iPhone 13 Pro Max Review by Andrew for GSM Arena

Design and Build

• Design similarity: Appears similar to iPhone 12 Pro Max
• Material: Glass front & back, stainless steel frame
• Changes: Smaller notch, slightly larger camera bump
• Weight: Heavier (240 grams)
• Ruggedness: Survives up to 6 meters underwater for 30 minutes

Display

• Type: 6.7-inch Super Retina OLED
• Pixel Density: 458 ppi
• Compatibility: HDR 10, Dolby Vision
• Refresh Rate: 120 Hz ProMotion (adaptive; drops to 10 Hz as needed)
• Brightness: 1050 nits (auto brightness)
• Color Accuracy: Wide color gamut, flawless accuracy
• Performance: Excellent execution of adaptive refresh rate

Audio

• Speakers: Bottom firing speaker, earpiece as second channel
• Quality: Very good loudness, among best-sounding phone speakers

Battery

• Capacity: 4,352 mAh
• Performance: 121-hour endurance rating, longest for an iPhone, competitive with 2021 flagships
• Charging: Ships without charger, supports up to 27W charging
  • 20W Charger: 0 to 42% in 30 mins
  • 27W Charger: Up to 55% in 30 mins

Performance

• Chipset: A15 Bionic
• RAM: 6 GB (vs. 4 GB in non-Pro models)
• Performance: Fastest chipset in a phone, 10% better than last year
• Concerns: Quick GPU throttling

Software & Features

• OS: iOS 15
• UI: Slightly rounder elements, improved FaceTime, Messages, Notifications, Safari, Wallet, Maps
  • Notifications: Complete overhaul, better visibility, Focus profiles

Cameras

• Improvements: All three rear cameras upgraded
  • Main Camera: 12 MP, larger pixels (largest in a smartphone)
  • Telephoto: 12 MP, optical 3x zoom (up from 2.5x)
  • Ultrawide: 12 MP, more light intake, autofocus, doubles as macro cam
  • LiDAR Scanner: Enhances depth maps, better portraits, faster low-light autofocus
• Selfie Camera: 12 MP (unchanged)
• Photo Quality: Great overall, detailed close-ups, balanced HDR, user-modes for more dramatic images
• Portraits: Good subject separation, skin tones, dynamic range, some telephoto and detection mishaps
• Night Mode: Default is excellent, less aggressive than Android, detailed and true-to-life

Video

• Recording: Up to 4K at 60fps with all cameras
• Day Performance: Great dynamic range, lively colors, no noise
• Low Light: Decent, requires bright areas for zoom, good dynamic range, main camera mushy when zoomed
• Cinematic Mode: Simulates blur for focus, good quality, editable post-capture

Final Thoughts

• Innovation: Not highly innovative but very solid experience
• Best iPhone: Best so far, recommended for those upgrading from pre-iPhone 12 Pro models