ZTE Axon 40 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max: A Deep Dive into Android's Challenge to Apple
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing ecosystem integration, long-term software support, and peak performance, the iPhone 14 Pro Max remains the superior choice. However, the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra delivers exceptional value with its bright display and fast charging, making it a strong contender for Android enthusiasts.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE Axon 40 Ultra | Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - Europe | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41 - Europe | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2894, A2896 |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 28, 38, 40, 41, 78 SA/NSA - Europe | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2894, A2896 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA - International | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2895 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, May 09 | 2022, September 07 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, May 13 | Available. Released 2022, September 16 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 163.3 x 73.6 x 8.4 mm (6.43 x 2.90 x 0.33 in) | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 204 g (7.20 oz) | 240 g (8.47 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1116 x 2480 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~400 ppi density) | 1290 x 2796 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 111.6 cm2 (~92.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM) |
| - | Always-On display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 730 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 12, upgradable to Android 13, MyOS 13 | iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, panorama, HDR | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 1.22µm, under display | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS (unconfirmed) SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 64 MP, f/1.6, 35mm (standard), 1/1.7", PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/3.5, 91mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.0", PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom (vs. 26mm cam) 64 MP, f/2.4, 16mm, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/1.7", PDAF | 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), 1/3.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10, 10‑bit video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 1.22µm, under display | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 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 | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, 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 Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 65W wired, PD3.0, QC4 | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 4323 mAh (16.68 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Gold, Silver | Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple |
| Models | A2023P, A2023PG | A2894, A2651, A2893, A2895, A2896, iphone15,3 |
| Price | About 380 EUR | € 530.79 / $ 489.81 / £ 446.75 |
| SAR | - | 1.15 W/kg (head) 1.07 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 104h | Endurance rating 121h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.8 LUFS (Very good) | -24.3 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 955884 (v9) GeekBench: 5423 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
- Significantly faster 65W charging
- More affordable price point
- Bright and vibrant OLED display
- Less powerful processor than the A16 Bionic
- Potentially shorter software support lifespan
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Industry-leading processor performance (A16 Bionic)
- Superior battery life and efficiency
- Exceptional camera image processing
- Higher price tag
- Slower charging speeds compared to the Axon 40 Ultra
Display Comparison
The most immediately noticeable difference lies in display brightness. The iPhone 14 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 1760 nits, significantly outshining the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra’s 680 nits. This translates to vastly superior visibility in direct sunlight for the iPhone. Furthermore, the iPhone’s infinite (nominal) contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, provides deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. While the Axon 40 Ultra’s OLED panel is still excellent, it can’t match the iPhone’s outdoor readability. Both utilize OLED technology, but Apple’s implementation is demonstrably brighter and more impactful.
Camera Comparison
Both phones feature capable camera systems, but their approaches differ. While detailed sensor specs are missing for the Axon 40 Ultra, its marketing emphasizes photographic and videographic capabilities. The iPhone 14 Pro Max’s camera system benefits from Apple’s advanced image processing pipeline, delivering consistently accurate colors and excellent dynamic range. The iPhone’s computational photography excels in low-light conditions. Without specific sensor details for the Axon 40 Ultra, it’s difficult to make a direct comparison, but Apple’s established reputation for camera quality and software optimization gives it an edge. We can assume the Axon 40 Ultra will lean towards a more saturated, vibrant look, typical of many Android implementations.
Performance
Under the hood, the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s Apple A16 Bionic chip, a hexa-core processor built on a 4nm process, consistently outperforms the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The A16’s architecture, featuring two high-performance Everest cores and four efficiency Sawtooth cores, is optimized for both single-core and multi-core tasks. While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (octa-core with Cortex-X2, A710, and A510 cores) is a capable chip, it’s known to throttle under sustained load due to thermal limitations. The iPhone’s superior thermal management ensures consistent performance during demanding tasks like gaming and video editing. The A16’s Neural Engine also provides a significant advantage in machine learning tasks.
Battery Life
The iPhone 14 Pro Max edges out the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra in battery endurance, achieving a rating of 121 hours compared to the Axon 40 Ultra’s 104 hours. This difference is partially attributable to the iPhone’s more efficient A16 Bionic chip. However, the Axon 40 Ultra compensates with significantly faster charging: 65W wired charging with PD3.0 and QC4 support, allowing for a much quicker top-up than the iPhone’s wired charging (PD2.0) and 15W wireless charging (MagSafe/Qi2). The iPhone’s 50% charge in 30 minutes is respectable, but the Axon 40 Ultra can likely achieve a full charge in a similar timeframe.
Buying Guide
Buy the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra if you prioritize a vibrant, high-brightness display, incredibly fast 65W charging, and are comfortable with the Android ecosystem. It’s ideal for media consumption and users who want a flagship experience without the premium Apple price tag. Buy the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max if you value seamless ecosystem integration, guaranteed software updates for years to come, and consistently top-tier performance, even if it comes at a higher cost.