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In this article, we’ll be comparing the very best Apple and Vivo have to offer at the moment. We’ll compare the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Vivo X100 Ultra. The Vivo X100 Ultra is newer, as it launched in May, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max arrived back in September last year. Before we begin, it is also worth noting that the Vivo X100 Ultra does not come in a global variant. The phone was launched in China only. You can import it and install the Google Play Store, though, and the phone should work just fine.
With that in mind, we’ll first list the specifications of both smartphones. Following that, we’ll compare them across a number of different sections. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. Considering how different these phones are, there’s a lot to talk about. So… let’s get to it.
Specs
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Vivo X100 Ultra, respectively
– Screen size:
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion (flat, 120Hz, HDR10, 2,000 nits)
6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, adaptive 120Hz, HDR, 3,000 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
2796 x 1290
3200 x 1440
– SoC:
Apple A17 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
– RAM:
8GB
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
256GB/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 (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 23mm lens, 1-inch type sensor, 1.6um pixel size, PDAF, gimbal OIS), 50MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 116-degree FoV, 14mm lens, 0.8um pixel size, 1/2-inch sensor), 200MP (periscope telephoto, macro, f/2.7 aperture, OIS, PDAF, 3.7x optical zoom, 1/1.4-inch sensor, 0.56um pixel size)
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
50MP (wide, f/2.5 aperture, 0.64um pixel size, 1/2.76-inch sensor)
– Battery:
4,441mAh
5,500mAh
– Charging:
20W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe & Qi2), 7.5W wireless (Qi), reverse wired charging (charger not included)
80W wired, 30W wireless, 5W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions:
159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm
164.1 x 75.6 x 9.2 mm
– Weight:
221 grams
229 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3/5.4
– Security:
3D facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) & facial scanning
– OS:
iOS 17
Android 14 with OriginOS 4
– Price:
$1,199
CNY6,499+ ($898)
– Buy:
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Apple)
Vivo X100 Ultra (China only)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Design
These two handsets do look completely different. That is true regardless if you’re looking at them from the front, the sides, or the back. Let’s first say that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is made out of titanium and glass. The Vivo X100 Ultra is made out of aluminum and glass. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a flat display and a pill-shaped cutout on the front. The Vivo X100 Ultra has a curved display and a display camera hole, which is much smaller than the iPhone’s cutout. Both phones have immensely thin bezels around their displays.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has flat sides which are slightly curved towards the edges. The Vivo X100 Ultra does not have flat sides at all, its front and back sides curve into the thin side frame. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a power/lock button on the right side. Its volume up and down buttons are on the left, as is the Action Button. The Vivo X100 Ultra has all of its physical buttons on the right-hand side.
The two phones have different camera islands on the back. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has its recognizable triple camera setup in the form of a camera island placed in the top-left corner. Vivo’s flagship includes a large, round camera oreo, which is centered in the upper portion of its back. There are three cameras inside it. Both devices are IP68 certified, which means they’re both water and dust-resistant.
The Vivo X100 Ultra is taller, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max is wider of the two. Apple’s handset is slightly thinner, and also slightly lighter (8-gram difference). Both smartphones are very slippery in the hand. So you’ll likely want to use a case with each of these phones.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Display
The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. This panel is flat, and it offers an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. HDR10 content is supported here, as is Dolby Vision. The peak brightness of the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s display is 2,000 nits. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is around 89%. The Ceramic Shield glass protects this display.
On the other hand, the Vivo X100 Ultra has a 6.78-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. This panel is curved, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It can project up to 1 billion colors and supports Dolby Vision too. HDR content is supported, and the peak brightness here is at 3,000 nits. The display aspect ratio on this panel is 20:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is around 89%. The display protection is unknown.
Both of these phones have great displays. They’re vivid, have great viewing angles, and they’re also very sharp. The touch response is great too, while the blacks are deep, as you’d expect them to be on OLED panels. Both displays also get more than bright enough in all conditions. The Vivo X100 Ultra does get a bit brighter, though not as much as the peak brightness would indicate. The bottom line is, that both of these displays are great.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Performance
Apple’s A17 Pro SoC fuels the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This is Apple’s very own 3nm processor. Apple also included 8GB of RAM inside of its handset, along with NVMe flash storage. The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the flip side, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. That is a 4nm processor, and the best Qualcomm has to offer. That chip is paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage.
Both of these phones offer great performance. When it comes to regular, everyday tasks, they’re very snappy. That goes for basically every action that comes to mind, ranging from opening apps and multitasking to consuming multimedia and image processing. Those two chips are different but are amongst the best you can find for smartphones these days, if not the best ones.
What about gaming? Well, that’s another area where both smartphones shine. They can run basically anything you’ll find in their respective app stores. Yes, both phones will get warm while gaming, even very warm if you’re pushing them hard, but that won’t affect their performance. Well, at least not if you’re gaming for a normal time span, of course, you can always overdo it. The point is, both can handle gaming without a problem, even when it comes to graphically-demanding titles.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Battery
There is a 4,441mAh battery included inside the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 5,500mAh battery pack. Android smartphones usually have larger battery packs than their iPhone counterparts, so don’t be surprised by this difference. In terms of battery life, both of these phones are great. They can be pushed really hard before you’ll need to charge them.
Getting over 7 hours of screen-on-time is not a problem on either device. In fact, it’s even possible to reach that 8-hour screen-on-time mark if you’re possible. Do note that your mileage may vary, as each of us uses our phones differently, with different apps, different signal strength, different usage patterns in general, etc. Still, it’s hard to argue that both phones offer great battery life. The vast majority of you won’t need to charge them during the day unless you’re using them as gaming machines or something like that.
In regards to charging, the Vivo X100 Ultra is the clear winner. The phone supports 80W wired, 30W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging. It also ships with a charger in the box. The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers 20W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe and Qi2), 7.5W wireless (Qi), and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Apple’s flagship also does not ship with a charger in the box. The Vivo X100 Ultra will charge much faster, both via a wire and wirelessly.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Cameras
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 48-megapixel main camera (sensor-shift OIS), a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the other hand, includes a 50-megapixel main camera (1-inch type sensor, gimbal OIS), a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (116-degree FoV), and a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3.7x optical zoom, macro).
Both of these phones do a great job in terms of camera performance, but there are some differences. Both lean towards warmer colors, and offer sharp and great-looking photos. During the day, they’re on par in a number of ways. Their secondary cameras also do a good job of keeping the same color profile as the main shooters. The ultrawide shooters are on par too, but the telephoto camera performance is definitely better on the Vivo X100 Ultra. It does a better job at higher zoom levels, not to mention that the macro and portrait photography performance from it trumps the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
In low light, both phones do a good job, but the Vivo X100 Ultra does better in terms of light flares. The iPhone 15 Pro Max does try to keep scenes looking closer to real life, as it keeps them a bit darker than the Vivo X100 Ultra. Both phones do a really good job overall, but the Vivo X100 Ultra does tend to hit the sweet spot more often than not. That could have something to do with its advantage in the camera sensor department. The video performance is better on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Audio
Both of these phones do include stereo speakers. Both of these sets are good, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max does have the advantage here. Its speakers are noticeably louder in comparison, despite the fact both sets are well-balanced and offer good audio output.
You will not find a 3.5mm headphone jack here, on either of the two devices. Each of them has a Type-C port, though, so you can use that to hook up your wired headphones. If not, Bluetooth 5.3 is available on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and Bluetooth 5.4 on the Vivo X100 Ultra.