If you’re in the market for a high-end compact smartphone, there’s not really much to choose from. There are a lot more huge high-end smartphones out there. Luckily for us, some options are available. In this article, we’re comparing some of the best devices on both iOS and Android sides, in that category, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Xiaomi 14. These two handsets are not exactly tiny, but both are considered to be compact. Both are also immensely powerful.
As per usual, we’ll first list their specifications, and will then move to other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. These two phones are fairly different, so there’s plenty to talk about in this one. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Specs
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Xiaomi 14, respectively
– Screen size:
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion (120Hz, HDR10, 2,000 nits)
6.36-inch LTPO OLED display (flat, adaptive 120Hz, 3,000 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
2796 x 1290
2670 x 1200
– SoC:
Apple A17 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
– RAM:
8GB
12GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (f/1.78 aperture, second-gen sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV, macro photography), 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 3x optical zoom)
50MP (wide, f/1.6 aperture, 1.2um pixel size, OIS), 50MP (ultrawide, 115-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture), 50MP (telephoto, f/2.0 aperture, 75mm lens, OIS, PDAF, 3.2x optical zoom)
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
32MP (wide, f/2.0 aperture, 0.7um pixel size)
– Battery:
3,274mAh
4,610mAh
– Charging:
20W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
90W wired, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless (charger included)
– Dimensions:
146.6 x 70.6 x 8.25mm
152.8 x 71.5 x 8.3mm
– Weight:
187 grams
193 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3/5.4
– Security:
Advanced facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & facial scanning
– OS:
iOS 17
Android 14 with HyperOS
– Price:
$999+
€999
– Buy:
iPhone 15 Pro( Apple)
Xiaomi 14 (Amazon)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Xiaomi 14: Design
Both devices are made out of metal and glass. Well, the Xiaomi 14 also comes with a vegan leather backplate, but that model is also available in China. We’ll focus on the global variant here. Both devices do have flat sides, which are slightly curved towards the edges. Both phones also have flat displays and mostly flat backplates. They do feel different in the hand, though, despite those similarities.
The iPhone 15 Pro includes a pill-shaped cutout on its display, along with very thin, uniform bezels. The Xiaomi 14 has a display camera hole that is centered, and extremely thin, uniform bezels. The bezels on the Xiaomi 14 are slightly thinner. If we flip them around, you’ll notice that their camera islands are different, but they sit in the same spot. They’re located in the top-left corner of the back. The iPhone 15 Pro has its recognizable setup on the inside, which is not neatly aligned, not exactly. The Xiaomi 14 has two sensors per row, even though only three of them are cameras, the second one in the top row is actually an LED flash.
The iPhone 15 Pro has physical buttons on both its left and right sides. All the physical buttons on the Xiaomi 14 are located on the right side. The iPhone 15 Pro is shorter and narrower in comparison, but it does have a smaller display, so that’s a given. The two phones are about the same thickness, and very similar in terms of weight. The iPhone 15 Pro weighs 187 grams, while the Xiaomi 14 weighs 193 grams.
Both devices are IP68-certified for water and dust resistance. They both feel premium in the hand, and both are very comfortable to hold. The thing is, they’re very slippery too, so have that in mind. Using a case may be a good choice.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Xiaomi 14: Display
There is a 6.1-inch 2556 x 1179 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display included on the iPhone 15 Pro. That display is flat, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate (adaptive). It supports HDR10 content and also comes with Dolby Vision support. The maximum brightness of this panel is 2,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is around 88 percent, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The Ceramic Shield glass protects this panel.
The Xiaomi 14, on the other hand, includes a 6.36-inch 2670 x 1200 LTPO OLED panel. This display is also flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Dolby Vision is supported here, as is HDR10+ content. The maximum brightness you’ll be able to hit on this panel, in theory, is 3,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio on the Xiaomi 14 is around 89 percent, while the display aspect ratio is 20:9. The Gorilla Glass Victus protects this panel.
