The iPhone 13 Pro Max came out 3 years after the iPhone XS, so how much has the technology moved on, and is the iPhone 13 Pro Max a better buy? Well, of course, it depends so let’s take a look at how they compare.

The iPhone XS is the smaller of these two phones, it measures 145.6 x 79.9 mm and weighs 177g compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 160.8 x 78.1 mm and whopping 240 g. This means the iPhone XS is easier to hold, especially for those of you with smaller hands. Both phones have a stunning OLED edge-to-edge screen, but the size difference of the phones means the screen on the iPhone 13 Pro Max is almost an inch bigger, 6.7 to 5.8 inches. You get the same 458 pixels per inch on both phones.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max has excellent battery life. You’ll get around 44 hours to the iPhone XS’s 22. That’s a huge improvement. It also has a much faster A15 bionic processor compared to the A12 on the iPhone XS. Camera-wise you won’t be disappointed either, there are four rear 12 MP cameras compared to two on the iPhone XS, which means you get 3 X optical zoom and an ultra-wide lens. You also get a 12 MP selfie camera instead of only 7 MP. The iPhone 13 Pro Max offers increased storage compared to the iPhone XS, it has 6 GB RAM instead of 4 and is available with up to 1024 Gb of storage, while the iPhone XS offers up to 512 Gb. Many people will find half of this is more than enough, so it’s worth considering whether you need all of that.

There’s no doubt that the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a lot to offer, but the iPhone XS is still an excellent phone. A lot of people don’t need an ultra-fast high-performance phone for their day-to-day usage anyway, so they can save money and get an iPhone XS. Both phones are available for less if you opt for a refurbished model.