Globe has officially opened pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S26 series through its postpaid plans.

Customers can choose from three different models: the Samsung Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Plus, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

As with Globe GPlans with previous flagship releases, the higher the postpaid plan you avail, the less you have to shell out as a one-time cashout fee.

Postpaid plans start at just 599 pesos, with a 24-month lock-in period and reward points for corresponding expenditures.

And as part of Globe’s pre-order offer, customers can enjoy double the storage when they avail of any device until March 17.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how much you will spend depending on the plan you choose:

Globe GPlan 599

Inclusions: 2GB data, 100 minutes mobile and landline calls, 100 minutes all-net texts

• Galaxy S26 (512GB): PhP 47,400 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Plus (512GB): PhP 59,400 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): PhP 67,400 cashout

Globe GPlan 799

Inclusions: 3GB data, unlimited all-net calls (including landline) and texts

• Galaxy S26 (512GB): PhP 46,000 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Plus (512GB): PhP 58,000 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): PhP 66,000 cashout

Globe GPlan 999

Inclusions: 5GB data, unlimited all-net calls (including landline) and texts

• Galaxy S26 (512GB): PhP 44,000 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Plus (512GB): PhP 56,000 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): PhP 64,000 cashout

Globe GPlan 1299

Inclusions: 8GB data, unlimited all-net calls (including landline) and texts

• Galaxy S26 (512GB): PhP 42,000 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Plus (512GB): PhP 54,000 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): PhP 62,000 cashout

Globe GPlan 1499

Inclusions: 10GB data, unlimited all-net calls (including landline) and texts

• Galaxy S26 (512GB): PhP 38,600 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Plus (512GB): PhP 50,600 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): PhP 58,600 cashout

Globe GPlan 1799

Inclusions: 13GB data, unlimited all-net calls (including landline) and texts

• Galaxy S26 (512GB): PhP 35,300 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Plus (512GB): PhP 47,300 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): PhP 55,300 cashout

Globe GPlan 1999

Inclusions: 15GB data, unlimited all-net calls (including landline) and texts

• Galaxy S26 (512GB): PhP 33,000 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Plus (512GB): PhP 45,000 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): PhP 53,000 cashout

Globe GPlan 2499

Inclusions: 25GB data, unlimited all-net calls (including landline) and texts

• Galaxy S26 (512GB): PhP 28,500 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Plus (512GB): PhP 40,500 cashout
• Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): PhP 48,500 cashout

In addition, customers can enjoy 0% interest installment up to 36 months via select bank credit cards, like UnionBank, BDO, BPI, Metrobank, EastWest, Chinabank, and more.

Base models are often an afterthought — even among flagship phones. And with a flashy, attention-grabbing Ultra variant in the lineup, it’s easy to overlook the smaller Xiaomi 17.

But like the base models that came before it, the Xiaomi 17 is a tiny but mighty true flagship. One that quietly delivers the core flagship experience without demanding the size, weight, or price of its bigger sibling.

It’s compact, powerful, and surprisingly capable. And perhaps more importantly, it’s a phone that makes mobile photography feel fun again.

For creators and photography enthusiasts who want a capable camera always within reach, the Xiaomi 17 feels like carrying a Leica-inspired camera in your pocket.

A phone that feels like a pocket camera

The first thing you notice about the Xiaomi 17 is how comfortable it feels.

Smartphones have steadily grown larger over the years, but the Xiaomi 17 brings things back to a more manageable size. It’s easy to grip, easy to carry, and easy to operate with one hand.

That might sound like a small thing, but it makes a big difference when you’re using the phone to take photos.

Pull it out of your pocket, frame the shot, press the shutter. The whole thing feels effortless. In many ways, it behaves more like a compact camera than a traditional flagship smartphone.

The design itself leans into that idea as well. The phone’s minimalist aesthetic, clean camera module, and smooth curves give it a polished but understated look.

Even the edges feel thoughtfully shaped, making the phone sit comfortably in your palm during longer shooting sessions.

It’s the kind of phone that doesn’t scream for attention — but once you start using it, it becomes difficult to put down.

Essential Leica imagery

Mobile photography is where the Xiaomi 17 really shines.

It’s the kind of camera that inspires you to keep shooting. To keep capturing life stills with intent. And when the shots start coming together, that’s when you realize the Xiaomi 17 truly shoots Leica dream.

Co-engineered with Leica, the camera system focuses on capturing images with rich detail, balanced lighting, and distinctive color science.

Shots from the main camera look vibrant without feeling overly processed. Highlights stay controlled, shadows retain depth, and colors carry that signature Leica look — slightly dramatic, but still grounded in realism.

