iPhone 12 Pro Max, aka the most advanced variant of the iPhone 12 lineup, is finally on sale. But is it worth the huge amount of money asked? It is not an easy question to answer. We believe one of the best ways to answer it is by comparing it to the most advanced flagships in the Android market. For this comparison, we chose two of the best Chinese flagships out there: the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra and the Huawei Mate 40 Pro. In case you do not know, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is only available in China, so, in case you need to buy one of these flagships and you are not from China, only consider the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Huawei Mate 40 Pro.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra vs Huawei Mate 40 Pro
| Huawei Mate 40 Pro | Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra | Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 162.9 x 75.5 x 9.1 mm, 212 g | 162.4 x 75.1 x 9.5 mm, 221 g | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm, 228 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.76 inches, 1344 x 2772p (Full HD+), OLED | 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), OLED | 6.7 inches, 1284 x 2778p (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED |
| PROCESSOR | Huawei Hisilicon Kirin 9000 5G, octa-core 3.13 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Apple A14 Bionic, hexa-core |
| MEMORY | 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 8 GB RAM, 512 GB | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 16 GB RAM, 512 GB | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 256 GB – 6 GB RAM, 512 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, EMUI | Android 10, MIUI | iOS 14 |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 50 + 12 + 20 MP, f/1.9 + f/3.4 + f/1.8 Dual 13 MP + TOF 3D f/2.4 front camera |
Quad 48 + 48 + 12 + 20 MP, f/1.9 + f/4.1 + f/2.0 + f/2.2 20 MP f/2.3 front camera |
Quad 12 + 12 + 12 MP + LiDAR scanner, f/1.6 + f/2.0 + f/2.4 Dual 12 MP + SL 3D f/2.2 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4400 mAh, fast charging 66W, fast wireless charging 50W | 4500 mAh, fast charging 120W Quick Charge 5, fast wireless charging 50W and reverse wireless charging 10W | 3687 mAh, fast charging 20W, fast wireless charging 15W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, 5G, waterproof IP68, reverse wireless charging, 3D facial recognition | Dual SIM slot, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G, waterproof IP68, optional eSIM, Face ID |
Design
iPhone 12 Pro Max, Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, and Huawei Mate 40 Pro all come with an astonishing design. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is composed of a glass back with Ceramic Shield protection and a stainless steel frame. The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra comes with a very attractive transparent glass back and an aluminum frame. The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is available in a classic glass sandwich version and in a leather variant making it my favorite phone of the trio. In terms of water resistance, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the best as it is waterproof up to 6 meters deep. Huawei Mate 40 Pro has the IP68 certification as well (but it is waterproof up to 1.5m), while Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra does not offer any kind of certification against water and dust.
Display
The most interesting display belongs to the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra which can show one billion colors and features a 120 Hz refresh rate. But this does not mean that Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra guarantees the highest image quality. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is actually better in terms of image quality and it even features a higher brightness, but unfortunately, it lacks a high refresh rate. The display found on the Huawei Mate 40 Pro is inferior as it provides lower image quality, but it has a 90 Hz refresh rate. Note that Huawei Mate 40 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max can rely on 3D facial recognition for authentication, while on the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra you only get an in-display fingerprint reader.
Hardware/Software
The Kirin 9000 5G chipset found on the Huawei Mate 40 Pro is the most powerful of the trio, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max provides very fast and smooth performance thanks to iOS 14. Despite having a weaker chipset (the Snapdragon 865), the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra looks more interesting than Huawei Mate 40 Pro because it packs up to 16 GB of RAM (instead of just 8 GB found on the Huawei Mate 40 Pro) and up to 512 GB of UFS 3.1 native storage. Further, note that Huawei Mate 40 Pro does not include Google services in the global market (but the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is not even available globally).
Camera
The cameras of these three devices are very close, but according to tests, it looks like Huawei Mate 40 Pro is slightly better. It packs a triple camera composed of a 50 MP main sensor with omnidirectional autofocus and laser autofocus, a 12 MP periscope sensor with 5x optical zoom, and a 20 MP ultrawide sensor. While the Huawei Mate 40 Pro provides better photo quality, Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra has better zoom capabilities.
Battery
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra has the biggest battery, but the Huawei Mate 40 Pro can last more on a single charge in several scenarios because it features a lower refresh rate and a more efficient chipset (the Kirin 9000 is built at 5 nm). Despite its smaller battery, do not underestimate the iPhone 12 Pro Max. When it comes to fast charging, Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra wins the comparison thanks to its 120W technology.
Price
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is only available in China where it is priced at €840/$1000, iPhone 12 Pro Max costs €1289/$10999 globally and Huawei Mate 40 Pro starts from €1199/$1012. There is not a definitive winner in this comparison and it mostly depends on the users’ needs. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has great performances and excellent build quality, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro has an amazing camera, and Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra has a great 120 Hz display. It is essentially a draw if we do not specifically know what the specific user is searching for.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra vs Huawei Mate 40 Pro: PRO and CONS
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
PROS
- Leather variant
- Amazing cameras
- 3D facial recognition
- Reverse wireless charging
- Waterproof
CONS
- No Google services
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
PROS
- Waterproof up to 6 meters
- Great build quality
- LiDAR scanner
- 3D face recognition
- Amazing performance
- MagSafe
CONS
- Price
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra
PROS
- Fastest charging tech
- Very nice cameras
- Amazing 120 Hz display
- Good price
CONS
- No water resistance
- Limited availability
