iPhone 13 Pro Max review: Is bigger really better?

(Pocket-lint) - In erstwhile years the iPhone Pro Max exemplary has ever offered other features - specified arsenic representation stabilisation oregon a greater zoom lens - to assistance acceptable it isolated arsenic the eventual iPhone. But for 2021 it's a much level playing field, the lone quality implicit the Pro exemplary being the Pro Max's bigger surface and longer artillery life.

That volition surely beryllium utile for assorted tasks, but not all: the sheer size and value of the instrumentality mean it's not thing you tin easy gaffe into your jeans pocket. So the large question is does the Pro Max's "bigger is best" doctrine marque champion sense, oregon does the scaled-down iPhone 13 Pro alternatively present everything you'd need?

Design & Display

• 6.7-inch 'Super Retina' XDR OLED, 2778 x 1284 solution (458ppi), 1200nits max brightness
  
• Apple ProMotion show exertion (adaptive 10-120Hz refresh rate)
• Four colour options: Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue
• Dimensions: 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65mm / Weight: 240g
• Stainless alloy and solid materials
  

The iPhone 13 Pro Max features a near-identical plan to the iPhone 12 Pro Max from 2020. There are immoderate differences erstwhile you look closely, but you'll person to look precise intimately to spot them.

On the rear you inactive get the frosted solid plan that comes successful 4 grown-up colours: Graphite, Gold, Silver, and new-for-2021 Sierra Blue.

The telephone inactive features 3 raised camera lenses successful an enclosure, but some the enclosure and the lenses are physically bigger than before. Thanks to the bigger size of the telephone itself, the setup doesn't look arsenic dominating arsenic it does connected the iPhone 13 - adjacent though they are the aforesaid size connected some devices - but they are inactive bigger and much protruding than those recovered connected the erstwhile iPhone 12 Pro Max. If you're upgrading, you'll request a caller lawsuit arsenic a result.

• Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro: Should you upgrade?

Those subtle changes mean that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is conscionable arsenic coagulated and weighty a plan arsenic it's ever been - implicit with water- and dust-proofing (to IP68) - and somewhat 'blunt' successful its design. There are nary brushed edges, nary whimsical details to entreaty to fuffy consumers. Like the company's MacBook Pro range, this is astir getting the occupation done with small country for thing else.

On the front, the large alteration is that the notch - which perforates the show - is present overmuch narrower. Present since the iPhone X, it hasn't been retired for a punch-hole oregon under-display camera yet, arsenic it inactive houses an array of sensors (including Face ID) successful summation to the front-facing camera. The caller plan does spend much abstraction for a full-screen experience, but the abstraction to either broadside of it isn't afloat utilised by 2021's iOS 15 bundle - icons are simply bigger alternatively than the newfound abstraction being utilized better.

Trust america erstwhile we accidental you'll privation to spot arsenic overmuch of this surface arsenic possible. Thanks to the inclusion of Apple's ProMotion exertion - arsenic archetypal seen connected the iPad Pro scope successful 2017 - the faster refresh-rate exertion comes to the Pro Max exemplary for the archetypal clip (it's also successful the Pro, but not the 'standard' iPhone 13 oregon mini variant). 

This exertion allows the show to automatically accommodate the refresh complaint to lucifer the contented connected the screen. It starts astatine 10Hz and goes each the mode up to 120Hz, conscionable similar you'll find successful astir Android phones from the past mates of years, adapting based connected the benignant of contented that's connected the display. Older screens would typically beryllium 60Hz only, truthful you're getting a imaginable doubling of frames for enhanced smoothness.

That's not lone bully for creaseless playback, though, it means amended artillery beingness imaginable excessively - arsenic the bundle tin find however overmuch powerfulness the surface needs for the task astatine manus and accommodate accordingly.

And those efficiencies marque a large difference. Apple claims the iPhone 13 Pro Max tin present connection up to 28 hours of video playback connected a azygous charge. That's similar each of the Mission Impossible movies played backmost to backmost - including the 1 that's inactive not retired yet. 

• Smartphone show refresh rates: What does Apple ProMotion and 120Hz mean, and does it matter?

It surely makes for a smoother experience, though conscionable arsenic immoderate radical can't spot the benefits of Ultra-HD implicit HD until it's pointed out, immoderate perchance won't announcement the upgrade they are enjoying.

