Huawei vs Apple vs Xiaomi — The Ultimate Pro Max Drop Test: Xiaomi 17 Pro Max Leads in Screen Durability

FastTech News reported on November 29 that digital reviewer “New Review Tech” released a dramatic durability showdown featuring three flagship smartphones: the Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.

He purchased all devices at retail with a total cost of 23,997 yuan and carried out an extensive series of drop tests to evaluate real-world impact resistance.

The testing began at a height of 1 meter, dropping each phone onto four different surfaces—wood flooring, marble, granite, and bluestone. At this stage, all three models survived both front- and rear-side impacts without visible damage.

Once the height increased to 1.5 meters, the iPhone 17 Pro Max was the first to suffer failure—its second-generation Ultra-Ceramic panel shattered upon impact with bluestone. The likely reason: heavier chassis weight and uneven mass distribution. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max developed dead pixels on the rear display but remained fully touch-responsive. Impressively, the Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max remained completely intact.

At the 2-meter mark, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max’s rear screen shattered fully and the inner screen suffered partial failure, eliminating it from further testing. In contrast, the Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max, equipped with an all-metal Xuanwu structural frame and 2nd-generation Kunlun Glass, showed no external or functional damage.

In corner-impact testing, the iPhone 17 Pro Max experienced screen-glass delamination at 1.5 meters, and at 2 meters its display became unusable. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max suffered significant frame deformation, yet its display remarkably stayed intact. The Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max only experienced slight frame indentation and continued operating flawlessly, highlighting the durability advantage of its metal frame.

In the final asphalt-road test, the Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max’s Kunlun Glass finally failed at a 1-meter drop, eliminating it from the final round. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, however, held strong—its screen survived a 1.5-meter drop and only shattered after being dropped three consecutive times.

Overall, the results reveal that the Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max performs best in terms of back-panel and frame durability, while the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max demonstrates the strongest front-screen drop resistance.