Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Both Xiaomi and Apple launched very attractive flagship smartphones this year. In this article, we will compare the two. It is the comparison between the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. These two phones are really very different in every way. Their interiors are very different, and so are their designs. Both are large-format smartphones, however, and they have a few things in common.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra arrived in February this year, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max followed in December. Both phones are available worldwide and both are actually quite expensive. Comparing them makes all the sense in the world. We will list its specifications first and then move on to other categories such as design, display, performance, battery, cameras and audio.

Specifications

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, respectively

– Screen size:
6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, 120Hz adaptive, 3000 nits peak brightness)
6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED (flat, 120Hz, HDR, 2000 nits)
– Screen resolution:
3200 x 1440
2868×1320
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Apple A18 Pro (3nm)
– ram:
16 GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
– storage:
512 GB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (Wide, variable aperture f/1.6-f/4.0, OIS, multi-directional PDAF, 1.6um pixel size), 50MP (ultra-wide, f/1.8 aperture, 122-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF of dual pixel) , 50MP (telephoto, f/1.8 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3.2x optical zoom), 50MP (periscope telephoto lens, f/2.5 aperture, 0.7um pixel size , dual-pixel PDAF, OIS, optical 5x zoom)
48MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-switching OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF), 12MP (telephoto periscope, f/2.8 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor, 1.12um pixel size, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 5x optical zoom).
– Front cameras:
32MP (wide, f/2.0 aperture, 0.7um pixel size)
12 MP (f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, OIS)
– battery:
5000 mAh
4,685 mAh
– loading:
90W wired, 80W wireless, 10W wireless reverse (charger included)
38W wired, 25W MagSafe, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
161.4 x 75.3 x 9.2 mm
163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm
– weight:
219.8 grams
227 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB type C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
– security:
In-display fingerprint scanner and face scan
Face ID (3D face scan)
– OS:
Android 14 with HyperOS
iOS 18
– price:
€1,499
$1,199 or more
– Purchase:
Xiaomi 14 Ultra (Amazon)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (Apple)

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Design

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is made of aluminum and glass. The fact is that there is also a vegan skin model, but only in China. There is also a variant with a titanium frame, but only in China. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, is made of titanium and glass. There is only one variant in terms of construction materials. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is slightly taller, wider and thinner than the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It’s heavier than the global variant of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, but lighter than one of Xiaomi’s flagship models, it all depends. Both phones are tipped between 220 and 230 grams, though, so they’re not particularly light.

You’ll find flat sides on both of these phones, though the implementation is a bit different. The back of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is not completely flat, unlike what the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers. However, a flat display is included in both phones, along with thin bezels. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a hole for the screen camera at the top of the screen, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max features a pill-shaped cutout known as a dynamic island.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has its power/lock and volume buttons on the right side. These are the only buttons included on the phone. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has two more. It includes the power/lock button on the right side, along with the camera control key. On the left, you’ll find the volume up and down buttons and the action button. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra also has an IR blaster on top.

You will notice a large oreo camera on the back of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Four cameras sit there, and that camera island sticks out quite a bit on the back. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a much smaller camera island in the upper left corner of its back. Three cameras are located inside. Both the smartphones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Both are also quite slippery, although the vegan leather model of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra adds more grip.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Screen

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra features a 6.73-inch AMOLED LTPO display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440. This panel is flat and supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. It also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content. Peak brightness here is 3,000 nits, in theory, and the screen-to-body ratio is around 89%. The aspect ratio of the screen is 20:9, while the Xiaomi Shield Glass protects this screen.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, has a 6.9-inch 2868 x 1320 OLED LTPO Super Retina XDR display. This display is also flat and offers an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. HDR10 content is supported, as is HDR10 content, while the maximum brightness is 2000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is around 91%, while the screen’s aspect ratio is 19.5:9. Ceramic Shield glass protects this screen.

Both of these screens are great. Both are sharp, vivid and have great viewing angles. They also go beyond glossy and have those inky blacks that people love. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s panel gets a little brighter when needed. It also supports high-frequency PWM dimming, unlike the iPhone 16 Pro Max panel. However, both screens offer very good touch response. You’ll probably be more than happy with either of these panels.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Performance

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a 4nm chip. This is still Qualcomm’s best chip, even though its successor is coming later this month. This chip is backed up by up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is powered by the Apple A18 Pro processor, which is a 3nm chip. This processor is backed by 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. Incidentally, neither phone supports storage expansion.

Both processors are immensely powerful, as are both phones in general. In everyday use, no matter what you use them for, both smartphones deliver exceptional performance. They are very responsive in every way, handling browsing, image editing, multimedia consumption and everything else without a problem. Getting both phones to stutter is not an easy task indeed.

The same can be said about games. They can play simpler games without any problems, and the same goes for semi-demanding and really graphically demanding games. Both the phones can handle even the most demanding games in their respective app stores without any issues. Both get hot, but not too much and it doesn’t affect their gaming performance. Genshin Impact, for example, isn’t a problem for either phone.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery

A 5,000 mAh battery is inside the global model Xiaomi 14 Ultra. The Chinese variant packs a 5,300mAh unit, but that’s not the one we used. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 4,685 mAh battery. Apple iPhones always have smaller battery packs than their Android counterparts, mainly because of the differences in how iOS and Android work. This doesn’t have to mean that the iPhone 16 Pro Max has worse battery life. And in this case, no.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has great battery life in its own right, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max overshadows it in that regard. Both smartphones can go up to 7 hours of screen time and then some. The iPhone 16 Pro Max always has more battery juice left at this point, a little more. We were able to beat him well beyond that point. Honestly, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra can also go higher, but it can’t keep up with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Keep in mind that gaming takes quite a toll on battery life, as do other demanding tasks. Even when we were gaming during the day, these two phones could go the distance. Its battery life is so good that even power users will be satisfied, though your mileage may vary, of course.

When it comes to charging, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra puts the iPhone 16 Pro Max to shame. Supports 90W wired, 80W wireless and 10W reverse wireless charging. iPhone 16 Pro Max supports 38W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless wire and 4.5 W reverse charge per wire. The fact is that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra also comes with a charger, unlike the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has four 50-megapixel cameras on the back. Its 50-megapixel main camera includes a 1-inch type sensor and variable aperture. Also included is a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera (122-degree FoV), as well as a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom). The last camera on the back is a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (5x optical zoom). All of these cameras use Leica lenses.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, has a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.28-inch sensor), a 48-megapixel ultra-wide unit, and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (optical zoom 5x). The fact is that the three cameras on the back of the iPhone 16 Pro Max have smaller sensors than their counterparts on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Also, the iPhone 16 Pro Max does not offer a variable aperture.

Both smartphones are very capable in the camera department, though. They offer considerably different results. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra takes more contrasty photos that are closer to real life. The iPhone 16 Pro Max loves to use warmer color tones in images, and images look more processed in comparison. It’s all a matter of preferences. Personally, we preferred the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s shots most of the time, and that’s especially true in low light.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra does a better job with telephoto shots, especially those up to 5x. Its ultra-wide cameras are on par when it comes to performance. Both smartphones are very capable when it comes to macro photography, although we prefer these photos from the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple’s flagship still holds the upper hand in the video department.

audio

Both the smartphones come with stereo speakers. These speakers on both are loud enough, although the ones on the iPhone 16 Pro Max seem a bit louder. This is not something that everyone will notice, however. Sound quality is good from both phones.

However, none of the smartphones come with an audio jack. However, you can still use its Type-C ports for wired audio connections. Alternatively, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra offers Bluetooth 5.4, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max supports Bluetooth 5.3.