Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 17 Pro
Verdict
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Xiaomi 17 Pro tie on the OH Rank at a score of 73. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max wins on Battery and Screen; Xiaomi 17 Pro wins on Performance. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is 4.9mm wider than Xiaomi 17 Pro. Xiaomi 17 Pro is the more recent release, from Sep 25, 2025.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
73
73
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
76.7mm (3.02in) · Sep 2023 · Rank #58
9+12+13+12+12+5+5+0+5+0 = 73
* BEST phone Fall Winter 2023
EDITORIAL: Last yearâs best iPhone is a fantastic value now that Apple stopped selling it (but will keep supporting for years). This was the best phone in the world a year ago and will remain in the TOP 20 for a long time.
PROs
fast performance, a 2-day battery endurance, 1800nits very bright (460ppi) LTPO OLED with Dolby Vision, up to 6m of water submersion, OIS and PDAF 48MP main and 12MP tele plus a 12MP PDAF ultrawide, 12MP OIS PDAF Selfie and 5 more years of updates of already very mature iOS
CONs
big, 2-hand size, lack of innovation in recent years, disappointing AI effort, slow battery charging, lack of expandable storage (that forces you to iCloud), no Desktop replacement software (updated Mar 27, 2025)
Xiaomi 17 Pro
71.8mm (2.83in) · Sep 25, 2025 · Rank #52
13+11+11+12+12+5+4+0+5+0 = 73
* TOP Compact* TOP Selfie* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: This year, Xiaomi is all-out after Apple. Not only did it skip the 16th gen and name their flagships to match Apple's 17th gen - they also matched the design too. Except, instead of just offering a "plateau" bump across the upper back of their Pro phones, Xiaomi put a second screen there. Both back and main screens match in brightness and Dolby Vision certification and allow you to take selfies with back cameras. Otherwise, 17 Pro upgrades on last year's (China only) 15 Pro with better processor, faster memory, bigger battery size and charging speed, higher screen PWM dimming rate, water immersion depth, selfie with a PDAF, new OS and even added Dolby Atmos speaker certification.
PROs
compact, great new design with a large and bright back screen, fast SD Elite 8 Gen 5 processor with UFS 4.1 performance, 36hr endurance from a 6300mAh battery with sub-50min 100W (50W wireless) charging. 2 <1300 bright LTPO AMOLED screens with 120Hz refresh >2000Hz PWM and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision tech, IP68 protection (up to 4m water immersion for 30 min), excellent imaging from the 50MP 23mm OIS main and 50MP 17mm ultrawide (both with PDAF), excellent new 50MP 21mm PDAF selfie, HyperOS 3.0 with 4 years of updates, fast USB-C 3.2 port with Video-out and screen sharing with PCs or Macs
CONs
could end up China-only, sub-1300nits on both screens, only okay 50MP 115mm periscope telephoto performance, no SDmemory, no desktop replacement feature, China only
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
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