Apple iPhone XS Max vs iPhone 13
Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.5-inch Apple iPhone XS Max (with Apple A12 Bionic) that was released on September 12, 2018, against the Apple iPhone 13, which is powered by Apple A15 Bionic and came out 37 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone XS Max
- The rear camera has a 2x optical zoom
- Has a 0.4 inch larger screen size
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 13
- Shows 43% longer battery life (36:13 vs 25:24 hours)
- Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
- 50% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (809K versus 538K)
- Compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
- Delivers 26% higher peak brightness (831 against 658 nits)
- Has an ultra-wide angle camera lens
- The phone is 3-years and 1-month newer
- The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
We may receive a commission from Amazon for purchases made using the links below, but this has no bearing on our assessment methodology.
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Performance
CPU/GPU performance in apps and games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview score
Final comparison evaluation
Value for money
You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | OLED | OLED |
| Size | 6.5 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Resolution | 1242 x 2688 pixels | 1170 x 2532 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.4:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 456 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Max rated brightness | 625 nits | 800 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% | 86% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
- DCI-P3 |
| RGB color space | 98.8% | 129% |
| PWM | 240 Hz | 609 Hz |
| Response time | 11.2 ms | 7.5 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 157.5 mm (6.2 inches) | 146.7 mm (5.78 inches) |
| Width | 77.4 mm (3.05 inches) | 71.5 mm (2.81 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.7 mm (0.3 inches) | 7.65 mm (0.3 inches) |
| Weight | 208 g (7.34 oz) | 174 g (6.14 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | Silver, Gold, Gray | White, Black, Blue, Green, Red, Pink |
| Fingerprint scanner | No | No |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Apple A12 Bionic | Apple A15 Bionic |
| Max. clock | 2490 MHz | 3230 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 | - |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 145567 | 210809 |
| GPU | 170450 | 324750 |
| Memory | 100025 | 134620 |
| UX | 112820 | 133782 |
| Total score | 538212 | 809001 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Stability | 66% | 79% |
| Graphics test | 34 FPS | 52 FPS |
| Graphics score | 5726 | 8735 |
Memory
| RAM size | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | - | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 64, 256, 512 GB | 128, 256, 512 GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | NVMe |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.2) | iOS 15 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.2) |
| OS size | 16 GB | 18 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 3174 mAh | 3227 mAh |
| Charge power | 18 W | 20 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 (54% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 03:29 hr | 1:46 hr |
| Web browsing | 09:13 hr | 13:11 hr |
| Watching video | 10:50 hr | 14:33 hr |
| Gaming | 04:41 hr | 05:31 hr |
| Standby | 80 hr | 123 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Zoom | Optical, 2x | Digital |
| 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) | 2 (12 MP + 12 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 28 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.5", Apple iSight X (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization |
- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.6 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.7 micron - 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 |
- |
| Ultra-wide lens | - | - 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 14 mm - Sensor: 1/3.4", Sony IMX372 (Exmor-RS CMOS) |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Samples | Photo samples of Apple iPhone XS Max from DxOMark | Photo samples of Apple iPhone 13 from DxOMark |
| 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 |
| 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
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
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 |
| 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
Max. loudness
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
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Apple iPhone 13 is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 317