The all-new Xiaomi 17 Ultra isn’t perfect. But as a camera?

With a 1-inch sensor, continuous optical zoom, and Leica color science — this might be the most exciting camera phone Michael Josh has used in years.

If you care about photography more than a polish, you’ll want to watch this review.

Here’s our in-depth Xiaomi 17 Ultra review.

I’m starting to think that cosmic horror is near-impossible to adapt to the big screen. Often, the point of this subgenre of horror is to showcase the unfathomable, a horror so unknowable that it’s impossible to describe. Now, for a medium that thrives on “show, don’t tell,” a full-length movie doesn’t seem like the best format for this type of horror. I’ve seen so many cosmic horror films, and a majority of them fail to land the satisfaction of a more traditional horror film.

Iron Lung, directed by and starring Markiplier, takes a stab at this elusively complex genre.

After the sudden disappearance of stars and planets in the universe, a lone space station explores a nearby moon to search for a way to save humanity. The catch is that the entire moon is covered in an ocean of blood. A convict, played by Markiplier, is tasked with exploring the moon in a one-man submersible, in exchange for his freedom.

Naturally, an ocean of blood isn’t the best place to be. The moon’s ocean hides mysteries and monsters beneath all the gore.

On the impossibility of cosmic horror

Though a movie is all about showing and not telling, Iron Lung navigates through these intricacies by not showing anything.

Because everything is just blood outside, the submarine needs a special camera that takes only grainy photos directly in front of the submersible. There’s always a sense of claustrophobic dread. What’s outside the submarine? What were those sounds? Did the camera really take a photo of something alive?

The film’s premise alone is a perfect source of horror. This is where cosmic horror thrives: on the questions, on the tiny sneak peeks of a monster lurking around the corner.

But, then again, this is also where the subgenre can paint itself into a corner. Eventually, audiences ask for more. They need to see and know the beast for real. Think Cloverfield, when the massive alien finally shows its face, or The Nun with… well, The Nun.

It’s an unwritten rule in horror films that the monster must make an appearance. It becomes a paradox for cosmic horror because the beast must also be unknowable.

When the beast finally shows up in Iron Lung, the audience never learns an understandable reason why it’s stalking the submarine. It’s not hungry, it doesn’t want revenge, and it doesn’t want to take over the world. It just is.

Is that a satisfying enough conclusion? If you’re a fan of cosmic horror, then it’s par for the course. However, if you’re more used to the more traditional horror film, it might leave you wanting more.

On madness

A mysterious monster isn’t the only thing that cosmic horror is known for. It’s also about madness and how the protagonist goes insane after seeing the unknown.

It’s apropos, then, that the convict starts hallucinating right after seeing a glimpse of the ocean’s beast. He starts to lose track of what’s real and what’s not.

In other movies, madness is an effective tool in subverting expectations and amplifying the horror. For example, in The Lighthouse, Winslow, the protagonist, also loses his sanity and questions reality. The film is all about this descent into madness and the questionable actions as a result from it. In Shutter Island, madness is a punchline, a plot twist that invites the audience to revisit the entire film and question their own perception.

Iron Lung, however, is neither a complete descent nor a plot twist. Rather, it’s a clear third act stemming from the convict’s encounter with the monster.

Since it’s clearly delineated in the third act, it’s hard to empathize with the convict’s plight. There’s a sense of vertigo moving from a creature feature into, in the convict’s own words, “alien shit” where you’re not sure of what’s real. Likewise, it’s not a plot twist either. You don’t reevaluate whether the entire movie was a hallucination.

Madness is understandably a major plot point of the original game that the movie is based on. However, its translation into film isn’t the smoothest. It’s both too short and too long.

But is it a good film?

Despite its struggle with the format, Iron Lung is still a spirited attempt at a one-room horror film. Markiplier melds into his role and doesn’t just showcase his on-screen YouTube personality.

The premise is, at once, frightening. It’s eerie and creepy. There is always a pervasive need to figure out what comes next. That’s pretty much what you want from a movie anyway. Yes, the ending might be polarizing, especially to those more used to the usual horror film, but the journey is still worth the price of admission.

