When discussing smartphones, few brands stir excitement and anticipation quite like Apple, with each iPhone release eagerly awaited by tech enthusiasts and everyday users alike. As we consider the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, we’re not just comparing two devices; we’re examining the evolution of innovation, design, and technology over time. This comparison highlights the features that set these two models apart, providing a clear perspective on the advancements made between generations and helping you understand whether an upgrade is in your future or if previous models still hold their ground.
Table of contents
iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max at a glance
| Feature | iPhone 13 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Dimensions | 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.30 in 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65 mm | 6.30 x 3.02 x 0.32 in 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm |
| Weight | 8.47 oz 240 g | 7.80 oz 221 g |
| Display | 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz | 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz |
| Peak brightness | 1200 nits (HDR) | 2000 nits (HDR) |
| Processor | A15 Bionic chip | A17 Pro chip |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB |
| Storage options | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, |
| Rear camera setup | Triple 12MP (Wide, Ultra Wide, Telephoto) | Triple 48MP (Main), 12MP (Ultra Wide, Telephoto) |
| Optical zoom | Up to 3x | Up to 5x |
| Video recording | ProRes up to 4K at 30fps | ProRes up to 4K at 60fps, Log Video |
| Front camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| Biometrics | Face ID | Face ID |
| Battery capacity | 4,352 mAh | 4,411 mAh |
| Battery life | Up to 28 hours of video playback | Up to 29 hours of video playback |
| Charging | MagSafe, Lightning port | MagSafe, USB-C |
| Build material | Stainless steel frame, Ceramic Shield front | Titanium frame, Ceramic Shield front |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| 5G connectivity | Yes | Yes |
| Max OS compatibility | iOS 18 | iOS 18 |
| Apple Intelligence support | No | Yes |
| Colors | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium |
| Price (new) | Starting at $1,099 | Starting at $1,199 |
| Price (refurbished) | Starting at | Starting at |
Reasons to choose the iPhone 13 Pro Max
128GB storage
Graphite
128GB storage
Sierra Blue
128GB storage
Sierra Blue
- More budget-friendly than the newer model.
- Still offers high-performance capabilities.
- Excellent battery life for all-day use.
- Robust camera system delivers quality photos.
- Familiar design for current iPhone users.
- Compatible with a broad range of accessories.
Reasons to choose the iPhone 15 Pro Max
256GB storage
Natural Titanium
256GB storage
White Titanium
256GB storage
Black Titanium
- Superior peak brightness at 1796 nits.
- Enhanced camera quality.
- Longer battery life.
- 5x optical zoom on the rear camera.
- Upgraded Bluetooth 5.3 version.
- Faster LPDDR5 3200 MHz memory.
- Higher performance.
- 8GB of RAM.
- Dynamic Island for better alerts and activities.
- Compatible with Apple Intelligence.
iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: A complete comparison guide
In this section, we’ll explore the key differences and similarities between the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, helping you decide which model suits your needs best. This comprehensive comparison will provide all the essential details, from design and performance to camera capabilities and additional features.
Design and build quality
Both models maintain Apple’s high construction standard, but they have some notable differences that set them apart.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max features a robust build with a surgical-grade stainless steel frame and textured matte glass on the back, offering an elegant look and feel. Its Ceramic Shield front cover boasts a notable resistance to scratches and drops, contributing to its durability.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, takes construction a step further. The back panel is also glass, but the frame material has evolved. Previous models used stainless steel, whereas the 15 Pro Max incorporates titanium, known for its superior strength-to-weight ratio. This can translate into the same, if not enhanced, durability while potentially reducing the overall weight of the device, creating a sense of a more refined and premium device in the hand.
Additionally, The iPhone 15 Pro Max introduces a fresh palette of colors, further distinguishing it from its predecessor: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium.