Both of these displays are great. They’re both vivid, have excellent viewing angles, and they’re more than sharp enough. The blacks are deep on both panels, the bezels around them are very thin, and the touch response is also very good. The Xiaomi 14’s panel does get a bit brighter, technically, but chances are you’ll be happy with the brightness on both panels, regardless of where you are.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Xiaomi 14: Performance
The iPhone 15 Pro is fueled by the Apple A17 Pro processor. That is a 3nm chip and Apple’s most powerful one for smartphones. The phone also includes 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. The Xiaomi 14 is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, while it includes 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. They’re both very well equipped in terms of performance-related specs, though the Xiaomi 14 has the edge in the RAM and storage departments.
We all know that iOS and Android function differently, so that’s not necessarily a big deal. You’ll find out that both smartphones work great, no matter what you throw at them. In regular, everyday performance scenarios, they fly through everything you throw at them. They both launch apps extremely fast, they’re great for multimedia consumption, browsing, image taking and processing, and everything else you can think of, really.
The same can be said for gaming, actually. If you fire up some of the most demanding games out there, these two phones can handle them without a problem, which is to be expected. The thing is, they do get quite warm after longer gaming sessions. They never got too warm to handle for us, though, so no worries there. Just note that they will feel rather warm in the hand if you’re playing for long, but that won’t affect the performance, at least it didn’t for us.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Xiaomi 14: Battery
A 3,274mAh battery sits inside the Apple iPhone 15 Pro. The Xiaomi 14, on the flip side, has a 4,610mAh battery on the inside. The two operating systems on these phones do handle battery life differently, so this difference shouldn’t really shock you. On top of that, the iPhone 15 Pro does have a smaller display of the two. They’re both good in terms of battery life, but we’ve noticed a bit better performance out of the Xiaomi 14.
Getting over the 6-hour screen-on-time mark with the iPhone 15 Pro proved to be possible, and even easy. The same goes for the Xiaomi 14, but for the 7-hour screen-on-time mark. We noticed that the Xiaomi 14 was consistently better in regards to battery life. Gaming does affect both smartphones quite a bit, especially demanding games, but that’s the case for almost every phone. So do note that. If you’re not a gamer, however, you’ll get good battery life on both phones. Your mileage could always vary, though, of course.
When it comes to charging, the Xiaomi 14 completely destroys the iPhone 15 Pro. It supports 90W wired, 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. It also comes with a 90W charger in the box. The iPhone 15 Pro supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging, 7.5W Qi charging, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The Xiaomi 14 chargers a lot faster wirelessly than the iPhone 15 Pro does via a wired. The difference is even more noticeable when you utilize 90W charging on the Xiaomi 14. The iPhone 15 Pro also doesn’t include a charger in the box, unlike the Xiaomi 14.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Xiaomi 14: Cameras
The iPhone 15 Pro features a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The Xiaomi 14 comes with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (115-degree FoV), and a 50-megapixel telephoto unit (3.2x optical zoom. Both are well-equipped in that regard, and both do a great job.
The iPhone 15 Pro leans towards warmer tones, while the Xiaomi 14 loves contrasty shots. There are also different shooting modes on both phones, that change the overall look of images. So you can choose between them to get your shots just right. Both devices provide plenty of details both during the day and night, though the Xiaomi 14 handles street lights better, and generally light sources in low light.
We’ve also noticed that the Xiaomi 14 provides more consistent performance in heavy HDR conditions, at least that was the case for us. Secondary and tertiary cameras on both phones do a great job of following the color science of the main shooters, and it’s a tossup when it comes to image quality that comes from those cameras, it all depends on the scene. Sometimes we preferred shots from the iPhones, sometimes from Xiaomi’s handset.
Audio
You will find a set of stereo speakers on both of these smartphones. Speakers on both phones are good, but the ones on the Xiaomi 14 are a bit louder. Both sets of speakers are well-balanced, though.
Neither phone offers a 3.5mm headphone jack. You’ll need a dongle to connect your headphones via a wired, to their Type-C USB ports. If you prefer wireless audio, the iPhone 15 Pro and Xiaomi 14 offer Bluetooth 5.3 and Bluetooth 5.4, respectively.
