Apple iPhone XS Max vs iPhone XR
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 XR, which is powered by the same chip. 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
- 40% higher pixel density (456 vs 326 PPI)
- Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
- Has a 0.4 inch larger screen size
- Has 33% more RAM: 4GB versus 3GB
- OLED display (versus competitor's IPS LCD)
- Thinner bezels – 6.41% more screen real estate
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone XR
- Shows 30% longer battery life (33:02 vs 25:24 hours)
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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
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Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | OLED | IPS LCD |
| Size | 6.5 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Resolution | 1242 x 2688 pixels | 828 x 1792 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.4:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 456 ppi | 326 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Max rated brightness | 625 nits | 625 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 85.41% | 79% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
- |
| RGB color space | 98.8% | 100% |
| PWM | 240 Hz | Not detected |
| Response time | 11.2 ms | 32.8 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | 1920:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 157.5 mm (6.2 inches) | 150.9 mm (5.94 inches) |
| Width | 77.4 mm (3.05 inches) | 75.7 mm (2.98 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.7 mm (0.3 inches) | 8.3 mm (0.33 inches) |
| Weight | 208 g (7.34 oz) | 194 g (6.84 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP67 |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | Silver, Gold, Gray | White, Black, Blue, Red, Orange, Yellow |
| Fingerprint scanner | No | No |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Apple A12 Bionic | Apple A12 Bionic |
| Max. clock | 2490 MHz | 2490 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 1.6 GHz: Tempest - 2 cores at 2.49 GHz: Vortex |
| Lithography process | 7 nanometers | 7 nanometers |
| Graphics | Apple A12 Bionic GPU | Apple A12 Bionic GPU |
| GPU clock | 1100 MHz | 1100 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~560 GFLOPS | ~560 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 145567 | 142301 |
| GPU | 170450 | 188718 |
| Memory | 100025 | 70367 |
| UX | 112820 | 104916 |
| Total score | 538212 | 510352 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Stability | 66% | 69% |
| Graphics test | 34 FPS | 31 FPS |
| Graphics score | 5726 | 5235 |
Memory
| RAM size | 4 GB | 3 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | - | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 64, 256, 512 GB | 64, 128, 256 GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | NVMe |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.2) | iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.2) |
| OS size | 16 GB | 11.1 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 3174 mAh | 2942 mAh |
| Charge power | 18 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes, Qi (10 W) | Yes, Qi (10 W) |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (50% in 30 min) | Yes (50% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 03:29 hr | 1:43 hr |
| Web browsing | 09:13 hr | 11:16 hr |
| Watching video | 10:50 hr | 12:45 hr |
| Gaming | 04:41 hr | 05:10 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 | Quad 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) |
| Lenses | 2 (12 MP + 12 MP) | 1 (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/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Apple iSight X (BSI CMOS) - Phase autofocus - 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 |
- |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode - RAW support |
| Samples | Photo samples of Apple iPhone XS Max from DxOMark | - |
| Megapixels | 7 megapixels | 7 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3088 x 2316 | 3088 x 2316 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 32 mm | 32 mm |
| Sensor type | BSI CMOS | CMOS |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) 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 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP |
| USB type | No | No |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| 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 | 12 |
| 5G support | No | No |
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 2018 |
| Release date | September 2018 | October 2018 |
| SAR (head) | 0.99 W/kg | 0.99 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 0.99 W/kg | 0.99 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
If the display, performance, camera, and design are more important to you, then choose the Apple iPhone XS Max. But if the battery life and sound are more of a priority – go for the Apple iPhone XR.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 1368