This is a round-up post of the iPhone 13 Pro Max review: price, features, and full specifications. In this post, we’ll be talking wholly about the iPhone 13 Pro Max review and iPhone 13 Pro which have the same specifications and features except that the Pro comes with a smaller 6.1 inches screen, while iPhone 13 Pro Max house a massive 6.7 inches.
This flagship from Apple (cost $1,099) packs a 120Hz refresh rate display, the fastest performance we’ve seen of any handset, and truly epic battery life. But it is the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s cameras that put this phone on the apex, as they’re the best we’ve tested on a smartphone so far. You can shoot Cinematic mode videos with a bokeh effect, determine your own Photographic styles and take very close-up shots with a new macro mode that leverages the ultra-wide camera.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max’s camera bump is certainly more prominent this time around, this is due to the larger sensors, and the overall design is weightier than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. But I do appreciate the smaller notch on the display. This is exactly what you’ll get on the iPhone 13 Pro if you want all the same features in a more compact and slightly less expensive phone.
If you’re looking for something less expensive and don’t need a telephoto lens or 120Hz display, check out our iPhone 13 review and iPhone 13 mini-review.
iPhone 13 Pro Max key specifications
- Storage: 128, 256, 512, 1TB
- Battery life (hrs:min): 12:16
- Screen size: 6.7 inches (6.1 inches for Pro)
- Resolution (ppi): 2778 x 1284 (458)
- Adaptive refresh: Up to 120Hz
- Processor: A15 Bionic
- Rear cameras: Pro 12MP (Telephoto, Wide, Ultra Wide)
- Zoom: 3x optical / 15x digital
- Front camera: 12MP TrueDepth
- Colors: Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue
- Size: 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches
- Weight: 8.5 ounces
iPHONE 13 Pro Max features:
iPhone 13 Pro Max design
The iPhone 13 Pro Max maintains the flat edges of the iPhone 12 Pro Max but looks a little bit different. First of all, the camera array is larger than before, so it takes up a bit more space on the back of the phone.
Weighing around 8.4 ounces, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is also notably heavier than its 8.03-ounce 12 Pro Max. But I’ll take that given the new iPhone Pro has a larger battery.
On the positive side, the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s notch is a bit smaller on the display, as Apple narrowed it 20% while retaining the same key Face ID tech. It’s not a full-screen appearance, but it’s an improvement over recent iPhones.
My only complaint with the iPhone 13’s design is that it does not offer a Touch ID, either in the power button or underneath the display as is common these days. With the pandemic forcing a lot of people to still wear masks in public places, it would be great to have an alternative way to easily unlock our iPhones.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max appears in four colors: graphite, gold, silver, and sierra blue. I would go for the silver model if paying with my own money. The gold model I tested has a sleek professional vibe, but it’s not as playful.
iPhone 13 Pro Max display
The biggest upgrade to the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s display — and most significant upgrade overall — is the new ProMotion display. This 6.7-inch panel can dynamically balance its refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz, resulting in more fluid overall performance and animations.
For instance, when going through the homepage of your favorite site with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro Max side by side, one could more quickly read the text on Apple’s newer phone when quickly scrolling on both displays. It just feels more responsive.
These advantages apply to other activities as well, such as swiping between apps or returning to the home screen. But I’m more excited by apps that make use of the ProMotion. This includes Catalyst Black, a frenetic online battle game that had me shooting in all directions and transforming into monsters. And the whole experience was wonderfully fluent.
Another positive for the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s display is its increased brightness. We measured an average of 837 nits with the Adaptive setting off and 1,038 nits with Adaptive on. The iPhone 12 Pro Max averaged 654 nits with Adaptive off. The Galaxy S21 Ultra maxes out at 821 nits.
iPhone 13 Pro Max performance
Thanks to its new A15 Bionic processor, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is insanely fast and grabs the title of the world’s fastest phone. I got totally lost in the Warp Drive racing game, which delivers fast frame rates and silky-smooth action even as you zoom (and sometimes teleport) around the track.
