Apple iPhone XS Max Smartphone Review

The iPhone XS Max follows the same design as the iPhone X, but on a larger scale. The camera sensors are still in the same place, the back has the same simple reflective glass design, and the frame is still made of stainless steel. Equally, the XS Max retains the iPhone X’s infamous notch, and it is just as thick at a reported 7.7 mm (~0.3 in).

The XS Max is considerably heavier though at 208 g (~7.3 oz) given its gargantuan size. However, the device is a few grams lighter than both the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium. The 6.5-inch display has plenty of screen space even if you discount the areas surrounding the notch.

The XS Max is available in either Space Gray, Silver or a new Gold variant. According to Apple each of the XS series’ stainless-steel frames are sophisticatedly matched to their respective case color. The fit and finish of our 64-GB Space Gray XS Max test device is excellent, but the whole device is a fingerprint magnet. Apple further claims that they use the most structurally stable glass ever used in a smartphone in their XS series devices. We would recommend getting a screen protector and a case to protect your XS Max, even though Apple’s outlandish claim proves to be true as initial drop tests indicate that the iPhone XS is structurally stronger than its bigger sibling. Equally, the iPhone X’s metal case is susceptible to scratches, so it is likely that the XS Max’s will be too as they are both made of the same alloy.

The device should be strong enough for daily use, particularly as we could not get the case or display to deform with any amount of pressure that we applied with our hands. Annoyingly, our test device creaks audibly when we twist it, which is not something that we would expect from such an expensive smartphone. Equally, the iPhone X does not creak either. Moreover, our test device sounds rather hollow when we tap on the display, but this is a superficial complaint more than anything else.

The case is IP68 certified, but Apple limits the XS Max to just thirty minutes of underwater submersion. However, the device is also resistant to more aggressive liquids such as beer and chlorine, which is an improvement over the iPhone X’s liquid resistance.

The XS Max supports all Wi-Fi standards up to IEEE 802.11 ac and has comparable Wi-Fi performance to other flagships, even if the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium scores a few MBit/s higher in iperf3 Client Wi-Fi tests. We tested the XS Max and all our comparison devices with our Linksys EA 8500 reference router. Websites load quickly, and our test device has full Wi-Fi reception when close to the router. Wi-Fi reception dropped by a third when we tested the XS Max around ten meters (~33 ft) away from the router, but websites still load quickly.

The XS Max retains the iPhone X’s solid LTE capabilities. As with its predecessor, the XS Max has Gigabit LTE, but the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 achieves slightly faster LTE speeds. However, there should be no discernible difference in practice between the XS Max and the Note 9’s LTE performance. The XS Max should have LTE coverage practically the world over, thanks to LTE Band 27 support, which is an improvement over the iPhone X. Our test device maintained solid LTE reception on the German D2 mobile network and full network coverage indoors.

The XS Max also supports Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC, albeit the latter is limited just to read mode.

Our test device found our location and compass orientation quickly and maintained within Apple Maps regardless of whether we used the device indoors or outdoors.

We took the XS Max on a bike ride to test its location accuracy against a professional navigation device, the Garmin Edge 520. Our test device recorded the course well, but deviated by 230 meters (~251 yd) over a 5.67 km (~3.3 mi) ride. The XS Max struggles to maintain the same degree of accuracy as the Garmin when riding over a road bridge. However, our test device plots our route more precisely when cycling on flat roads. Small deviations are probably unavoidable, but overall the XS Max should be suitable for all general navigation tasks that do not require absolute GPS precision.

The phone app remains unchanged in iOS 12 and continues to open into the number pad upon which you can switch to contacts or call history via the tabs at the bottom of the app. The Phone app also lists calls from other apps such as Skype within your call history.

Our call partner sounds clear and without any background noise when we make a call over the earpiece at medium volume. However, we noticed that their voice started to boom upon increasing the call to maximum volume.

By contrast, we sounded clear and detailed to our call partner at all volumes over speakerphone, although the speaker again failed to output our call partner’s voice clearly at maximum volume.

