The iPhone XS Max changes the formula for Apple. For the last few yearswhen there’s been a ‘plus’-sized iPhonethe bigger one has been definitively better. The screen size is a matter of personal preferencebut they’ve also had significantly longer battery life than the smaller iPhonesand dual cameras instead of single-lens affairs. 

Maybe that’s why this 6.5-inch model is called the iPhone XS Max instead of ‘plus’ – because while it’s bigger than the 5.8-inch iPhone XSthey’re otherwise practically identical.

Compared to last year’s iPhone Xthey’ve been subtly re-engineered pretty much from top to bottombut does that kind of refinement keep it at the head of our best smartphones list?

• Like big phones (and you cannot lie)? Read our Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review
• Here's our hands-on iPhone XR review – Apple's cheaper phone could be a winner too
• 12 hidden features you might not have found in iOS 12 yet

Apple iPhone XS Max review: pricemodels and availability

The iPhone X made headlines by hitting the £999 ($999) price markand the iPhone XS Max cruises right past that into four figures. 

It starts at £1,099 for a model with 64GByou can leap to 256GB for £1,249or get the 512GB top-of-the-line model for £1,449. RememberiPhones don’t have microSD card slotsso you’re stuck with whatever amount of storage you start with.

The iPhone XS Max comes in three colours: silverspace greyand the new gold finish. The gold is the standout this year – it’s a darkwarm colour that’s somewhere between bronze and pure gold.

The iPhone XS Max (or its smaller sibling) are available to buy from the Apple Store onlineor through Carphone WarehouseThreeVodafoneO2 and EE.

Apple iPhone XS Max screen & speakers

Given that the only major difference between the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max is the screenwe might as well start there. 

The 6.5-inch 2688x1242 OLED display is absolutely stunningleading the field in vibrancy and colours without questioneven if the 6.4-inch Samsung Galaxy Note9 actually has it beaten for sharpness. When things are this high-resolutionthoughthe small difference is no problem at all.

Watching movies on the screen is especially impressive: all of Apple’s OLED phones support Dolby Visionwhich is the most advanced kind of HDRand is supported by Netflix and iTunes moviesso there’s plenty of content. 

Firing up a blockbuster that makes the most of the dynamic range on offer here puts most TVs to shame – the depth of the blacks and richness of the colours is gripping.

As an added bonusthe stereo speakers actually give you true left and right separation if you’re using them – you can hear things move in space as they travel across the screen. Good headphones will always be betterbut the speakers are so clearloud and well-balancedthat this really doesn’t seem like a bad way to watch something. 

They're among the most impressive I’ve heardthough the Razer Phone’s amazing Atmos speakers still have Apple beatsince they somehow also added in heightdespite coming from a phone you’re holding just in front of you.

Obviouslythe bigger screen of the XS Max makes this experience that much more spectacular than the regular XS (which is the exact same size and resolution as the X before it). But otherwisethe difference between using the bigger version of the phone and the smaller isn’t that pronounced – even less than I’d assumedto be honest.

A very important piece of context here is that I am a 6' 3" manand therefore in possession of hands that are not exactly tiny.

Moving from an iPhone X to the Max didn’t feel like anywhere near as big of a jump as expected. I could still type one-handed with only a small adjustment to gripand reaching across the phone to use universal ‘back’ swipe was fine. Reaching up to the top of the screen became a lot more of a hassleand I had to use my pinky for supporting the phone morebut none of this left me feeling anything like uncomfortable.

Howeverthe Max is definitely at the edge of what I can use one-handed. Giving the two phone sizes to other peoplethey don’t have be too much smaller before the Max’s size becomes cumbersome.

Which is fine – that’s why Apple makes two sizes – but outside of making videos and photos look even bigger and betterI have to say that I didn’t find that the bigger screen of the Max did much for me.

The idea is thatlike the Plus phones before itapps can make better use of the bigger screen. Turn an email or calendar to landscape and you get a split viewwith a view of your email inbox on the leftsayand a pane showing the selected email’s contents on the right. I know that some power users swear by thisand hated that the 5.8-inch iPhone X didn’t have itbut I have to say that I’ve never found it essential. 

On the Samsung Note9the bigger screen is used for two apps at onceand though they may be quite crampedanyone can find this to be a productivity boon compared to smaller phones in a pinch. I just wouldn’t say the same about the Max. 

That isn’t really a knock against it – as I saidsome apps use the screen more carefullyand almost any app can just show more stuffpotentially – but I'm just saying that you shouldn’t get a bigger screen expecting to be an automatic boost to work. The smaller model may actually be faster to use in some casesbecause it’s easier to handle.