Talking of benchmarks, the iPhone 13 Pro Max outperforms the Android competition again. In Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the iPhone 13 Pro Max nicked a multi-core score of 4,549 and a single-core score of 1,720. The Galaxy S21 Ultra hit 3,440 and 1,123, respectively, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max reached 4,111 and 1,603.
iOS 15 is not the leap iOS 14 was in terms of widgets addition and all that, but it delivers some decent and fun upgrades. FaceTime gets some needed audio and video improvements and a future iOS 15 update will let you share music or watch movies or TV shows with family or friends. And the Messages app has a new Shared-with-You section for easier access to shared photos, articles, and more.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max has a bigger camera array for a reason. The main wide camera is Apple’s largest yet, at 1.9μm pixels (up from 1.7μm) while offering an f/1.5 aperture, which is rated to produce 49% more light than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. And the ultrawide camera gives a larger f/1.8 aperture (was f/2.4 for iPhone 13 Pro Max) for brighter pics while offering a wider field of view.
The Cinematic video mode on the iPhone 13 Pro Max is very great that you’ll feel like a mini Spielberg. That is certainly how I felt after shooting several video clips that apply a bokeh effect to your footage and automatically switch the focus to multiple subjects depending on what’s going on in the frame.
iPhone 13 Pro Max battery life and charging
Now let’s talk about one of the best parts of the iPhone 13 Pro Max review: battery life. Thanks to a larger battery and other improvements, the iPhone 13 Pro Max lasted an incredible 12 hours and 20 minutes on our battery test, which involves surfing the web over 5G continuously at 150 nits of screen brightness.
The last year iPhone 12 Pro Max lasted 10 hours and 53 minutes and Galaxy S21 Ultra endured for 11:25. Anything above 11 hours is great, so the iPhone 13 Pro Max offers one of the best batteries you can get on a phone.
The news is not that good on the charging side, as the iPhone 13 Pro Max reaches just 50% capacity after 30 minutes using a 20W UBC-C charger, while other phones like the Vivo X60 Pro and Xiaomi 11T Pro can get to 100% in 30 minutes or less. MagSafe charging, although convenient, is even slower at 15W.
iPhone 13 Pro Max price and availability
Next on the iPhone 13 Pro Max review is the price and availability: available to buy right now, starting at $1,099 for 128GB of storage. Going up to 256GB costs $1,199, 512GB is $1,399 and the whopping 1TB option is priced as high as $1,599.
On the other side of the Atlantic in the U.K, the 128GB iPhone 13 Pro Max begins at £1,049, hitting £1,149 for the 265GB model and £1,349 for the 512GB version. If you have plenty of money to burn and want a lot of storage, then the 1TB iPhone 13 Pro will cost a pocket-walloping £1,549.
Beware that you can save on the iPhone 13 Pro Max if you trade in your old iPhone or other phones. Look out for the best iPhone deals where you save some money on this rather pricey Apple phone.
What we think about the iPhone 13 Pro Max
The iPhone 13 Pro Max is that phone we wouldn’t hesitate to give a 5-star rating on. You get excellent cameras and video recording capabilities — including the very appealing Cinematic mode and macro mode — blistering performance and a very responsive 120Hz display. Additionally, the battery life is even better this time around and among the best, we’ve seen from a 5G flagship.
I also enjoy the better 3x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom on the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the brighter screen, and the slightly smaller notch. But I wish Apple could deliver faster charging, a Touch ID and I’d like to see a slimmer design next time around with the iPhone 14 with less of a camera bump and perhaps a full-screen look.
Some may simply choose the iPhone 13 Pro because it’s smaller and lighter, as there are no other functional differences between the two handsets. But if you prefer a bigger screen, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the closest thing to perfect you can get in a phone.
| What we like | what we do not like |
|---|---|
| The camera is out-of-this-world | Not the fastest charging around |
| Superb battery life | No TouchID |
| Outstanding performance | |
| Brighter display | |
| Cinematic video mode |