The iPhone 13 Pro Max landed in September 2021 and the headline upgrade was 120Hz ProMotion. A year on, that is still the feature that makes me reach for it over older iPhones. Scrolling text, swiping between apps, dragging things in Figma. None of it feels jittery the way 60Hz does.

The screen still wins A 6.7 inch display at 1284 by 2778, capped at 1200 nits typical brightness, peaking at 1600 nits in HDR. Outdoor visibility is genuinely better than the 12 Pro Max it replaced.

Battery, the real surprise 4352 mAh, two genuine days of moderate use. Apple did not market this enough. The 14 Pro Max barely improved on it.

What aged badly The Pro camera array picks up dust. The MagSafe puck still leaves a circular mark on cases.

Cameras 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP 3x telephoto. ProRAW is brilliant if you edit. Macro mode is a gimmick I use twice a year.

Should you upgrade? If you are on a 12 Pro Max or older, no. ProMotion is nice. Battery is nicer. Neither justifies eleven hundred quid by itself.

[Want a tighter take on the iPhone 16 line?](/blog/iphone-16-pro-max-review) I wrote a comparison.

iPhone 13 Pro Max: a year on, ProMotion changed how I work

The screen still wins A 6.7 inch display at 1284 by 2778, capped at 1200 nits typical brightness, peaking at 1600 nits in HDR. Outdoor visibility is genuinely better than the 12 Pro Max it replaced.

Battery, the real surprise 4352 mAh, two genuine days of moderate use. Apple did not market this enough. The 14 Pro Max barely improved on it.

What aged badly The Pro camera array picks up dust. The MagSafe puck still leaves a circular mark on cases.

Cameras 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP 3x telephoto. ProRAW is brilliant if you edit. Macro mode is a gimmick I use twice a year.

Should you upgrade? If you are on a 12 Pro Max or older, no. ProMotion is nice. Battery is nicer. Neither justifies eleven hundred quid by itself.

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