Apple iPhone XS Max vs 11 in 2021: Which Apple Will You Pick?

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Photo by martin becker on Unsplash

Luis Silva (March 2020, updated: February 2021)

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Introduction

Apple introduced its iPhone 11 model in September of 2019. Meanwhile, Apple's iPhone XS Max started to sell one year sooner.

We are looking at how the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone 11 compare to each other to help you decide which might be the right one for you.

If you have the time, click here to skip the spoilers and continue to the full comparison.

The Apple iPhone 11 and the Apple iPhone XS Max are comparable in price. Still, you'll find the iPhone XS Max cheaper most of the time. That is something worth considering when comparing them.

While scrolling down, you'll see a "Tek-Score" for each phone in every section. All the specifications were examined to allow you a faster discerning of the variation between the phones. You'll also have a global comparison rate if you're willing to consider other phone suggestions.  ? 

Our Tek-Score is based on a study done by Globalwebindex.com on what features users value on new smartphones.

For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.

There's a colored progress bar next to some items. That's so you can see how they rival its direct competitors.  ? 

By clicking here:  i  you'll see which ones we've analyzed, but we only include smartphones with price tags from -20% to +20%.

Some items are clickable, and they'll get you to our corresponding eight top 10 listings for every budget.

Price*			vs.
Device	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
Release Date	2018, September	2019, September	1y.
OS Updates	6 years	6 years	0y.
Security Updates	6 years	6 years	0y.

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Performance

The Apple iPhone 11 is available with the Apple A13 processor, while the Apple iPhone XS Max brings the Apple A12 processor.

Apple improved its GPU for sure, but most likely decided to just keep the same name.

When it comes to the performance, Geekbench 5 rates the iPhone 11 25% ahead of its sibling on the multi-core rankings. On a day-to-day basis, it won't be that noticeable.  ? 

By the way, you can define the iPhone 11 as high-end.

At least you'll get the iOS 12 on the iPhone XS Max, and the iPhone 11 has iOS 13 at its core.

Performance*			vs.
Features	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
SoC	Apple A12	Apple A13
Graphics	Apple GPU	Apple GPU
Geekbench 5 Score	2655	3328	673
OS	iOS 12	iOS 13
Tek-Score	6.4	7.5	1.1

*Reference: Apple iPhone 12.

Display

Would you prefer the 6.1" LCD display of the iPhone 11 or the larger 6.5" AMOLED panel of the iPhone XS Max? You'll likely have set your preferences already on the display type and size. Do you favor AMOLED screens?

The display of the iPhone XS Max has a resolution of 1242x2688 Full HD. The iPhone 11, in its turn, has 828x1792 HD.

The iPhone 11 also falls behind the rest of its class: Its pixel density evens out at 31% below the rest.

No one likes to look at a shattered screen, so I have to put this out: Both are shielded with a Corning toughened glass.

Unfortunately, there's no Always-On display on any of them.

If you're looking for the brightest display, the iPhone XS Max can go up to 530 nits, while the iPhone 11 can do 114 nits above that.  ? 

Related priced rivals rarely stay far from 758 nits, but the iPhone XS Max can only do 30% below that.

Your next device must go over 500 nits, or else it can't do true HDR, nor is that great on a sunny day. About HDR content: The iPhone XS Max is capable of displaying HDR10 media.

Bearing in mind the iPhone XS Max, just know that 89% of its rivals can play HDR content. Plus, all of them have an AMOLED screen, and 93% have an Always-On display.

For the iPhone 11, as a reference, 89% of its rivals can play HDR content, 96% have an AMOLED screen, and 93% of them have an Always-On display.

Display Density (DPIs)*			vs.
Features	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
Size	6.5	6.1	-0.4
Screen Type	AMOLED	LCD
Resolution (px)	1242x2688	828x1792	-1854720
Refresh Rate	60hz	60hz	0
Dots per Inch	455.55	323.61	-131.93
Always-On-Display	No	No
Notch	Wedge	Wedge
Peak Brightness	530 nits	644 nits	114
HDR	HDR10	-
Sub Tek-Score	2.7	1.2	-1.6
Protection	Corning toughened glass	Corning toughened glass
Tek-Score	5.8	5.2	-0.6

*Reference: Sony Xperia 1.

Cameras

Things are different when it comes to lenses. Apple's iPhone XS Max features a 12 MP camera with an aperture of f/1.8, a 26mm wide-angle lens, four flash LEDs, HDR capabilities, and Optical Image Stabilization. It can record videos at up to 2160p.

The iPhone XS Max also packs a secondary camera with 12 MP and an f/2.4 aperture plus a 52mm telephoto lens.

The selfie camera is a 7 MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture complemented with a 32 mm lens.

