iPhone 13 Pro Max review: Apple’s heavy weight super phone
Top-priced, massive display screen, two-day battery life, and cracking cameras – however simply too heavy to beat the most effective
If you need the most important, longest-lasting iPhone, the 13 Pro Max is it, however, it comes at some price. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
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Apple’s newest super-sized smartphone is a best in all instructions, however, is larger actually higher?
The iPhone 13 Pro Max is Apple’s most costly smartphone, beginning at £1,049 ($1,099/A$1,849) – at the least £100 greater than different fashions. With the identical chips, software program, design, and digital camera because the common sized 13 Pro, measurement is the important thing differentiator.
The 6.7in 120Hz OLED display screen is unbelievable: crisp, shiny, and tremendous clean, matching Samsung’s very best. As with pin-sharp retina screens previously than them, sooner screens are like a ratchet: as soon as you employ one it is rather cumbersome to return.
But whereas it seems to be nice, its massive measurement and solid-feeling chrome steel sides include a significant drawback: weight.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max (left) is considerably larger with its 6.7in display screen than the iPhone 13 Pro (proper) with its 6.1in the display screen. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Last 12 months’ iPhone 12 Pro Max was already heavy at 226g, however, the 13 Pro Max is even weightier at 240g. Direct opponents weigh considerably much less with Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra at 227g and Google’s Pixel 6 Pro at 210g, whereas the common iPhone 13 Pro weighs 204g. Many different telephones are below 200g and the distinction is kind of discernible.
You can really feel the 13 Pro Max’s weight within the hand, in your pocket, or bag, and it makes it arduous to carry one-handed for any prolonged interval without fatigue.
Specifications
Screen: 6.7in Super Retina XDR with ProMovement (120Hz OLED) (458ppi)
Processor: Apple A15 Bionic
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128, 256, 512GB or 1TB
Operating system: iOS 15.1
Camera: Triple 12MP rear cameras with OIS, 12MP front-facing digital camera
Connectivity: 5G, wifi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5, Lightning, extremely wideband, and GNSS
Water resistance: IP68 (6 meters for 30 minutes)
Dimensions: 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.7mm
Weight: 240g
Rapid efficiency and spectacular battery life
The cellphone absolutely costs by way of its Lightning port in slightly below two hours, hitting 80% in about 55 minutes utilizing a 45W USB-C energy adaptor (not included). Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
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Apple’s newest A15 Bionic processor is without doubt one of the quickest you will get, which mixed with the 120Hz display screen makes the 13 Pro Max really feel tremendous responsive.
Battery life is class-leading. The cellphone lasts effectively over 48 hours on battery requiring me only to cost it each third day, whereas nonetheless utilizing the display screen for nearly eight hours with varied apps, pictures, and music, together with a superb 4 hours on 5G. That’s a stable six-plus hour longer than the smaller 13 Pro and will final a day for even the heaviest of customers.
Sustainability
The glace chrome steel and frosted hardened glass again, right here proven in blue, really feel extraordinarily solidly constructed. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Apple doesn’t present an anticipated lifespan for the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s battery however it may be replaced for £69. Batteries in comparable gadgets usually keep at the least 80% of their authentic capability after 500 full cost cycles. Out-of-warranty screen repairs cost £316.44. The 13 Pro was awarded five out of 10 for repairability by the specialist website iFixit.
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The 13 Pro Max makes use of 98% recycled uncommon earth metals, 99% recycled tungsten, and 35% recycled plastic in varied parts, plus 100% recycled tin within the solder of its most important board and battery administration unit. The firm breaks down the phone’s environmental impact in its report.
Apple additionally affords trade-in and free recycling schemes, together with for non-Apple merchandise.
iOS 15
The Face ID digital camera notch on the high of the display screen has been shrunk in comparison with earlier generations however iOS solely shows the identical restricted variety of icons and the time both aspects of it as iPhone 12 or earlier fashions. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
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The 13 Pro Max ships with iOS 15, which runs on all Apple’s smartphones from 2015’s iPhone 6S and newer, together with the 13 Pro. The software program has a number of additions for the bigger display screen, resembling two-pane views within the calendar, the settings app, and others when held in panorama orientation.
Apple supplies software program updates for its smartphones for longer than some other producers. You can count on at least 5 years of software program and safety updates however doubtlessly so long as seven years, so you need to use the cellphone safely for longer.
Camera
The digital camera app is easy to make use of with varied modes accessible and the power to shoot within the RAW format in addition to customary Jpeg. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Unlike last year’s 12 Pro models, the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max use identical cameras: three 12-megapixel cameras on the again together with an extremely good 3x optical zoom, a top-class most important digital camera with wonderful low gentle efficiency and an incredible ultrawide digital camera. New for this 12 months is a devoted macro images mode for capturing closeups of flowers or bugs. For extra elements see the 13 Pro review.
Price
The iPhone 13 Pro Max prices £1,049 ($1,099/A$1,849) with 128GB of storage, £1,049 ($1,199/A$2,019) for 256GB, £1,249 ($1,399/A$2,369) for 512GB or £1,449 ($1,599/A$2,719) for 1TB.
For comparability, the iPhone 13 prices £779, the iPhone 13 Pro prices £949, the Galaxy S21 Ultra prices £1,149, the OnePlus 9 Pro prices £829, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 prices £949.
Verdict
The iPhone 13 Pro Max is a beast with Apple’s greatest display screen, longest battery life, and highest worth.
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There aren’t many telephones that may final greater than 48 hours on a cost, markedly with top-class chips, cameras, a 120Hz display screen, and upwards of six years of software program help.
But all that assessment and energy comes at a really heavy price. Literally. The cellphone is simply too heavy.
If you’re an iPhone purchaser seeking to change a worn-out handset, you’ll be able to abdomen spending over £1,000 and wish it to final at the least two days of use on battery, the 13 Pro Max is it. For everybody else, there are upper, lighter choices.
Pros: nice cameras, 3x optical zoom, Face ID, very long battery life, nice efficiency, massive and good 120Hz display screen with smaller notch, 5G, lengthy software program help.
Cons: no USB-C, want your individual charger, very bulky, very expensive, big and cumbersome to make use of one-handed, not innovative in contrast with folding-screen gadgets.
The chrome steel sides, right here proven in blue, have a premium luster to them, however readily choose up fingerprints. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
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