iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra: Camera Shootout in LA

[@bensgadgetreviews]

RHINOSHIELD All Cases: url.rhinoshield.io/Ben15 Use code: BENREVIEWS10 for 10% off!

[@paulomontenegro]

Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to work for the European store… 😅

[@TheeEmmanuel0]

HEY BENSGADGET NOW YOU IS A IPHONE 15 PRO FANBOY

[@corsinivideos]

I actually think the most shocking thing about this video is the fact that i actually prefered the Xiaomi video. Generally speaking no one can compete with apple on video but xiaomis because of the larger sensor i expect is actually more natural less over processed and crisper and the stabilisation is amazing. When it comes to stills, yes xiaomi needs to sort out their over exposure and personally i think iphone takes overly warm and overly contrasted images that dont look natural but xiaomi have doen an amazing job. Also all of xiaomis photos have noticibly less grain. Apple has done some greeat work on portrait masking though. For me though the pixel is still the still image king when it comes to balance and colours.

[@delpinsky]

It actually surprised me a lot the video comparison! Well done Xiaomi. But that portrait mode is weird. As you can see iPhone automatically crops the image for the portrait mode, zooming in with the main camera, if I'm not wrong, because the Pro Max doesn't have anymore the 3x dedicated zoom. Xiaomi simply applies the bokeh on the whole picture. Probably for a better comparison we should see a 2x/crop of the picture, to better appreciate the quality. As for the over exposure, considering the aperture is only f/1.9, but the sensor is so big that captures more light, clearly it would need better software to tone down the exposure in default mode. For the skin tones, both Apple and Google worked intensively on algorithms to fix it, especially on darker skins, which means Xiaomi should work on it. But it's all software for what it seems to me, so it's something than could be fixed, if they wanted to, correct me if I'm wrong...

[@BLAKEEATS1988]

Pixel looks over processed and too hdry. Probably the fakest looking photo out there. And with xiaomi, I'm only jumping on the band wagon if they add 4k60fps on the ff cam.

[@corsinivideos]

@@BLAKEEATS1988 only on zoom pixel looks over processed. When you see it next to iphone the colours look far more true and nicer details.

[@pungraboss855]

@@corsinivideos pixels images have darker white-balance. Sometimes it just smear away the details in dark shadows.

[@sidneyani2584]

You just spoke like a butthurt apple fanboy that you are. Western mentality.. Keep living in denial

[@CODwarriorBD]

Xiaomi 13 ultra killed the 15 pro max is almost every instance except the selfie cemera. I thought this day would never come but look at the surprise xiaomi has given us... Really great job xiaomi 👏🏻

[@GoddardEmpire]

Did Xiaomi just beat Apple in video! 😮 incredible work Xiaomi!!!

[@x3merx3mer]

I love that we came down to this type of differences nowadays. You can't go wrong withany of the flagship

[@IceChris_]

Yes

[@milpatel83]

I can assure you there’s a much bigger difference between these two phones than this.

[@huagalaiphxia7922]

​@milpatel83 But if you aren't super picky, you can kinda accept both results. The only part where Xiaomi is blown away is selfi cam.

[@200Carl]

True, it just comes down to the ecosystem (in terms with you have, need or plan on having a MacBook for example) and operational system preference/needs. Because regarding the phone itself, the main brands nowadays, their flagships are very good all around, very similar in quality

[@slapsticks666]

​@@200Carlboth device are great, only big difference is the price.

[@IkechukwuA1]

Solid work Ben. I always wait for your real life reviews on new phones. Some review channels I watch are just for entertainment, but you my friend are a different breed. You're one of the most unbiased reviewers in the game. Kudos!

[@Unan1mouz]

Wow quite impressed with the 13 Ultra's cameras.

[@torkvader8859]

Amazing camera from Xiaomi 13 Ultra. It's mind blown to see 13 Ultra still a top notch although the phone considered older than Iphone 15 pro max.

[@abuhurairah9977]

Have some rest Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the best

[@arthurchristmas4112]

I’d agree, I’d give the 15 to the average user who doesn’t rly do or fiddle all too much, but for someone who knows what they’re doing I’d hand them a Xiaomi 13 Ultra every time.

