The iPhone XS display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 5.85 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less). Splash, Water, and Dust Resistant 3 iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are splash, water, and dust resistant and were tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes). Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Do not attempt to charge a wet iPhone; refer to the user guide for cleaning and drying instructions. Liquid damage not covered under warranty. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max embody Apple’s continuing environmental progress. They are designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact: The dual rear camera is very similar to 2018's iPhone X setup: twin 12 MP cameras, one with f/1.8 aperture and the other with f/2.4 aperture. The secondary camera serves as a telephoto lens for zooming and assists in Portrait Mode. The two biggest changes are: Apple takes a complete product life cycle approach to determining our environmental impact. Learn more aboutiPhone and the Environment

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone X S, iPhone X S Max, iPhone X R, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are splash, water and dust resistant and were tested under controlled laboratory conditions; iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes); iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 4 metres up to 30 minutes); iPhone X S, iPhone X S Max and iPhone 11 have a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 2 metres up to 30 minutes); and iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone X R, iPhone SE (2nd generation) and iPhone SE (3rd generation) have a rating of IP67 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 1 metre up to 30 minutes). Splash, water and dust resistance are not permanent conditions. Resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Do not attempt to charge a wet iPhone; refer to the user guide for cleaning and drying instructions. Liquid damage not covered under warranty. The new iPhone XS Max boasts a 6.5-inch Super Retina custom OLED display, the largest screen Apple has ever put on an iPhone. The Multi‑Touch HDR display has 2688‑by-1242‑pixel resolution at 458 ppi and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating prevents screen getting messy and the 3D Touch support enables faster gesture control. True Tone feature dynamically adjusts white balance of the display to match the surrounding light. Dual SIM support will be available via a free software update later this fall. Use of Dual SIM requires two wireless service plans (which may include restrictions on roaming). Certain restrictions apply to use.

Burst Mode, Panorama, Self Timer, Red Eye Correction, Video Photo, Bokeh Mode, Portrait Mode, AR Mode, Slow Motion, Stereo Recording, Time Lapse, Exposure Control, HDR Power: All 3 phones are kitted out with the same processor, but the two XS versions offer 4 GB RAM. The XR makes do with 3 GB. English (Australia, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese FaceTime calling requires a FaceTime-enabled device for the caller and recipient and a Wi-Fi connection. Availability over a cellular network depends on carrier policies; data charges may apply.

Testing conducted by Apple in August 2017 using pre-production iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus units and software, and in August 2018 using pre-production iPhone X S, iPhone X S Max and iPhone X R units and software, with accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapters (18W Model A1720, 29W Model A1540, 30W Model A1882, 61W Model A1718 and 87W Model A1719). Testing conducted by Apple in August 2019 using pre-production iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapters (18W Model A1720, 29W Model A1540, 30W Model A1882, 61W Model A1947 and 87W Model A1719). Testing conducted by Apple in February 2020 using pre-production iPhone SE (2nd generation) units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapters (18W Model A1720 and 30W Model A1882). Testing conducted by Apple in September 2020 using pre-production iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Testing conducted by Apple in August 2021 using pre-production iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Testing conducted by Apple in February 2022 using pre-production iPhone SE (3rd generation) units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Testing conducted by Apple in August 2022 using pre-production iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Testing conducted by Apple in August 2023 using pre-production iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Fast-charge testing conducted with drained iPhone units. Charge time varies with settings and environmental factors; actual results will vary.

Apple iPhone XS Max Specifications

Apple Retail UK Limited acts as the credit broker and not the lender. Pricing is before the application of a trade-in credit. Monthly pricing requires a 24-month instalment loan with 0% APR from Barclays Partner Finance, which is a trading name of Clydesdale Financial Services Limited, a member of the Barclays Group. Clydesdale Financial Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register number: 311753). Registered in England. Registered No: 2901725. Registered office: 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP. Subject to application and status. Full terms apply.

Apple has upped the protection to IP68, enabling the iPhone XS Max to be submerged to a depth of up to two meters for 30 minutes without suffering any ill effects. Apple claims it's tested the protection in a number of liquids, including salt water, chlorinated water, milk, wine and beer, although we wouldn't advise purposefully exposing the handset to any of these. That said, it's getting increasingly hard to find new models of the iPhone XS Max, so if you really still want to buy it you might have to settle for a refurbished handset. Of course, the price of those is even lower. Battery life claim refers to larger models. All battery claims depend on network configuration and many other factors; actual results will vary. Battery has limited recharge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. See apple.com/uk/batteries and apple.com/uk/iphone/battery.html for more information.

Apple iPhone XS Max: Verdict

While the iPhone XS Max does feel a little chunky in the hand there's no questioning the fact that you're getting a huge amount of display real estate crammed into a form factor which does a good job of keeping it usable.