This is a full review to compare the technical specifications of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPhone 11 Pro Max that is two years old.
Most users would think the most significant difference between the two models would be the new 5G capabilities on smartphones that started rolling out last year. Our review shows that the differences are much more than just the 5G, but also several improvements that could make the new iPhone 13 Pro Max rather attractive.
Form Factor[tie_index]Form Factor[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Release Date | 14-Sep-21 | 20-Sep-19 |
| Form Factor | ||
| Size | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65mm 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.3 in | 158 x 77.8 x 8.1mm 6.2 x 3.1 x 0.3 in |
| Weight | 238 g (8.4 oz) | 226 g (7.97 oz) |
| IP Rating | IP68 (6m for 30mins) IEC standard 60529 | IP68 (4m for 30mins) IEC standard 60529 |
| Material | Front: Ceramic shield, crack, and scratch-resistant Back: Textured matt glass Stainless steel frame. | Front: Scratch-resistant glass. Back: Scratch-resistant glass. Stainless steel design. |
| Colours | Graphite, gold, silver, sierra blue | Graphite, space grey, silver, midnight green |
As you see above, iPhone 13 Pro Max offers several significant upgrades over the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Other than thinner in size, the IP68 rating is now improved to 6m for 30mins, which is on par with other products with the same rating. We have also discussed the impressive crack and scratch-resistant of the new Apple Ceramic Shield, as compared to the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.
A correction from our earlier post is that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is in fact heavier by about 12g or 5%, but the difference is not quite significant.
Display[tie_index]Display[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Screen Type | Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion | Super Retina XDR OLED display |
| Screen Size | 6.7″ | 6.5″ |
| Resolution | 2778×1284 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio, 458 ppi | 2688×1242 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio, 458 ppi |
| Brightness Max | 1000 nits max brightness (typical); 1,200 nits max brightness (HDR) | 800 nits max brightness (typical); 1,000 nits max brightness (HDR) |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz, adaptive | 60 Hz |
| Screen-to-body | 87.4% | 83.7% |
| Contrast Ratio | 2,000,000:1 | 2,000,000:1 |
| Colours | 10 bit, or > 1 billion colours | 10 bit, or > 1 billion colours |
| Colour Gamut | Wide Color (P3) | Wide Color (P3) |
| Features | True Tone HDR display Haptic Touch Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously | True Tone HDR display Haptic Touch Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously |
The display is slightly larger with a better screen-to-body ratio, resolution, and brightness. Normally this may mean an increase in battery consumption, however, this is offset by a new processor with better energy efficiency.
iPhone 13 series’ XDR OLED display has a new feature called ProMotion, which refers to the same 120 Hz adaptive display that was first introduced with the iPad Pro. The higher frequency enables smoother scrolling and faster interaction while being adaptive helps to saves battery life. In the case of iPad Pro, the adaptive frequency also reduces Apple pencil latency of 20ms by half.
Apart from the above, there is not much difference in the display, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max screen is still good and far from being outdated. The improved display alone is not enough to justify an upgrade to iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Hardware and Sensors[tie_index]Hardware and Sensors[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| OS | Apple iOS 15 | Apple iOS 13 – 14.7 |
| Chipset | A15 Bionic chip (5nm) New 16‑core Neural Engine | A13 Bionic chip (7nm) 3rd Gen Neural Engine |
| Processor | New 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores | Hexa-core 2×2.65 GHz Lightning 4×1.8 GHz Thunder |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5 cores) | Apple GPU (4 cores) |
| RAM/Storage | 6GB/128GB, 6GB/256GB, 6GB/512GB, 6GB/1TB (NVMe) | 4GB/64GB, 4GB/256GB, 4GB/512GB (NVMe) |
| SIM Card | Single Nano SIM + eSIM Dual eSIM support | Single Nano SIM + eSIM Dual eSIM support |
| Speaker | Two, Stereo | Two, Stereo |
| Security | Face ID | Face ID |
| Stylus Support | No | No |
| Sensors | Face ID Accelerometer LiDAR Scanner Three-axis gyro Digital compass Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Barometer | Face ID Accelerometer Three-axis gyro Digital compass Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Barometer |
The iPhone 13 Pro Max uses the latest Apple iOS 15, and hardware upgrades such as the A15 Bionic chip, 5-Core GPU, and 6GB RAM. These upgrades not only appeal to gamers but also normal users who use less resource-intensive apps, such as social media, messaging, sharing news, images, and videos.
The most significant upgrade to make you think about upgrading is the storage size of 1TB. As a non-gamer, I would also appreciate the 6GB RAM upgrade as it could mean that apps will open faster.
Some users may value the LiDAR (stands for Light Detection and Ranging) scanner introduced since iPhone 12 Pro, which is said to measure the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away, works both indoors and outdoors, and operates at the photon level at nano-second speeds. The use of Apple LiDAR is AR (Augmented Reality) purposes, but can also be used to measure distances, height and perform 3D scanning.
