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Huawei announced a very compelling flagship not long ago. In this article, we’ll pit it against the best of Apple. We’ll be comparing the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. Needless to say, these two phones are… a lot different. That goes not only for their internals and software, but their designs as well. That should make this comparison rather interesting, amongst other things.
As per usual, we’ll first list their specifications, and will then compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. Before we begin, do note that the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does not include Google services. It does not come with the Google Play Store because of it. You do get Huawei’s Android app store, and have other ways of getting apps… even Google ones. More on that in the performance section, though. Let’s get to it.
Specs
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, respectively
– Screen size:
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion (flat, 120Hz, HDR10, 2,000 nits)
6.8-inch LTPO OLED display (flat, adaptive 120Hz, HDR, 2,500 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
2796 x 1290
2844 x 1260
– SoC:
Apple A17 Pro
Huawei Kirin 9010
– RAM:
8GB
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
512GB/1TB (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, 5x optical zoom)
50MP (f/1.6-f/4.0 variable aperture, 23mm lens, 1-inch type sensor, sensor-shift OIS, PDAF, retractable lens), 40MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm lens), 50MP (telemacro, f/2.1 aperture, 90mm lens, 3.5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF, 5cm macro)
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
13MP (wide, f/2.4 aperture, autofocus)
– Battery:
4,422mAh
5,200mAh
– Charging:
20W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe & Qi2), 7.5W wireless (Qi), reverse wired charging (charger not included)
100W wired, 80W wireless, 20W reverse wireless, 18W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions:
159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm
162.6 x 75.1 x 8.4mm
– Weight:
221 grams
226 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
5G (only China), LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.2
– Security:
3D facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner & facial scanning
– OS:
iOS 17
Android 12 with EMUI 14
– Price:
$1,199
€1,499+
– Buy:
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Apple)
Huawei Pura 70 Ultra (Amazon)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Design
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is made out of titanium and glass. It has flat front and back sides, and even its frame is flat all around. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the other hand, is made out of aluminum and eco-leather. It has a flat display, but its front is not flat thanks to quad-curved glass. Its back side is also curved in the same way, covered entirely by eco-leather, other than the camera island, of course.
The in-hand feel is entirely different thanks to those differences. Huawei’s handset is more comfortable to hold and use, while it’s also less slippery thanks to the eco-leather. It is slightly heavier, but you won’t really notice that weight difference. In fact, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra feels lighter in the hand thanks to eco leather and the grip it adds. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a centered pill-shaped cutout on the front, while the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has a display camera hole which is also centered.
Both smartphones have thin bezels around their displays, truly thin. They’re also uniform, by the way. Their camera islands are also considerably different. Each of them includes three cameras. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does have a larger camera island and a larger main camera sensor. More on that later, though. Both of those camera islands are easily recognizable. Both devices also come with an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is slightly shorter and slightly wider than the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. The two phones are basically the same in terms of thickness. These phones are basically as different as they can be in terms of design. So keep that in mind before going for one of them.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Display
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The panel supports HDR10 content, and it also has Dolby Vision support. The brightness of this panel goes up to 2,000 nits. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is around 89%. This display is protected by the Ceramic Shield glass.
On the other side, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has a 6.8-inch 2844 x 1260 LTPO OLED display. That display is flat, but the glass on top of it is ‘quad-curved’ (curved on all sides). This display has HDR support and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The brightness of the Pura 70 Ultra display goes up to 2,500 nits. The screen-to-body ratio here is also around 89%, while the Kunlun Glass protects the display.
These two displays are basically on par… in many ways. They’re both vivid and extremely sharp, while they also offer great viewing angles. The blacks are deep, and both displays are well-protected. The touch response is also good on both sides. There’s really not much to complain about on either display. On top of everything I’ve said, they’re also more than bright enough in all conditions, and on par in that regard too.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Performance
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is fueled by the Apple A17 Pro SoC. That is Apple’s very own 3nm processor. Apple included 8GB of RAM on the inside, and the company is using NVMe storage. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the other hand, is fueled by the Kirin 9010 chip. That is Huawei’s 7nm processor. It’s quite dated in comparison to the Apple A17 Pro, as the US ban affected Huawei quite a bit in the chip department. Also, do note that the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does not support 5G internationally, only in China. Huawei included 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside its flagship and is using UFS 4.0 flash storage.
Is there a huge difference in their performance, considering the difference in the sheer power of their processors? Well, in benchmarks, yes, in practice, not so much, at least when regular usage is considered. Both smartphones do a great job with everyday tasks, such as opening apps, jumping between them, multimedia consumption, browsing, messaging, emails, and so on. You will notice the difference once you go into the gaming side of things. More specifically, in truly demanding games. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will pull ahead. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does a great job overall in terms of performance, though.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Battery
The iPhone 15 Pro Max includes a 4,441mAh battery on the inside, while the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has a 5,200mAh unit. Apple’s iOS usually needs lower battery capacities in order to offer similar battery performance to Android counterparts. These two smartphones both offer great battery life. The vast majority of people will easily go through a day’s worth of use with either of the two devices. We were able to cross the 7-hour screen-on-time mark and still have plenty of juice left in the tank.
Do note that those days did not include gaming or anything like that. If you do end up playing games, and taking plenty of pictures in a day, the battery life will suffer, of course. There are a lot of scenarios when it comes to battery consumption, of course. The bottom line is that the two devices do a really solid job in that regard, and if needed, they can even pull past the 8-hour screen-on-time mark in some usage scenarios.
When charging is concerned, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is a clear winner. It’s not even close. The device supports 100W wired, 80W wireless, 20W reverse wireless, and 18W reverse wired charging. On top of that, it also comes with a charger in the box. The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports 20W wired, 15W Qi2 & MagSafe wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. Apple’s flagship does not include a charger in the box. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra charges faster in every way, a lot faster. It even charges other devices much faster.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Cameras
Both of these smartphones include three cameras on the back. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has a 50-megapixel main camera (1-inch type sensor, variable aperture, retractable lens), a 40-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (3.5x optical zoom).
In terms of camera performance, both phones do a great job. Both of them try to keep images closer to real-life and do succeed most of the time. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does tend to pull ahead in the details department when it comes to ultrawide and periscope cameras. It also more often than not pulls a better picture with the main camera in all lighting conditions. In low light, that is almost always the case. That camera sensor and variable aperture truly do give the edge to the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. At times, however, the iPhone 15 Pro Max captures a better shot. Macro photography is better on Huawei’s handset, no doubt about that.
When it comes to video recording, Apple is ahead. The iPhone 15 Pro Max manages to provide better video output in almost every way. Photography is the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra’s forte, though. It’s usually the better camera for photos, and a more versatile one. Both are generally excellent, though.
Audio
Both of these phones include a set of stereo speakers. They do a good job with audio output, but the speakers on the iPhone 15 Pro Max are noticeably louder. Don’t get me wrong, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra’s speakers are not bad, but they’re not as loud as what Apple’s handset offers.
Neither phone has an audio jack, but they both come with a Type-C USB port. So you can use that for wired audio connections. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is also equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, while the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra comes with Bluetooth 5.2.