We also tested the XS Max under controlled lighting conditions. Our test device reproduces our test chart well with good details, although the degree of sharpness across the whole image could be better. Image dynamics are good too, but colors are reproduced too darkly when compared to references colors using ColorChecker Passport.

The XS Max comes with a charger, a USB Type-A to Lightning cable, a pair of Lightning headphones, a SIM tool, a quick start guide and a set of stickers. Frustratingly, Apple has omitted the Lightning to 3.5 mm jack adapter that they include with the iPhone X. Moreover, the included charger is rated at only 5 V and 1 A, so it is not powerful enough for the XS Max to take advantage of its fast charging capabilities. Naturally, Apple sells more powerful chargers as optional purchases should you wish to charge your device faster. Interestingly, the XS Max’s quick start guide lists an AirPower base under “Charging”, which is presumably some unannounced wireless charger. It is odd for Apple to include this in the documentation for the XS Max when the charger remains unreleased, but perhaps Apple delayed its release after already sending the quick start guides to print.

Apple lists numerous XS Max accessories on their website. These include the €179 (~$208) AirPods, a €45 (~$52) silicone case available in multiple colors, a €149 (~$128) leather case or third-party wireless that cost between €65-€70 (~$76-81). Apple also sells a wide variaty of other iPhone accessories ranging from photography related add-ons to iPhone connected musical instruments.

The XS Max comes with a twenty-four month manufacturer’s warranty, which can be extended by AppleCare+ for a €299 (~$348) one-off payment. AppleCare+ provides telephone support, two replacement iPhones and reduced repair costs that range from €29 to €99 (~$34 to ~$115); these are significantly cheaper than non-AppleCare+ repair costs. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

The XS Max is again the device to beat in browser benchmarks, eclipsing all but the similarly equipped iPhone XS. Websites load quickly, and we rarely experienced any noticeable wait times even with complex HTML websites such as Google’s Interland.

According to Apple, the A12 Bionic promises up to 50% improved power efficiency over the A11 Bionic. The XS Max is more efficient than the iPhone X despite having a larger display, but the A12 Bionic falls short of Apple’s claims. Our test device consumes 18% less on average than the iPhone X and only achieves Apple’s claim in maximum power consumption at idle tests, where the XS Max is 53% more power efficient than its smaller predecessor.

The XS Max consumes slightly more than its smaller sibling too, but is more efficient than all our comparison devices except for the Huawei Mate 10 Pro.

The XS Max has a 3,174 mAh battery, which is around 15% larger than that of the iPhone X but is smaller than most of our Android comparison devices. By contrast, both the Galaxy Note 9 and the Mate 10 Pro have 4,000 mAh batteries, while the Google Pixel 2 XL and the Xperia XZ2 Premium each have around 3,500 mAh battery capacities. The LG G7 ThinQ is our only Android comparison device with a battery that is smaller than that of the XS Max.

A quick look at our comparison table indicates that the XS Max has a relatively poor battery life, with four out of five of our Android comparison devices averaging longer runtimes than our test device. The XS Max struggles to compete with its bigger battery counterparts in idle and sustained load battery tests, finishing over 50% behind the Note 9 and Mate 10 Pro in the latter test.

The XS Max closes the gap in our H.264 video test in which we run an H.264 encoded video on a loop. Our test device finishes fourth in this test and is only 12% behind the Note 9 and 16% behind the Mate 10 Pro. However, the XS Max achieved an excellent runtime in our standardized Wi-Fi battery life test, finishing between 7 and 10% short of our 4,000 mAh battery counterparts.

In short, the XS Max has impressive battery life for general use, but cannot match the competition when idling or when put under sustained load.

The XS Max supports both Qi wireless and fast charging, but you would be forgiven for not knowing that as it includes no such compatible chargers in the box. Apple’s omission in this respect is somewhat cheeky since most mid-range Android smartphones at least include a fast charger. Apple only includes a charger that takes over three hours to fully recharge our test device. Apple sells a quick charger for €25 (~$29), which is not particularly cheap. Many third-party manufacturers sell compatible cheaper quick chargers too.