Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs Xiaomi 17 Pro

Verdict

Apple iPhone 16 Plus and Xiaomi 17 Pro tie on the OH Rank at a score of 73. Apple iPhone 16 Plus wins on Battery and Video; Xiaomi 17 Pro wins on Performance. Apple iPhone 16 Plus is 6mm wider than Xiaomi 17 Pro. Xiaomi 17 Pro is the more recent release, from Sep 25, 2025.

Score Breakdown

Category

Apple iPhone 16 Plus

77.8mm (3.06in) · Sep 2024 · Rank #59

Xiaomi 17 Pro

71.8mm (2.83in) · Sep 25, 2025 · Rank #52
Performance /15
11
13
Battery /15
12
11
Screen /15
11
11
IP Protection /15
12
12
Main Camera /15
12
12
Selfie /5
5
5
Video /5
5
4
SD Memory /5
0
0
Software /5
5
5
Desktop Replacement /5
0
0
TOTAL
73
73
Apple iPhone 16 Plus
77.8mm (3.06in) · Sep 2024 · Rank #59
11+12+11+12+12+5+5+0+5+0 = 73

EDITORIAL: Like it’s smaller version, iPhone 16 Plus is an excellent alternative to the Pro models – lacking are just the 120Htz refresh rate screen and a telephoto camera. The A18 processor is marginally slower than the A18 Pro chip used in 16 Pro and Pro Max making vanilla iPhones a better choice for more people. Battery charging remains painfully slow as with every iPhone and if coming from Android, iOS usebility and customization options can be downright upsetting. But iPhone users love how well Apple devices play with each other, so there’s that.

PROs
fast A18 chip performance, a 2-day battery endurance, 1800nits very bright LTPO OLED with Dolby Vision, up to 6m of water submersion, good imaging from the 48MP OIS main, 12MP ultrawide plus a 12MP Selfie (all with PDAF) and 6 years of updates of already very mature iOS
CONs
lack of innovation in recent years, disappointing AI effort, slow battery charging, just 60Hz screen refresh rate, 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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