Review: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro

Usually, we here at WIRED recommend the standard iPhone as the model to get for most people. This year, Apple made that recommendation even easier to make. 

No matter which iPhone 13 you buy, you now get 128 gigabytes of storage, as well as Apple's sensor-shift camera stabilization technology, which allows for sharper low-light photos by reducing micro hand-shakes. Both of those features used to be exclusive to the Pro model iPhones. My favorite new camera feature—Cinematic Mode—isn't restricted to one particular model either. WIRED's Lauren Goode tested the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini, so I highly suggest you read her review for more reasons on why you probably don't need a Pro. 

But you've probably already ordered a Pro Max because you want the biggest, bestest, newest gadget out there. And that's fine. Both the iPhone 13 Pro ($999) and iPhone 13 Pro Max ($1,099) are excellent smartphones with a few standout perks. Emphasis on "a few." The improvements over last year's iPhone 12 Pro range are all iterative, though very welcome. 

The biggest non-camera-related reason to upgrade to the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max is ProMotion, which is Apple's name for its 120-Hz screen refresh rate technology that debuted on the iPad Pro in 2017. You can read more about screen refresh rates if you're curious about this feature, but just know the iPhone's screen is doubling the number of images, or frames, it shows per second, from 60 to 120, which makes animations smoother.

Apple's playing catch up, as we've seen Android phones with high refresh rates for some time (even on cheap phones), but the implementation here takes into account what you're doing at any given moment and the speed at which your finger interacts with the screen. Just sitting on a static home screen? That refresh rate is probably in the low 10s. Wheeling through Instagram? It'll ratchet up to 120. (This dynamic adjustment helps conserve battery life too, since running 120 Hz all the time burns through battery.) The smoother screen experience is noticeable next to last year's iPhone 12 Pro Max. Everything just feels a tiny bit more fluid.

With a massive 6.7-inch screen, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the iPhone you'll want to get if you want the biggest display. I also usually recommend the Max because the biggest iPhone often has a few extra tricks up its sleeve, even over the standard Pro. Well, not this year. Both Pro models are nearly identical—they're just separated by size and battery life. I've found myself gravitating to the 6.1-inch Pro's more compact size this time around. It's just so easy to reach all parts of the screen with one hand, and it's not too heavy. Better yet, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by choosing the smaller Pro. 

One other Pro-exclusive perk? The displays get a little brighter than the other iPhone 13 models. If you're out on a very sunny day, you'll have an easier time seeing these OLED screens. 

Photograph: Apple

Both are powered by the new A15 Bionic chip, but beware! For the first time, it's not the exact same A15 chip in the standard iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Mini. This year, Apple is adding an extra graphics core for the Pro models, which should mean a boost when gaming or running other visually demanding apps. I noticed Genshin Impact ran smoother on the Pro Max over its predecessor. If you're a heavy gamer, it may make sense to reap the benefit of this extra core. But for everyday tasks, my benchmark computing scores were marginally higher than the results from last year's A14 Bionic.

Apple says it tidied up the internal components to make room for larger batteries on both of these iPhones, and they comfortably last me a full day of heavy use. The iPhone 13 Pro Max, for example, hit an impressive seven hours of screen on time, with the regular Pro coming in a little behind. That said, it'd be nice if an iPhone was finally able to last two full days. Now that would be a Pro feature.

Apple may have brought its sensor-shift stabilization tech to the main camera of every iPhone 13 model, but the Pro iPhones still have different cameras than their more affordable siblings. Sure, all of them have an ultrawide and a main camera, but on the Pro, both can take in more light. That helps produce sharper nighttime photos. Then there's the additional 3x optical zoom camera for more versatility; it can zoom in closer to your subject than last year's Pro could. 

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All three cameras are very reliable. You can take a pretty detailed and bright photo after the sun has set, especially now that Apple's Night Mode works on all three sensors. I only wish the camera was better about triggering Night Mode automatically; too often, I got better results after manually turning it on when it was obviously dark enough. Then there's Portrait Mode, which works excellently on shots of my dog, and because of the Pro-exclusive lidar sensor, you can take portrait Night Mode photos, which bests results from competitors like the Google Pixel 5. 