Battery Life[tie_index]Battery Life[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Capacity | 4,400 mAH. Non-removable. (16.75 Wh) | 3969 mAH. Non-removable. (15.04 Wh) |
| Type | Lithium-Ion | Lithium-Ion |
| Wired Charging | Fast charging 20W 50% in 30 min | Fast charging 18W 50% in 30 min |
| Wireless Charging | MagSafe charging up to 15W Qi charging up to 7.5W | Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W |
| Charging Technology | PD 2.0 | PD 2.0 |
On paper, there is not much improvement in the iPhone 13 Pro battery charging speed, which uses up to 18W for fast charging and an outdated PD 2.0. They do have faster wireless charging using the Magsafe which can charge up to 15W.
Another advantage is that the iPhone 13 Pro Max does come with a larger battery and Apple touted the battery life is about twice that of the iPhone 11 Pro Max. This could be due to the more energy-efficient A15 chip.
A drawback for iPhone 13 Pro Max is that it does not come with any charger, which users will need to purchase separately or use their existing 18W PD 2.0 charger.
Rear Camera[tie_index]Rear Camera[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Rear Camera | ||
| Resolution | 12 MP, f/1.5 (wide) 12 MP, f/2.8 (telephoto) 12 MP, f/1.8, 120˚ (ultrawide) TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) | 12 MP, f/1.8 (wide) 12 MP, f/2.0 (telephoto) 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚ (ultrawide) |
| Video recording | 4K: 24/25/30/60fps 1080p: 25/30/60fps 720p: 30fps ProRes 4K: 1080p@30fps Cinematic Mode: 1080p@30fps | 4K: 24/30/60fps 1080p: 30/60fps 720p: 30fps |
| Features: | – Dual optical image stabilization for video (Telephoto and Wide) – Sensor‑shift optical image stabilization for video (Wide) – 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 6x optical zoom range – Digital zoom up to 9x – Audio zoom – True Tone flash – QuickTake video – Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps – Time‑lapse video with stabilization – Night mode Time‑lapse – Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) – Continuous autofocus video – Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video – Playback zoom – Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 – Stereo recording | – Extended dynamic range for video up to 60 fps – Optical image stabilization for video (Wide and Telephoto) – 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 6x – Audio zoom – Brighter True Tone flash – QuıckTake video with subject tracking – Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps – Time‑lapse video with stabilization – Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) – Continuous autofocus video – Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video – Playback zoom – Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 – Stereo recording |
There are several improvements to the iPhone 13 Pro Max rear camera summarized below.
- The wide and ultra-wide camera has a larger aperture than iPhone 11 Pro Max, which allows more light to the sensor.
- A comparison of the rear lenses size shows that the sensor for the iPhone 13 Pro Max could be larger. A larger sensor will help to capture more light and hence produce a better photograph. Currently, we do not have any specifications of the sensor used in the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
- There are also several new features for the rear camera as highlighted in blue, which will greatly enhance the photos and videos taken.
One of the most significant features that are advertised is the new cinematic mode, which is also featured in Xiaomi’s smartphone. This will be a good feature for those who like to take videos for social media posting. Everyone can become a professional videographer.
Front Camera[tie_index]Front Camera[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Front Camera | ||
| Resolution | 12 MP, f/2.2 | 12 MP, f/2.2 |
| Video capture: | 4K: 24/25/30/60fps 1080p: 25/30/60fps | 4K: 24/30/60fps 1080p: 30/60fps |
| Features: | – Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control – Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono) – Animoji and Memoji – Night mode – Deep Fusion – Smart HDR 4 – Photographic Styles – Apple ProRAW – Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps) – HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps – ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB storage)* – Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps – Time‑lapse video with stabilization – Night mode Time‑lapse – Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) – QuickTake video – Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos – Lens correction – Retina Flash – Auto image stabilization – Burst mode | – Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control – Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono) – Animoji and Memoji – Next-generation Smart HDR – Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps – Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) – Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos – Retina Flash – Auto image stabilization – Burst mode |
The key specifications of the front camera hardware did not change much but Apple added a lot of features for the Selfie camera. The number of new features shows the emphasis on the front camera as one of the most popular components of the smartphone. Among the new features that are noteworthy include the smart HDR mode, time-lapse, and night mode.
The new night mode for selfies is used to capture better photos when the camera automatically detects a low-light environment.
Another neat feature is the “QuickTake video” which allows video capturing by pressing the shutter button longer when taking a photo. This is a new feature of the selfie camera but it was already used for the rear camera in the previous iPhone X or later.
Connectivity and Environment
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Bluetooth Ver | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| Wi-Fi Ver | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, hotspot. | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, hotspot. |
| Connector | Lightning | Lightning |
| GPS | Built‑in GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou | Built‑in GPS, GLONASS, Galileo |
| NFC | Yes with reader mode | Yes with reader mode |
| Infra-Red Port | No | No |
| Network | 5G, 4G LTE, HSPA, GSM | 4G LTE, HSPA, GSM |
| Operating Temp. | 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C) | 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C) |
| Non-Operating Temp. | −4° to 113° F (−20° to 45° C) | −4° to 113° F (−20° to 45° C) |
| Operating altitude | 10,000 feet (3000 m) | 10,000 feet (3000 m) |
| Relative Humidity | 5% to 95% Non-condensing | 5% to 95% Non-condensing |
There are not many differences between the connectivity and environmental specs. The iPhone 11 Pro Max was already quite an advanced phone 2 years back as it comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6.
After all, the iPhone 11 Pro Max was the flagship in 2019, and even though it has been overtaken by iPhone 13, the older phone still has very strong specifications that are far from being outdated.
