iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max Buyer's Guide (2023)

FAQs

Should I choose 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max? ›

If you want a bigger display and longer battery life, our money is on the Pro Max despite the higher price. However, the regular iPhone 13 Pro delivers the same great cameras, ProMotion display and overall performance, so you're not sacrificing anything if you prefer a more compact design and smaller screen.

But the biggest difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro handsets is that the latter models have a ProMotion display that sports an adaptive refresh rate, allowing the display to go from a speedy 120Hz to 10Hz in order to conserve battery life.

The iPhone 13 lineup ranges in screen size from 5.4 inches to 6.7 inches. The iPhone 13 Mini is 5.4 inches, the standard iPhone 13 and Pro models are both 6.1 inches and the Pro Max is 6.7 inches.

While the iPhone 13's screen is big enough for most people, the iPhone 13 Pro Max offers an even larger, 6.7-inch display, so it's a good choice for those who use their phones to do a lot of work, to play games, or to watch videos, or for those who have visual needs and would benefit from more screen real estate.

Literally. The phone is just too heavy. If you're an iPhone buyer looking to replace a worn-out handset, you can stomach spending over £1,000 and need it to last at least two days of use on battery, the 13 Pro Max is it. For everyone else there are better, lighter options.

Both iPhone 13 models have great cameras but the Pro is better. The more expensive model has an enhanced Apple A15 processor with extra graphics processing power that allows recording video in a low compression format.

If you answered yes to both questions, then more than likely – yes, 128GB will be plenty enough storage for your needs. Within 128GB of storage you can fit many hours of video recordings, thousands of songs and photos, and likely all the apps and games you may ever want to download.

TechRadar Verdict

The iPhone 13 Pro is one of 2021's best smartphones, even if it doesn't quite do enough to warrant upgrading from the 12 Pro. The battery life is the best we've seen in Apple's Pro iPhone, and you're also getting top-level performance, a great camera package and a super-smooth 120Hz screen.

128GB should be enough if you only occasionally take photos. For videos, most people take in 1080p, so that should save some storage compared to if you keep taking 4k videos. For apps, “regular people” only have a few apps on their iPhone so it won't be an issue.

The only really major difference between the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max is the size of the two phones. No, really, the only differences that actually matter all stem from the different size.

Is it worth it to buy iPhone 13 in 2022? ›

Apple iPhones are generally considered to be the best in the smartphone industry by many although they can cost you a a lot too. However, with the launch of the iPhone 14, Apple has reduced the price of the iPhone 13, making it the best smartphone to purchase in 2022.

The biggest upgrade to the iPhone 13 Pro Max's display — and biggest upgrade overall — is the new ProMotion display. This 6.7-inch panel can dynamically scale its refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz, which results in smoother overall performance and animations.

The iPhone 13 has a blocky design with sharp edges, making the newest models uncomfortable. The hefty iPhone 13 Pro Max (weighing 8.5 ounces) is especially bad, even though I have big hands. With a phone as big and heavy as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, shortcomings in ergonomics become very noticeable very quickly.

Conclusion. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is an extremely powerful phone with the best SoC, video camera, and ecosystem of apps and accessories. I personally find its size too unwieldy and uncomfortable to use long term, but this may not be an issue to you if you have large hands.

iPhone 13 Pro Max screens scratch extremely easily. If you're the type that usually avoids screen protectors, don't skip this one.

Overall, the iPhone 13 Pro's faster response rate and higher brightness makes it comfortably the better panel than its non-Pro brother. But as to whether that warrant's the accompanying price bump, you'll probably have to try both phones side by side in an Apple Store and decide for yourself.

However, despite the factors mentioned above, 64GB of storage is enough for the average consumer. But if you sometimes go overboard with media files, 128GB should cover your needs. This is a sweet spot that balances out the price to value ratio and can give you peace of mind even if you're a heavy user.

While 128GB or 256GB might seem like enough, there's a chance your storage will fill up quickly. At that point, you'll be forced to continuously delete files you no longer need, buy a compatible external drive, or pay for iCloud storage.