Display
The iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max are equipped with Apple’s Super Retina XDR OLED displays, which have been praised for delivering stunning visual quality. Both devices feature a 6.7-inch screen, offering the same size and resolution of 2778 x 1284 pixels, translating to a pixel density of around 458 PPI. This ensures that both devices produce sharp, detailed images, with text and visuals appearing crisp and clear.
One of the significant features shared by both models is Apple’s ProMotion technology, which supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This technology provides smoother scrolling and more responsive interactions by dynamically adjusting the refresh rate based on the displayed content. While this feature was introduced with the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the iPhone 15 Pro Max continues to build on this foundation, offering a similarly fluid experience with potentially even more refined performance.
Brightness and color accuracy are areas where the iPhone 15 Pro Max demonstrates clear advancements over its predecessor. The iPhone 13 Pro Max offers impressive brightness, with a typical maximum of around 1000 nits and a peak brightness of 1200 nits when viewing HDR content. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max takes this a step further, with a typical brightness of 1200 nits and a peak HDR brightness of up to 2000 nits.
This makes the iPhone 15 Pro Max particularly effective in bright outdoor conditions and enhances the vibrancy and realism of HDR content. Additionally, both models feature True Tone technology, which adjusts the display’s white balance according to ambient light and supports a wide P3 color gamut for rich and accurate color reproduction.
Performance
The iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max showcase significant advancements in Apple’s system-on-chip (SoC) technology, translating into noticeable improvements in everyday tasks, including app loading times, multitasking, and gaming. While both devices are high performers, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, powered by the A17 Pro chip, marks a significant leap from the A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The A15 Bionic chip, featuring a 6-core CPU (two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores) and a 5-core GPU, was a powerhouse at launch. It enables seamless multitasking, rapid app launches, and smooth gaming, even with graphics-intensive titles. The chip also included a 16-core Neural Engine, which efficiently handled machine learning tasks like photo and video processing, enhancing Siri’s responsiveness and other AI-driven features.
👉 Learn more: 20 best AI apps for your iPhone in 2024
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, with its A17 Pro chip, takes performance to a new level. Built on a 3-nanometer process, the A17 Pro packs more transistors, boosting speed and power efficiency. The 6-core CPU is faster and more efficient, enabling the device to handle demanding tasks with lower power consumption.
The GPU, featuring a 6-core design, introduces hardware-accelerated ray tracing, significantly improving gaming graphics’ realism and detail. Benchmark tests, including Geekbench scores, show substantial gains in CPU and GPU performance compared to the A15 Bionic, reflecting faster app execution and smoother multitasking in real-world use.
Additionally, the enhanced Neural Engine in the iPhone 15 Pro Max accelerates machine learning tasks, improving image and video processing and making AI-driven features more responsive. These advancements create a more immediate and responsive user experience, especially in interactive apps and AR.
👉 Learn more: 21 Best Classic and Old iPhone Games You Can Still Play
Cameras
The camera systems of the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max represent Apple’s continued evolution in mobile photography, with notable improvements in sensor quality, lens configurations, and software enhancements. The iPhone 13 Pro Max features a triple 12MP camera setup with wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses, offering impressive versatility.
The main sensor is a 12MP wide lens with an f/1.5 aperture, a 12MP ultra-wide lens with an f/1.8 aperture, and a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.8 aperture, capable of up to 3x optical zoom. This setup allows for excellent low-light performance, enhanced by Apple’s Deep Fusion and Night mode technologies.
Image by: Apple
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, however, pushes boundaries with its upgraded camera system, which includes a 48MP main sensor, significantly larger than the 13 Pro Max’s 12MP sensor, allowing for higher resolution photos and improved detail. Key specs of the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s camera system include:
- 48MP wide lens with f/1.78 aperture
- 12MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture
- 12MP telephoto lens with f/2.8 aperture, up to 5x optical zoom
- LiDAR scanner for enhanced depth sensing and low-light autofocus
This new camera setup is complemented by advanced software features like Photonic Engine, which improves color accuracy and detail in low-light conditions, and an enhanced Night mode.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max also introduces ProRAW and ProRes video recording enhancements, including 4K at 60fps with external recording support and hardware-accelerated ray tracing for improved video realism.
