SpecEagle review · Apple

iPhone 13 Pro Max review: The 2021 Pro Max — first 120 Hz iPhone, and a battery-life champion of its day.

SpecEagle Editorial·Sep 2021·$1,099
Overall
80/100
Class rank
#7 of 15
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
At the right price
The verdict, up front

A great phone in 2021 — now a sensible used buy with years of iOS left.

The 13 Pro Max delivered the first 120 Hz iPhone screen and outstanding battery life. The A15 is still smooth in daily use, and with several iOS versions of support remaining it is a reasonable second-hand pick.

01Display

88/100

88/100 puts it above the 86-point average for flagship phones of 2021.

TypeLTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120 Hz (debut)
Size6.7 inches
Resolution2,778 × 1,284 px (458 ppi)
Peak brightness1,200 nits HDR
ProtectionCeramic Shield

02Camera

84/100

At 84/100 this is one of the strongest camera showings among flagship phones of 2021 — 7 points above the cohort average.

Main12 MP, f/1.5, sensor-shift OIS
Ultrawide12 MP, f/1.8, macro
Telephoto12 MP, f/2.8, 3× optical
Selfie12 MP, f/2.2
Video4K @ 60 fps · ProRes · Cinematic mode

03Performance

80/100

80/100 trails the 85-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2021.

ChipsetApple A15 Bionic (5 nm)
CPU6-core
GPUApple 5-core GPU
RAM6 GB
Storage128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

04Battery

86/100

86/100 puts it above the 80-point average for flagship phones of 2021.

Capacity4,352 mAh
Wired~27 W (Lightning)
Wireless15 W MagSafe

05Build

89/100

89/100 puts it above the 86-point average for flagship phones of 2021.

06Value

78/100

78/100 puts it above the 76-point average for flagship phones of 2021.

What works
  • First iPhone with a 120 Hz ProMotion display.
  • Exceptional battery life for its generation.
  • Strong, reliable triple-camera system.
  • Long iOS support life remaining.
What doesn't
  • Lightning port and 5 nm A15 show its age.
  • Heavy 240 g stainless-steel body.
  • 12 MP main sensor — pre-48 MP era.
  • Discontinued by Apple.
Cross-shop it against
iQOO 11
$650 · score 90/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 15-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .