apps, which can be uninstalled