The iPhone is the most mainstream phone, making it almost the “default smartphone.” This means anytime a major Android smartphone arrives, it should be compared against the iPhone, even if they don’t appeal to the same market. That’s the case here, as the Xiaomi 12S Ultra has been grabbing a lot of attention for its 1-inch camera sensor with Leica optics, even though the phone is selling only in China now.
Read also: Xiaomi Mobile Blast in Girl’s Pocket, How is this possible?
This means this comparison is more for enthusiasts and those curious about smartphones than a basic buying guide. It’s also worth mentioning that the smaller iPhone 13 Pro has the exact same camera hardware as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so all camera results here apply to that phone as well.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Specifications

Specifications | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max | Xiaomi 12S Ultra |
Build | Stainless steel mid-frame, glass back and ceramic shield glass front | Aluminum mid-frame, faux leather back and The front has Gorilla Glass Victus. |
Dimensions & Weight | Dimensions 160.8 mm x 78.1 mm x 7.65 mm and weight 240 g. | Dimensions 163.17 x 74.92 x 9.06 mm and weight 225 grams. |
Display | 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, ProMotion refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. | 6.73-inch Samsung E5 AMOLED, Dolby Vision TrueColor Display, 3200 x 1440 resolution, 522PPI, 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 1,500nits peak brightness, 360-degree ambient light sensor, Native 10-bit color depth, |
SoC | Apple A15 Bionic | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
RAM & Storage | 6GB RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB ROM. | 8GB/12GB RAM RAM and 256GB/512GB ROM. |
Battery & Charging | 20W wired fast charging with 4,373mAh. | 67W wired fast charging support with 4,860mAh. |
Security | Face ID | Optical in-display fingerprint scanner |
Rear Camera(s) | Primary: 12MP ,Secondary: 12MP,Tertiary: 12MP, Quarternary: LIDAR camera | Primary: 50.3MP IMX989,Ultra-wide: 48MP IMX586,Telephoto: 48MP IMX586 |
Front Camera(s) | 12MP | 32MP |
Connectivity | 5G (mmWave), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC. | 5G (mmWave), Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1, NFC. |
Software | iOS 15 | MIUI 13 over Android 12 |
Read also: Mi 11 Lite Tipped to Be Discontinued After India Launch of Xiaomi 12 Lite