What's the difference between the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the iPhone XS Max?

Every phone seems to have pro, max, super, ultra, heroic, or God-like attached to it. That’s all well and good, but these words start to lose their significance once they’re on every device. It’s important to look at the actual stats and not focus on the names. 

For example, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone 11 Pro Max both have fancy names, but what’s the difference between them? Let’s find out! 

iPhone XS Max & iPhone 11 Pro Max

Colour

Picking the colour of your phone is always a fun part of picking your phone. You can always get a case though, so don’t make it the final straw! 

  • iPhone XS Max: Available in gold, silver, and space grey.
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: Available in gold, silver, space grey, and midnight green.

  • iPhone 11 Pro Max

    Display

    Size-wise, these two phones are the same. They both have a 6.5” True Tone, wide colour display. That’s where the similarities end, though. 

  • iPhone XS Max: Super Retina HD, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 3D Touch
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: Super Retina XDR, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, Haptic Touch

  • Camera

    The camera features are what really set these two phones apart. Both will take great pictures, but the iPhone 11 Pro Max outshines the XS Max. 

  • iPhone XS Max: Dual 12-megapixel Wide (ƒ/1.8 aperture) and Telephoto (ƒ/2.4 aperture) cameras, 2x optical zoom in; digital zoom at up to 10x, True Tone flash with Slow Sync
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: Triple 12-megapixel Ultra Wide (Ultra Wide: ƒ/2.4 aperture), Wide (ƒ/1.8 aperture), and Telephoto (ƒ/2.4 aperture) cameras, night mode, 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range; digital zoom at up to 10x, Brighter True Tone flash

  • Chip

    Both devices have what are considered to be top-end chips and engines, but the iPhone 11 Pro Max once again edges out the iPhone XS Max. The XS Max has the A12 Bionic chip with a second-generation Neural Engine, while the 11 Pro Max has the A13 Bionic chip with a third-generation Neural Engine. 

    Battery

    Both devices support Qi wireless charging, and that’s more or less where the similarities end. 

  • iPhone XS Max: Video playback up to 15 hours, audio playback up to 65 hours, fast-charge-capable up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher 
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: Video playback up to 20 hours (streamed up to 12 hours), audio playback up to 80 hours, fast-charge-capable up to 50% in 35 minutes with an 18W adapter or higher

  • iPhone XS Max

    Water Resistance

    It’s not a great idea to go swimming with your phone, but if you happen to get caught in the rain, pushed into a pool, or drop the phone into the toilet (ew), both of these devices will survive. 

  • iPhone XS Max: Water-resistant to a depth of 2 metres for up to 30 minutes
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: Water-resistant to a depth of 4 metres for up to 30 minutes. 

  • Capacity

    Here’s an easy one—both of these phones are available in the following capacities: 64GB, 256GB, 512GB.

    If you’re looking for the best possible phone of the two, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is the way to go. That being said, the XS Max is still an elite phone and will keep you satisfied for a long time.

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