Xiaomi 15 vs Xiaomi 17 Max

Verdict

Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 17 Max tie on the OH Rank at a score of 73. Xiaomi 15 wins on Screen and Selfie; Xiaomi 17 Max wins on Performance and Battery. Xiaomi 17 Max is 6.4mm wider than Xiaomi 15. Xiaomi 17 Max is the more recent release, from May 21, 2026.

Score Breakdown

Category

Xiaomi 15

71.2mm (2.8in) · Oct 29, 2024 · Rank #68

Xiaomi 17 Max

77.6mm (3.06in) · May 21, 2026 · Rank #63
Performance /15
11
13
Battery /15
11
14
Screen /15
13
11
IP Protection /15
12
12
Main Camera /15
12
12
Selfie /5
4
3
Video /5
5
3
SD Memory /5
0
0
Software /5
5
5
Desktop Replacement /5
0
0
TOTAL
73
73
Xiaomi 15
71.2mm (2.8in) · Oct 29, 2024 · Rank #68
11+11+13+12+12+4+5+0+5+0 = 73
* TOP Software

EDITORIAL: Great performance (with throttling under pressure) and exceptional battery endurance. Fast charging, excellent screen and very good photos and videos. It is too bad that Xiaomi cuts corners with it's best compact so the 15 Pro and 15 Ultra can justify their higher prices. There is still no AF on the ultrawide. No AF on the selfie either. No memory expansion, headphone jack or desktop replacement feature but Xiaomi 15 comes with a 90W charger in the box (in most markets).

PROs
flagship build, SnapDragon 8 Elite processor fast performance, 36hr endurance from a 5240mAh Silicone Carbon battery with sub-50min fast 90W wired (50W wireless) charging, 1500nits bright LTPO OLED screen with Dolby Vision, very capable 50MP OIS PDAF main + 50MP PDAF tele plus a 50MP ultrawide setup, 4 years of updates of stabile and feature rich OS, fast USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port with OTG
CONs
ultrawide and selfie cameras with no OIS, PDAF or even AF, lack of expandable storage, no desktop replacement software (but video-out is there)
Xiaomi 17 Max
77.6mm (3.06in) · May 21, 2026 · Rank #63
13+14+11+12+12+3+3+0+5+0 = 73
* TOP Battery Endurance* TOP Software

EDITORIAL: (this is a pre-test listing based on reasonable expectation of screen and imaging performance) Xiaomi completes it's 17 series with a 5th phone. Similar to 17 Pro Max but with bigger battery and lesser imaging setup. With no secondary screen of Pro and Pro Max, expect outstanding endurance. Design is Xiaomi 15-like: understated and elegant with nice color options.

PROs
Xiaomi 15 understated design, excellent SD 8 Elite Gen 5 with UFS 4.1 performance, excellent 48hr endurance from a giant 8000mAh Si-C battery with sub-60min 100W (50W wireless) charging, sharp 420ppi LTPO AMOLED screen with Dolby Vision, IP68 protection, very good pics from a 200MP 23mm OIS main + 50MP 70mm OIS periscope telephoto + 50MP 17mm ultrawide (all with PDAF) setup, feature loaded and mature HyperOS with 4 years of OS updates, fast USB-C 3.2 port with Display Port, OTG and screen sharing with Android, PC and MacOS, even car screen devices
CONs
sub-1100nits screen, no AF on average performing 32MP 21mm selfie, average video recording, no expandable memory, no desktop replacement functionality, limited market availability

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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