This year brings a classic showdown in the premium smartphone market with the release of the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max. Both devices push the boundaries of mobile technology, but they do so with fundamentally different philosophies. Xiaomi offers a feature-packed Android powerhouse with a focus on raw hardware specifications and charging speed, while Apple refines its ecosystem with a powerful new camera system and its integrated AI. This guide breaks down the key differences to help you decide which flagship is the right choice for you.
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 17 Pro Max at a glance
| Aspect | Xiaomi 17 Pro Max | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
| Battery & charging | Much larger battery, much faster charging | Good efficiency, solid battery life with optimizations |
| Display & extras | Secondary display, high brightness | Mature display tech, better pixel density |
| Camera & video | Strong sensors, more hardware zoom | Superior image/video processing, Pro workflows |
| Software & ecosystem | More openness, hardware features | Stronger ecosystem, long software support |
| Storage flexibility | Decent (up to 1 TB) | Up to 2 TB |
| Real-world performance | Possibly more headroom in specs | Smoother over time, better optimization |
Design and display
At a glance, both phones offer large, premium builds, but with distinct approaches. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max is slightly taller and wider, but also thinner and lighter than the iPhone. It boasts a unique design with a massive 6.9-inch main display and a functional 2.9-inch secondary LTPO AMOLED display on the back for notifications and selfies. Its screen is protected by Xiaomi’s Dragon Crystal Glass 3.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max sticks to its familiar aluminum and Ceramic Shield design, available in Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue. Its 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display features the Dynamic Island and ProMotion technology. While both screens have a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, the Xiaomi boasts a significantly higher peak brightness of 3500 nits compared to the iPhone’s 3000 nits for outdoor use. Both devices are rated IP68 for water and dust resistance.
Performance and hardware
Under the hood, these phones feature the latest and most powerful chipsets from their respective creators. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, an octa-core processor built on a 3 nm process. It comes with configurations of 12GB or 16GB of RAM and uses the latest UFS 4.1 storage.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max uses Apple’s custom A19 Pro chip, which features a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. While Apple doesn’t disclose RAM amounts, it offers storage options ranging from 256GB up to a new 2TB tier. The Xiaomi does not offer expandable storage via a card slot.
Camera systems
Both phones feature incredibly advanced camera systems, but with different hardware philosophies. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max packs a triple 50MP setup co-engineered with Leica. This includes a 50MP wide, a 50MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. It can shoot 8K video at 30fps and offers advanced features like 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR recording. The front camera is also a high-resolution 50MP sensor.
Apple introduces a “Pro Fusion” camera system on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which uses three 48MP sensors. It features a 48MP Main, a 48MP Ultra Wide, and a 48MP Telephoto lens with a tetraprism design that enables an optical-quality 8x zoom (200mm). The system leverages computational photography for features like Smart HDR 5, spatial photos, and ProRAW. The front camera is an 18MP Center Stage camera. For video, the iPhone can record in ProRes RAW and supports professional standards like the Academy Color Encoding System.
Battery and charging
This is where the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max has a significant on-paper advantage. It is equipped with a massive 7500 mAh battery. It supports extremely fast 100W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 22.5W reverse wireless charging, allowing it to power other devices.
Apple does not list the battery capacity for the iPhone 17 Pro Max but advertises up to 39 hours of video playback. Its fast-charging capabilities are more modest, reaching a 50% charge in about 20 minutes with a 40W adapter. It supports 25W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging.
Software and special features
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max runs on Android 16 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 3 skin. It includes features not found on the iPhone, such as an infrared port for controlling appliances and an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor. Its most unique feature is the large secondary display on the back.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max runs on iOS 26, which features a new “Liquid Glass” design aesthetic. Its standout software feature is Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI tools deeply integrated into the operating system. It also retains signature Apple features like Face ID, MagSafe, and deep integration with the Apple ecosystem of products and services.
Price and availability
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max was released on September 25, 2025. In China, the device launched with the following prices: the 12GB RAM with 512GB storage model is priced at 5999 yuan, the 16GB with 512GB model is 6299 yuan, and the top-tier 16GB with 1TB model costs 6999 yuan. For international comparison, the starting price of 5999 yuan converts to approximately $825 USD.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max became available following Apple’s typical fall 2025 release schedule. In the United States, the pricing is structured by storage capacity: the base 256GB model starts at $1199, the 512GB model is priced from $1399, the 1TB model costs $1599, and the new 2TB option is available for $1999. Apple also offers monthly payment plans for each tier, starting at $49.95 per month.
