The 6.5-inch Apple iPhone XS Max, powered by the Apple A12 Bionic, and the 37-month-old Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is powered by the Apple A15 Bionic, were put side by side in this comparison. You can read reviews, detailed specifications, and the advantages and disadvantages of each device on Techpotamus.
Key differences
a summary of the key benefits 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 an 1178 mAh larger battery capacity: 4352 vs 3174 mAh
- Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
- 47% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (797K versus 544K)
- Delivers 60% higher peak brightness (1056 against 662 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 and 1 month newer
- Has an ultra-wide-angle camera lens
- The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
Review

Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and tests
Display
iPhone XS Max | iPhone 13 Pro Max | |
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)

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 gram (7.34 oz) | 240 gram (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 |
Screen-to-body ratio

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

CPU | 140926 | 213823 |
GPU | 192052 | 317561 |
Memory | 95283 | 126792 |
UX | 110692 | 136444 |
Total score | 544021 | 797997 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance

Stability | 66% | 82% |
Graphics test | 34 FPS | 56 FPS |
Graphics score | 5729 | 9490 |
Software
Operating system | iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16) | iOS 15 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16) |
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 |
General battery life

Camera
Specs and camera tests 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 microns – 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 microns – 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 micron |
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 |
Speakers test

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.
Conclusion
We believe that the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is unquestionably a better purchase after reviewing all the available facts.