In this article, in addition to reviewing Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max, we will provide comprehensive explanations about its strengths and weaknesses.
The phone we are reviewing today is Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is not only the best iPhone produced to date, but also has the biggest update in camera specifications compared to all the previous models of this series.
Along with bigger and better cameras, we now have a better screen with a higher refresh rate, a bigger battery, a faster processor, and many other features in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, to be brief. To describe it usefully, we can say that the iPhone 13 Pro Max model has improved every important feature that was needed.
Introduction
In our opinion, Apple has missed a big opportunity this year when it comes to design. This company could make a really impressive and big difference by removing the notch above the display in its 2021 phones. But it is only enough for a series of minor improvements. iPhone 13 series models still have a notch at the top of their display, which is really annoying to see, but Apple still has no choice but to use it. Its size has decreased by about 20% in the iPhone 13 series this year, which is not enough at all.
When we turn the iPhone 13 Pro Max, we see that the size of the camera module has increased again, the main reason for this is to accommodate its improved cameras, which are larger than last year. In other areas, we see the same design between the 2021 models and their previous generation. Only, the body of the iPhone 13 Pro Max is about 0.3 mm thicker and 12 grams heavier than the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which we guess is the main reason for the increase in battery capacity and volume.
Display
The display specifications of the iPhone 13 Pro Max do not differ significantly from their predecessors in the iPhone 12 series, except for one thing that is a significant improvement. Apple is one of the latest smartphone manufacturers that has added a high refresh rate to its displays. Since 2017, Android phones have started using a high refresh rate on their screens in the Razer Phone model, and Apple has finally used this technology in its phones only after 4 years.
Both the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models are capable of supporting a maximum of 120 Hz refresh rate on their screens, which can automatically change between 10 and 120 Hz based on the content being displayed and the activity that is being performed. The user is doing it. Apple has named this technology ProMotion. However, the company is still not open-minded enough to equip the base models, i.e. the regular iPhone 13 and 13 mini, with this technology.
In terms of screen size, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is no different from its predecessor in the iPhone 12 series and still uses a 6.7-inch screen with the same resolution as last year, 1284 x 2778 pixels with a density of 458 pixels per inch. Is. Apple named its displays that have such specifications as Super Retina. But there is another extension called XDR, which means support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
Hardware
The latest chipset made by Apple, named Apple A15 Bionic, is responsible for providing the required power in all models of the iPhone 13 series. This processor is the second 5nm chipset made by Apple and has an amazing number of 15 billion transistors, which is 27% more than the A14 chipset that we saw in the iPhone 12 series. The A15 chipset still continues to use a 6-core CPU, which includes two large cores called Avalanche with a maximum frequency of 3.23 GHz, along with four smaller cores called Blizzard, whose maximum frequency is limited to 1.82 GHz. .
The improved chipset that we see in iPhone 13 Pro Max and other models of this series should have 50% better performance than its competitor. Although it is not clear which chipset Apple meant by this competitor, it may be referring to the Snapdragon 865. The iPhone 13 Pro series, including the model we reviewed today, which also has the Max extension, use a five-core GPU or graphics processor. While the basic models of this series have 4-core graphics processors. Also, the Pro models use 6 GB of RAM, which is 2 GB less in the basic models.
In terms of performance and speed of working with iPhone 13 Pro Max, everything is excellent and exactly as you expect from Apple's new flagship. There is no graphic and heavy game that you cannot run on this phone, and also, regarding doing the heaviest tasks in graphics and processing software in mobile phones, we must say that no other phone works better than the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Software
All iPhones have iOS 15. Although neither the appearance nor the performance is so different from iOS 14, if you pay attention, you may notice a series of very minor changes in some user interface elements such as settings menus, icons, notifications and some virtual buttons.
The biggest changes made in iOS 15 can be seen mostly in the FaceTime, Messages, Wallet, and Maps apps along with the Notification Center section. But the Safari browser, which now has the ability to support extensions, can also be considered among the significant changes made in iOS 15. Of course, in this version, there are a series of changes in the camera app. In this regard, we can mention that this app can now recognize texts and allow its users to copy them.
Just point your iPhone 13 Pro Max camera towards the desired text to extract its text and deliver it to you. With these descriptions, it can be said that the artificial intelligence of Photos and Spotlight apps has also improved in iOS 15. Other components of iOS 15 have not changed significantly compared to iOS 14 and the menu design language is still based on App Library, Notification and Control Center.
Camera
In the camera section of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, we see improvements and improvements that Apple has described with the phrase "the biggest improvement in the camera ever in an iPhone". So our expectations are very high. But this claim seems completely convincing and logical from the very beginning and seeing the specifications of this phone's cameras on paper, and apparently it is not just an absurd claim. All three cameras used in the back panel of this phone have somehow become better and more advanced than their previous generation.
