Oppo has announced its flagship camera smartphone, the Find X9 Ultra, but how does it compare to Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max?
Although we haven’t specifically reviewed the Max model, we have reviewed the iPhone 17 Pro so we’ll draw on our experiences there whenever applicable.
Read on to see what’s the difference between the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and to decide which handset will suit you best.
Once you’re finished here, make sure you visit our Oppo Find X9 Ultra vs Find X9 Pro to see how Oppo’s flagships compare. Finally, our list of the best Android phones, best camera phones and best smartphones will undoubtedly have your next purchase solved.
The Oppo Find X9 Ultra is the first of Oppo’s Ultra models to see a global launch. However, at the time of writing, we don’t have the exact pricing or release date for the UK.
In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is readily available to buy now and has a starting price of £1199/$1199. Considering the Oppo Find X9 Pro has a similar starting price of £1099, we expect this means the more premium Ultra will be more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro Max – however that’s speculation at this point.
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One of the biggest differences between the Find X9 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max is with their respective chips. While the Find X9 Ultra runs on Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is powered by Apple’s own A19 Pro chip.
The iPhone 17 Pro also runs on Apple’s A19 Pro chip, and we found the handset offers brilliant performance across both day-to-day use and in our benchmark tests too. We also concluded the iPhone 17 Pro copes well with games too, although if that’s a necessity for your handset then you’ll be better off checking our best gaming phones guide instead.
Unsurprisingly, we found that the Oppo Find X9 Pro also offers a brilliant performance too. In fact, we especially found that the handset does a great job with ray-traced gaming too – something worth keeping in mind if you’d prefer not to opt for a gaming-specific handset. Not only that, but Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 ensures everything runs smoothly and quickly too.
Arguably the reason to choose the Oppo Find X9 Ultra is due to its mighty camera set-up. Created in collaboration with Hasselblad, the aptly titled Hasselblad Master Camera System is made up of five rear lenses, including dual Hasselblad 200MP main and 3x telephoto lens. In fact, the latter boasts the largest sensor of its kind and can be fitted with the 300mm Explorer Teleconverter that delivers a 300m focal length and 13x optical zoom too.
There are also two 50MP cameras which are flanked by a True Color Camera for natural colour rendition too.
In addition, the Find X9 Ultra is fitted with Oppo’s “most advanced cinematic capabilities to date”, and can not only deliver 4K60fps Dolby Vision HDR recording, but also captures 4K120fps via the Dual Hasselblad 200MP cameras too.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra
iPhone 17 Pro
Overall, we were blown away by the Find X9 Ultra’s photography capabilities, and concluded that its vibrant capture and multiple lenses “easily challenges Apple” for the best camera phone crown.
That’s not to say the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a slouch by any means, with its trio of rear lenses able to cope well with most lighting conditions and provide a brilliant detailed finish. While we haven’t reviewed the Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Pro has the same lenses on board and boasts the best zoom lens we’ve seen on an Apple flagship.
Like many of the best Android phones, the Find X9 Ultra supports exceptionally fast charging speeds – but only when paired with a compatible charger. So, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max supports 40W wired speeds and 25W MagSafe, the Find X9 Ultra boasts significantly faster numbers.
In fact, the Find X9 Ultra supports a whopping 100W SuperVOOC wired and 50W AirVOOC speeds. However, just keep in mind that you will need to purchase adapters separately to benefit from those speeds.
Durability is important when it comes to buying a phone and, fortunately, the Find X9 Ultra isn’t taking any chances. Not only does it sport the same IP68 rating as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which means its dust-tight and can survive water submersion, but it also benefits from an IP66 and IP69 rating too. That means the handset can withstand high pressure and high temperature water jets too.
However, do keep in mind that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s IP68 rating realistically offers more than enough protection for everyday use. Just think about how often your phone will really be subjected to water jets.
The 6.9-inch iPhone 17 Pro Max is fitted with Apple’s ProMotion technology, which means the panel has a LTPO-enabled 1-120Hz refresh rate that helps make animations, scrolling and gaming feel smooth. In comparison, the slightly smaller 6.82-inch Find X9 Ultra boasts up to a 144Hz refresh rate.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra
iPhone 17 Pro
Otherwise, the Find X9 Ultra is equipped with an AMOLED, QHD+ display that we found to be “impossible to fault”. Similarly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with a Super Retina XDR (OLED), HDR display.
Deciding between the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max will mainly boil down to two factors: whether you’re cemented in either the Android or iOS ecosystem and whether you want an especially versatile camera phone. While the iPhone 17 Pro Max is undoubtedly a versatile camera phone, the five rear lenses of the Find X9 Ultra and the optional teleconverter undoubtedly offer more flexibility.
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