iPhone 13 Pro Max: How Apple's priciest phones compare to the best Pixel, Galaxy phones
The new iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are Apple's highest-end phones for 2021. Here's how they stack up against heavy hitters from the Google and Samsung.
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The iPhone 13 Pro has wide-angle, ultrawide and telephoto cameras.
Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro are the new highest-end phones revealed at Tuesday's Apple event. The phones received many of the improvements given to the entire iPhone 13 line, such as longer battery life and a new design featuring a slightly smaller notch. On top of that, these two Pro iPhones receive displays with a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother animations along with a new triple-lens camera system. If you want an especially spacious iPhone, a 1TB storage option is now available for each Pro iPhone.
Read more: CNET's iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max reviews
The phones also pack a more expensive punch in the wallet, starting at $999 (£949, AU$1,699) for the Pro and $1,099 (£1,049, AU$1,849) for the Pro Max. The price range puts it firmly into the premium line of phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, the OnePlus 9 Pro and Google's Pixel 5.
If you can easily swap between iOS and Android -- and are looking to upgrade to one of these companies' highest-end phones -- check out our chart below detailing each of them side by side. Pixel fans should probably hold off a few more weeks as it's getting close to the time we expect the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to debut, but for now we're including the Pixel 5 while it remains Google's highest-end phone.
iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. rivals
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | Galaxy S21 Ultra | Pixel 5 | OnePlus 9 Pro | |
| Display size, resolution | 6.7-inch OLED; 2,778x1,284 pixels | 6.8-inch Edge WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, 3,200x1,440 pixels | 6-inch FHD+ OLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels | 6.7-inch AMOLED; 1,440x3,216 pixels |
| Pixel density | 458 ppi | 515 ppi | 432 ppi | 525 ppi |
| Dimensions (Inches) | 6.33x3.07x0.3 in | 2.97x6.5x0.35 in | 5.7x2.8x0.3 in | 6.43x2.90x0.34 in |
| Dimensions (Millimeters) | 161x78x7.65 mm | 75.6x165.1x8.9mm | 144.7x70.4x8.0 mm | 163.2x73.6x8.7 mm |
| Weight (Ounces, Grams) | 8.48 oz; 240g | 8.07 oz; 229g | 5.33 oz; 151g | 197 g; 6.95 oz |
| Mobile software | iOS 15 | Android 11 | Android 11 | Android 11 |
| Camera | 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (telephoto) | 108-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 10-megapixel (10x telephoto) | 12.2-megapixel (standard), 16-megapixel (ultra-wide) | 48-megapixel (main), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 8-megapixel (telephoto), 2-megapixel (monochrome) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 10-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 16-megapixel |
| Video capture | ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB storage)* | 8K | 4K | 8K |
| Processor | Apple A15 Bionic | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB/256GB, 512GB | 128GB | 128GB/256GB |
| RAM | Undisclosed | 12GB, 16GB | 8GB | 8GB, 12GB |
| Expandable storage | No | No | No | No |
| Battery | Undisclosed; Apple lists 28 hours of video playback | 5,000 mAh | 4,000mAh | 4,500 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | No (Face ID) | In-screen | Rear | In-screen |
| Connector | Lightning | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | No | No | No | No |
| Special features | ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz; lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water-resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) | IP68 rating, 5G-enabled, 100x Space Zoom, 10W wireless charging, 10x optical zoom | 5G enabled; water resistant (IP68); 90Hz refresh rate display; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); reverse wireless charging; fast charging | 5G enabled; water resistant (IP68), fast charging 65W, fast wireless charging 50W; stereo speakers |
| Price off-contract (USD) | $1,099 (128GB), $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB) | $1,200 (128GB), $1,250 (256GB), $1,380 (512GB) | $699 | $969 (128GB) |
| Price (GBP) | £1,049 (128GB), £1,149 (256GB), £1,349 (512GB), £1,549 (1TB) | £1,329 | £599 | £829 |
| Price (AUD) | AU$1,849 (128GB), AU$2,019 (256GB), AU$2,369 (512GB), AU$2,719 (1TB) | AU$1,849 | AU$999 | N/A |
