The main hero of Apple's September presentation was undoubtedly the new iPhone 11 Pro Max. For the first time, it features three rear cameras, allows immersion in water up to four meters deep, and the name itself differs from previous generations: the Pro suffix was not previously added to the iPhone. So, how successful is the flagship?
We have presented and analyzed all the general information and details announced by Apple in our report on the results of the September presentation, so we will not repeat ourselves and will move on to testing. We will just remind you of the specifications of the new product.
Technical Specifications of Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
SoC Apple A13 Bionic (6 cores: 2 high-performance + 4 energy-efficient) + third-generation Neural Engine
Apple M13 motion coprocessor, including barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass
6.5″ touch display, OLED, 2688×1242, 458 ppi, capacitive, multi-touch, with Taptic Engine feedback
RAM 3.75 GB
Flash memory 64/256/512 GB
No support for memory cards
Cellular communication: UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, Gigabit LTE support
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz; MIMO support)
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
NFC (for Apple Pay only)
GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS
Universal Lightning connector
Cameras: front (12 MP, 4K video at 30 fps, 720p at 240 fps) and three rear modules (wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and telephoto; all 12 MP, 4K video at 60 fps)
Face recognition using TrueDepth
15 W·h lithium polymer battery, non-removable
Support for Qi wireless charging
Dimensions 158×78×8.1 mm
Weight 226 g
IP68 protection
Operating system iOS 13
And here is the traditional comparison of the new product's specifications with other Apple smartphones.
| Apple iPhone 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max | Apple iPhone Xs / Xs Max | Apple iPhone 11 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 5.8″, OLED, 2436×1125, 458 ppi / 6.5″, OLED, 2688×1242, 458 ppi | 5.8″, OLED, 2436×1125, 458 ppi / 6.5″, OLED, 2688×1242, 458 ppi | 6.1″, IPS, 1792×828, 326 ppi |
| SoC (processor) | SoC Apple A13 Bionic, 6 cores + third-generation Neural Engine | SoC Apple A12 Bionic, 6 cores + second-generation Neural Engine | SoC Apple A13 Bionic, 6 cores + third-generation Neural Engine |
| Flash memory | 64/256/512 GB | 64/256/512 GB | 64/128/256 GB |
| Communication | Gigabit LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) | LTE Advanced, Wi-Fi 802.11ac | Gigabit LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) |
| Rear cameras | 3 modules of 12 MP (video - 4K 60 fps): standard, telephoto, and wide-angle (120 degrees) | 2 modules of 12 MP (video - 4K 60 fps): standard and telephoto | 2 modules of 12 MP (video - 4K 60 fps): standard and wide-angle (120 degrees) |
| Front camera | 12 MP (video - 4K 60 fps), improved FaceID recognition | 7 MP (Full HD video), FaceID recognition | 12 MP (video - 4K 60 fps), FaceID recognition |
| Body protection | IP68 (enhanced protection against water and dust) | IP68 (enhanced protection against water and dust) | IP68 (enhanced protection against water and dust) |
| Battery life (according to the manufacturer) | iPhone 11 Pro Max lasts up to 5 hours longer than iPhone Xs Max / iPhone 11 Pro lasts up to 4 hours longer than iPhone Xs | — | up to 1 hour longer than iPhone Xr |
| Fast charging | yes | no | yes |
| Dimensions (mm) | 144×71×8.1 / 158×78×8.1 | 144×71×7.7 / 157×77×7.7 | 151×76×8.3 |
| Weight (g) | 188 / 226 | 174 / 208 | 194 |
Following the presentation, we analyzed all the details of the specifications, so now we will move directly to testing.
Packaging and Completeness
The smartphone comes in an impressive black box with a contrasting light image of the back of the smartphone's body. It should be noted that at some point, Apple began to emphasize the black color in the Pro versions of its devices - just remember the black mouse and keyboard in the iMac Pro. And now this has reached the iPhone. But why not?