[@muharremarifi3993]

The best camera comparison by far, but as a xiaomi 13 ultra user i will say no phone can compete with 13 ultra nowadays but the portrait shots have change a lot after few updates and they make even worse improvment

[@d4ydr33m3r]

Nice work Ben! My findings between these two phones and Oppo Find X6 Pro are more or less the same. I still find Find X6 Pro to be my fav low light camera system, but overall I'm really impressed by what I see from my 15 Pro Max this year!

[@AS-pu7gj]

iPhone 15 Pro Max heats up to very hot temp that is becomes difficult to hold and then it auto dims the screen brightness and then starts cooling down. When it auto dims you can't even increase its screen brightness manually no matter how hard you try it will not increase till the phone gets cooled down. This happened to me in 15 Pro Max in India , on using video camera for merely 40 to 60 seconds.

[@andyH_England]

Apple says it is an iOS 17 bug and they are working to fix it.

[@machiavelli4428]

People are reporting green line issues across the display as well.

[@humanfirst11]

​@@andyH_Englandthat means the processor will be tuned down, wait for the benchmarks after the software update.

[@andyH_England]

@@humanfirst11 Apple said in interviews that they will 100% not underclock the cores to improve the thermals. They say thermals are better than the 14 Pro Max and it is simply a bug. We shall see...

[@tym2getbizeee]

I’ve had my 15 pro max for about a week now and I haven’t had any issues with it heating up or any problems there issues. Could it be that some phones are just faulty or that quality control isn’t being handled correctly?

[@ezsog8903]

Xiaomi is 300 usd cheaper on amazon and is just as Good. Exposure issues im sure can be adjusted slightly. Its also probably because of the 1 inch sensor

[@JAGProductionss]

I still preferred the brighter photos of Xiaomi. It's easier to post correct overexposed shots than brightening up underexposed photos

[@liamstv8008]

You are very Correct I find it hard to edit underexposed photos 😢

[@rolins3279]

🤝🏽 I agree with you so much, and I can't understand why most testers don't mention this 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@BarryJohnson]

I would lean Xiaomi. Unfortunately, after the first two weeks with a phone I always switch to Pro Mode shooting exclusively. Great video as always.

[@MI-Tech]

This video low-key made me so proud! #MiMafia

[@BarryJohnson]

@@MI-Tech LOL MI-Tech, Xiaomi has done very well the last few years.

[@InvetorXD]

Interesting to see iphones having worse autofocus than xiaomi also, xiaomi's video quality was impressive. I think xiaomi should include more aperture options in their main camera. And the macro shooting capability of xiaomi 13 pro should come back. And maybe the new sony Exmor-T sensor can be used in the 3x telephoto

[@The.JZA.]

4:40 You need to turn off live photos if you want a fair comparison between photos. When live photos is turned on the phone has to take a photo AND a short video at the same time. I'm not sure how much it degrades the photo quality but I assume there is some reduction due to splitting resources.

[@Helghast73]

I have to say I mostly preferred what the imagery via the Xiaomi 13 U, damn shame they never released it in the UK

[@rainiervillareal2743]

Feels like apple changed a bit of their philosophy in the video side of things especially in low light. From what i watched before they used to expose darker so the video has better framerate and looks less jittery but now they seem to crank up the brightness and lower shutter speed a bit resulting in more of that jelly like effect when you take a step

[@joshuabergeman354]

We need to see the comparison between the iPhone and Vivo and Huawei

[@congoallen]

I Always appreciate it man !!! Doing a good job !! Keeping people informed !!

[@mistertech332]

they are two beasts but the iPhone the photos both day and night have excellent quality but the xiaomi 13 ultra is better I don't understand during the day the photos have strange colors... which leica mode did you use... but yes this year Apple is strong with its iPhone 15 pro max... so far... because the pixel 8 pro and the xiaomi 14 pro are coming.

