vivo X30 Pro vs. iPhone 11 Pro Max: A Deep Dive into Flagship Performance and Value
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support, a refined user experience, and consistently strong resale value, the iPhone 11 Pro Max remains the superior choice. However, the vivo X30 Pro offers a compelling alternative for those seeking faster charging and a potentially lower entry price, despite compromises in chipset efficiency and software longevity.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | vivo X30 Pro | Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2218 |
| 5G bands | 41, 78 SA/NSA | - |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G (3.6+ Gbps DL) | HSPA, LTE 1.6 Gbps DL, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| CDMA 800 & TD-SCDMA | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2161, A2220 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, December. Released 2019, December | 2019, September 10 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2019, September 20 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 158.5 x 74.1 x 8.8 mm (6.24 x 2.92 x 0.35 in) | 158 x 77.8 x 8.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 198.5 g (7.02 oz) | 226 g (7.97 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 4m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~409 ppi density) | 1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.44 inches, 100.1 cm2 (~85.3% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED, HDR, 800 nits (typ) | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A77 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex A55) | Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) |
| Chipset | Exynos 980 (8 nm) | Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP5 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), Funtouch 10.0 | iOS 13, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM |
| UFS 2.1 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Quad | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF 13 MP, f/3.0, 135mm (periscope telephoto), 1/4.0", PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 32 MP, f/2.0, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.8", 0.8µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom 8 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm | - |
| Single | - | 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF |
| Triple | - | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.6" |
| Video | 4K@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | FM radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C, OTG | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 33W wired | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min Wireless (Qi) |
| Type | 4350 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3969 mAh, non-removable (15.04 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Peach, Light Blue | Matte Space Gray, Matte Silver, Matte Gold, Matte Midnight Green |
| Models | V1938T | A2218, A2161, A2220, iPhone12,5 |
| Price | About 600 EUR | $ 233.00 / C$ 369.75 / £ 226.95 / € 249.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.16 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 256GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 874.46 |
| 512GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 1,004.31 |
| 64GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 435.00 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 485.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | - | Noise -94.3dB / Crosstalk -81.5dB |
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 102h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 459713 (v7), 536883 (v8) GeekBench: 13870 (v4.4), 3503 (v5.1) GFXBench: 57fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
vivo X30 Pro
- Significantly faster 33W wired charging
- Potentially lower purchase price
- Android OS offers greater customization
- Less powerful and efficient Exynos 980 chipset
- Shorter software support lifespan
- Resale value likely to depreciate faster
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- More powerful and efficient A13 Bionic chipset
- Long-term software support and updates
- Excellent camera system with consistent image quality
- Slower wired charging speed
- Higher initial purchase price
- Less customizable iOS operating system
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 820 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the X30 Pro’s display specifications aren’t provided, it’s likely to be slightly dimmer. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, delivers deep blacks and vibrant colors. The X30 Pro likely utilizes a similar OLED technology, but without specific data, a direct comparison of color accuracy and viewing angles is difficult. The iPhone’s display benefits from Apple’s color calibration, known for its accuracy, a feature not typically emphasized by vivo.
Camera Comparison
Both devices are equipped with capable camera systems, but differ in their approach. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is renowned for its consistent image processing and excellent video recording capabilities. While specific sensor sizes aren’t provided for the X30 Pro, its camera system likely focuses on versatility with multiple lenses. The iPhone’s strength lies in its computational photography, delivering natural-looking images with accurate colors and dynamic range. The X30 Pro may offer more aggressive image processing, potentially resulting in more saturated colors and sharper details, appealing to users who prefer a more stylized look. The iPhone’s video recording is widely considered best-in-class, offering exceptional stabilization and dynamic range.
Performance
The Apple A13 Bionic, fabricated on a 7nm+ process, demonstrably outperforms the Exynos 980 (8nm) in both CPU and GPU benchmarks. The A13’s hexa-core architecture, with its 2x2.65 GHz Lightning cores and 4x1.8 GHz Thunder cores, provides a significant advantage in single-core performance, crucial for responsive app launching and smooth multitasking. The Exynos 980’s octa-core configuration (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A77 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex A55) is less efficient, potentially leading to more thermal throttling under sustained load. While the X30 Pro may feel snappy for everyday tasks, the iPhone 11 Pro Max will maintain higher sustained performance during demanding activities like gaming and video editing.
Battery Life
Both phones achieve an impressive endurance rating of 102 hours, indicating excellent battery life. However, the X30 Pro’s 33W wired charging significantly surpasses the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s 50% charge in 30 minutes via PD2.0. This means the X30 Pro can be fully charged much faster, a significant convenience for users who frequently need to top up their battery. The iPhone 11 Pro Max also supports Qi wireless charging, a feature not explicitly mentioned for the X30 Pro. Despite the similar endurance ratings, the X30 Pro’s faster charging provides a tangible advantage in daily usability.
Buying Guide
Buy the vivo X30 Pro if you need a phone with significantly faster wired charging (33W vs. iPhone’s 50% in 30 min) and are comfortable with the Android ecosystem. It’s a good option for users who frequently top up their battery throughout the day. Buy the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max if you prefer a seamless, long-supported software experience, a more powerful and efficient processor, and a camera system known for its consistent image quality and video capabilities. It’s ideal for users invested in the Apple ecosystem and those who value long-term reliability.