DxOMark gave this shooter a rate of 118. And if you take into account its telephoto lens, that will go up to 126**. If you click here, you can check what they think of it.

To put things in perspective: keep in mind that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. However, only 11% of them feature a macro lens.

There's nothing to compare here. You'll soon find out that both the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XS Max have the same 12 MP camera. In addition to its primary sensor, you'll also get a 12 MP camera with an aperture of f/2.4 plus a 13mm ultra-wide-angle lens.

The selfie camera has 12 MP, an f/2.2 aperture, and a 23 mm wide-angle lens.

DxOMark has rated this camera with a score of 132. And if we consider its wide-angle lens, we'll get to the final rate of 138** points. If you want to know more about every tidbit, click here.

Finally, just so you know, just like the other device, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. Moreover, only 19% of them feature a macro lens.

Looking at DxO's ranking, one can conclude that the iPhone 11 is approximately 50% above its adversaries for the same budget. And it should be your option today.

We can classify the iPhone 11 as a high-end.

The iPhone XS Max has one significant benefit over the iPhone 11 in that it includes a telephoto lens with an optical zoom of about 2x. As soon as you get used to it, you'll know what I mean.

**You should give this score a margin of error of up to 6 points, especially for cameras with no zoom and with less than 40MP. They just revised their formula, and there aren't enough reviewed phones to extrapolate a backward-compatible score.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	1.8	1.8	0.0
Lens	26mm	26mm	0
Lens Type	Wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Flash	4	4	0
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	Yes	Yes
Video	2160	2160	0
Score	126	138	12

*Reference: Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

Extra Camera(s)	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11	vs.
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	2.4	2.4	0.0
Lens	52mm (2x zoom)	13mm	-39
Lens Type	Telephoto lens	Ultra-wide-Angle
Score	8	6	-2

Selfie Camera	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11	vs.
Megapixels	7	12	5
Aperture	2.2	2.2	0.0
Lens	32mm	23mm	-9

	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11	vs.
Tek-Score	7.4	8.1	0.7

Body

The iPhone XS Max is 6.19 inches (157 mm) tall and 3.03 inches (77 mm) long. Apple's iPhone 11 is a bit smaller, precisely 7 mm (0.28 inches), and a bit narrower too, about 2 mm (0.08 inches).

They have about the same depth: 7 mm (0.28 inches) vs. 8 mm (0.32 inches).

A front and back glass body does make these phones look premium on your hands. The iPhone 11 weighs 194 g. (6.84 oz), while the other is 14 g. (0.49 oz) heavier. If you're looking for a lightweight device, I've created an adapted score for a "weight to display size" ratio. The iPhone XS Max got 3.2, which implies it's kind of weighty for a 6.5 inches display. The iPhone 11, on the other hand, has 3.3, which suggests it's considerably hefty too.  ? 

We do like having some color options. You get Space Gray, Gold, and Silver in the iPhone XS Max. But you can get Black, Yellow, Green, White, Red, and Purple with the iPhone 11.

If you favor big phones, you should pick the Apple iPhone XS Max. Otherwise, the other one may not make a difference either.

Is the lack of a fingerprint scanner a deal-breaker to you? You won't find them here.

You'll still have Face ID on both of them. At least Apple opted for the Face ID sensor instead.

The iPhone XS Max is resistant to water up to 1 to 3 meters, much like the iPhone 11. It should be for less than 30 minutes, in standby mode, so no underwater photos.

Looks*			vs.
Body	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
Size	157 x 77 x 7 mm (5.54 x 2.72 x 0.25 in)	150 x 75 x 8 mm (5.29 x 2.65 x 0.28 in)	5377
Weight	208 g. (7.34 oz)	194 g. (6.84 oz)	-14
Build	Front and back glass	Front and back glass
Colors	Space Gray, Gold, and Silver	Black, Yellow, Green, White, Red, and Purple
Screen To Body Ratio	85.85%	81.25%	-4.60
Disp.Size To Weight Score	3.2	3.3	0.1
Looks	8.9/10	8.6/10	-0.2
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Biometrics	Face ID	Face ID
Tek-Score	6.7	7.1	0.4

*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.

Battery

At first glance, they seem to have about the same battery life: about 3174 mAh. But what does everyday usage have to say about that? If you do a full charge and run these tests, that's how the iPhone XS Max performs:  ? 

• After 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll end up with 78% of the battery charge.
• By talking for 1 hour, browsing the web for 3 hours, and playing videos for 1 hour, the battery charge will be about 60%.
• After 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, the phone will have 64% left for the rest of the day.

And these are the results for the iPhone 11:

• By talking for 1 hour, browsing the web for 1 hour, and playing videos for 1 hour, you should have 83% of the battery left for the rest of the day.
• If you do 1 hour of talking, 3 hours of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll get down to 71% left.
• After 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, the phone will have 73% left for the rest of the day.