[@multireel7590]

Good comparison! Cheers! Some idea's coming from a long term photographer/videographer that might be of interest for coming reviews. 1) Regarding evening photography. Some phone's will lower the shutter speed quite a bit more compared to others. They do this to get lower ISO's and reduce noise. First reviewer response is usually: "Ah, so this phone is better at night, because it shows slightly less noise" But there's no free lunch... the lower shutter speed creates a higher chance of a blurry pic. It's nice to have clean pic's, but it's also nice if your uncle with a bit less steady hand can also take the family picture at your brothers nephews sisters former roommate's wedding. So please add the exif info for evening/night shots. 2) There are short bursts of blur in the video at the 1:18 mark. It is more obvious on the iPhone because the iPhone apparently uses a lower shutter speed for video. It's a known side effect of digitally stabilizing video where the shutter speed isn't up to par to keep every frame sharp. 3) In their efforts to reduced noise in photo's to an absolute minimum, phone manufacturers tend to increase noise filtering to untold levels. At the same time they want to keep the images look sharp and thus they increase the artificially sharpening to equally untold levels. Don't fall into the trap of 'more sharpening and noise filtering = better photo. 100% crops of dogs or cats is a good way of telling what's happening. Any other camera manufacturer has figured out ages ago what a good photo should look like, so it's unfortunate this filtering/sharpening thing still seems a stubborn issue with phone camera's. It has no technical reason to do it anyways. Apple has been tone-deaf for years on this issue (the internet is full of this), but luckily with IOS17 they finally decided to make a change for the better. The Oppo Find X6 Pro started with excessive sharpening too in it's post processing, but luckily after the second update or so, the sharpening was toned down.

[@KINGBRILLIANCE1]

The 13 ultra is a little over exposed because your shooting in vibrant mode. Nice video...

[@zuluswazi9470]

I'm really amazed at how Xiaomi holds up to this flagship. I wonder what the Xiaomi 14 Pro/Ultra will be like. Hopefully they'll improve on the sensor. My first preference will always be Xiaomi, the amazing incredible MIUI software and its plitheria of undending excursions.

[@Artemis-v8i]

Apparently they made the sensor smaller.

[@u.e.u.e.]

5:31 "Xiaomi completely messe up exposure." I'd delete the world "completely". Xiaomi has another approach. Have a look into the jewellery store on the left! 😉

[@feistyfoxsecurity]

Honestly, it just goes to show how good the Xiaomi is... The only flagship I have not tested this year is the iPhone 15, but my experience is that I carry the 13 Ultra for everyday and also the Huawei P60 Pro - these two cameras have dominated 2023 for me, over the S23U, Honor Magic 5 Pro, Vivo X90pro, Xiaomi 13 Pro

[@teodyguieb1578]

Both did a great job, great camera comparison but at this time Xiaomi 13 ultra move to advance 👌

[@muhammadsyukri5006]

when see the comparison smartphones camera... i can confirm that DXO mark was biased

[@darkkforest]

Xiaomi for the W. Not gonna lie this was very closed, but the 13 Ultra delivers big on this one, for me personally. But I would rely more on the iPhone for futures majors updates.

[@BLAKEEATS1988]

If xiaomi adds 4k60 on their ff cam, they will be the king.

[@hkchew03]

Iphone look over processed, almost like HDR tech from 15 years ago, there's no way it is "natural" that many reviewer kept raving about.

[@RennieAsh]

7:18 the iPhone looks like it doesn't focus as close; you can see how it was switching to macro mode because the main sensor minimum focus distance is larger. It wasn't focusing because it couldn't physically focus with main sensor is my guess

[@thepresidentofgames216]

Ben, if you look closely at 5x, the image is more stable or clearer on the xiaomi, iphone might have the accurate color rendition but at 5x i think it loses to the Xiaomi in both stills and video

[@therepearblack3552]

I love street photography. That's what I mostly love to take. So. For me. The choice is obvious because of two reasons. 1 - I love Chinese phones a lot. I'm super loyal to them ❤️ I've been fan of them since 2018 when I had my Huawei P20 pro back in the days. 2 - I like street photography. So. I am going to choose Xiaomi 13 ultra 🔥

[@_haru_na]

Hey Ben! I wonder if you're gonna compare the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max to the upcoming Vivo X100 series? or the X90 Pro Plus at least? Thanks!

[@bam_bad]

yeah X90 Pro Plus deserved at comparison too

[@fizziefizzer]

To be neck and neck with Apple's cameras is actually huge. Props to Xiaomi for this Leica collaboration

[@rolandsalobehaj3228]

Its a win for xiaomi

[@averagebloke4474]

Thank you for the videos! I know you put in a lot of time making these.

