Xiaomi's 17 Pro Max is being positioned as a competitor to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Xiaomi will launch its next Xiaomi 17 series soon, and it clearly wants to compete with the new iPhone 17 series.
That's the reason for this article. Xiaomi's president said that the new series is designed to compete with the iPhone 17. The Xiaomi 17 series will be released on the same day that Apple's iPhones are available in stores, which seems deliberate.
Let's compare these two competitors based on rumors and previous performance, since hands-on tests are not yet available.
Xiaomi has clarified the reason for skipping numbers and jumping from 15 to 17: to match Apple's numbering. The lineup now mirrors Apple's: the Xiaomi 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro, and the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Xiaomi 17Pro has a variety of ways to play. pic.twitter.com/mm2pPIFlNh
— PhoneArt (@UniverseIce) September 17, 2025
Xiaomi is replacing the circular camera island from the 15 Ultra and the square one from the 15 Pro with a large edge-to-edge rectangular camera module that includes a secondary display.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra (first image) and the Xiaomi 15 Pro (second image).
The phone features a real second screen on the back, which can display clock faces, provide a selfie preview using the rear cameras, show app information, and display graphics. There may be additional features revealed at launch.
The overall appearance is comparable to the iPhone 17 Pro versions, but the second display is the primary distinction. The Nothing Phone (3) has a similar feature, but it is more of a dot-matrix notification system. Xiaomi's strategy is more akin to a foldable phone's cover screen, which is more practical.
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max's specifications are unknown, but the Xiaomi 17 series will include the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. This should perform similarly to Apple's A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro variants. Historically, Qualcomm's top processors have performed similarly to Apple's.
Battery life is another consideration. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max is rumored to have a 7,500mAh battery, which is large compared to Apple's iPhones. Apple is known for achieving excellent battery life from smaller batteries because of iOS optimization.
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The Xiaomi 15 Ultra had a 6,000mAh battery, but it performed worse than the iPhone 16 Pro Max in tests. However, the 17 Pro Max may outperform it with a considerably larger battery.
Battery Life
Charging
Phone Battery Life
estimate Browsing Video Gaming
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
6000 mAh
7h 33min 16h 39min 10h 11min 13h 29min
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
4685 mAh
8h 30min 22h 39min 10h 24min 12h 4min
Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page
Battery Life
Charging
Phone Battery Life
estimate Browsing Video Gaming
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
6000 mAh
7h 33min 16h 39min 10h 11min 13h 29min
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
4685 mAh
8h 30min 22h 39min 10h 24min 12h 4min
Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page
Battery Life
Charging
Phone Battery Life
estimate Browsing Video Gaming
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
6000 mAh
7h 33min 16h 39min 10h 11min 13h 29min
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
4685 mAh
8h 30min 22h 39min 10h 24min 12h 4min
Battery Life
Charging
Phone Battery Life
estimate Browsing Video Gaming
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
6000 mAh
7h 33min 16h 39min 10h 11min 13h 29min
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
4685 mAh
8h 30min 22h 39min 10h 24min 12h 4min
Phone Battery Life
estimate Browsing Video Gaming
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
6000 mAh
7h 33min 16h 39min 10h 11min 13h 29min
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
4685 mAh
8h 30min 22h 39min 10h 24min 12h 4min
Phone Battery Life
estimate Browsing Video Gaming
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
6000 mAh
7h 33min 16h 39min 10h 11min 13h 29min
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
4685 mAh
8h 30min 22h 39min 10h 24min 12h 4min
Phone
Full Charging
30 min Charge
Wired
Wireless
Wired
Wireless
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
6000 mAh
1h 3min
Untested
58%
Untested
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
4685 mAh
1h 42min
1h 58min
57%
42%
Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has an enhanced camera system:
48 MP main
48 MP ultra-wide
48 MP telephoto with 8x zoom
18 MP selfie
50 MP main (f/1.67)
50 MP ultra-wide
50 MP telephoto with 5x zoom
Given that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra tied for first place with the Galaxy S25 Ultra in camera tests, the new configuration may easily keep Xiaomi at the top.
Photo
Video
Phone Camera
Score Photo
Score Main
(wide) Ultra
Wide Selfie Zoom
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 158 165 85 26 26 29
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 158 165 87 23 27 28
Find out more details about photo and video scores for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Camera Score page
Photo
Video
Phone Camera
Score Photo
Score Main
(wide) Ultra
Wide Selfie Zoom
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 158 165 85 26 26 29
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 158 165 87 23 27 28
Find out more details about photo and video scores for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Camera Score page
Photo
Video
Phone Camera
Score Photo
Score Main
(wide) Ultra
Wide Selfie Zoom
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 158 165 85 26 26 29
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 158 165 87 23 27 28
Photo
Video
Phone Camera
Score Photo
Score Main
(wide) Ultra
Wide Selfie Zoom
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 158 165 85 26 26 29
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 158 165 87 23 27 28
Phone Camera
Score Photo
Score Main
(wide) Ultra
Wide Selfie Zoom
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 158 165 85 26 26 29
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 158 165 87 23 27 28
Phone Camera
Score Photo
Score Main
(wide) Ultra
Wide Selfie Zoom
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 158 165 85 26 26 29
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 158 165 87 23 27 28
Phone
Camera Score
Video Score
Main (wide)
Ultra Wide
Selfie
Zoom
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
158
150
78
21
25
26
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
158
150
75
21
28
26
Find out more details about photo and video scores for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Camera Score page
Both phones are expected to be durable, with IP68 ratings, vibrant OLED displays, 120Hz refresh rates, and high peak brightness.
Apple has an advantage in software support and availability. iPhones receive updates for a long time, whereas Xiaomi has recently improved to 4 years of OS upgrades and 6 years of security patches, but it still falls short of Apple, Google, and Samsung.
Availability is a major problem. Apple products are readily available in tech stores. Xiaomi is primarily available in China, with a global release potentially occurring at MWC next year. Importing is frequently the only option in the United States.
While Xiaomi wants to compete with Apple, the competition is now limited to its home market. Apple's dominance in the United States is strong, and it will take more than a second screen or outstanding specifications to change that. Xiaomi has a chance to rise to the top in China, where Apple faces its most difficult competition.
Ultimately, Xiaomi is directly competing with Apple to gain a larger share of the premium market. Xiaomi no longer considers Samsung to be a major competitor in China, therefore it has abandoned the Ultra competition and is targeting the Pro Max.
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