Storage options and memory configurations
The iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max offer different storage and memory configurations.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max is available in four storage options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
In contrast, the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at a higher base storage of 256GB. It can also be extended to 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
When it comes to memory (RAM), the iPhone 13 Pro Max is equipped with 6GB of RAM across all storage variants, which was sufficient for smooth multitasking and handling demanding apps at the time of its release. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, however, comes with 8GB of RAM, enhancing its ability to manage multiple apps and process-intensive tasks and future-proof the device for upcoming software updates.
These differences in storage and RAM can significantly affect user experience. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s higher base storage, coupled with its increased RAM, ensures better performance for users who engage in heavy multitasking or require more space for creative content like ProRAW photos or ProRes videos.
Battery life and charging
The iPhone 13 Pro Max is equipped with a 4,352 mAh battery, which, according to Apple’s estimates, provides up to 28 hours of video playback. This battery size, combined with the energy efficiency of the A15 Bionic chip, allows the iPhone 13 Pro Max to comfortably last a full day under normal usage conditions.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a battery capacity of 4,411 mAh, and it goes along with a more efficient A17 Pro chip built on a 3-nanometer process. The improved energy efficiency of the A17 Pro and software optimizations ensure that the iPhone 15 Pro Max can achieve up to 29 hours of video playback, slightly surpassing the battery life of the 13 Pro Max.
In terms of charging capabilities, both models support MagSafe wireless charging and fast charging via a wired connection.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max introduces faster charging speeds, with support for up to 27W charging, compared to the 20W charging support on the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Additionally, the transition from a Lightning port to USB-C in the iPhone 15 Pro Max further enhances charging flexibility, offering faster data transfer and compatibility with a broader range of charging accessories.
👉 Learn more: 8 Best MagSafe Accessories for Your iPhone in 2024
Conclusion
When comparing the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max, it’s clear that each model has its strengths, making them suitable for different users.
👉 The iPhone 13 Pro Max remains a solid choice for those seeking a high-performance device at a more affordable price, with excellent camera capabilities, battery life, and familiar design.
👉 The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers significant advancements, including improved processing power, a superior camera system, better display brightness, and future-proof features like the USB-C port and extended software support, making it ideal for those looking for the latest technology.
For those considering a more cost-effective option, RefurbMe offers a platform where you can easily compare prices on refurbished Apple devices, including the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Refurbished models come with warranties and substantial discounts, ensuring you get the best deal while still enjoying the high quality of an Apple product. This service is especially useful for buyers looking to maximize value without compromising on performance or reliability.
Here are all iPhone 13 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max in real time. 👇
128GB storage
Graphite
128GB storage
Sierra Blue
128GB storage
Sierra Blue
Happy shopping! 🛍️
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FAQ
The iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro Max differ in various aspects. The 15 Pro Max uses titanium for a lighter feel compared to the 13 Pro Max’s steel. Additionally, the 15 Pro Max is powered by the newer Apple A17 Pro chip, offering faster performance than the A15 Bionic in the 13 Pro Max. Apple has introduced USB-C in the 15 Pro Max, replacing the Lightning port in the 13 Pro Max. The 15 Pro Max also features slimmer bezels, resulting in a slightly different size and aspect ratio, and has a more rounded frame for improved hand comfort.
Upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro Max from an older model can be worthwhile, particularly for tech enthusiasts who crave cutting-edge features and performance enhancements. For casual consumers with moderate phone use, the iPhone 15 Pro Max presents a considerable investment, and they may find the iPhone 13 Pro Max, with its still impressive performance and features, to be a more value-conscious choice.
No, the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max cannot use the same case. Owing to slight variations in dimensions, port alignment, and camera placement, each model requires a case designed specifically for it. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a bit thicker and has a different frame shape compared to its predecessor, and it transitions to a USB-C port rather than the Lightning port found on the 13 Pro Max.
