Itel Super 26 Ultra

At Rs. 47,499 for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, the Itel Super 26 Ultra is the most expensive phone Itel has sold in Pakistan, and it is built to look and feel more costly than it is. The curved 144Hz AMOLED screen, the 6.8 mm body and the 168 g weight are its strongest selling points.

Main advantages:

• One of the brightest and smoothest screens at this price
• Very slim and light for a 6000 mAh battery
• IP65 dust and water resistance, NFC and an IR blaster
• Strong front camera with 2K video and stabilisation

Main compromises:

• Only 18W charging, when 33W to 45W is common at this price
• A single bottom speaker
• No ultrawide camera: the large camera island holds only a 50 MP main camera and a small 2 MP helper
• 4G only, no 5G

The Infinix Hot 70 costs Rs. 60,299 and answers some of these complaints with 45W charging, a microSD slot and a promise of 3 major Android updates, but it uses a 120Hz IPS LCD instead of AMOLED. Buyers who care most about the screen, design and slim build will find the Super 26 Ultra good value. Buyers who want fast charging, stereo sound or a versatile camera should look elsewhere or wait for a price cut.

The display is the best part of this phone. It is a 6.8-inch curved AMOLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 7i on top and a quoted peak brightness of 4500 nits.

Real-world use:

• Scrolling and animations feel very smooth, and the screen is bright enough that indoor use often needs the brightness turned down.
• Outdoor visibility is strong, and the screen stays readable in direct sunlight.
• Colours and contrast suit videos well, and Widevine L1 support allows HD playback in streaming apps.
• Bezels are thin for the price.

Resolution: Itel markets the screen as 1.5K, but GSMArena's spec sheet lists 1080 x 2436 pixels, which is Full HD+. Sharpness is good either way at this size.

Limitations: The curved edges look premium, but many gamers prefer a flat screen because curved edges can catch accidental touches. The fingerprint scanner sits under the display and responds quickly.

The phone uses the Unisoc T7300 (6 nm) with 8GB of RAM. Unisoc chips are usually found in cheaper phones, but this one performs close to MediaTek's Helio G100 class in practice.

Everyday use: Apps open quickly and the interface runs smoothly on the 144Hz screen. The RAM is LPDDR4X and the storage is UFS, though Itel does not say which UFS version.

Gaming: PUBG Mobile offers Smooth graphics with Extreme frame rate, and HD graphics with Ultra frame rate. Gameplay is good overall, though some frame drops do appear.

Heat: The top of the phone gets slightly warm during gaming and heavy tasks, but not uncomfortably so.

Benchmark: AnTuTu results differ between reports, ranging from about 580,000 to 690,000. That is mid-range territory, not flagship.

Limitations: This is a solid chip for social media, streaming and casual gaming, but heavy gamers who want stable high frame rates for long sessions will find stronger chips in other phones near this price.

The back looks like it has four cameras, but only two do real work: a 50 MP main camera and a 2 MP helper sensor. The rest of the island is design and houses the flash and IR blaster. There is no ultrawide or telephoto camera, which is a clear gap at this price.

Daylight: The main camera captures good detail, accurate skin tones and pleasant colours. Itel's image processing is noticeably better than on its older phones, and photos come out clean. Some images show a slight yellow tint. Light digital zoom still gives usable results.

Low light: The rear camera loses more quality in the dark than the selfie camera does. Super Night mode is available on both cameras.

Selfies: The 32 MP front camera is one of the best at this price, with good background blur in portrait mode and a screen flash for dark rooms.

Video: Both cameras record up to 2K at 30fps, and electronic stabilisation works at every resolution, including 2K. Front video is very steady. Rear video is stable too, but shows a few more jerks while walking.

Extras: AI Eraser and AI Extender work decently in the gallery editor, and the camera app includes Pro, slow motion, time-lapse, dual video and document modes.

The Itel Super 26 Ultra has a 6000 mAh battery, which is impressive in a body only 6.8 mm thick.

Charging: An 18W charger and a USB-A to USB-C cable come in the box. That is the phone's biggest weakness. Most rivals at this price offer 33W to 45W, and with a battery this large, a full charge takes a long time. A reliable full-charge time is not available yet.

Wireless charging: It is not supported. The case in the box is magnetic, so magnetic holders and stands can still be used, though the magnet sits slightly lower than usual because of the tall camera island.

Battery life: No reliable screen-on time results are available yet, so real-world battery life cannot be confirmed. The large capacity suggests it should last a full day for most users, but heavy 144Hz gaming will drain it faster.

The phone runs itel OS 15 on Android 15. It shares its design and features with Infinix XOS and Tecno HiOS, so the experience will feel familiar to anyone who has used those brands.

AI features: This is the most AI-heavy Itel phone so far. It includes an AI voice assistant with DeepSeek built in, a smart text-selection tool, call, social, writing and document assistants, an AI wallpaper maker, AI Gallery and Circle to Search. AI Eraser and AI Extender in the photo editor work decently, but some of the newer assistant features still need polish.

Useful extras:

• IR blaster to use the phone as a TV or AC remote
• NFC, which Itel lists for data sharing
• A free-link feature for short-range calls without a SIM signal

Updates: The box mentions six years of smooth performance, but this is a fluency claim, not an update promise. Itel has not published an official Android or security update commitment for this phone, so buyers should not expect the long update support that Samsung or Google offer.