Should I upgrade XS Max to 13 Pro Max?

Table of Contents Show

Key differences
Value for money
Tests and specifications
Design and build
Performance
DxOMark camera tests
Connectivity
Cast your vote
Related comparisons
Should you upgrade from iPhone XS Max to iPhone 13 Pro Max?
Is it worth upgrading my iPhone XS Max?
Is it worth upgrading to iPhone 13 Max?
Should I upgrade from iPhone XS Max to 14?

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.5-inch Apple iPhone XS Max (with Apple A12 Bionic) that was released on September 12, 2018, against the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is powered by Apple A15 Bionic and came out 36 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone XS Max

Weighs 32 grams less

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Shows 72% longer battery life (43:44 vs 25:24 hours)
Comes with 1178 mAh larger battery capacity: 4352 vs 3174 mAh
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
47% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (799K versus 544K)
Delivers 59% higher peak brightness (1051 against 660 nits)
Compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
The rear camera has a 3x optical zoom
Has 50% more RAM: 6GB versus 4GB
The phone is 3-years newer
Has an ultra-wide angle camera lens
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K

Review

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Performance

CPU/GPU performance in apps and games

Battery

Battery life, charging type and speed

Camera

Photo and video recording quality

Connectivity

Networks, ports, data transmission

NanoReview score

Final comparison evaluation

Value for money

You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

Type	OLED	OLED
Size	6.5 inches	6.7 inches
Resolution	1242 x 2688 pixels	1284 x 2778 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.4:9	19.5:9
PPI	456 ppi	458 ppi
Refresh rate	60 Hz	120 Hz
Max rated brightness	625 nits	1000 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	-	1200 nits
HDR support	Yes, Dolby Vision	Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen protection	Tempered glass	Ceramic Shield
Screen-to-body ratio	85.41%	87.4%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3

Display tests

RGB color space	98.8%	99.9%
PWM	240 Hz	238 Hz
Response time	11.2 ms	8.5 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Peak brightness test (auto)

Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height	157.5 mm (6.2 inches)	160.8 mm (6.33 inches)
Width	77.4 mm (3.05 inches)	78.1 mm (3.07 inches)
Thickness	7.7 mm (0.3 inches)	7.65 mm (0.3 inches)
Weight	208 gramm (7.34 oz)	240 gramm (8.47 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Rear material	Glass	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Silver, Gold, Gray	Black, Silver, Gold, Blue, Green
Fingerprint scanner	No	No

Performance

Tests of Apple iPhone XS Max and Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max in the benchmarks

SoC

Chipset	Apple A12 Bionic	Apple A15 Bionic
Max. clock	2490 MHz	3200 MHz
CPU cores	6 (2 + 4)	6 (2 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.6 GHz: Tempest - 2 cores at 2.49 GHz: Vortex	- 4 cores at 2.02 GHz: Blizzard - 2 cores at 3.24 GHz: Avalanche
Lithography process	7 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Apple A12 Bionic GPU	Apple GPU
GPU clock	1100 MHz	1200 MHz
FLOPS	~560 GFLOPS	-

Memory

RAM size	4 GB	6 GB
Memory type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	-	2133 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage

Storage size	64, 256, 512 GB	128, 256, 512, 1024 GB
Storage type	NVMe	NVMe
Memory card	No	No

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)

CPU	140926	213823
GPU	192052	317561
Memory	95283	126792
UX	110692	136444
Total score	544187	799752

3DMark Wild Life Performance

Stability	66%	82%
Graphics test	34 FPS	56 FPS
Graphics score	5726	9483

Software

Operating system	iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.1.1)	iOS 15 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.1.1)
OS size	16 GB	13 GB

Battery

Specifications

Capacity	3174 mAh	4352 mAh
Charge power	18 W	27 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes, Qi (10 W)	Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse charging	No	No
Fast charging	Yes (50% in 30 min)	Yes (42% in 30 min)
Full charging time	03:29 hr	1:46 hr

Battery life tests

Web browsing	09:13 hr	14:55 hr
Watching video	10:50 hr	20:14 hr
Gaming	04:41 hr	07:42 hr
Standby	80 hr	140 hr

Camera

Specs and camera test of smartphones

Main camera

Matrix	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	4032 x 3024	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Optical, 2x	Optical, 3x
Flash	Quad LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	240 FPS (1080p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	-	120°
Lenses	2 (12 MP + 12 MP)	4 (12 MP + 12 MP + 12 MP + 0 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 28 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.5", Apple iSight X (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.5 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.9 micron - Sensor: 1/1.66", Sony IMX703 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 52 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.4" (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.8 - Focal length: 77 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization
Ultra-wide lens	-	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Phase autofocus
Depth lens	-	- Pixel size: 1 micron
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	Photo samples of Apple iPhone XS Max from DxOMark	Photo samples of Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels	7 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	3088 x 2316	4032 x 3024
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	32 mm	23 mm
Pixel size	-	1 microns
Sensor type	BSI CMOS	Exmor-RS CMOS
Sensor size	-	1/3.6"
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5	5
Bluetooth features	SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	No	-
USB version	2	2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC*	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Network

Number of SIM*	1	1
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
eSIM support*	Yes	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat*	16	18
5G support	No	Yes

Sound

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Other

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	September 2018	September 2021
Release date	September 2018	September 2021
SAR (head)	0.99 W/kg	0.99 W/kg
SAR (body)	0.99 W/kg	0.98 W/kg
Sensors	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor

*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?

Apple iPhone XS Max

81 (21.2%)

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

301 (78.8%)

Total votes: 382

You can share your opinion or ask a question in the comments below

Should you upgrade from iPhone XS Max to iPhone 13 Pro Max?

The bottom line: Apple's iPhone X is now more than four years old, so an upgrade to the iPhone 13 will feel substantial. The A11 Bionic processor is probably starting to feel slow, and the iPhone 13 brings major leaps in camera performance, machine learning processing and battery life compared to this phone.

Is it worth upgrading my iPhone XS Max?

The bottom line: If you have an iPhone XS, XS Max or XR, it's definitely worth upgrading. You get a noticeable boost in camera quality, battery life and performance among other areas.

Is it worth upgrading to iPhone 13 Max?

iPhone 13 Pro Max review: Verdict You get superior cameras and video recording capabilities — including the very compelling Cinematic mode and macro mode — blistering performance and a very responsive 120Hz display. Plus, the battery life is even better this time around and among the best we've seen from a 5G flagship.

Should I upgrade from iPhone XS Max to 14?

The bottom line: If you have the iPhone X, it's time to upgrade. The iPhone 14 will feel new in just about every way, from the camera to performance, battery life and the way it looks and feels. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.