Is it worth getting 128GB iPhone 13? ›

128GB should be enough if you only occasionally take photos. For videos, most people take in 1080p, so that should save some storage compared to if you keep taking 4k videos. For apps, “regular people” only have a few apps on their iPhone so it won't be an issue.

In a face-down drop test without a case, the ‌iPhone 13‌ survived a single drop with only minor damage, but it cracked at the top and bottom corners in the second drop test. The iPhone 13 Pro cracked across the bottom in its first drop test, and these are the same results seen with the ‌iPhone 12‌ models.

Some people keep their iPhones for five years or more before they squeeze out that last drop of life, and a lot depends on how many trips to the Genius Bar you're willing to make and how much you want to spend on new batteries, screens, and other physical parts.

After unveiling its next-gen products, tech giant Apple has discontinued older iPhones, including iPhone 11, 12 Mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max.

Overall, for most casual smartphone users 64GB phone memory is enough, although many people prefer to choose between 128GB and 256GB. Those who use their mobile phone to the absolute maximum should consider phones with storage of 512GB and 1TB to avoid running out of storage space and suffering with a slow phone speed.

128 GB is probably sufficient for the majority of users (and it's good that 128 GB is now the typical the base amount because the old 64 GB standard was marginal for many and 32 GB ridiculous.) But if you store a lot of music or especially videos then 128 GB can get tight, so again, depends entirely on the user.

How many photos can a 128GB SD card hold? On a smartphone, a 128GB SD card may even be overkill if you're going to be using it only for pictures. It should be able to hold 25,200 JPEG images and that's more than what some people will shoot in their lifetime.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max runs on Apple's iOS 16 and all the usual Apple benefits are here. The software is fast and responsive, and has the best app ecosystem on the planet. It plays very nice with other Apple products like a Mac or Apple Watch or AirPods.

Where you'll notice the biggest upgrade is turning on ProRAW for those higher quality 48-megapixel images. There is so much more detail in the 48-megapixel image compared to the 12-megapixel image from the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max, but file size is a major downside.

The iPhone 14 Pro is longer but narrower at 5.81 inches by 2.81 inches and marginally thicker at 0.31 inches. The Pro Max is the same length at 6.33 inches but narrower at 3.05 inches and thicker at 0.31 inches. As far as weight differences, the new devices are slightly heavier than the previous generation.

Is the iPhone 13 Pro even worth it? ›

TechRadar Verdict

The iPhone 13 Pro is one of 2021's best smartphones, even if it doesn't quite do enough to warrant upgrading from the 12 Pro. The battery life is the best we've seen in Apple's Pro iPhone, and you're also getting top-level performance, a great camera package and a super-smooth 120Hz screen.

iPhone 13 Pro Max screens scratch extremely easily. If you're the type that usually avoids screen protectors, don't skip this one.

In a face-down drop test without a case, the ‌iPhone 13‌ survived a single drop with only minor damage, but it cracked at the top and bottom corners in the second drop test. The iPhone 13 Pro cracked across the bottom in its first drop test, and these are the same results seen with the ‌iPhone 12‌ models.

Tom's Guide Verdict. The iPhone 13 Pro Max's stellar cameras, 120Hz ProMotion display and longer battery life add up to a practically perfect phone in our testing. The charging could be faster and Touch ID would be nice, but overall this is a beast that can't be beat.

Both the devices survive the around-6-feet fall on the edge and on the back with one or two minor dents. The iPhone 13 Pro, however, breaks from the front when dropped on its face from the height. Surprisingly enough, the iPhone 13 Pro Max still survives without a scratch.

That's because that bit of glass on the back or front of your phone isn't the lens — it's a built-in protector for the often-soft-plastic lens of the smartphone camera(s). It's a very hard and scratch resistant piece of glass or, in a few cases, sapphire glass.

If you hate screen protectors, the iPhone 13's screen is surprisingly scratch-resistant. But it's not invincible.