[@RennieAsh]

The iPhone - more refined, but doesn't use the best hardware especially the ultra wide and telephoto. Main sensor is good enough. And the light orbs... Many Androids have great hardware but the software especially on Chinese phones loves to be over exposed, or has some funky stuff going on with HDR/colours

[@hungrychad]

7:09 could it be you're too close to the flower, that's why it doesn't focus? IP15 Pro/Max have big-ass sensors so minimum focus distance is severely compromised.

[@TheMMAlegria]

That's a fair review. Thank you for this video.

[@PinFX]

Bought a Xiaomi 13U last month (in part based off your video). Have been loving it, but the auto-exposure problem is a huge pain!! It is constantly over exposing and especially when a face enters the frame. In pro mode you can take excellent photos but the UX around auto-exposure and needing to tweak it constantly is truly bad.

[@joelconolly5574]

You can lower it down by tapping the screen.

[@PinFX]

@@joelconolly5574 of course you can but the control is overly sensitive, and I'd rather not have to do it-- its supposed to be auto! Especially when photographing people if you need to tap and mess with that finnicky exposure control its easy to miss a moment (I have missed many already for this reason)

[@wovazilvovalai7864]

Did you get the global version or the Chinese version?

[@PinFX]

@@wovazilvovalai7864 I'm based in China so it was the Chinese version for me. Though I just took it to Spain for two weeks and it worked fine their on a local SIM

[@balubalaji9956]

in iphone you have option to reduce exposure and save it as default . no more highlight issue

[@u.e.u.e.]

9:37 (left) You were in Berlin? 😃👍 Couldn't you have announced before? 🤭😂

[@pavlosuchite4614]

i really like how you address this content , is very entertaining, how the differences are emphasized from a very precise perspective, which is cool , thanks.

[@bensgadgetreviews]

Thank you

[@NewFacebook-i1g]

Bro you must be off the live button on iphone, when its on its a bit smooth but its more dark in the area

[@Atoz-z7q]

I appreciate you label the sponsor segment and how you tell us when your are not filming with either of the phones thank you

[@stepot3715]

Wow it blown me away the underdog makes stabilization a hell of Greatness so stable how they did make it and apple did their best for that ehh

[@dean5709]

Good content. I like the effort you put in your reviews. Keep it up

[@HusseinKefel]

Thank you Ben for the nice comparison video

[@whysoserious1054]

There is a settings in the Xiaomi camera app which brightens the image unnecessarily just keep it off and everyone will click pictures from your camera only.

[@yeongkarsoon481]

I love xiaomi 13 ultra. Iphone is good too but 13 ultra is my go to

[@MI-Tech]

Great video my guy, proud to see Xiaomi trumping Apple in atleast some areas and actually being competitive 👌🏾🔥

[@davidng407]

Another great video Ben!!

[@MrDavidsic]

Nice because comparisons with the 13 Ultra are not common because the device is not very popular here in Europe and I imagine in America compared to a Samsung or an iPhone. I have the 13 Ultra and I notice inconsistencies in the exposure, sometimes underexposed (especially 5X and ultra wide angle), sometimes the opposite. Otherwise it is efficient with its large sensor which gives good fine details without really being over sharp. Thanks for this comparison 👌

[@marklola12]

Its not that it is not very popular lol it is because it was not released in most countries in Europe or released in the UK

[@Draconis8888]

Interesting. Thanks for all the hard work to make the comparison. I may have missed it; were you in Leica Authentic or Vibrant for the Xiaomi? I wonder if that would explain some of the exposure and color differences.

[@bensgadgetreviews]

I shot in leica authentic as I find the natural option very bland. Yes I should have switched around during testing. But honestly the iPhone also has three or four filters. So if I cover everyone it would double the workload and make video like 25 mins long and take me three days to edit

[@Draconis8888]

@@bensgadgetreviews Thanks for the details! Appreciate the effort and videos.

[@andregustavo9435]

Leica Vibrant has more HDR range

[@cariza5]

​@@bensgadgetreviewsBen please do a side by side test of the iPhone 15 Pro v Vivo X90 Pro Plus and do night time Lit up shop signs and Neon Lighting.

