3 reasons you should buy the iPhone XS Max instead of the standard iPhone XS

iphone xs max
YouTube/MKBHD

Apple unveiled three new iPhones this year: the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

Advertisement

While the iPhone XR is in a league of its own— it doesn't even go on sale until the end of this month — the iPhone XS and XS Max are considered the true successors to last year's iPhone X, which featured a total redesign that removed the traditional home button in favor of a facial recognition system and an edge-to-edge OLED display.

But if you're considering the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max, which is the right phone for you?

Here are 3 reasons to choose the larger iPhone XS Max instead of the standard iPhone XS:

Advertisement

1. The iPhone XS Max has a bigger display — and for smartphones, bigger screens are better for just about anything.

iPhone XS and XS Max
The iPhone XS (L) and XS Max Getty

The iPhone XS and XS Max both feature the same OLED "Super Retina" display from last year's iPhone X — the same pixel density, same contrast ratio, same everything.

The only difference, screen-wise, between the iPhone XS and the XS Max, is the size. But size is a pretty big deal.

Going from 5.8 inches on the iPhone XS to 6.5 inches on the iPhone XS Max is a pretty substantial leap, and that bigger screen comes in handy just about everywhere: If you're writing an email, taking notes, watching a movie, or just reading Reddit or Twitter, having more real estate is a good thing. Your content looks bigger and better — particularly your photos and videos, which really pop on that large OLED screen.

If you spend a lot of time on your phone, it's worth the extra $100 (to start) to upgrade to the bigger screen on the iPhone XS Max.

Advertisement

2. The iPhone XS Max has better battery life than the standard iPhone XS.

iPhone XS Max
Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Last year's iPhone X could last about 12 to 13 hours on a single charge.

This year's iPhone XS lasts 30 minutes longer than the iPhone X, so expect 12.5 to 13.5 hours.

But iPhone XS Max has the best battery life of them all: It lasts 90 minutes longer than the iPhone X, so expect 13.5 to 14.5 hours.

Advertisement

3. The iPhone XS Max has a slight edge when it comes to graphics and overall performance compared to the standard iPhone XS.

iPhone XS Max
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Both new iPhones feature identical processors — including Apple's new A12 Bionic chip, 6-core CPU, a 4-core GPU, and a next-generation neural engine that's dedicated to machine learning.

But for some reason, the iPhone XS Max performs slightly better than the iPhone XS when it comes to benchmark scores for graphics and overall speed.

Tom’s Guide performed three separate benchmark tests on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max — Geekbench 4, which measures overall speed, and 3DMark Slingshot Extreme and GFX Bench 5, which both measure graphics performance. The iPhone XS Max came out on top in all three tests. (Both phones performed much better in those benchmark tests than last year’s iPhone X.)

Apple iPhone Smartphones
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.