We’re here to compare two flagship smartphones once again, this time around from Apple and Huawei. We’ll be comparing the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. Both of these devices are big and powerful, but they’re considerably different in pretty much every way. That’s something you’ll notice the moment you lay your eyes on them, as even their designs are vastly different.

As we usually do, we’ll first list their specifications, and take it from there. Following that, we’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, camera performance, and audio output. Both of these phones are available across the globe, in various different regions. One thing to note is that the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does not support Google services. So you won’t have access to Google apps, or the Google Play Store. Huawei’s very own services and app store come pre-installed.

Specs

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, respectively

– Screen size:
6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED ( flat, 120Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
6.8-inch LTPO OLED display (flat, adaptive 120Hz, HDR, 2,500 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
2868 x 1320
2844 x 1260
– SoC:
Apple A18 Pro (3nm)
Huawei Kirin 9010
– RAM:
8GB
16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF), 12MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor, 1.12um pixel size, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 5x optical zoom).
50MP (f/1.6-f/4.0 variable aperture, 23mm lens, 1-inch type sensor, sensor-shift OIS, PDAF, retractable lens), 40MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm lens), 50MP (telemacro, f/2.1 aperture, 90mm lens, 3.5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF, 5cm macro)
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, OIS)
13MP (wide, f/2.4 aperture, autofocus)
– Battery:
4,685mAh
5,200mAh
– Charging:
38W wired, 25W MagSafe, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
100W wired, 80W wireless, 20W reverse wireless, 18W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions:
163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm
162.6 x 75.1 x 8.4mm
– Weight:
227 grams
226 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3/5.2
– Security:
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
In-display fingerprint scanner & facial scanning
– OS:
iOS 18
Android 12 with EMUI 14
– Price:
$1,199+
€1,499+
– Buy:
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (Apple)
Huawei Pura 70 Ultra (Amazon)

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Design

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is made out of titanium, aluminum, and glass. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the other hand, combines aluminum and vegan leather. Both smartphones have rounded corners, but that’s where the similarities end. Apple’s handset has a flat frame all around, while it also has a flat display and a flat backplate. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra’s frame is rounded, while its display is flat, but it’s micro-curved on all sides. The same goes for its backplate, actually.

There is a pill-shaped cutout on the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s display, while the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has a pill-shaped cutout. They both have very thin and uniform bezels, by the way. Apple’s handset includes more buttons, though. It has the power/lock button on the right, along with the Camera Control button. On the left, it has the volume up and down buttons, along with the Action Button. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has only the standard power/lock and volume up and down buttons, and they’re all on the right side.

They both have their camera islands in the same place, in the top-left corner on the back. The thing is, those camera islands do look fairly different. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has its recognizable setup, a squarish camera island. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has one of the oddest-looking camera setups out there, though it surely is recognizable as well. There’s no specific shape to it.

The two smartphones have alsmost identical height, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a bit wider. They’re also almost identical in terms of thickness. Apple’s phone does have a slightly larger display, so the difference in dimensions is not surprising. The difference in weight, on the other hand is only 1 gram. Both devices are also water and dust-resistant. They’re IP68 certified.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Display

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch 2868 x 1320 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it supports an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate (1-120Hz). Dolby Vision is supported, as is HDR10 content. The peak brightness here is 2,000 nits, and the screen-to-body ratio is at around 91%. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the Ceramic Shield glass protects this panel.

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra

The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the other hand, has a 6.8-inch 2844 x 1260 LTPO OLED display. That panel is flat, and it can project up to 1 billion colors. HDR content is supported, while the refresh rate goes from 1 to 120Hz, it’s adaptive. The peak brightness this display can offer is 2,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 89%, while we’re looking at a 460 ppi, which is in line with what the other phone offers.

Both of these displays are great, actually. They’re not only very vivid, but they’re sharp and big. The viewing angles are also great. The touch response from both display is on point, and they also get bright enough in pretty much any situation. The color tuning is a bit different, though. The protection these two displays offer is also on point. The panel on Huawei’s phone has the advantage of offering high-frequency PWM dimming, though.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Performance

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is fueled by the Apple A18 Pro processor, a 3nm chip. That chip is paired with 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra ships with the Kirin 9010 chip, a 7nm processor from Huawei. Huawei also included 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM here, along with up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 flash storage. Neither of these two smartphones offers expandable storage, by the way.

Apple’s smartphone does have a much more powerful and more advanced chip. It’s several generations ahead, and that’s because of the US ban. Huawei had to get creative. Despite that, however, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra does offer really good performance. We did not have any issues with its performance during our testing, it did a great job. Both phones are very fluid during regular, everyday use, even when you really push them.

Where you will start noticing a difference is in gaming, and some other intensive stuff, such as video processing speed, if you’re handling huge files. The iPhone 16 Pro Max can handle pretty much every mobile game out there with ease. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is okay for gaming, but the most demanding games can make the phone struggle a bit. Also, the availability of high-profile games on AppGallery is not exactly on par with the Google Play Store, so that may not be the best choice for gaming for several reasons.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Battery

Apple’s handset includes a 4,685mAh battery on the inside. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 5,200mAh battery. Apple’s iPhones usually have smaller battery packs than their Android counterparts, so don’t pay too much attention to that difference. In fact, the iPhone 16 Pro Max does seem to offer better battery life, even though the battery life on the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is truly great.

Both of these smartphones are road warriors. They can last for a long time on a single charge. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra is perfectly capable of getting over the 7-hour screen-on-time mark, as long as you’re not gaming or doing many other demanding tasks. It’s entirely possible to get to that point. The iPhone 16 Pro Max can push things even further, though, it really does offer outstanding battery life. There are a lot of factors to consider, however, so your mileage may vary, of course.

In terms of charging, the iPhone 16 Pro Max cannot match the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. Huawei’s flagship supports 100W wired, 80W wireless, 20W reverse wireless, and 18W reverse wired charging. The iPhone 16 Pro Max supports 38W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. Huawei’s handset will charge much faster both via a wire and wirelessly. It also comes with a charger in the box, unlike the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Huawei Pura 70 Ultra: Cameras

Both phones have three cameras on the back, but the setups are different. The iPhone 16 Pro Max includes a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.28-inch sensor), a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit, and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra has a 50-megapixel main camera (f/1.6-4.0 variable aperture, 1-inch type sensor), a 40-megapixel ultrawide unit, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3.5x optical zoom, macro).

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

The thing is, both of these smartphones actually do a fantastic job with photos. Both of them lean towards warmer color tones, and both can provide very balanced images. They also handle HDR situations without a problem. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra’s main camera does a better job in low light, though, especially if you pixel peep. The images do turn out sharper, which is not surprising considering the benefit in the sensor size and variable aperture. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is not far behind.

The images are comparable in good lighting, however, in terms of quality, despite the fact they’re different. Huawei also has the edge when it comes to telephoto shots, at least up to 5x. 5x and 6x shots are better on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, while everything above that is a tossup. Both ultrawide cameras do a good job, they’re comparable in terms of quality. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is still better when it comes to video quality.

Audio

Both smartphones do include stereo speakers, but the difference between them is considerable. The ones on the iPhone 16 Pro Max are notably louder, especially when played side-by-side with what the Pura 70 Ultra has to offer. The quality seems a bit better too, but both sound outputs are good.

Neither phone includes an audio jack, however. You’ll need to use their Type-C ports if you’d like to connect your wired headphones. If you opt to do things wirelessly, however, you’ll be glad to know that the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Huawei Pura 70 Ultra offers Bluetooth 5.3 and 5.2 respectively.