Xiaomi 17 Pro Max
The different versions of the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max Xiaomi

Xiaomi's 17 Pro Max made waves when it launched in China on 25 September 2025, promising record-breaking endurance with its massive 7,500 mAh battery. But just weeks after release, new independent tests suggest the phone may not hold the battery crown for long.

Recent battery benchmarks from Novice Evaluation and WhyLab show that Oppo's unreleased Find X9 Pro has surpassed the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max in multiple real-world tests, delivering longer screen-on times despite using the same battery capacity.

Xiaomi Holds Strong Against Apple But Falls Behind Oppo

In an earlier battery drain test conducted by TechDroider, Xiaomi's 17 Pro Max narrowly beat the iPhone 17 Pro Max, clocking 13 hours and 36 minutes of usage compared to Apple's 13 hours and 31 minutes. The test simulated intensive real-world activity including gaming, YouTube playback, web browsing and 4K video recording.

Here are the TechDroider results:

  • Xiaomi 17 Pro Max: 13h 36m
  • iPhone 17 Pro Max: 13h 31m
  • Xiaomi 15 Pro: 12h 31m
  • OnePlus 13: 11h 56m
  • Pixel 10 Pro XL: 11h 28m
  • Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: 11h 20m

The narrow five-minute gap between Xiaomi and Apple was surprising given the iPhone's significantly smaller 4,823 mAh battery. Many analysts praised Apple's efficiency gains in the A19 Pro chip, which continues to rival larger Android batteries.

Oppo Find X9 Pro Steals the Spotlight

However, fresh tests from Chinese reviewers suggest that Xiaomi's victory may be short-lived. Oppo's Find X9 Pro, which has not yet been officially released, reportedly lasted 7 hours and 18 minutes in Novice Evaluation's heavy-use benchmark — comfortably ahead of the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max's 6 hours and 49 minutes.

Even the base Oppo Find X9, with a smaller battery, lasted 6 hours and 51 minutes, edging past Xiaomi's flagship. Meanwhile, the iQOO Z10 Turbo+, equipped with an 8,000 mAh battery, topped the charts with 7 hours and 31 minutes of usage.

A separate analysis by WhyLab showed the Find X9 Pro achieving 9 hours and 30 minutes of continuous operation, while the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max trailed at 8 hours and 24 minutes.

These results indicate that Oppo's software optimisation and power management tuning could be more refined than Xiaomi's, even with identical hardware capacity.

What It Means for Xiaomi's Flagship

The findings have sparked debate among tech enthusiasts about whether Xiaomi's latest power cell can live up to expectations. Despite its impressive raw battery size, the 17 Pro Max appears to lose efficiency during heavy workloads, suggesting room for further software optimisation before global rollout.

Xiaomi has yet to announce an official international release date or pricing for the 17 Pro Max, though sources suggest availability between February and March 2026.

Meanwhile, Oppo has not officially unveiled the Find X9 series, but early performance data is already setting high expectations — especially if its power efficiency holds up under global review conditions.

For now, Xiaomi may have built one of the largest smartphone batteries on the market, but Oppo's upcoming flagship looks poised to redefine what true endurance means in 2026's smartphone race.

Writer's pick