In 2025, the flagship smartphone competition will intensify with the arrival of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. These flagship devices from Xiaomi and Apple offer advanced technology, top tier cameras, and powerful performance for multitasking and gaming. For users who are unsure about which option to choose, understanding the differences in specifications, features, and prices between these two smartphones is crucial to finding the device that best suits their needs and lifestyle. To avoid making the wrong choice, users can check out this comparison of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra vs. the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, renowned for its high performance and power efficiency, making it comfortable to run demanding games like Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile with stable frame rates. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max features the A19 Bionic chip, which delivers exceptional processing and graphics speed, ensuring a smooth gaming experience even at maximum graphics settings, including for augmented reality games and other demanding applications.
Here's a more detailed comparison of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max:
1. Design
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra adopts an iconic design with a large circular camera module inspired by classic Leica aesthetics. It uses a heavy duty aluminum frame, Xiaomi Shield Glass 2.0 on the front, and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the back. It is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, although its asymmetrical camera module is often criticized for being less elegant.On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Pro Max features a heat treated aluminum unibody design for thermal stability, with an integrated vapor chamber, Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and back, and a long horizontal camera bar that stretches along the top of the rear. It is also IP68 rated; this design feels lighter and more comfortable to hold, although the camera bar has drawn similar controversy.
2. . Display
Both phones excel in display, but the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has a slight edge in size, boasting a 6.73 inch LTPO OLED panel with 2K resolution (1440 x 3200 pixels), a 120Hz refresh rate, 3,200 nits peak brightness, and Always Active Display for battery efficiency.The iPhone 17 Pro Max offers a 6.9 inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with 1,290 x 2,796 pixels, 120Hz ProMotion, and up to 2,000 nits peak brightness, plus a new anti reflective coating for better outdoor visibility, although its resolution is lower than the Xiaomi.
3. Performance
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm process) with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. It offers superior multitasking and gaming performance thanks to HyperAI and internal cooling, ideal for heavy users.The iPhone 17 Pro Max uses the A19 Pro chip (also 3nm) with 12GB of unified memory RAM, which excels in efficiency and local AI thanks to the integrated Neural Engine. It also features a vapor chamber for up to 40 percent better sustained performance, making it more optimal for the iOS ecosystem and extended gaming, despite its lower RAM.
4. Camera
This is where the Xiaomi 15 Ultra dominates as a "camera with a phone," with a Leica quad camera system: a 50MP main (1 inch LYT-900 sensor, f/1.63), a 50MP ultrawide, a 50MP telephoto (3x optical), and a 200MP periscope (4.3x to 10x zoom), plus an optional photography kit for a pro experience.Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max boasts a triple 48MP Fusion Camera (main, ultrawide, and telephoto with the longest 8x optical zoom on an iPhone), plus an 18MP Center Stage front camera for smart group selfies and Dual Capture video. Apple's computational processing delivers natural colors and superior stabilization, but lacks flexibility at extreme zoom compared to Xiaomi.
5. Battery
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra excels in capacity with a 5,410mAh battery (Si-C technology for long life), supporting 90W wired charging (full in about 30 minutes) and 80W wireless charging, plus 10W reverse wireless charging, although it offers around 7 hours of daily battery life with heavy use.The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a more efficient 5,088mAh battery thanks to the A19 Pro, offering the best battery life on an iPhone (up to 4 hours longer than its predecessor), with 40W+ wired charging (50 percent in 20 minutes) and 25W MagSafe wireless charging (50 percent in 30 minutes), plus a new reverse wireless charging system that focuses on optimization over raw speed.
6. Price
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is offered at a more affordable price, starting at $1,407 for the base 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant, with global color options including black, silver, and white.Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is more expensive, starting at $1,499 for 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, with exclusive variants like Desert Titanium and Natural Titanium that emphasize Apple's premium design.
Overall, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra excels for photography enthusiasts and offers excellent value for money with superior raw specs and super fast charging, ideal for Android users seeking innovation. Leica like design and limitless gaming performance.
In contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins in its seamless ecosystem, long term battery efficiency, and premium design integrated with iOS 26 and Apple Intelligence, perfect for Apple loyalists who prioritize stability and privacy. Choose the Xiaomi if you're on a budget and need extreme zoom, but get the iPhone if you want a polished, holistic experience. Both are worthy, depending on your ecosystem preference.