Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max VS Xiaomi 11T Pro

This review compares the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Xiaomi 11T Pro, both of which were released one day apart on 14th and 15th September 2021 respectively. We have just compared the iPhone 13 Pro Max with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra just after the Apple online event.

One question that we have is, which phone is Xiaomi’s flagship phone for 2021? Is it the Mi 11 Ultra or the new Xiaomi 11T Pro?

Apple is very clear which phone is their flagship when it is called “Pro Max”. It’s the “Pro” and the “Max”, so we know what it logically means in terms of features and size. But Xiaomi splits up and called one “Pro” and the other one is an “Ultra”.

Then there is another Xiaomi Mix4 5G which is a 6.67″ smartphone with the same processor, storage, and 120W wired fast charge, and 120Hz display, albeit a smaller 4500mAh battery.

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The iPhone 13 Pro Max is significantly thinner and has the advantage of IP68 for dust-tight and water-proof up to 6 meters depth for 30 mins. It is, however, significantly heavier than Xiaomi by over 16.7%.

Is the Ceramic Shield or the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus better? The ceramic shield appears to be developed by Corning as they have the knowledge since they were developing cookware, but it was not officially mentioned on their website. Some hinted that the ceramic shield could be a joint development between Corning and Apple.

Below are the test videos for both glasses. The first video shows Corning’s drop and scratch tests for the Victus, while the second video is from Cnet for the Apple ceramic shield glass.

In our opinion, both types of glass are equally durable and strong. However, the most important conclusion is that we no longer need those third-party, “protective” tempered glass” to stick over the ceramic shield and the Victus.

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The iPhone 13 Pro Max has a better resolution and brightness, but a lower PPI and contrast ratio. Both displays have 120Hz but Apple’s refresh rate is adaptive up to 120Hz, which could be more energy efficient. The advantage of AMOLED is the HBM (high brightness mode) which can bump up the brightness by 20%. There is no clear winner here and the display should not affect the buying decision.

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The iPhone 13 Pro Max has the 1TB storage option but still does not have the fingerprint sensor. There are blogs and tutorials suggesting how to use FaceID with the mask on for iPhone 12 and earlier, but why should we buy an expensive phone and solve the problem ourselves? Isn’t technology supposed to solve our problems?

We could not understand why Apple is averse to using the fingerprint sensor.

Another telltale sign is that the 11T Pro only has 256 GB maximum storage, another outdated and low specification that does not live up to the same level of hype as their advertisement on the cinematic capabilities.

The information about the 6GB RAM in Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max came in later, based on tips from MacRumors. If this is the case, then Xiaomi’s number 2 phone has a higher RAM than Apple’s flagship.

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The Xiaomi 11T Pro has the record-breaking 120W Hypercharge function, but it feels so weird that it has no wireless charging ability. It is like buying a world record-breaking sports car but it does not come with a low profile sports wheel.

In any case, Apple’s fast charging of 50% in 30mins using a safer 20W charger is still good for most users. Moreover, it comes with wireless charging which makes sense.

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Based on the technical specs, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is clearly better than the Xiaomi 11T Pro due to its IP68 rating and 1TB storage option. However, the lack of the fingerprint sensor is a major mistake as Face ID cannot work consistently or securely with face mask restrictions. Apple did not mention this during the event, and they did not put back Touch ID, which means users still have to solve their own problems.

Xiaomi 11T Pro is not the best phone due to the lack of IP68 rating and 256GB storage limitations. Their line up is bloated and confusing and should learn from Apple or Samsung to focus on just one or two clearly flagship models.

The following table is an updated chart comparing the design specifications for iPhone 13 Pro Max and Xiaomi 11T Pro