Xiaomi 17 Pro vs iPhone 17: Best Big Phone vs Phone of the Year
Xiaomi 17 Pro won Best Big Phone at MKBHD's 2025 Smartphone Awards. iPhone 17 won Phone of the Year. Two completely different value propositions — Xiaomi for ambitious hardware spec sheet, iPhone for lowest-friction daily experience.
Updated · Verdict based on MKBHD Smartphone Awards results and spec analysis.
Xiaomi 17 Pro
Xiaomi · 2025 · From $1199
iPhone 17
Apple · 2025 · From $799
Round wins
Xiaomi 17 Pro: 3 · iPhone 17: 4 ·Ties: 1
Specs side-by-side
| Spec | Xiaomi 17 Pro | iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.9-inch AMOLED, 144Hz + 3-inch rear display | 6.1-inch OLED, 120Hz ProMotion |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A19 |
| RAM | 16GB | 8GB |
| Camera | Triple 50MP (wide, ultrawide, 5x periscope) | 48MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 12MP front |
| Battery | 7,500 mAh | 3,279 mAh |
| OS | Android 15 (HyperOS 2) | iOS 19 |
| Starting price | $1199 | $799 |
| Released | 2025 | 2025 |
Round-by-round breakdown
Display
Winner: Xiaomi 17 ProXiaomi: 6.9-inch + 3-inch back display. iPhone 17: 6.1-inch only. Xiaomi wins on size.
Battery
Winner: Xiaomi 17 ProXiaomi: 7,500 mAh, 9–10 hours screen-on. iPhone 17: ~3,279 mAh, 6.5–7.5 hours. Xiaomi wins decisively.
Performance
TieBoth flagship-tier (Snapdragon 8 Elite vs A19). Functionally identical.
Camera
Winner: Xiaomi 17 ProXiaomi has triple 50MP with Leica tuning. iPhone 17 has dual 48MP + ultra. Xiaomi wins on lens count and capability.
Software
Winner: iPhone 17iOS 19 + Apple Intelligence is more polished than HyperOS. Decisive for non-power-users.
Software updates
Winner: iPhone 17iPhone 17: 5–7 years. Xiaomi 17 Pro: 4 years. iPhone wins.
Availability
Winner: iPhone 17iPhone 17 is sold everywhere. Xiaomi 17 Pro has very limited US availability.
Price
Winner: iPhone 17iPhone 17: $799. Xiaomi 17 Pro: $1,099. iPhone is $300 cheaper at base.
Final verdict
Buy the iPhone 17 in the US — Phone of the Year for good reason: most polished day-to-day experience, longest software support, and ecosystem advantages. Buy the Xiaomi 17 Pro only if you're in a market where it's well-supported and you specifically want the 7,500 mAh battery, secondary back display, or biggest available display.
Frequently Asked Questions
Xiaomi 17 Pro or iPhone 17: which to buy?
iPhone 17 (MKBHD's 2025 Phone of the Year) for US buyers. Xiaomi 17 Pro (2025 Best Big Phone) only in markets where it's well-supported and you want maximum hardware ambition.
Is the Xiaomi 17 Pro's bigger battery worth the trade-offs?
9–10 hours of screen-on time vs 6.5–7.5 on iPhone is a real advantage. But losing iOS polish, ecosystem integration, and US availability is a steep price.
What does the Xiaomi 17 Pro back display do?
Notifications, music controls, selfie preview, secondary game display. More useful in daily use than it sounds.