Xiaomi 17 vs iPhone 17: Has Xiaomi copied the iPhone?

The phone industry in 2025 is full of innovation and two of the largest players on the top of the game are Xiaomi and Apple. Recently both brands released their new flagships the Xiaomi 17 series on September 25 in China and iPhone 17 lineup on September 9 around the world. These luxury smart phones are a new period of design, improved hardware, and better performance. iPhone 17 remains a firm leader in terms of integrating its ecosystem, whereas Xiaomi 17 maintains a firm rivalry with Apple in terms of value as it has a larger battery capacity, faster charge and competitive pricing. Read further to know the difference between the Xiaomi 17 vs iPhone 17.

Xiaomi 17 vs iPhone 17: Design and build quality

The two devices are a perfect match in terms of design and functionality.

• Made of metal frame and curved glass, the Xiaomi 17 has a square leica-tuned camera module, which makes it look classy and yet practical. It has a dimension of 151.1 x 71.8 x 8.06mm, weight of 191 grams, and with IP68 dust and water resistance. The Xiaomi display has ultra-thin 1.18mm bezels which provides the sense of immersion in viewing.

• iPhone 17, in its turn, follows a less is more path with its all-aluminum frame and Ceramic Shield 2 glass on the backside. Its weight is a bit less, at 177 grams, and the camera module is in the shape of the pill, which makes it stand out in comparison with the last generation. The upgraded designs guarantee that the two phones can be comfortably used by the customers who appreciate beauty and durability.

Xiaomi 17 vs iPhone 17: Display comparison

The phones have identical OLED screens with a size of 6.3 inches in both cases, however, the implementation is different.

• The Xiaomi 17 has a 1.5K (2656x1220p) OLED display with 120Hz of refresh rate and an unprecedented 3,500 nits of peak brightness, with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HDR Vivid.

• The super-retina XDR OLED display on iPhone 17 also provides a 120Hz refresh rate and is the first iPhone not to be in the Pro lineup to have an always-on display and ProMotion technology.

Practically, the display provided by Xiaomi has a bit brighter brightness and colour balance oriented towards multimedia enthusiasts, whereas Apple pays more attention to colour accuracy and natural tones that appeal to the content creators.

Xiaomi 17 vs iPhone 17: Performance and software

In terms of performance, the flagships have the current processors in the mobile industry.

• Xiaomi 17 is powered by the 3nm based Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, with a maximum of up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 4.1UFS storage. Its HyperOS 3 (Android 16-based) provides a very personalised, speedy, and dynamic interface that gives gaming, using multiple apps, and on-machine AI adaptations.

• iPhone 17 has the state-of-the-art A19 Bionic processor with hardware-based ray tracing and 16-core Neural Engine with massive performance improvements. It is directly integrated with iOS 26 and adds Apple Intelligence, which further improves real-time translation, video editing, and contextual recommendations.

The users who are involved in gaming and who have to work with lots of power regard the chipset of Xiaomi to be able to work with raw power extremely well but the A19 chip of Apple is much more stable and efficient in terms of computational AI.

Xiaomi 17 vs iPhone 17: Camera performance

These flagships become very dissimilar in the photography area.

• Xiaomi 17 has a triple camera system designed by Leica, which consists of a 50MP main camera, 50MP telephoto, and 50MP ultra-wide. It facilitates 8K 30fps and 4K 60fps recording, along with the advanced night and portrait modes in partnership with Leica to create movie-like colours.

• Conversely, the iPhone 17 is equipped with a dual 48MP system with sensor-shift OIS, Fusion lens system, a new 18MP front sensor to take better selfies and video calls in FaceTime.

Although the computational photography of the iPhone is more consistent and accurate in terms of edges, Xiaomi is able to provide more light and more natural depth under a variety of conditions, whether it is landscape and macro photography.

Xiaomi 17 vs iPhone 17: Battery and charging

One of the greatest dissimilarities between these two devices is battery performance.

• The battery supporting the Xiaomi 17 has a capacity of 7,000mAh that supports 100W wired, 50W wireless charging and can be charged completely within approximately 25 minutes which is one big advantage to power users.

• Apple remains more conservative with the iPhone 17 having a 3,692mAh battery, which supports 40W of wired charging and 50 percent in 12 minutes of charging via MagSafe.

Whereas Apple provides efficient battery management through iOS 26, the Xiaomi just has a huge battery capacity and a fast charge rate that makes it a mobile powerhouse to be used in the long run.

Xiaomi 17 vs iPhone 17: Price and value 

The difference between the price of these two devices is impressive.

• Xiaomi 17: Begins at approximately Rs56,000 (CNY 4,499) in China with the 12GB/256GB model.

• iPhone 17: Rs82,900 the base model in India.

To users who want flagship-level performance at an almost half price, the proposition of Xiaomi is a huge value, complete with unmatched charging speeds, powerful hardware, and collaboration with Leica cameras. Apple, however, explains its price by the incomparable software integration, ecosystem continuity, and the support of the long term reliability.

Final verdict: iPhone 17 and Xiaomi 17

The Xiaomi 17 and iPhone 17 focus on entirely different markets. Xiaomi is an impressive brand with power-focused customers that appreciate battery life, performance, and affordable features, whereas Apple finds its customers are more inclined to convenience offered by the ecosystem and software longevity. The Xiaomi 17 leaves strong arguments to make the switch in case you like the freedom of Android, hardware-based innovation, and affordability. Nevertheless, when focus is on smooth functionality, integration of the ecosystem, and sophisticated user interface, the iPhone 17 can still be seen as an icon of ultimate quality.

FAQ’s

Here are some frequently asked questions.

Is Xiaomi better than iPhone?

Neither Xiaomi nor iPhone can be considered strictly better or worse, but the decision will rely on what you want to be important to you in either case: iPhones are generally much more expensive and offer a more integrated, but less customizable experience, whereas Xiaomi phones have been noted to benefit from better pricing, faster charging, and hardware options such as larger batteries, but their software can also be problematic.

Does Xiaomi copy the iPhone?

When the Xiaomi 17 was announced on the Weibo platform, the Partner and President of the company, Lu Weibing, stated that the company is competing with the iPhone in the same generation and level. That's right. Xiaomi missed one generation so that its flagships would be of the same number like the iPhone of Apple.

How much does the Xiaomi 17 Pro cost?

The price of Xiaomi 17 Pro is CNY 4,999 (approximately Rs. 62,300). This cost is on the 12GB + 256GB model.

Which OS does Xiaomi use?

Xiaomi uses its new operating system, HyperOS, on its latest devices, which is a customised, Android-based system designed to replace its previous OS, MIUI. While HyperOS is now the standard for new phones, older devices previously ran on MIUI, which is also an Android-based operating system from Xiaomi. 

Disclaimer: The information regarding the gadgets/devices listed in the table and article has been sourced from various secondary sources. For detailed product specifications, please refer to the brand sources.