ZTE Axon 10 Pro vs. iPhone 11 Pro Max: A 2024 Flagship Face-Off
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support and a refined user experience, the iPhone 11 Pro Max remains the superior choice. However, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro offers exceptional value, delivering flagship-level performance at a significantly lower price point, making it ideal for Android enthusiasts.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE Axon 10 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, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - China | 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 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (4CA) Cat18 1200/150 Mbps | HSPA, LTE 1.6 Gbps DL, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66, 71 - USA | 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, February. Released 2019, May | 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 | 159.2 x 73.4 x 7.9 mm (6.27 x 2.89 x 0.31 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 | 175 g (6.17 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 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~398 ppi density) | 1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.47 inches, 102.8 cm2 (~87.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, HDR10 | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) | Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) | Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Adreno 640 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 10, MiFavor 10.0 | iOS 13, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM |
| UFS 2.1 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | - | 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF |
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.7, (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 20 MP, f/2.2, 11mm (ultrawide) | 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, 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 20 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/2.8", 1.0µm | 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 | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | 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 | 18W wired, QC4 Wireless (Qi) | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min Wireless (Qi) |
| Type | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3969 mAh, non-removable (15.04 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Blue | Matte Space Gray, Matte Silver, Matte Gold, Matte Midnight Green |
| Models | A10P3251, A10P3351 | A2218, A2161, A2220, iPhone12,5 |
| Price | About 470 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) |
ZTE Axon 10 Pro
- Significantly lower price point
- Near-stock Android experience
- Supports Quick Charge 4.0 for faster wired charging
- Potentially shorter software update support
- Performance lags behind the A13 Bionic
- Camera details are unknown, potentially inferior to iPhone
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Superior performance with the A13 Bionic
- Long-term software support from Apple
- Excellent camera system with renowned video quality
- Higher price tag
- iOS ecosystem lock-in
- Slower wired charging compared to some Android competitors
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 820 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Axon 10 Pro’s display specifications aren’t provided, its AMOLED panel likely offers vibrant colors and deep blacks. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED displays, provides a more visually striking image. However, without knowing the Axon 10 Pro’s peak brightness, a direct comparison is difficult; the iPhone clearly has the advantage in outdoor readability based on available data.
Camera Comparison
Both devices are described as having capable Photo/Video capabilities, but detailed sensor information is lacking for the Axon 10 Pro. The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s camera system is renowned for its consistent image quality and excellent video recording. Without knowing the Axon 10 Pro’s sensor sizes, apertures, or image processing algorithms, it’s difficult to make a definitive comparison. However, Apple’s computational photography prowess and video stabilization are likely superior. The iPhone’s reputation for natural-looking images and reliable performance in various lighting conditions gives it an edge.
Performance
The Apple A13 Bionic, built on a 7nm+ process, consistently outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (7nm) in both single-core and multi-core benchmarks. The A13’s hexa-core architecture (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) is optimized for iOS, resulting in smoother app launches and more responsive multitasking. While the Snapdragon 855’s octa-core configuration (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) is powerful, the A13’s superior efficiency and architectural advantages translate to a more fluid user experience, particularly in demanding tasks like video editing. The iPhone’s performance advantage is further solidified by its optimized software.
Battery Life
Both phones achieve an impressive endurance rating of 102 hours, suggesting comparable battery life under similar usage scenarios. However, the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s battery life is achieved with a more efficient chipset. The Axon 10 Pro supports 18W wired charging with QC4 and Qi wireless charging, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max offers wired charging with PD2.0, achieving 50% charge in 30 minutes, and also supports Qi wireless charging. The iPhone’s faster wired charging provides a quicker top-up when time is limited.
Buying Guide
Buy the ZTE Axon 10 Pro if you need a powerful Android phone with a near-stock experience and are comfortable with potentially shorter software update cycles. It’s perfect for users who prioritize value and don’t mind tinkering. Buy the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max if you prefer a seamless, integrated ecosystem, guaranteed software updates for years to come, and a consistently polished user experience, even if it comes at a higher cost.