ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

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ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.8-inch ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) that was released on November 23, 2023, against the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is powered by Apple A17 Pro and came out 3 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro
  • Comes with 2059 mAh larger battery capacity: 6500 vs 4441 mAh
  • Has 2x more RAM: 16GB versus 8GB
  • 35% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (2128K versus 1571K)
  • Supports higher wattage charging (80W versus 23W)
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • Compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless networks
  • CPU with a higher amount of cores (+2)
  • Includes a 3.5 mm headphone audio jack port
  • Has a built-in infrared port
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
  • The rear camera has a 5x optical zoom
  • Delivers 76% higher peak brightness (1796 against 1018 nits)
  • Shows 7% longer battery life (31:37 vs 29:26 hours)
  • Handles wireless charging up to 7.5W
  • 15% higher pixel density (460 vs 400 PPI)
  • The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
  • Ready for eSIM technology

Review

Evaluation of ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
NanoReview Score
Final comparison evaluation
Choose the importance of each parameter to more accurately identify the smartphone that best meets your particular needs.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

TypeAMOLEDOLED
Size6.8 inches6.7 inches
Resolution1116 x 2480 pixels1290 x 2796 pixels
Aspect ratio20:919.5:9
PPI400 ppi460 ppi
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rateNoYes (1-120 Hz)
Max rated brightness1600 nits2000 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR - 1600 nits
HDR supportNoYes, Dolby Vision
Screen protectionCorning Gorilla Glass 5Ceramic Shield
Screen-to-body ratio89.1%89.8%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC Dimming
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display tests
RGB color space99.5%99.8%
PWM60 Hz240 Hz
Response time1 ms1 ms
Contrast∞ Infinity∞ Infinity
Peak brightness test (auto)

Design and build

Height164 mm (6.46 inches)159.9 mm (6.3 inches)
Width76.4 mm (3.01 inches)76.7 mm (3.02 inches)
Thickness8.9 mm (0.35 inches)8.25 mm (0.32 inches)
Weight229 g (8.08 oz)221 g (7.8 oz)
WaterproofNoIP68
Advanced coolingActive fan -
Rear materialGlassGlass
Frame materialMetalMetal
ColorsBlack, SilverWhite, Black, Silver, Blue
Fingerprint scannerYes, in-displayNo
Screen-to-body ratio

Performance

Tests of ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max in the benchmarks
SoC
ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Apple A17 Pro
Max clock3300 MHz3780 MHz
CPU cores8 (1 + 3 + 2 + 2)6 (2 + 4)
Architecture- 2 cores at 2.27 GHz: Cortex-A520
- 2 cores at 2.96 GHz: Cortex-A720
- 3 cores at 3.15 GHz: Cortex-A720
- 1 core at 3.3 GHz: Cortex-X4
- 4 cores at 2.11 GHz: Sawtooth
- 2 cores at 3.78 GHz: Everest
L3 cache12 MB -
ManufacturingTSMCTSMC
Lithography process4 nanometers3 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU)HexagonApple Neural Engine
GraphicsAdreno 750Apple A17 GPU
GPU shading units1536768
GPU clock903 MHz1398 MHz
FLOPS~2774 GFLOPS~2147.2 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 10
CPU475525380664
GPU896088575404
Memory416633267719
UX340573347834
Total score21288191571621
Samples[9 tests][29 tests]
3DMark Wild Life Performance

Memory

RAM
RAM size12, 16 GB8 GB
Memory typeLPDDR5XLPDDR5
Memory clock4200 MHz3200 MHz
Channels44
Storage
Storage size256, 512 GB256, 512, 1024 GB
Storage typeUFS 4.0NVMe
Memory cardNoNo

Software

Operating systemAndroid 14 iOS 17 (Can be upgraded to iOS 18.2)
ROMRedmagic OS 9 -
OS size25 GB17.6 GB

Battery

Capacity6500 mAh4441 mAh
Max charge power80 W23 W
Battery typeLi-PoLi-Ion
ReplaceableNoNo
Wireless chargingNo Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse chargingNoYes
Fast chargingYes (84% in 30 min)Yes (46% in 30 min)
Full charging time0:42 hr1:49 hr
Battery life tests
Web browsing09:54 hr12:36 hr
Watching video21:54 hr22:07 hr
Gaming08:25 hr06:58 hr
Standby134 hr139 hr
General battery life

Main camera

Matrix50 megapixels48 megapixels
Image resolution8160 x 61208000 x 6000
ZoomDigitalOptical, 5x
FlashLEDDual LED
StabilizationOpticalOptical
8K video recordingUp to 30FPSNo
4K video recordingUp to 60FPSUp to 60FPS
1080p video recordingUp to 60FPSUp to 60FPS
Slow motion240 FPS (1080p)240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens122°120°
Lenses1) Standard: 50 MP
2) Ultrawide: 50 MP
3) Macro: 2 MP
1) Standard: 48 MP
2) Telephoto: 12 MP
3) Ultrawide: 12 MP
4) Depth
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Standard lens
Image resolution50 MP48 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/1.8
Focal length - 24 mm
SensorSamsung GN5Sony IMX803
Sensor size1/1.57"1/1.28"
Pixel size1 micron1.22 micron
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto lens
Image resolution - 12 MP
Aperture - f/1.78 - 2.8
Focal length - 120 mm
Sensor - Sony IMX913
Sensor size - 1/3.06"
Pixel size - 1.12 micron
Stabilization - Optical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution50 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length - 13 mm
Sensor - Sony IMX633
Sensor size1/2.76"1/2.55"
Pixel size0.64 micron1.4 micron
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Macro lens
Image resolution2 MP -
Aperturef/2.4 -
StabilizationDigital -

DxOMark main camera tests

Bokeh - 80
Preview - 86
Zoom - 142
Samples - Photo samples of Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels16 megapixels12 megapixels
Image resolution4608 x 34564032 x 3024
Aperturef/2.0f/1.9
Focal length - 23 mm
SensorOmnivision OV16E1QSony IMX714
Sensor size1/2.8"1/3.6"
Pixel size1.12 micron1.12 micron
AutofocusNoPhase autofocus
StabilizationDigitalOptical
Video resolution1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS2160p (4K) at 60 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D)NoYes
DxOMark front camera
Photo - 145
Video - 156

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standardWi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version5.35.3
Bluetooth featuresLELE
USB typeUSB Type-CUSB Type-C
USB version3.23.2
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
DisplayPortYes, DP 1.2Yes
GPSGPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSSGPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC
NFC*YesYes
Infrared portYesNo
Network
Number of SIM*2 -
Type of SIM cardNanoeSIM
Multi SIM modeStandby -
eSIM support*NoYes
Hybrid slotNoNo
LTE Cat*2020
5G supportYesYes

Sound

SpeakersStereoStereo
Headphone audio jackYesNo
FM radioNoNo
Dolby AtmosNoYes
Speakers test
Max loudness

Other

CategoryFlagshipFlagship
AnnouncedNovember 2023September 2023
Release dateNovember 2023September 2023
Launch price$649$1199
SAR (head) - 0.98 W/kg
SAR (body) - 0.98 W/kg
Sensors - Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Face recognition sensor
Bundled chargerYes, 80 WNot included
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
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