For everyday photography, the Xiaomi 17 excels.

During my time with the phone, I mindlessly walked around San Francisco taking as many sample photos as I could. Most of the time I was in a bit of a hurry, just snapping shots between stops. But even then, a surprising number of those photos still turned out pretty great. It’s the kind of camera that quietly saves moments you didn’t even think twice about capturing.

The zoom range isn’t the most extensive out there, but for most real-world scenarios — especially street photography and mid-range subjects — it delivers more than enough flexibility.

And because the phone itself is so comfortable to hold, it encourages you to take photos more often.

Changing the vibe after the shot

One of the coolest parts of the Xiaomi 17 camera experience is how playful it can be.

The Leica color profiles already give photos a distinctive look, but the phone also includes several creative filters that can dramatically change the mood of an image.

The existing filters look terrific. Aside from the Leica ones, personal favorites include Rhodium, Blues, Gourmand, and Cyberpunk.

What makes them even better is that you’re not stuck with the filter you used when taking the photo. After capturing the image, you can still change the style and instantly shift the entire vibe of the shot.

A photo that originally looked warm and cinematic can suddenly feel cooler and more dramatic. Another might turn vibrant and neon-like with a single tap.

It’s a simple feature, but it adds a lot of creative freedom to the photography process. And it turns editing into something enjoyable instead of something you feel obligated to do.

A compact phone with flagship power

Of course, great cameras are only part of the story.

The Xiaomi 17 runs on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon flagship processor, and in everyday use, that power is immediately noticeable.

Apps launch quickly. Multitasking feels smooth. Games run without hesitation.

More importantly, the performance feels consistent. Whether you’re editing photos, recording videos, or jumping between several apps, the phone rarely feels like it’s struggling to keep up.

It’s the kind of performance you expect from a flagship device — just delivered in a more compact body.

Although, during a humid day but still indoors, it did uncharacteristically heat up after taking a series of photos. Happened only once but worth taking note of.

Surprisingly strong media experience

The Xiaomi 17 may be smaller than many modern smartphones, but it still manages to deliver a strong media experience.

The display is bright, colorful, and smooth. Watching videos or browsing social media feels fluid and immersive.

Interestingly, I found that the screen works best in quieter, more relaxed moments.

When held at a distance, the compact display can sometimes make smaller details harder to see. But late at night, when the lights are down and you’re catching up with shows or doom-scrolling through your feeds, the experience becomes surprisingly cozy.

I used it mostly to catch up with what XG has been putting out lately. Their track “Rock the Boat” is going platinum on my playlist.

The stereo speakers deserve a shout-out too.

Despite the phone’s more diminutive size, the speakers pack a surprising amount of punch. Music, videos, and games all sound fuller than you might expect from a phone this compact.

Battery life that keeps up

Compact phones sometimes struggle with battery life, but that’s not the case here.

The Xiaomi 17 packs a large battery that easily carries the phone through a full day of typical use.

Photography sessions, social media browsing, streaming videos, and occasional gaming didn’t seem to drain it too aggressively.

And when you do need to recharge, Xiaomi’s fast charging technology means the phone powers up quickly.

Short charging sessions can already restore a significant amount of battery life, making it easy to keep the phone ready throughout the day.

HyperOS and the familiar Xiaomi quirks

The Xiaomi 17 runs on HyperOS, Xiaomi’s latest software platform designed to connect its growing ecosystem of devices.

The system is fast and visually polished, but it does come with some familiar quirks.

By now, many users are already familiar with the bloatware and occasional ads that appear within certain system apps.

It’s something that has long been associated with Xiaomi’s software experience, and while it has improved over time, it hasn’t disappeared entirely.

Another observation is how the interface design can sometimes feel reminiscent of older smartphone aesthetics.

These are relatively minor nitpicks in the grand scheme of things, but they are still worth mentioning.

Thankfully, they don’t get in the way of the phone’s core strengths.

Xiaomi 17 specs

Display: 6.3-inch OLED, 1–120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256GB / 512GB
Battery & Charging: 6330mAh, 100W wired charging, 50W wireless charging
Size: 151.1 x 71.8 x 8.06mm, 191g

Cameras

•  50MP main camera
•  50MP telephoto
•  50MP ultra-wide
•  50MP front camera

Is the Xiaomi 17 your GadgetMatch?

The Xiaomi 17 works because it focuses on the right things.

It delivers strong performance, dependable battery life, and a camera system that genuinely encourages creativity.

More importantly, it makes photography enjoyable.

Between the Leica color science, the flexible filters, and the comfortable size, it’s a phone that invites you to take photos more often.