We're successful Pro territory present and Apple is intelligibly aiming the show astatine those who attraction astir these things, but we can't assistance feeling that we would person liked Apple Pencil stylus support, particularly fixed the size of the surface here. It's conscionable screaming retired for you to instrumentality notes on.

Of people the iPhone 13 Pro Max features galore of the accustomed Apple show tech buzzwords: wide colour (DCI-P3 gamut), True Tone, a 2,000,000:1 opposition ratio, and up to 1,200 nits maximum brightness for those precocious dynamic scope (HDR) playback moments.

Hardware & Performance

• 128/256/512GB/1TB retention sizes
• Wireless charging and MagSafe
• A15 Bionic processor
• 5G and Wi-Fi 6

A flagship telephone requires a flagship processor - and the iPhone 13 Pro Max has the A15 Bionic. It's the company's fastest processor to day - arsenic is emblematic of Apple's year-on-year updates - though improvements implicit the A14 spot recovered successful the 12 Pro Max aren't arsenic forward-leaping arsenic you mightiness imagine.

Benchmarking results suggest it's astir 15 per cent faster than the erstwhile generation, and portion we are each for much velocity and powerfulness don't expect to announcement a quality successful the aforesaid mode we've seen successful erstwhile upgrades.

Regardless of however the processor fairs against erstwhile models, it's inactive damn fast. Apps load without you reasoning astir it, photos and videos process without you truly having to wait, and you aren't going to spot it fuss implicit immoderate task you propulsion its way.

Storage sizes spot the options agelong to 1TB and that determination is intelligibly aimed astatine the videographer keen to capitalise connected caller signaling features similar the yet-to-be-released ProRes (Apple's high-quality video compression format). This footage needs astir 6GB for a azygous infinitesimal of footage, which is bound to capable up your retention quickly. So quickly, successful fact, that if you opt for the 128GB exemplary past Apple won't fto you sprout ProRes successful 4K.

Having gone 5G successful 2020, that connectivity is intelligibly present to stay, and it joins Wi-FI 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth, and Apple U1 chip for spatial awareness. MagSafe enactment allows for wireless charging oregon attaching assorted accessories similar a paper wallet.

Perhaps astonishing for the iPhone 13 scope is that Apple hasn't opted to spell USB-C for the wired connection. It's inactive the Lightning port, though we fishy this mightiness spell for the iPhone 14 model, we'll conscionable person to hold and see...

All that tech requires a large artillery and the iPhone 13 Pro Max features a monster that's improbable to tally retired successful a azygous day. It's 1 of the large differences implicit the modular smaller iPhone 13 Pro model.

Battery beingness is ever hard to determine, particularly astatine the commencement of a phone's life, but it's wide that the bigger artillery volition spend you a much carefree manner compared to different models wrong the 2021 iPhone range.

Apple quotes that you should get a further 2.5 hours of artillery beingness implicit the iPhone 12 Pro Max - which easy gets america into the aboriginal hours aft a afloat day, adjacent with sizeable camera and 5G usage.

Of people with a large artillery comes longer charging times, particularly if you are opting to complaint wirelessly, truthful it's decidedly worthy investing successful the optional 20W charger (a 15W wired charger is featured successful the box).

Cameras

• Quad rear cameras:
  • Main (26mm): 12-megapixels, f/1.5 aperture, 1.9µm pixel size, dual pixel autofocus (PDAF), sensor-shift stabilisation (OIS)
  • Ultra-wide (0.5x; 13mm): 12MP, f/1.8, PDAF
  • Zoom (3x; 77mm): 12MP, f/2.8, PDAF, OIS
  • LiDAR scanner
• Macro mode, Night Mode, Cinematic Video mode, Photographic Styles
• ProRes enactment 'coming soon'
  

Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max cameras are the main nutrient of the experience, particularly fixed that you've got a 6.7-inch show connected which to bask the fruits of your shooting labour.

There are 3 main lenses connected the back, packed successful adjacent to a LiDAR sensor and flash unit. All 3 sensors' present 12-megapixel resolutions, conscionable arsenic before, but wherever things disagree implicit the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the instauration of caller lenses and a caller macro shooting mode.

Ultra-wide, modular wide, and tele zoom present a full 6x zoom - optically speaking the tele is lone 3x though - and arsenic we've travel to expect from the iPhone scope everything works arsenic seamless arsenic possible.

The lone noticeable power occurs betwixt the modular and macro mode arsenic you get person to a taxable - which tin beryllium rather jarring astatine first. What tin beryllium adjacent much frustrating is that astatine a definite region that automatic switching tin get confused, causing the camera to perpetually effort and power betwixt the 2 successful an endless loop. 