And, at the very least, the film got me interested in watching Mark’s original playthroughs.

What makes a good midrange phone? Is it the competitive price, the more subdued specs that scream “I guess it’s okay,” or the wackier designs? For me, it’s how light they are. It never ceases to amaze me how they can pack in so much hardware in such a thin chassis. Fresh off the oven, the new Infinix NOTE Edge did its homework, putting together one of the most impressive ultra-slim phones to date. At least, on paper.

Welcome back, Galaxy S6 Edge

A decade ago, my daily driver was the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Though I’ve gone through more phones since then, it’s still one of my favorite flagships ever. The curved edge started off as a fun gimmick but quickly grew into what made the old phone so unique.

Now, in 2026, the Infinix NOTE Edge resurrects Samsung’s old flagship through its nostalgic design. The rear is mostly made up of a matte gold texture, which already makes for a nicely minimalist feel. However, it stands out even more with a huge camera island with a reflective surface that’s practically lifted from the iPhone 17 series.

Infinix’s phone skips the quirky designs typical of its segment. Instead, it goes for an iconic look that worked in the past and, arguably, still works today.

A phone for your pocket

A lot of phones today are just too big for pockets. Either the phone itself is just too large, or the camera island protrudes too much. Back in the day, we could have joked about having a certain appendage in our pockets. Now, phones are too comically large to be a laughing matter.

The Infinix NOTE Edge belongs to the unfortunately doomed ultra-thin phone segment. Though a lot of smartphone makers are already moving away from incredibly thin form factors, the NOTE Edge proves that the phone type works better in the midrange.

It weighs only 190 grams. Sure, it’s not a huge deal lighter than other smartphones, but you’d be surprised by how much cutting a few dozen grams helps. The NOTE Edge fits so well in my pocket. Throughout my time with the phone, it’s been only a secondary phone alongside my daily driver. Still, I could hardly feel it. Sometimes, I forget that it’s even in my pocket.

The ultra-thin phone might be a short-lived trend, but the NOTE Edge shows that it can be more with less.

Don’t let its size fool you

The Infinix NOTE Edge is one of the first phones to rock the Dimensity 7100 chipset. It’s a midrange chip that gets the job done. This phone has you covered for all facets of daily use. However, what it can’t do is become a dedicated gaming phone.

Zenless Zone Zero remains my biggest barometer for a phone’s performance. Very technically, the NOTE Edge can handle the title, but it wasn’t an enjoyable experience. Even in fairly low settings, the phone struggles with stuttering. Plus, on account of its lithe figure, it gets uncomfortably hot after only a while.

To be fair, it’s still capable with other titles. Firing up Bloons TD 6 from Netflix was a breeze. If you’re not a big mobile gamer, the NOTE Edge is pretty decent with those small time wasters.

Now Playing: Royal Rumble 2026

The Infinix NOTE Edge is more of a joy when you’re watching movies. The 6.78-inch AMOLED screen is delightful with 1B colors and 120Hz refresh rate.

As it happens, I got the phone right on time for this year’s Royal Rumble, my annual tradition as a lapsed WWE fan. What’s a better way to test a phone’s screen than with a 4-hour event?

Since WWE came to Netflix, wrestling fans have been eating good. The platform probably has every show to date. I’ve been enjoying the entire library from the past. But, of course, the best part is the availability of live events. Unlike the embarrassing way that Disney+ treated the WWE, Netflix’s live shows are in glorious HD, have no additional ads, and are available almost immediately.

Now, watching the show on the NOTE Edge was enjoyable. Because of its size, I didn’t need to squint hard to see which Superstar just made an entrance. And that’s a huge plus because there are so many new wrestlers I don’t recognize now.

Overall, I had a decent time watching, despite some questions with the results. Liv Morgan finally won a Rumble match, which I’m stoked by. Sadly, AJ Styles lost his career match, which means he’s gone from the WWE. I’m not really sure that having Roman Reigns win a Rumble again (and, therefore, be in the WrestleMania main event AGAIN) is a great idea, but that’s just part of the pain of liking the WWE.

