It is safe to say that the iPhone 15 is currently in the spotlight in the realm of smartphones. Armed with its USB-C charging port, a highly hyped Titanium frame, a standardised Dynamic Island, updated cameras and a hot (in more ways than one) new chipset, the iPhone 15 Pro is all set to obliterate its competition despite a massive price hike in certain parts of the world. Apple has set the bar quite high and it was only a matter of time before someone tried dethroning it by launching something just as powerful. We would have been surprised if it wasn’t Xiaomi.
It was in Berlin that Xiaomi revealed the Xiaomi 13T Pro to an excited audience. Similar to OnePlus, Xiaomi loves launching a ‘T’ variant of its annual flagships late in the year to stay in the headlines. Unlike OnePlus though, Xiaomi’s T-branded products are often not the best it has to offer in terms of technical advancements. Instead, these variants try to satisfy the affordability quotient. The Xiaomi 13T Pro seems to be the latest example of this formula. No amount of Leica badging can convince consumers that the Xiaomi 13T Pro is better than the previously announced Xiaomi 13 Pro, a smartphone that’s hailed as one of the nicest camera phones to buy in 2023.
Although you can’t compare Apples to Oranges (see what we did there?), we decided to go the extra mile and do a Xiaomi 13T Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro comparison. Mind you, the outcome isn’t as obvious as you’d think since since the Xiaomi 13T Pro has a lot going for it, especially considering its lower price. Let’s dive into our detailed comparison.
Xiaomi 13T Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Design and build
The Xiaomi 13T Pro is a finely crafted smartphone with a metal frame and a large camera hump, the latter boldly flaunting the Leica logo. The experience becomes even better if you opt for the blue variant that features Xiaomi’s vegan leather finish. It looks handsome but sadly, is no match for Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro that sets a new standard in smartphone design.
The iPhone 15 Pro features a titanium frame that improves the structural strength of the device while bringing down its weight substantially. Paired with the luxurious colours and a brand new display featuring the famed Dynamic Island and extremely thin bezels, the iPhone 15 Pro is simply a class apart. Not to mention, the USB-C port puts the iPhone 15 series on a level playing field with the Xiaomi 13T Pro and every other Android smartphone out there. Simply put, the iPhone 15 Pro’s design is excellent, making it our top pick if you want to pamper your senses.
Winner: iPhone 15 Pro
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Display
While we would have handed the trophy to the iPhone 15 Pro here, the sheer scale of the Xiaomi 13T Pro’s display snatches the win from Apple. Make no mistake, the iPhone 15 Pro has an impressive 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display flaunting a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and a variable refresh rate of 1Hz-120Hz. This is currently one of the best smartphone displays on the market and it only takes something as massive as the Xiaomi 13T Pro to make it look unappealing.
The Xiaomi 13T Pro has a much larger 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,712 x 1,220 pixels and a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. Similar to the iPhone 15 Pro, it supports formats like Dolby Vision, Pro HDR and HDR10+. While its larger size is certainly a huge advantage, the Xiaomi 13T Pro’s display also intrudes less into the viewing space with its miniscule punch-hole camera cutout as opposed to the iPhone’s blot-like Dynamic Island.
Winner: Xiaomi 13T Pro
Performance
The Xiaomi 13T Pro is one of the fastest smartphones in the Android universe primarily due to its MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset. This is a 4nm chipset that has the same performance credentials as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and as such, there’s nothing in the Android universe that this phone can’t do without breaking a sweat. Adding to the impressive performance credentials is Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 interface that’s based on Android 13. MIUI is currently one of the most feature-rich and customisable Android interfaces on a smartphone. Not to mention, Xiaomi’s clever optimisations also enhance the user experience.
On the other side of the fence, Apple’s iOS 17 may seem like a spartan cave in comparison to Xiaomi’s MIUI 14, especially considering the comparatively limited customisation options and fewer extra features. For those trapped within Apple’s walled garden though, iOS 17 is a big step forward in terms of easy sharing and basic customisation. On the iPhone 15 Pro, this software has even more capable hardware to deal with: the 3nm A17 Pro chip.