We'll start with the main camera, which uses a 12-megapixel sensor. Its pixels are bigger than the previous generation of this phone. In fact, it has the largest pixel ever seen in a smartphone. Last year, Apple unveiled the sensor shift image stabilization technology in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and this year, it has used this stabilization technology in all four models of the iPhone 13 series. The telephoto camera of the iPhone 13 Pro Max now has a 3x optical zoom capability, which reached 2.5x in its counterpart model last year. Although Apple has not specified the size of the sensor and pixels of this camera, it is quite conceivable that it is similar to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The size specifications of the sensors and pixels of the next 12-megapixel camera of this phone, which acts as an ultra-wide sensor, are also unclear. But this camera has witnessed very impressive and attractive improvements in terms of optics. Thanks to the larger opening in the aperture of this camera, it absorbs more light from the environment, which is great, but better than that, the addition of autofocus support to this camera is the most important improvement made in it. The new lens of this camera can now detect and focus on the subject from both close and far distances. This has made it possible to use the ultra-wide camera of iPhone 13 Pro Max as a close-up camera and for macro photography.
The only thing that has not changed in the specifications of the 13 Pro Max cameras is the specifications of its selfie camera. This camera still uses a 12-megapixel sensor and all other specifications are the same as the previous year, which means, unfortunately, it still does not have autofocus.
In terms of photography quality, it still takes good "iPhone" photos, which do not have noticeable and big changes in them. We mean accurate colors (and perhaps not so vivid and unexciting) and quite wide dynamic range and not very noticeable HDR. Because iPhones usually prefer to have a completely contrasted appearance. But these descriptions do not detract from the value of this phone's camera! We just wanted to explain so that you know exactly how it feels to take photos with a device that is considered to be "the biggest improvement ever made in a smartphone camera".
However, the detail of the photos taken by the main camera of this phone is excellent. In fact, it's what you'd expect from any other flagship 12MP camera. You may not be completely satisfied with the performance of the iPhone 13 Pro Max when processing complex subjects such as grass or tree branches, however, the noise level is so low that it can be said to be non-existent.
The new telephoto camera maintains the overall feel of the original camera and delivers high-quality images. The images of this camera are very sharp and detailed, and the noise level is extremely low. Also, dynamic range is good, contrast is high, and colors are restrained to avoid looking fancy, but overall acceptable. The ultra-wide camera often continues the trend of the main and telephoto cameras of this phone. The difference is that it creates more softness than other cameras and the noise level increases. Its most exciting new feature is the macro photography capability, which is better said to be able to take close-up photos, because it's not technically a macro. However, if you set the light well on the subject, you will be satisfied with its performance in this department.
Battery
As we saw in other 2021 iPhone models, the battery capacity of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models has increased compared to the previous year, and this year, the Max model has the largest battery ever used in Apple phones. Is. The battery capacity of this phone has increased by 18 percent this year and has reached 4352 mAh. According to Apple's claim, this increase in capacity has made the battery life of the 13 Pro Max two and a half hours longer than the 12 Pro Max.
Our experience with the iPhone 13 Pro Max has shown that its battery lasts longer than any other iPhone ever released, and that's great. In fact, the difference in battery life of this model with all other iPhones is very impressive and finally we can say that we are completely satisfied with Apple's performance in this field. This phone lasts for 121 hours on standby, which has never been seen in any iPhone.
This phone comes without a charger, but it can support chargers up to 25 watts. However, it also supports some special 27W chargers. Using a 25-watt charger allows you to charge 43% of the phone's battery capacity within 30 minutes. It takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours to fully charge this phone with such a charger, which are not impressive numbers at all.
Summary
The best iPhone ever made is not perfect. It is heavier than the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the completely identical design of the two is not considered, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is nothing but an improved model at best. The main point is the lack of innovation and creativity in this phone. All Apple has done is improve a few minor specifications. It's about the value of buying and the value of upgrading. Without a doubt, there aren't any major features in the iPhone 13 Pro Max compared to the iPhone 12 Pro Max that make it worth upgrading to the latest model in the series.
Therefore, buying Pro Max 13 is not a good advice for people who have Pro Max 12. Because actually spending money for a few minor improvements that don't have a big impact on the user experience is not reasonable at all. But if you have a device other than the iPhone 12 Pro Max or other models of this series, the game is completely different and it is better not to deprive yourself of the experience of working with the best iPhone ever made.
Strengths
Beautiful and stylish design with complete water resistance
Ultra bright OLED display with very high brightness and 120 Hz refresh rate support
Having the largest battery ever used in an iPhone and finally, decent battery life
High quality stereo speakers with appropriate volume
Unrivaled hardware performance
Excellent photography and video quality in all 4 cameras
Weaknesses
Outdated and outdated design language, the notch above the display should have been removed by now.
Being heavy and weighing 240 grams is too much for a mobile phone
Lack of support for 120 Hz refresh rate in third-party apps
At the end of its power, the processor is prone to conflict and causes the body to heat up.
Its fast charging is not very fast.
iOS operating system with its limitations is still not convenient for Android users.
high price