There is presently nary mode of turning it off, but erstwhile we spoke to Apple astir the contented it's intelligibly thing the institution is alert of: "A caller mounting volition beryllium added successful a bundle update this autumn to crook disconnected automatic camera switching erstwhile shooting astatine adjacent distances for macro photography and video." Thank goodness.

• The champion macro photos ever taken

When the lenses aren't jumping betwixt each other, however, the macro mode allows you to sprout from conscionable 2cm distant from your subject. As you tin ideate that opens up a satellite of photographic potentials - if that's your cupful of tea. The results are incredible, but we fishy for each but a few, it won't beryllium the mainstay of wherefore they are getting an iPhone successful particular.

Meanwhile, the summation of that 3x optical zoom gets you conscionable that small spot person to far-away enactment - which is perfect for representation photography and surely gives you much options erstwhile framing the shot.

We've recovered that the recently improved apertures - they're a small wider than before, meaning much airy tin participate - construe to a quicker shutter response, which tin assistance successful reducing representation blur. That's particularly existent successful lower-light conditions, but arsenic Night Mode is present disposable for each 3 lenses, including the ultra-wide for the archetypal time, our night-time trial shots person delivered immoderate stunning results.

Aside from those insignificant issues with macro mode, the iPhone 13 Pro Max's camera statement makes it astir effortless erstwhile shooting, which is 1 of Apple's large strengths against the competition.

New for 2021 is thing Apple calls Photography Styles. They are similar precocious filters that look astatine the "image pipeline" and use the benignant - Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, and Cool - to elements of the representation alternatively than bulldozer its mode crossed everything arsenic you would an Instagram filter.

The results are subtle to accidental the least, but look cautiously and they are noticeable. The drawback is that erstwhile applied you can't retrospectively region oregon add, but if you're the benignant of lensman who wants to use a benignant to everything you instrumentality past it works truly well. It's a shame Apple hasn't yet applied the aforesaid attack to representation crops beyond 1:1 square, 4:3, oregon 16:9 yet. We would emotion a 3:2 ratio enactment that would let america to emulate 35mm film, for example.

If you're getting the bigger Pro Max model, video is apt an important portion of your wants list. Just arsenic the bigger surface works good for photographers, it feels adjacent much utile for videographers.

The database of supported formats and modes reads similar an award-winning cinematographer's eventual checklist. There's HDR video signaling with Dolby Vision up to 4K astatine 60fps, 4K video signaling astatine 24/25/30/60fps. ProRes video enactment is coming successful a aboriginal update. And that's earlier you commencement adding successful things similar Night Mode Time-lapse, Slo-mo video enactment for 1080p astatine 120fps oregon 240fps.

Also caller is Cinematic mode. Best thought of arsenic Portrait mode but for video, it applies a blur effect to some foreground and inheritance to springiness your taxable a greater extent of field. The diagnostic automatically locks connected to a subjects' face, your pet, oregon cardinal entity successful the scene, and nary substance wherever you determination it does its champion to support focus. Like Portrait mode, the strategy does everything automatically - but you tin alteration the absorption arsenic you shoot, oregon edit afterwards via a analyzable interface, which is made somewhat easier to usage present acknowledgment to the Pro Max's bigger screen.

The diagnostic is surely clever and adeptly shows disconnected the iPhone's processing powerfulness - there's not adjacent immoderate hold clip for processing everything - but it tin beryllium prone to being overconfident astatine times, particularly if near to its ain devices. When it gets it close the results are precise impressive, but similar Portrait mode was astatine the start, it's inactive precise overmuch a hit-and-miss mode. 

Software

• iOS 15

The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max runs connected iOS 15, which is disposable for each iPhone devices (from the iPhone 6S and later). There are a fewer other features connected the iPhone 13 bid that you won't find connected older models, however, similar the Cinematic video mode and the Photographic Styles successful the camera app, but different the acquisition is simply a acquainted one.

You tin work astir each the changes that the bundle physique brings successful our abstracted feature, but the 1 happening we would accidental is that we're pleasantly amazed by however overmuch we similar the slimmer and much timely delivered notifications connected the fastener screen, positive however rapidly we've got utilized to the Safari browser's URL barroom moving. Give it a accidental - sometimes alteration is good.

Writing by Stuart Miles. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 21 September 2021.