At least, trying out the NOTE Edge was a revelation. Besides the size, the battery lasted well after four hours. Sure, a chunk was obliterated, but I still had around half the battery after that long.

An AI camera isn’t so bad after all

Whenever I see “AI” attached to a phone’s camera, the hairs on the back of my neck bristle. I don’t really need AI to help me take photos, thank you very much, especially when most of my gallery is of my cat anyway. (3,000 photos and counting!)

That said, I was blown away by the Infinix NOTE Edge. Despite only having a 50-megapixel rear shooter, I had fun using this phone to shoot. On a bright Saturday, it took the streets of Makati and a nearby taco shop with ease.

Colors under sunlight were lit perfectly without exposure turning everything into an overbright mess.

Similarly, indoor shots were very good. Just take a look at the colors on this wall.

This wall at Los Chachos in Makati looked sooo good.

I took the phone with me after dark, and it still performed well. Sure, you might jittery shots, but if you’re able to stay still, you’ve got a winner. For these shots, I did lower the brightness by quite a bit to allow the contrast to do the lifting.

Selfies were also good, if you’ve got good enough lighting.

Now, here’s a slight issue, though. The reflective back can give you a headache. If you find yourself shooting against the light or in brightly lit conditions, the camera can produce a very strong lens flare. In some situations, it adds a creative element to your shots, but it can be distracting during sunny days.

Here are a few more shots when I took the phone to Singapore. I’ll just say it: the Infinix NOTE Edge is incredibly good for street photography. The light weight and the photo quality are impressive.

Overall, I still wouldn’t sacrifice my daily driver and my camera for this phone. Regardless, it was enjoyable to shoot with this. It definitely works in a pinch.

The midrange problem of bloatware

Since this is a midrange phone, the NOTE Edge has the unfortunate problem consistent with most midrange phones: bloatware galore.

To be fair, the phone doesn’t really have a lot of apps installed. Then again, with the overwhelming deluge of advertised apps, the distinction hardly matters. The games section even had pages upon pages of titles that you’re definitely never installing in your life.

The phone also has the very midrange-coded Magazine Lockscreen, which sends content you might like straight to the lock screen. It’s a fancy way of saying that the lock screen has ads baked into it by default.

Thankfully, all these distractions can be turned off or deleted easily. But, honestly, I hope phone makers realize that no one really likes having them on in the first place.

A battery that’s good on paper

Despite its slim form factor, the NOTE Edge comes with a sizable 6500mAh battery. That’s a decent figure on paper. However, the phone’s real-time performance doesn’t really reflect this.

It’s not that the battery fails to perform as a smartphone battery. Rather, for a battery that hovers around the upper range of capacity these days, it doesn’t really have that oomph factor.

On the day that I took the NOTE Edge to a street shoot in Makati, the battery lasted a cool 15 hours before sinking to anxiety-inducing levels (around 20 to 30 percent for me). I’d consider this heavy usage already. Besides using the phone as a daily driver, I kept the camera on for extended periods of time, so I wouldn’t miss shots. I played games while waiting for friends and my food to arrive. I was using Waze without a charger going to and from Makati.

And, yes, by the way, it did get hot. After all, the thinness of the NOTE Edge doesn’t really allow for a dedicated cooling system, unlike thicker phones.

It’s fine as a battery, since it gets the job done throughout the day. But it’s not the 6500mAh type of fine.

Is the Infinix NOTE Edge your GadgetMatch?

Starting at only PhP 14,999, the Infinix NOTE Edge is as budget-friendly as it gets for a midrange phone. It’s not the most impressive phone I’ve seen in its price range, but, as I said for the battery, it gets the job done.

The two highlights here, besides that oh-so-affordable price, are the thin form factor and the impressive camera. If you value both specs in your daily driver, this is a good Swipe Right.

However, if bloatware is a problem for you, then this is a clear Swipe Left. You can also couple that with a processor and a battery that looks good on paper but fails to wow beyond that.