The ultrawide camera can autofocus this time around, and so it pulls double duty on the Pro models and doubles as a macro camera. Macro is another feature that's available in almost every affordable Android phone, but Apple offers some of the best image quality here. The camera automatically switches to it when you get really close to a subject. You can get as close as 2 centimeters away—that's 0.78 inches! It’s great for bugs, plants, and my dog’s snoot. It even works in video mode. It’s a fun addition, but I’ve tried macro cameras on other phones before and it inevitably ends up being a feature I completely forget about. I did have some trouble with the autofocus in macro mode; it kept shifting while I tried to hold still, so I recommend using a tripod. The camera also kept switching to the main camera (there’s no dedicated macro mode). To make the experience as smooth as possible, switch to the ultrawide camera first and then move in close to your subject. That way, it won’t try to switch sensors if you move further away. (Apple says it will add a toggle to prevent this switching in an update later this year.)

It's a great camera system, but there's nothing singular here that gives it a sizable edge over last year. Slightly brighter and sharper photos are always welcome, but I'd have loved to see something … different, not unlike the 10x optical zoom on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. One thing that is new is Photographic Styles, which is a filter, but don't call it that. It's technically four photo styles you choose from before you take the photo—Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, Cool—and Apple's image processing smartly applies the changes to the image without affecting things like skin tone. Let's just call it a better filter, OK? But guess what? It's not exclusive to the Pro models. 

Video mode, on the other hand, is where I spent most of my time testing these new Pro cameras, and it's all because of Cinematic Mode. I take Portrait Mode photos all the time, so you can imagine my excitement when this new mode brought it to video. You get a blur effect, similar to the bokeh you get from professional cameras, around a subject. What's unique here is that Apple recognizes subjects and can automatically shift focus to whatever the subject looks at when they turn their head. If the camera gets it wrong, you can very easily edit the clip to change the focus. It's incredible. 

But there are some big caveats to Cinematic Mode. You're restricted to 1080p video capture, not 4K. It also needs a lot of light to work effectively, so it's a no-go at night or in low light. I've also had trouble with the focus—when I look back at a door, my dog that's a small distance away, or a tree, the focus keeps staying on me, so I need to manually tap the screen to change it (while filming or post-capture).

Apple says the effect works best when shifting between two faces, and when I tried it with my partner, the camera did accurately shift focus to her when I turned away.

Still, this is the most impressive feature to come out of the new iPhone 13 Pro, and guess what? Yyyep. It's available on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini too. I don't want to make it sound like I'm against all of these features becoming available on the cheaper iPhones—that's fantastic. But there are just not that many other reasons to spend more for the Pros. 

One last thing might sway you: ProRes video capture. It's a professional-quality video format that gives you more control over your clips when editing, and it's arguably the most pro feature on this iPhone. Too bad it's not available yet, so I wasn't able to test it. It's expected to arrive on the phone later this year. I want to point out that Apple says if you buy the 128 GB iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max, ProRes will only film at 1080p, whereas a phone with 256 GB of storage or more can shoot in 4K. Which begs the question: Why don't the Pro models start with more storage?

Other Pro-specific features include a stainless steel build, which is more durable than the aluminum iPhone 13 and Mini. There's now a 1 terabyte storage option too, which is nice, but again, it'd be nice if the base Pro model started with 256 gigs. That's about it. Apple retained its MagSafe magnetic accessory system here, just like on the cheaper iPhone 13 models, and the devices are all IP68 water resistant. 

Better gaming performance, a smoother display, long-lasting battery life, along with more and better cameras: These are all great reasons to jump for the Pro. If that's what you prioritize. Just know that, more than ever before, you're getting quite a bit with the non-Pro iPhones. And if that means saving a few hundred bucks that you can spend on the more important things in life, especially in these difficult times, I'd say that's a win.