Apple iPhone XS Max review: camera

One area of improvement Apple hasif anythingunderplayed compared to last year’s model is the camera. A much bigger (over 30% larger) sensor captures loads more lightwhile the new extra-powerful processor does more AI analysis of scenes as you shoot themresult in actually a big leap forward in quality. 

Low-light shooting in particular is now just about on a par with the incredible Google Pixel 2 camera – it picks up light and details that were fuzzy before. And for bright imagesyou get even more vibrant colours and crisp outlines (Apple used to favour its photos coming out quite neutralbut this time seems to processing colours with a bit more saturation).

Apple calls its handling of light and shadows ‘Smart HDR’which helps to avoid shots where exposing for bright sunlight means you can’t see anything in the shadowsor vice versa. It combines multiple shots into one final version where both are exposed correctlymore like how the eye perceives it. The effect is often mind-blowingproducing images that feel impossible (because they were in the old camerasreally). 

Howeverthis is also kind of how the Pixel 2 makes its shots look so goodand actually I think that phone still does it better – Apple’s come out just a little on the flat sidewhile Google’s keep a little more dynamic range in the shadowswhich gives them a tad more depth and ‘mood’. This is partly a personal thingbut hopefully a bit of software tweaking could make Apple’s even more pleasing.

There’s a new upgrade to the Portrait Mode feature that enables you to choose how blurry the background  should bewhich works really welland give a nice dose of artistic control to the feature.

Intriguinglyand confusinglyyou can now record video in HDR… kind of. 

Apple calls it ‘extended dynamic range’ instead of HDR. The effect is the sameand looks fab – in high-contrast videoyou get dramatic light mixing with deep shadowand in more balanced shotsthere’s just an extra level of detail revealed in shadier parts.

But you can’t view this anywhere else. Apple isn’t using any HDR standard for this (hence the name change)so it gets flattened if you upload the video anywhere else. Sony’s phones record HDR in the HLG formatwhich is supported by YouTube and loads of TVswhich would be preferable.

Apple iPhone XS Max review: performance and battery

Once againApple has once again made the world’s most powerful phone processorbut it’s starting to feel like overkill: the iPhone X was damn fastand the XS is super-slick as wellno surprise.

Everything is instantfrom unlockingto opening appsto switching between them. Do we really need levels of power that beat the lower-end of Apple’s laptop range for all this? Who knowsbut I'm not unhappy about it.

Apple has promised that the Max gets better battery life than the 5.8-inch XS modelespecially since it includes Apple’s biggest battery ever in a phone. It says the XS Max should last an hour longer than the XSbut Apple’s estimates are usually conservative. 

In my experiencethe Max can definitely last a full day of heavy usethough some tasks (4G hotspottingor very intense games) will cut hours off that easily. Basicallyit’s as good as the equivalent phones from competitorsbut no better.

I should  mention that Face ID has also been updated (including the ability to add a second face)and I did find it even more reliable the iPhone X for this – it’s gone from excellent to practically perfect in my experience. But it’s only a small change.

Apple iPhone XS Max review: verdict

In the pastApple’s ‘S’ phones have always been a little faster and more refinedlike this yearbut have also had a big new featuresuch as Sirior Touch ID. The lack of that in the XS can definitely be felt if you’re weighing it up as an upgrade from the X. If you really love bigger screens and are camera madthen getting replacing the X with an XS Max will make you happybut otherwise it’s more like an even more tuned-up version of last year’s phone. 

But if you’re on an older iPhoneor are planning to switch and want the biggest and best iPhone out therethe Max is absolutely the phone for you. The sleek steel design hasn’t been betteredthe camera is up there with the best in the worldit’s so smooth to use it feels unrealand the screen is probably better for movies than your telly.

The Max in particular can be massively expensiveyesbut you won't regret spending the money.

Apple iPhone XS Max review: News & updates

June 52019 – Apple has announced the new features coming to the iPhone XS Max this autumn; you can catch up with all of them in our iOS 13 guidebut here are some of our favourites.

There's a new Dark Mode that takes advantage of the OLED screen's blacksand stop the phone blaring out hard light in the dark. Changes to the structure of apps makes them much smaller to download and installand they'll open twice as fast. 

A redesigned Photos app does a better job of highlighting shots you've taken in the past and forgotten aboutcurating a kind of album for you right as you scroll through. There are also more options for the Portrait Lighting featureand you can now adjust videos in the same as photos for the first timeapplying colour changesrotating it and more.

Apple is doubling down on privacy toointroducing a way to sign into apps without giving away your email or any other personal information. And if you do want to be contactApple will generate fake email address that forward to your real oneso you can't be tracked through the addressand you can terminate these any time.