[@megabojan1993]

Xiaomi 13 Ultra is much better phone than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

[@MrPennyNichols]

Ben, are you testing the China or global version? Were you able to check 5g reception in the US? I'm hoping the 13 Ultra works will with T-Mobile.

[@bensgadgetreviews]

Global HK version. Using on mint mobile with 5g

[@AnonymousT7]

What i dont like about the Xiaomi photo processing is the soft look in some cases. For example the picture of the dog in 3:05 is to soft and blurry in my opinion. I currently own the Xiaomi 13 and have the same issue in some cicumstances.

[@dinkoist]

Almost all iPhone's photos looks overprocessed and dark.

[@Carlduran]

The stabilization works when you do action mode on zoom

[@huntingcambo]

Did iphone over heating while recording ?

[@AS-pu7gj]

It does heat up to very hot temp that is becomes difficult to hold and then it auto dims the screen brightness and then starts cooling down. When it auto dims you can't even increase its screen brightness manually no matter how hard you try it will not increase till the phone gets cooled down. This happened to me in 15 Pro Max in India , on using video camera for merely 40 to 60 seconds

[@mauricedicke9527]

@@AS-pu7gj He wasn't asking your opinion

[@AS-pu7gj]

@@mauricedicke9527 I think you are the buyer of this new 15Pro Max and now that you are feeling cheated by Apple , you are taking out your frustration on me by commenting such things.

[@SohaibBinNoor]

Xiaomi looks much better than the iPhone in many shots and clicks

[@mariusolivaric3262]

amazing review as usual, X13 ultra is the clear winner for me. i also take from this that LA is dirty and theres lots of street sellers, a million light years away from seoul, tokyo perfection and order wich are my favourite vacation places

[@tomn8276]

How the X13 is for you clear winner is a real mystery. 90% footage is overblown...

[@mariusolivaric3262]

@@tomn8276 I15 is only better with selfies. the rest X13U destroys the +2K phone LOL

[@irapbetter]

​@@tomn8276 pretty easy to control highlights in post than to bring out details from a photo with crushed shadows. Xiaomi clear winner for me as well, except in selfie and video. Other conditions 7/10 times, Xiaomi takes it.

[@tomn8276]

@@irapbetter so you buying a $1k phone to fix all pictures and videos in POST?

[@irapbetter]

@@tomn8276 read my comment again. if I'm buying a $1k phone, I'd rather deal with blown highlights with details even in the shadows, than crushed shadows in post. E.g. look at the inside of the shop on the left @05:31.

[@MatheusVelloso]

The 13 Ultra is a beast of a camera phone!

[@Bimalka_Kavindu]

Can you do 15 pro max and mate 60 pro camera comparison

[@humphreymadlala4462]

A really, really good video comparison, and genuinely unbiased, which is my cup of tea.I kind of hope that Ben does a camera comparison of this iPhone 15 Pro max with the upcoming Google Pixel 8 pro.From past history, the Google Pixel doesn't have overexposure problems, and the skin tones of that phone are the most accurate, and the night time photos are usually better than what you'd from the iPhone.I think that pattern will continue with the Google Pixel 8 Pro honestly.

[@bensgadgetreviews]

I will indeed make that comparison. Stay tuned

[@Айболитвещает]

Why didn't you just turn off Leica mode so that Xiaomi would stop overstating the exposure? Or you could switch to sport mode and get excellent detail and correct exposure

[@abrahamroberts2040]

Thanks for the great content. This was fun to watch. I'm enjoying my 15 pro max so far!

[@roughtraveller7002]

Could you compare iPhone 15 Pro Max with Vivo X90 Pro Plus please?

[@salifsamake4846]

I like the way you make the comparison, good video

[@cariza5]

Ben please do a side by side test of the iPhone 15 Pro v Vivo X90 Pro Plus and do night time Lit up shop signs and Neon Lighting.

[@Blakeyboi24]

I own a 15 PM and X13 Ultra’s performance in this video is damn impressive! I might even give the W to it!❤ thanks for the video!

[@jaxxcasaljay1048]

Thank you ben for always doing comparison of flagship mobile phones like this a real comparison and side by side more power always @habibeevloginDubai🇦🇪 happy watching here

[@dyatel92]

i've been waiting for your review Ben! most trusted opinion =) thank you!