And the winner is... the iPhone 11.

Battery life on the iPhone XS Max isn't anything to write home about. Apple didn't try that hard here, judging by other similarly sized devices. By doing some math, it got a "battery to physical size" rate of 2.1.  ? 

Fast-charging's here, and both iPhones support it. The iPhone 11 can go up to 18w, and the iPhone XS Max up to 15.

It's good to know that both iPhones support wireless charging at up to 5w.

Battery*			vs.
Features	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
Capacity (mAh)	3174	3110	-64
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	78% left	83% left	5
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	60% left	71% left	11
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	64% left	73% left	9
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	2.1	5.6	3.5
Sub Tek-Score	6.7	7.6	0.8
Fast Charging	15w	18w	3
Wireless Charging	5w	5w	0
Tek-Score	6.0	6.7	0.7

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy A31.

Storage

Apple put 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage on the iPhone XS Max. There's no extra storage here. It isn't a red flag for most people, but it's not your best option. Be aware that at this price segment, others have more RAM and more storage. They average at 8GB of RAM and 152Gb of storage.

In its turn, the iPhone 11 also has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of integrated storage. There's also no extra storage here. This may not be enough for serious smartphone users. Again, chances are that you'll have more RAM and more storage from almost all of their competitors. 8Gb for RAM and 154Gb for storage, on average.

Storage shouldn't be an issue on any of these phones. However, if you love to store 4k videos, you'll find out that 64 GB won't be enough for you.

Storage*			vs.
Features	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
RAM (GB)	4GB	4GB	0
Internal (GB)	64GB	64GB	0
Micro SD	No	No
Tek-Score	2.8	2.8	0.0

*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).

Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity, both iPhones have Bluetooth 5.0. Both phones also have NFC, so nothing special here.

If you love good-old wired headphones, you're out of luck because none of them included a 3.5mm headphone jack. Want a piece of advice? Forget about adapters and go for the wireless buds.

Both have a single network variant: LTE. Is 4G good enough for you? If you want 5G, you should also check the iPhone 12.

Connectivity			vs.
Features	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
Network	LTE	LTE
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
NFC	Yes	Yes
3.5mm jack	No	No
Tek-Score	4.6	4.6	0.0

Price

The Apple iPhone XS Max may not be the cheapest phone, but it's cheaper nonetheless. But with a great deal or a price drop, it can be an impressive finding. It currently also is 4% more expensive compared to its rivals. They're in the neighborhood of $596. If you're going for the iPhone 11, you'll end up paying a bit more, but that's probably something you already knew.

Let's see if it really worths it or not.

If you're looking for old phones, I do hope you're considering second-hand here.

Here are the best prices that we've found:

I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases. It doesn't affect the price you pay nor my opinions, but it will mean a lot if you click on one of these buttons before purchasing your next phone. You'll be helping to take this to the next level.

Prices on eBay are in $US but Europe-based. You can click to check the prices in your country.

Prices marked with ! are from renewed/refurbished/carrier-locked phones (except eBay prices that, as a last resort, can be from bids or used devices).

How much of a "phone" can your money buy?
That's how much "score" you can get with $100 based on the global score that you'll see in the next section (higher is better).

Have you found better prices elsewhere? The formula is simple: score/price*100.

Value for money	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11	VS
Amazon	1.26 !	- !	-
eBay	0.91	-	-
Best Buy	-	-	-
Wallmart	- !	0.53	-

And this is the "The Best Smartphones On A Budget" list.

Want to know about that global rate? Just so you have an idea, take a look at where its adversaries average. They're around 6.9 for these two.

Verdict: What Makes the Apple iPhone 11 Stand Out?

If it wasn't for the older A12 processor, the iPhone XS Max could be the perfect iPhone for those who love big and beautiful screens. Don't get me wrong, the A12 still is one of the top 5 performers, even including Android phones, but the iPhone 11 takes it to the next level. The XS Max also has inferior battery life. It's not that bad, but again, the iPhone 11 is considerably better.

Pros	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
#1	Performance	Performance
#2	AMOLED	Cameras
#3	Cameras	Battery Life
#4	Fast Charging	Fast Charging
#5	Wireless Charging	Wireless Charging
#6	Glass Protection	Glass Protection

Cons	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
#1	Always-On-Display	Screen Resolution
#2	MicroSD Slot	AMOLED
#3	Weight	Always-On-Display
#4	3.5mm Jack	MicroSD Slot
#5	Price	Weight
#6		3.5mm Jack
#7		Price

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	iPhone XS Max	iPhone 11
Gaming Score	5.6	4.2	-1.4
Tek-Score	5.66	6.04	0.38

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

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