 
Apple’s iPhone 17 arrived with a surprising twist this year, not just a generational spec bump, but a clear intent to undercut the dominance of aggressively priced Chinese flagships. With a $799 starting price, Apple is clearly recalibrating, offering ProMotion, a 48MP Ultra Wide camera, and the new N1 networking chip in a base model. But does that make it better than the likes of the Xiaomi 17, Vivo X300, or Oppo Find X9?
Let’s break it down.
Display and Design
The iPhone 17 features a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion support for the first time in a base model. It now supports up to 120Hz refresh rate and Always-On Display functionality. Peak outdoor brightness reaches 3000 nits, which is a significant step up from its predecessor.
Xiaomi uses a 1.5K OLED LTPO panel on the Xiaomi 17 that hits 3500 nits peak brightness. Vivo takes it further with the X300, offering 4500 nits peak brightness and 2160Hz PWM dimming for better eye comfort. The Find X9 also delivers a 3600-nit display with ultra-high-frequency dimming. Apple still leads in color calibration with True Tone, but Chinese brands now offer brighter panels with finer dimming and better display flexibility.
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Performance
The A19 chip on the iPhone 17 is based on a 3nm architecture with a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU. Apple says the CPU is 1.5 times faster than the A15 in iPhone 13, with the GPU more than doubling the performance of the older generation. The new chip also includes a 16-core Neural Engine for AI tasks.
Xiaomi uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which includes an Adreno 840 GPU and supports advanced thermal management. On the other hand, Oppo and Vivo use MediaTek Dimensity 9500, which has scored over 4 million points on AnTuTu. Apple’s efficiency remains a strong point, but Chinese rivals now match or surpass the iPhone in raw performance, especially in multitasking and gaming workloads.
Camera
Apple upgraded the rear setup with a 48MP main and a 48MP ultra-wide camera. The front camera now uses an 18MP sensor with Center Stage, enabling AI-based field-of-view expansion and landscape selfies without rotating the phone. The iPhone 17 also supports 4K HDR recording on both front and rear cameras, and it introduces Dual Capture.
Xiaomi features a Leica-powered triple 50MP setup, including a Light Fusion 950 sensor and telephoto lens. Vivo uses a 200MP sensor paired with a Zeiss-certified periscope and telemacro lens. Oppo includes a 50MP triple-camera setup with Hasselblad tuning and a spectral sensor for accurate color capture. Apple closes the gap with better usability, but the hardware and flexibility of Chinese camera systems remain superior.
Battery and Charging
Apple claims up to 30 hours of video playback on the iPhone 17. The phone supports 40W USB-C fast charging and 25W MagSafe or Qi2 wireless charging. This marks the first time a base iPhone supports fast charging above 20W.
Chinese flagships dominate in this area. Xiaomi’s 7000mAh battery supports 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, along with reverse charging. Vivo includes a 6040mAh battery with 90W wired and 40W wireless speeds. Oppo uses a 7025mAh silicon-carbon battery with 80W wired and 50W wireless charging. Apple improves charging speed, but Android rivals continue to lead in capacity and endurance.
Connectivity and Extras
The iPhone 17 introduces Apple’s N1 wireless chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread networking, and improved Personal Hotspot and AirDrop performance. It also retains Face ID and adds the new Ceramic Shield 2 coating for better scratch resistance.
Chinese phones come with more features on paper. Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo include in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensors, infrared blasters, reverse wireless charging, and high-precision GPS with NavIC support. Vivo and Oppo both offer IP69 ratings, while Apple retains IP68. Apple maintains a smooth ecosystem and polished integration, but Android competitors push more hardware-level features.
Pricing and Value
Apple priced the iPhone 17 at $799 for the 256GB model, which is lower than the 256GB versions of the Xiaomi 17 and Vivo X300. This puts Apple in a more competitive position, especially in markets where iPhones traditionally cost more.
The Xiaomi 17 starts at 4499 yuan (around $630) for the 12GB + 256GB variant. Vivo’s X300 starts at 4399 yuan ($618) for the same configuration. The Find X9 is positioned higher at 999 Euros for the 12GB + 512GB model. Chinese phones offer better hardware value, but Apple’s improved base configuration and pricing strategy make the iPhone 17 an attractive option in more markets.
Verdict
The iPhone 17 is not better than its Chinese rivals in raw specifications. It still lags in charging, camera versatility, and display brightness. But it fixes previous limitations in display refresh rate, camera quality, and charging speed while maintaining Apple’s ecosystem advantage.
More importantly, it now does this at a more competitive price. Apple is no longer just playing the brand card. The iPhone 17 brings value with real improvements, even if it doesn’t beat Xiaomi, Vivo, or Oppo in feature-for-feature comparisons. It is not the most advanced phone in this group, but it is the most balanced iPhone base model Apple has ever made.
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The post Is iPhone 17 better than Chinese flagships? appeared first on Gizmochina.