The iPhone Pro's package is almost indistinguishable from the iPhone 11, with one significant exception: instead of the standard 5V 1A charger, there is a fast charger - 9V 2A. Moreover, it has a USB-C connector.
iPad Pro is also equipped with such chargers. And this is very convenient: if, for example, you have both an iPad and an iPhone, you can take just one charger and two cables with you on a trip. But it is also convenient that the cable included with the iPhone Pro is Lightning/USB-C, so if you have a recent MacBook, you can charge your iPhone from the laptop's charger.
The rest of the package is standard.
Design
We tested the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Here and further, we will specifically talk about this model. However, the iPhone 11 Pro should only differ from it in battery life and, of course, screen size/resolution. The rest is identical.
Thus, the appearance of the new product largely inherits from the iPhone Xs Max, and it is almost impossible to distinguish them from the front. All visual differences are concentrated on the back. First of all, of course, this is the camera block. It is located on a transparent glass platform that slightly rises above the level of the main glass. But the cameras themselves do not protrude much.
Immediately after the presentation, the internet was filled with memes playing on their arrangement. The iPhone 11 Pro was compared to a stove, where the cameras are the burners, to an electric razor, to the Terminator's weapon... It must be admitted that this solution does look quite extravagant. But it ensures 100% recognizability of the model.
The second feature of the Pro is the materials of the body. The device is made of stainless steel and polished matte glass. Those who do not like the slippery surface of the iPhone Xs Max should appreciate the new design. Firstly, it is assumed to be more reliable in terms of holding the smartphone in hand, and secondly, it is simply beautiful. We had the silver version for testing, and its back has an almost pearlescent hue.
The placement of buttons, slots, and connectors has not changed at all compared to the Xs Max, so we won't dwell on this. However, what is immediately felt when you hold the Pro Max in your hands is that it has become heavier. Perhaps not by much, but you feel it right away.
Is this good or bad? Everyone decides for themselves. Many, as is known, prefer heavier devices - "so that the hand feels it." Some, on the contrary, prefer light weight and compactness. Overall, it's a matter of taste. But we liked it.
Screen
The front surface of the screen is made of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are slightly better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, we provide a photo in which a white surface is reflected on the turned-off screens (on the left is the Nexus 7, on the right is the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max, which can be distinguished by size):
The screen of the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max is slightly darker (brightness in the photos 107 against 111 in the Nexus 7). The two reflected objects on the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max screen are very faint, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (specifically between the outer glass and the matrix surface). By having fewer boundaries (like glass/air) with significantly different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, as the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (oil-repellent) coating (effective, better than in the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are much easier to remove and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.
With manual brightness control and when displaying a white field on the entire screen, the maximum long-term brightness value was about 750 cd/m² (claimed up to 800 cd/m² in normal mode and up to 1200 cd/m² in HDR mode), the minimum was 1.9 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, and considering the excellent anti-glare properties, reading even on a sunny day outdoors will be at a good level. In the dark, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (located above the front speaker cutout), which is enabled by default. In automatic mode, when external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness slider: the user sets the desired brightness level for the current conditions. If nothing is changed, in complete darkness, the brightness decreases to 1.9 cd/m² (very dark), in conditions of artificially lit office (about 550 lx) the screen brightness is set to 100-115 cd/m² (acceptable), in very bright surroundings (corresponding to the illumination of a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20000 lx or slightly more) it rises to 750 cd/m² (to the maximum as needed). The result did not completely satisfy us, so initially in the dark, and then in office conditions, we slightly moved the brightness slider up (in the quick access menu), and for the three specified conditions, we obtained 13, 130, and 750 cd/m² (ideal). It turns out that the auto-brightness adjustment function works adequately, and the brightness change characteristics can be adjusted to the user's requirements. At any brightness level, there is modulation at a frequency of approximately 240 Hz.
