The iPhone 11 Pro Max was the best smartphone Apple could fit into in 2019; the premium screen, potent speakers, and upgraded processor all support the significant camera improvements. However, the iPhone 11 offers better value. This phone is really for Apple fans or people who need that extra lens or a little more battery life.

iPhone 11 Pro Max Review

The iPhone 11 Pro Max was Apple’s biggest and most powerful phone ever made. It combined the latest technology with an improved design that featured a new matte back, three cameras that could compete with the best from Samsung, Google, and Huawei, and an improved battery for longer usage.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max was superior until the iPhone 12 Pro Max appeared in 2020. The iPhone 13 Pro Max, unveiled alongside the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, and iPhone 13 Pro, has surpassed it. The newest Pro Max phone has slightly improved specs and cameras along with a modified design from the iPhone 11 Pro Max, but other than 5G, there haven’t been any significant changes made.

When we dig deeper into the iPhone 11 Pro Max camera, the most impressive feature is its Night mode: the iPhone 11 Pro Max can turn night almost into the day while preserving a lot of detail. The newly added ultra-wide camera is useful for squeezing in more of a scene and improving the background defocus effects. 

The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s design will be familiar to most, as it follows the same design language as the previous two models (the iPhone X and iPhone XS), though the matte back feels nice in hand. The ‘Max’ size may not appeal to everyone, but it allows for the large and impressive 6.5-inch OLED display, providing a brilliant cinematic experience visually and through the upgraded stereo speakers.

The camera bump on the phone’s back feels a little sharp and takes up a lot of space, but if you’re right-handed, it stays out of the way when you’re doing your daily tasks.

Apple claims that the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s battery will last five hours longer than the iPhone XS Max, and the tests support that claim. It performed particularly well when playing back HDR video on the phone, and the 20-hour battery life for multimedia is accurate.

In daily use, we discovered that this is roughly a 24-hour smartphone (assuming you sleep for a portion of that time), and the fast charger that comes in the box charges up to 20% in 15 minutes and a full charge in just an hour and a half. 

The Pro Max feels more polished than previous models with iOS 13 installed, and now that iOS 15 has been released, improvements to the accuracy and range of Face ID make it easier to use daily. For example, it is much simpler to open a notification when the phone is placed flat on a desk.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s raw performance is also impressive. If you’re looking to edit video while on the go (and don’t forget that this phone can shoot 4K at 60 frames per second and do it well), you’ll appreciate the extra power on offer.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max is a phone for the Apple fan who wants the best of everything without any compromises. If you want to save money, we recommend looking into the used iPhone 11 Pro Max. 

iOS 13, iOS 14, iOS 15, and Performance

The iPhone 11 Pro Max comes pre-installed with iOS 13, which later updates to iOS 15.

FaceTime is now easier to use while enhancing audio and visual quality thanks to new iOS 15 features. Your listeners will believe they are in the same room as you, thanks to 3D audio. Voice isolation eliminates all other background noise and concentrates only on your voice. Broad Spectrum is another option that concentrates on you and your surroundings.

SharePlay is another option to share music, TV shows, and movies and share your screen to demonstrate how to use a particular app to a recipient.

If you frequently switch between Wi-Fi networks or Bluetooth connections, a long press in the relevant Control Center toggles will allow you to select the network you want.

You’ll notice ‘long press’ rather than ‘hard press’ there – where previous high-end iPhones used 3D Touch, allowing users to prod the screen harder to open other menus or activate the camera, that technology isn’t used in the new iPhone 11 range. Instead, you get an upgraded haptic engine that makes the rumbles under your finger feel even more like a mechanical button when activated, as well as a long-press system that allows you to access other menus by holding your finger on an option.

In terms of raw performance, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is one of the most powerful smartphones available and the most powerful iPhone currently on the market.

When it comes to the bare essentials, a glance at Geekbench 5 reveals a score of 3420, making the 11 Pro Max about 10% more powerful than the iPhone 11 and more than 20% better than the iPhone XS Max.

The Pro handsets have the most RAM of any iPhone, so the benchmarking results are better overall. These are merely numbers, though, so what about the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s actual usability? You won’t easily reach the point where opening and closing apps cause them to slow down because you can start using any number of apps immediately. The 11 Pro Max is easy to operate.

It takes a moment for the app to load and occasionally freezes. When taking pictures, the ultra-wide camera preview, which displays the zoomed-out shot outside the standard frame, doesn’t immediately appear when the shutter button is pressed.

Conclusion 

Overall, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is a significant advancement and was the most advanced iPhone at the time. The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s power extends to its media capabilities. Except for the image quality for movies, the sound quality – even on streaming services like Spotify – is impressive; the sound feels rich and robust, with more detail in the audio than you might expect from some smartphones.