iPhone 13 Pro Max review: Apple’s super heavyweight phone | Iphone

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Apple’s latest super-sized smartphone is a beast in all directions, but is bigger really better?

The iPhone 13 Pro Max is Apple’s most expensive smartphone, starting at £1,049 (US$1,099 / AU$1,849) – at least £100 more than other models. With the same chips, software, design and camera as the regular 13 Pro, size is the main difference.

The 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display is brilliant: crisp, bright, ultra-smooth, and matches the best of Samsung. As with sharp retina screens before them, faster screens are like a ratchet: once you’ve used your retina, it’s very hard to get back into them.

But while it looks great, its large size and solid-touch stainless steel sides come with a major downside: weight.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max (left) is significantly larger with its 6.7-inch screen than the iPhone 13 Pro (right) with its 6.1-inch screen. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Last year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max was already heavy at 226g, but the 13 Pro Max weighed 240g. Direct competitors weigh much less with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra at 227g and Google Pixel 6 Pro at 210g, while the regular iPhone 13 Pro weighs 204g. Many other phones are under 200g and the difference is quite obvious.

You can feel the weight of the 13 Pro Max in your hand, pocket or bag, making it difficult to hold it in one hand for a long time without getting tired.

Specify

Screen: 6.7 inch Super Retina XDR with ProMotion (120Hz OLED) (458ppi)

Processor: Apple A15 Bionic

RAM: 6 GB

Storage: 128, 256, 512 GB, or 1 TB

Operating System: iOS 15.1

Camera: Triple 12MP rear cameras with OIS and 12MP front camera

Connectivity: 5G, wifi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5, Lightning, ultra-wideband, GNSS

Water resistance: IP68 (6 meters for 30 minutes)

Dimensions: 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.7 mm

Weight: 240 grams

Fast performance and impressive battery life Fully charges the phone via its Lightning port in just under two hours, reaching 80% in about 55 minutes using a 45W USB-C power adapter (not included). Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Apple’s latest A15 Bionic processor is one of the fastest you can get, which combined with a 120Hz display makes the 13 Pro Max feel super responsive.

The battery life is class-leading. The phone lasts over 48 hours on battery, requiring me to charge it every third day, still using the screen for about eight hours with various apps, photos, and music, including a good four hours on 5G. That’s about six hours longer than the smaller 13 Pro and should last a day for even the heaviest users.

Sustainability: The shiny stainless steel and frosted glass back, shown here in blue, feel a very sturdy build. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Apple doesn’t offer an iPhone 13 Pro Max battery life expectancy but it can be traded in for £69. Batteries in similar devices typically maintain at least 80% of their original capacity after 500 full charge cycles. Out-of-warranty screen repairs cost £316.44. The 13 Pro has been awarded five out of 10 for repair by the specialist site iFixit.

The 13 Pro Max uses 98% recycled rare earth metals, 99% recycled tungsten, 35% recycled plastic in various components, as well as 100% recycled tin to solder the main board and battery management module. The company details the phone’s environmental impact in its report.

Apple also offers free exchange and recycling programs, including for non-Apple products.

iOS 15 The Face ID camera at the top of the screen has been scaled back compared to previous generations, but iOS only displays the same limited number of icons and time on either side of it as the iPhone 12 or earlier models. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The 13 Pro Max comes with iOS 15, which runs on all Apple smartphones from 2015’s iPhone 6S and later, including the 13 Pro. The program has a few extras for the larger screen, such as two-pane views in the calendar, settings app and others when kept in landscape orientation.

Apple has been providing software updates to its smartphones for longer than any other manufacturer. Expect at least five years of software and security updates but potentially up to seven, so you can safely use the phone for much longer.

The camera app is easy to use with many modes available and the ability to shoot in RAW format in addition to the standard Jpeg. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Unlike last year’s 12 Pro models, the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max use the same cameras: three 12MP cameras on the back including a really good 3x optical zoom, a top-notch main camera with excellent low-light performance and an ultra-wide camera. camera. New for this year is a macro mode dedicated to taking close-ups of flowers or insects. For more details, see our 13 Pro review.

price

iPhone 13 Pro Max costs £1,049 ($1,099 / AU$1,849) with 128GB of storage, £1,049 ($1,199 / AU$199) for 256GB, and £1,249 (1 , $399 / AU$2,369) for 512GB or £1,449 ($1,599 / AU$2,719) for 1TB.

For comparison, the iPhone 13 costs £779, the iPhone 13 Pro costs £949, the Galaxy S21 Ultra costs £1,149, the OnePlus 9 Pro costs £829, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 costs £949.

Rule

iPhone 13 Pro Max is a beast with Apple’s biggest screen, longest battery life, and highest price tag.

There aren’t many phones that can last more than 48 hours on a charge, especially with high-quality chipsets, cameras, a 120Hz screen, and over six years of software support.

But all that size and power comes at a very high cost. literally. The phone is very heavy.

If you’re an iPhone buyer looking to replace a worn out phone, you can afford to spend over £1,000 and need it for at least two days of use on the battery, which is the 13 Pro Max. For everyone else, there are better, lighter options out there.

Pros: Great Cameras, 3x Optical Zoom, Face ID, Super long battery life, Great performance, Great big 120Hz screen with smaller notch, 5G, Long software support.

Cons: No USB-C, need your own charger, very heavy, very expensive, bulky and difficult to use with one hand, not as advanced compared to foldable screen devices.

The stainless steel sides, shown here in blue, have an excellent luster to them, but they pick up fingerprints easily. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

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