iPhone 13 Pro Max has a better display, the greatest camera, and an amazing battery life

If you want the best iPhone Apple has ever created by a long shot, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is it, thanks to a truly long-lasting battery. You’ll need deep wallets, both literally and metaphorically, to acquire this phone, as it’s large and pricey – but you get a good deal for your money. Some improvements appear minor – we struggled to get much out of the new 120Hz ProMotion display, and Cinematic mode will be quickly forgotten – but the low-light camera is excellent, the power onboard outperforms any phone on the market for heavy tasks, and it’s all held together by a cohesive user interface and app experience.

If you want a large iPhone that you’ll use for years, this is it. The iPhone 13 Pro Max may no longer be Apple’s top-tier phone, but it is still a solid option if you can locate it at a reasonable price. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has been replaced in the 2022 lineup by the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and it is no longer officially marketed by Apple; nevertheless, it can still be found for sale on various sites and shops. It’s only a year old and yet a wonderful device with a lot to offer.

Price when reviewed: €749.79 | Check price at Amazon

iPhone 13 Pro Max KEY FEATURES

The camera system’s enhancements begin with a redesigned primary unit equipped with a larger sensor and brighter lenses. The ultrawide module likewise has a brighter lens, but one with autofocus, a first for an iPhone ultrawide. Then there’s the telephoto, which now has an increased reach of up to 3x, albeit with a somewhat darker lens. On the front, nothing has changed, and the 20% reduction in notch size does not count.

Finally, in response to market trends, Apple equipped the 13 Pro and iphone 13 Pro Max with 120Hz panels – or, rather, ProMotion. They’re the adaptive variety, which can theoretically have changeable refresh rates as low as 10Hz to save battery life. This is in addition to the already impressive screen feature set, which includes DolbyVision support, plenty of brightness, and an outstanding color rendition.

All 2021 iPhones have improved battery capacity, and in the case of the iphone 13 Pro Max, that’s an 18% increase – 2.5 hours more than last year’s Pro Max, according to Apple’s measures, or the ‘longest battery life ever on an iPhone’.

As is customary, a new year brings an improved chipset, and in addition to newly named CPU cores and a faster clock rate, the A15 in the 13 Pros includes an extra GPU core over the non-Pros. Relatedly, the iphone 13 Pro Max can be configured with up to 1TB of storage, which should be beneficial for iPhone filmmakers if nothing else.

APPLE IPHONE 13 PRO MAX UNBOXING

This one is simple; there’s not much to unbox. The slimline package launched in 2020 (with barebones contents) has now been followed by the removal of the plastic sleeve as this year’s environmental contribution.

The phone comes with a USB-C to Lightning cable a paper sleeve holding documentation, a single Apple sticker, and the SIM tray removal pin. Overall, this is usual Apple stuff.

CAMERA

While we believe the battery life is the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s main selling point, the camera offering comes in a close second. While the improvements here are simply tweaks from the iPhone 12 Pro Max, they are useful and impressive in a variety of ways, making it one of the best camera phones available.

The rear camera features a new 12MP sensor with bigger pixels (1.9µm vs. 1.7µm in last year’s Pro Max). These are the largest single pixels on a smartphone, larger than the 1.8µm of the Xperia 1 III. However, Tetrapixel (Quad Bayer) and Nonapixel designs can counter this with effective pixel sizes up to 2.8µm on the Mi 11 Ultra.

The main camera, dubbed the “Wide camera” by Apple, has a 12MP sensor with larger 1.9μm pixels to absorb more light. This, combined with an f/1.5 aperture, allows for impressive low-light images, as shown in the samples below.

Apple implemented sensor-shift image stabilization on the 12 Pro Max, and the main camera on all 13s is now stabilized in this manner. The lens now simply needs to focus. It has a very brilliant f/1.5 aperture and a 26mm equivalent focal length.

The telephoto is not as brilliant; in fact, the f/2.8 aperture on this one is the only camera decrease from last year’s model (f/2.2). The increase is within reach, with the now-77mm equivalent lens offering 3x zoom, up from 2.5x on the 12 Pro Max. Apple did not specify the pixel or sensor size of this 12MP imager, but given the tradeoff between focal length and aperture, it may be the same 1/3.4″ size as previously.

The Ultra Wide sensor (which zooms out from the main image) has also been upgraded; the megapixel count is 12MP, which is the same as last year, but it now includes Apple’s Night Mode functionality, allowing the phone to take some breathtaking photos in near-pitch black conditions, as long as you can hold the handset perfectly still for the necessary amount of time.

The Telephoto lens, which can zoom in on faraway objects, has been enhanced to be able to zoom in three times optically, which means that the image is physically magnified rather than digitally, resulting in a grainier view. That’s a useful improvement, however, it’s bad you can’t do 2x optical zoom, which would be preferable at times.

Unfortunately, the zoom distance is limited, so you’ll have to make do – but the iPhone’s CPU does a decent job of cleaning up the digital zoom. When it comes to the quality of images that the iPhone 13 Pro Max can take daily, there is a significant improvement over last year’s model.

What’s interesting is that the improvements appear to have been made in image processing – in some shots, the subject was clearer and brighter where a strong backlight was present (which is difficult to manage on a smartphone camera), whereas, in others, it was clear that the iphone 13 Pro Max had decided to darken the photo to preserve more detail.

This helps to avoid overexposure and results in more appealing images overall; while the gains aren’t significant over the 12 Pro Max or even the 11 Pro Max, they are apparent and appreciated. One of the most significant modifications to the iPhone 13 Pro Max camera configuration is the new macro photography mode, which activates instantly as you move the phone closer to a subject. It’s a startling jump, but suddenly a world of fuzz becomes clear, allowing you to shoot some wonderful photos.