The 3nm process makes the A17 Pro the most powerful mobile chipset on the planet today. Theoretically, the gains in power efficiency and raw performance are far greater than any 4nm chip on any Android smartphone today. This kind of raw performance allows Apple to offer features like ProRes LOG video recording, better image processing and the ability to play console games without compromising on quality.
Winner: iPhone 15 Pro
Cameras
This is one department where both smartphones are pretty much on the same level.
The Xiaomi 13T Pro features a 50-mega pixel primary camera with PDAF and OIS, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom and OIS and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. The front camera consists of a 20-megapixel image sensor. Xiaomi has partnered with Leica to offer various Leica lens styles and improved image tuning that can rival professional cameras.
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, features a 48-megapixel main camera with dual-pixel PDAF and sensor-shift OIS, a secondary 12-megapixel ultrawide camera that doubles as a macro camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. It misses out on the 5x optical zoom camera from the iPhone 15 Pro Max but retains the LiDAR sensor for better low-light autofocus and depth information. The front camera features a 12-megapixel image sensor with a wide lens and SL 3D sensors for improved depth information.
Winner: Tie
Battery
Android smartphones are known for their large batteries and the Xiaomi 13T Pro is no different. The battery capacity on the Xiaomi 13T Pro is rated at 5,000mAh which should be enough to make it last an entire day and still leave some juice for the following day. Moreover, it also gets a blistering fast 120W wired charging solution. It loses out on wireless charging but Xiaomi promises a full charge from 0 to 100 per cent in 19 minutes, which sort of offsets the need for the much slower wireless charging.
The iPhone 15 Pro has a much smaller 3,274mAh battery but all the clever iOS optimisations ensure that this iPhone can make it through an entire day with ease. On the charging front, the USB-C port is making headlines but Apple restricts the charging speeds to 20W, promising a refill from 0 to 50 per cent in 30 minutes. The iPhone 15 Pro also gets the 15W MagSafe wireless charging and 7.5W Qi-standard wireless charging.
Winner: Xiaomi 13T Pro
Price
This is another aspect where the Xiaomi 13T Pro wins by a huge margin. The Xiaomi 13T Pro starts at EUR 800 (approximately HKD 6,581) for the base variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. In comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro starts at HKD 8,599 for the base 128GB storage variant.
Winner: Xiaomi 13T Pro
Xiaomi 13T Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Our verdict
On the basis of sheer specifications and the listed price, the Xiaomi 13T Pro is indeed the superior smartphone of the two and as a result, wins our Xiaomi 13T Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro battle. Xiaomi’s watered-down flagship aces the game with its larger display, bigger battery, vastly faster charging solution, feature-rich Android experience and more affordable price.
That said, the iPhone 15 Pro is a much better-built smartphone with a good display, well-optimised iOS experience, a set of highly capable cameras and overall compact dimensions. Those who seek a premium smartphone experience should consider the iPhone 15 Pro as well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– What other smartphones are available in the same price range as the Xiaomi 13T Pro?
The Xiaomi 13T Pro competes with the likes of the Apple iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and Xiaomi 13 Pro.
– How do the displays of the Xiaomi 13T Pro and iPhone 15 Pro compare?
The Xiaomi 13T Pro features a 6.67-inch 1220p AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate whereas the iPhone 15 Pro features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 1Hz-120Hz refresh rate and 2,000 nits of peak brightness.
– How does battery life compare between the iPhone 15 Pro and Xiaomi 13T Pro?
The iPhone 15 Pro features a 3,274mAh battery rated to last an entire day whereas the Xiaomi 13T Pro features a 5,000mAh battery rated to last over a day.
– When can I order the Xiaomi 13T Pro?
The Xiaomi 13T Pro is now up for grabs in Europe. It is yet to launch in Hong Kong.
{Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Apple and Xiaomi (edited by Augustman)}