[@PTYC933]

Yes more bokeh is shallower depth of field, more depth of field is sharper background. Closer than I thought, btw I heard the regular iPhone 15s have a better camera than the pros this year. Newer 48mp sensor, closer focusing distance, that's why the flowers won't focus here. Smaller sensor but somewhat sharper. iPhone 5x portraits are insane, looks like a camera. In terms of color profiles, I like realme cinematic tone.

[@mubinsaeef8529]

Keep creating this type of content thankyou

[@dudefy33]

Worth comparing the 3x lens of Xiaomi vs the 15 pro 3x crop

[@liamstv8008]

Mr Ben for me I had prefer all shot from the Xiaomi. Did you also notice that in video mode the iphone blows at the stairs? 3:16 check it again and see what I mean

[@liamstv8008]

Blows out the stairs

[@javiermanzorro]

Thanks for your videos. I'm waiting about your Pixel 8 Pro video

[@aleksdeveloper698]

Love the work you do, i understand the struggle

[@qwild]

Why did you use the Leica vibrant? On 13 ultra.

[@shahbazxomro1777]

Compare vivo x90 pro plus and iphone 15 pro max also oppo find x6 pro and pixel 8 pro

[@ThereIsOnlyOneRandom]

well, to me Xiaomi pictures looking better most of the time, a bit of white balance difference but that's it, I can assume that Xiaomi is better for editing

[@cozzysa1sdasxzkwszsz]

How does the vivo x90 pro plus compare to the iPhone 15 pro max?

[@jimbob8992]

Always enjoy your camera comparison videos.😊 Looking forward to pixel 8 soon.

[@miller_lopes]

Great work Ben! Thanks 😇

[@liamstv8008]

Mr Ben did you misplaced your Vivo X90 PRO PLUS? You've not made a comparison with it yet. Please do

[@Kydaix_]

Thanks for this amazing content!

[@techderaudios]

When comparison to vivo x90 pro Plus especially with current software it improved allot

[@anmolagrawal5358]

4:56 Dude, look at the clouds. The Xiaomi killed all the texture. I observed the same thing in another comparison with the Samsung and it did the same thing, but not the iPhone and Pixel

[@nikol596]

10:08 "two best camera systems right now" What about Huawei mate 60 pro+?

[@romanstein13]

Hey, great comparison 👍 Can you compare iPhone with Oppo find x6 pro?

[@Gray_Ti]

Are you using Leica authentic or vibrant?

[@aliettienne2907]

I love this in-depth comparison between Xiaomi Ultra and iPhone Pro Max and the iphone have shine in the department of balance exposure while Xiaomi is flawless with the autofocus mode. Xiaomi overexpose in many areas but the overexposed in Xiaomi had an edge over iPhone in two photos captures like the 5x zoom. I love this close in-depth comparison. 😎💯💯💪🏾👍🏾

[@Timperi.cinematic]

Thx for work. But...if u use prores log vs normal xiaomi 13 ultra... what Is Better for video? I mean what Is most similar to a real camera?

[@realmoonknight]

Any reason for shooting live on iphone ? Selecting a single photo to keep from live would be a jpeg

[@ericnoack1324]

yes I can see what you are saying about the over exposure ,but, the last street shot for me , anyway, went with the Xiaomi because if you look at the stall on the right all the detail is gone in the darkness on the Iphone and I can clearly see whats in the stall on the Xiaomi.Now, if I were standing there what would i actually see ? I don't know , but taking low light photography you have to decide what is the reasoning behind what the camera manufacturer is doing .I would take all my shots into Photoshop or Qimage to make the exposure adjustments before I print , and if I went to an A4 print or larger than once again the less noise and the more detail the camera can produce the better.But as you say most users would merely look at the shot in camera post selfies (not sure how many selfies you need of yourself doing the same thing over and over ) but I would rather take photos of other things ,I know what I look like , but hey these last couple of generations are definitely not aware of what a printed photo looks like or even a camera without a phone. I have to laugth though, when the first phones came out with cameras the first thing I thought of why don't they just build a phone into my camera ,that was a long time ago, what goes round comes round.Regardless I am sure that balance will be fixed in the next update.

[@stephenkrus]

Welcome back home dude! ✨👍