The shadow of the phone falling on some subjects, caused by the camera being so close, is the only flaw in the photos – we took some stunning shots, and we can see the macro mode being something we play with for hours, as all kinds of subjects can look fascinatingly different when viewed ultra-close.

The selfie camera, however, has remained unchanged. It’s the same 12MP camera with a 1/3.6″ sensor and a 23mm f/2.2 aperture lens. Unfortunately, there is no autofocus here. The structured light 3D scanner for FaceID is also useful for Portrait mode.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The Apple 13 Pro Max is a large gadget. Like, very large. The 6.7-inch screen needs two hands for optimal operation, and the boxy, squared-off design feels crisp. More so than any other iPhone 13 model, I like to use the Pro Max with a soft case.

It’s also heavy. When I took it out of the package, it felt substantially heavier than the already heavy iPhone 12 Pro Max, although it weighs the same as the new iPhone 14 Pro Max. It took me a few days to adjust to the extra weight, which can be felt in a pocket. The specifications and photographs below show how it compares to the smaller Pro.

However, this is understandable given that it is aimed at consumers who desire a large phone. If you don’t, the iPhone 13 Pro has a nearly equal feature set and is significantly smaller. There’s also the iPhone 14 Pro, which has a smaller footprint. If you’re considering the Pro Max, you’re already aware of the advantages and disadvantages of its size.

There are several reasons why something is heavier than previously. The battery, which I will go into detail about, is larger, and after reading my thoughts on it, you’ll probably accept the extra few grams. The camera module is significantly larger, and in my experience with the phone, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

While it may not be the most ergonomic phone, it is undeniably beautiful. The flat, industrial style debuted with the iPhone 12 Pro reappears, as does a new Sierra Blue tint shown in the sample photographs. This is a lighter blue than the Pacific Blue we used last year, and I think it looks fantastic. The less said about the flashy gold, the better. Graphite and Silver complete the collection. I greatly prefer the colors here to the ones released with the iPhone 14 Pro series.

The body is IP68 water-resistant, and the front is protected by Apple’s Ceramic Shield. I noticed that the Ceramic Shield performed a wonderful job of preserving the screen in good condition for an extended duration. However, if you want to avoid micro-scratches, a screen protector is always the best option.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max’s design is comparable to the previous generation, but the display is significantly improved.

As wonderful as the design is, there is one irritant. The stainless steel sides attract smudges like nothing else, and they demand continual maintenance to look anything other than nasty.

Each previous generation of iPhones (including the standard iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini) has had 60Hz displays, which aim to refresh 60 times per second. On the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the panel can now refresh at 120Hz, or 120 times per second. This makes operations like swiping between home screens and activating apps feel significantly faster.

Refreshing at 120Hz is useful in some situations, but not always. This is why many Android phones that were set to 120Hz had poor battery life. To avoid this, we employ an adaptive LTPO panel. It can switch between refresh rates according to the work at hand. This is what Apple refers to as ProMotion, and anyone who has used a recent iPad Pro will be familiar with it.

I watched a couple of episodes of the Apple TV+ show Foundation in HDR on the large display, and the effects were quite positive. The blacks are great, the colors are natural, and the added brightness is especially nice in situations with strong lighting and explosions.

You do have to deal with the notch, which can get in the way. Apple changed the notch slightly with the iPhone 14 Pro series, introducing the Dynamic Island.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

The performance throughout the entire iPhone 13 range is quite similar, and while the Pro models have a somewhat more graphically adept version of the A15 Bionic inside, I doubt you’ll notice the extra core.

At first glance, the A15 does not appear to be a significant improvement over the A14. Benchmarking app scores are slightly higher, which helps enable features such as Cinematic mode and upcoming ProRes compatibility.

I played countless Apple Arcade games, and they ran like a dream. The ProMotion display will also allow you to achieve greater frame rates if the title allows them.

Along with the A15 Bionic, there is 6GB of RAM (2GB more than the normal iPhone 13). Even though the quantity of RAM is the same, I’ve discovered that apps stay in memory for longer than the iPhone 12 Pro Max does. Storage starts at 128GB, but you’re better off with 256GB or 512GB; you’ll thank me when you start downloading games, HDR videos, and shooting in Apple’s ProRaw format. If you intend to shoot a lot of ProRes footage, the 1TB storage option is for you.

This year, a new 5G modem expands the number of 5G bands available. Some regions, like as the United States, will receive a model with mmWave 5G. We don’t currently have mmWave 5G in the UK, so don’t expect to see it here. There is no Wi-Fi 6E, which may irritate people who invested early in a suitable router. Call quality, Wi-Fi reception, and speaker quality are all exceptional.

Buy it if...

• Outstanding design: robust and waterproof.
• The brightest OLED panel we’ve seen, with super-accurate Dolby Vision and a 120Hz refresh rate.
• Class-leading battery life (with 60Hz limitations).
• Loud stereo speakers with high output.
• Unmatched performance.
• Excellent overall photo and video quality across all four cameras.

Don't buy it if...

• Stale appearance; the notch should have been removed by now.
• A phone weighs 240g, which is a lot, and a case does not make it smaller or lighter.
• At the time of launch, third-party apps did not support the 120Hz refresh rate.
• The chipset is prone to severe throttling when loaded to its limits.
• The rapid charging is not particularly fast.
• Does not come with a charger.
• iOS (with its restrictions) is still a love-it-or-leave-it proposition.

FULL SPECIFICATION