If you care a lot about mobile photography without compromising overall performance, the Xiaomi 17 is an easy Swipe Right.

It’s also a great option for people who prefer smaller phones but still want something that feels like a true flagship.

And if the idea of carrying a Leica-inspired camera in your pocket sounds appealing, the Xiaomi 17 might be exactly that.

A phone that turns everyday moments into photos that feel a little more Leica dream.

The OPPO Reno15 Series 5G made its way to the Philippines last month, and reception has been pretty great so far.

With a powerful camera package, AI, and a slew of upgrades, there’s a lot to love and not much negative to say. But that’s with both the standard and Pro models.

On the other hand, with the Reno15 F 5G — the series’ supposed budget-friendly “lite” variant —there were more question marks than exclamation points.

I attack this piece once more from a consumer standpoint: shelling out PhP 23,000 to PhP 26,000 for a midrange smartphone that feels and performs like it’s a few notches below its segment doesn’t sound too pleasant.

Performance

With a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, the OPPO Reno15 F performs pretty much like any sub PhP 20,000 mid-ranger. It’s acceptable, but does not punch above its weight as expected.

No major hiccups for light and casual usage. But performance struggles a lot for demanding video games.

It also heats up significantly just 10 minutes into a title like Honkai: Star Rail. This is a stark contrast to the marketed 25℃ and up to 10 hours straight of smooth gameplay.

Although, the experience was still enjoyable with several wins and MVP runs in Call of Duty Mobile. It only means the F variant remains a more camera-centric phone rather than an a hard-hitting all-arounder.

As with other devices, the 7000mAh battery with 80W SUPERVOOC is a strong suit. You’re fueled from dawn ’til dusk, with much to spare. Recharging takes a breeze, too.

Display

The OPPO Reno15 F has a 6.57-inch 120Hz display, with a 92.8% screen-to-body ratio. At least, that allows you to focus on content on the screen.

Content leans more towards the cooler tone, so you’ll have to adjust it manually if you want a warmer or more vivid look.

The 397ppi pixel density is fine to ensure sharper visuals, while the 1400 nits peak brightness is helpful outdoors.

Camera

The device’s 50MP main camera captures decent quality. The color science leans on being natural anew, without being too dull nor washed out. You can pull off smooth portraits too.

I hardly used the phone for stills as I focused on videos, but here are some samples, on the occasions I was able to take the handset with me:

The 50MP front camera is an intriguing add-on, as it is capable of up to 4K video and a wide 100° field of view.

What this does is it essentially removes the need to flip your phone for the popular “0.5” shots. And the quality doesn’t get compromised given the pixel count.

Here are some selfies from different focal lengths:

To its credit, filming with the back camera at 60fps does look and feel smooth, although it can be improved.

Same with the front camera; and the zoom range can be switched from 0.6 to 2x without cutting the recording.

Although, it’s still best to use a selfie stick or small tripod if you’re just after talking head videos.

Speaking of which, here are a few I’ve made with just this device:

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But for travel and on-the-go captures, as OPPO markets for the series in general, even the Reno15 F can cover a lot of background along with your or your groups’ faces.

Make no mistake, there are some useful AI editing features here. In particular, AI Portrait Glow gives your raw capture an effect to make it look it was taken with flash.

I do not recall the device heating up as well when taking many photos or videos, so you can say it’s more optimized for that task rather than gaming.

Connectivity issues

Meanwhile, AI LinkBoost 3.0, as in the case of the OPPO A6 Pro, doesn’t seem to punch above its weight either.

Once, I also played Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and the session opened to a jittery start despite being on Wi-Fi and having a stable connection. I don’t know what triggered this.

Design, feel

We got the Aurora Blue variant which does kind of resemble the northern lights when you tilt the phone a certain way and when light hits its back panel.

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The cursive “Reno” on the large, protruding camera island gives it more style.

However, it’s all just aesthetics. On the downside, the phone is all sorts of slippery.

I couldn’t hold it properly without think of it slipping away from my hands; nor could I put it on my lap with confidence.

So I guess it’s good that it has structural integrity and waterproofing, because you’ll need that.

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The 6.57-inch body does have a good balance between being too compact and too large, like ultras and pro maxes.

It has a squarish body and has already adapted to the premium, aluminum frame look from the sides.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

Sadly, the OPPO Reno15 F 5G is a Swipe Left unlike its bigger, more capable siblings. There are plenty of plus points for the camera package but take that away, and I don’t see much difference between the Reno15 F and something like the A6 Pro.

Granted, the asking price of this phone will drop significantly in a few months. But throw in a little more, and you’ve got a legitimate mid-ranger that’s more on the premium side rather than the cheap end of the spectrum.