iPhone 13 Pro Upgraded from the XS Max to the 13 Pro and I expected more from the prime camera!

[aarontsuru]

After 3 years and traveling the world with my XS Max, it was finally time to upgrade to the 13 Pro. While there were some nice upgrades, such as the battery, screen, and the additional lens, I was honestly surprised how little else felt like an upgrade, especially comparing the prime cameras.

I wrote an article with lots of side-by-side comparison shots:

The 3 Year Upgrade Cycle: From iPhone XS Max To iPhone 13 Pro — A Lot Has Changed… Or Has It?

Anyone else expect a lot more after a 3 year upgrade cycle?

 

[dantracht]

Great great post, and great article. You talked me into keeping my 11PM yet again.

 

[aarontsuru]

Great great post, and great article. You talked me into keeping my 11PM yet again.

thanks so much dantracht!

I was so hyped for the 13 Pro and while I'm truly happy to have the 3x and the super wide, and of course I like the battery boost and high refresh rate, the upgrade of the prime lens was much smaller than I expected (especially after all the blog/youtube hype on places like Verge and Brownlee).

 

[dantracht]

thanks so much dantracht!

I was so hyped for the 13 Pro and while I'm truly happy to have the 3x and the super wide, and of course I like the battery boost and high refresh rate, the upgrade of the prime lens was much smaller than I expected (especially after all the blog/youtube hype on places like Verge and Brownlee).

Yeah, it’s easy to get excited by all the YouTube hype but honestly I can barley tell the difference and my 11pm takes amazing shots. I’ll def upgrade come the 14pm.

 

[now i see it]

Maybe IPhones are hitting peak camera too. There’s only so much engineering improvement that can be done on such a tiny lens and sensor.

 

[aarontsuru]

Maybe IPhones are hitting peak camera too. There’s only so much engineering improvement that can be done on such a tiny lens and sensor.

really seems like software is doing the heavy lifting, especially on the prime lens, where a little saturation & sharpening bump in a photo editing app on the XS Max will get you right up to the 13 Pro !

 

[Motionblurrr]

IMO; the XS Max was a $1,100 luxury smartphone when it launched three years ago. The XS Max camera was the first iPhone to use smart HDR which made a huge difference in the photos taken.

If anything, it shows how worth it was to pay that price back in 2018 because you can still use the XS Max as your current phone in 2021 and everything is smooth. Photos would still come out great for social media.

I think I read somewhere on a youtube comment: "the XS Max era of iphones is when things got 'serious' for Apple when it came to their flagship phones"

 

[aarontsuru]

IMO; the XS Max was a $1,100 luxury smartphone when it launched three years ago. The XS Max camera was the first iPhone to use smart HDR which made a huge difference in the photos taken.

If anything, it shows how worth it was to pay that price back in 2018 because you can still use the XS Max as your current phone in 2021 and everything is smooth. Photos would still come out great for social media.

I think I read somewhere on a youtube comment: "the XS Max era of iphones is when things got 'serious' for Apple when it came to their flagship phones"

yeah, I think what drove me nuts were the likes of The Verge constantly saying the XS/Max cameras were "garbage" or "trash". Like, it was almost a meme on their podcast.

And then to lose their collective minds over the 13 Pro, so imagine my excitement!

Then I go side-by-side and I'm like..... huh.

 

[Silverariel]

Great read. I am on my first iPhone and it is an 11 Pro and the cameras are amazing, although can sometimes look a bit “pale” to the untrained eye or when comparing to new oversaturated androids.

People always badgering me their mid range samsung has a better camera.

 

[QCassidy352]

There was a very long thread on this forum titled something like “omg the camera” dedicated to pics taken with iPhone XS (and max). It was (and is) a very good camera.

 

[Fred Zed]

After 3 years and traveling the world with my XS Max, it was finally time to upgrade to the 13 Pro. While there were some nice upgrades, such as the battery, screen, and the additional lens, I was honestly surprised how little else felt like an upgrade, especially comparing the prime cameras.

I wrote an article with lots of side-by-side comparison shots:

The 3 Year Upgrade Cycle: From iPhone XS Max To iPhone 13 Pro — A Lot Has Changed… Or Has It?

Anyone else expect a lot more after a 3 year upgrade cycle?

Didn’t we all.

 

[profcutter]

XS Max is a great phone for sure. I wish I hadn’t had to upgrade mine. I have a 12 PM, it’s a great phone too, I do appreciate the cameras and the battery life, but it’s not a major life changing upgrade like the XS MAX was, but I knew that going in, that’s why I didn’t want to upgrade. Water got into a teeny tiny crack in my XS MAX, and the phone was freaking out. 2 months later, it works fine.

 

[Skewlovevism]

yeah, I think what drove me nuts were the likes of The Verge constantly saying the XS/Max cameras were "garbage" or "trash". Like, it was almost a meme on their podcast.

And then to lose their collective minds over the 13 Pro, so imagine my excitement!

Then I go side-by-side and I'm like..... huh.

I think we are looking at a huge camera changes, while coming from iPhone 7, 8 or even X.
The only "visible" perk, you have received with your 13 pro, is the night mode, which is nice.

Now you can walk in the park in the evening, taking pictures of random snails, and send it to us, the French people, to build our appetite. You provide a snail, I provide the salt and fork.

 

[beerseagulls]

I had the Xs Max. Traded it in. Bought the 13 Pro Max.

I must be in the minority here because I honestly think that the 13 Pro Max takes worse daytime pictures than Xs Max.

Yes, 13 Pro Max has night mode, but without it, regular low-light pictures are not that much better than the Xs Max.

Unfortunately, I can't get the Xs Max back because it was already traded in... otherwise I would have kept it and waited for iPhone 14 or 15 Pro Max.

 

[dantracht]

I had the Xs Max. Traded it in. Bought the 13 Pro Max.

I must be in the minority here because I honestly think that the 13 Pro Max takes worse daytime pictures than Xs Max.

Yes, 13 Pro Max has night mode, but without it, regular low-light pictures are not that much better than the Xs Max.

Unfortunately, I can't get the Xs Max back because it was already traded in... otherwise I would have kept it and waited for iPhone 14 or 15 Pro Max.

Would love to see samples. I’m hanging onto my 11PM.

 

[Skewlovevism]

I had the Xs Max. Traded it in. Bought the 13 Pro Max.

I must be in the minority here because I honestly think that the 13 Pro Max takes worse daytime pictures than Xs Max.

Yes, 13 Pro Max has night mode, but without it, regular low-light pictures are not that much better than the Xs Max.

Unfortunately, I can't get the Xs Max back because it was already traded in... otherwise I would have kept it and waited for iPhone 14 or 15 Pro Max.

I have never heard that 13 is taking worst daylight than older phones. Could it be a slightly dirty lens or something?

Night mode is important though.
When you ride your bike in the evening, through the Mongolian steppe, listening to THE HU - WOLF TOTEM,
you will get some excellent shots, even while quite dark.

 

[henrikhelmers]

Anyone else expect a lot more after a 3 year upgrade cycle?

I disagree. The camera now delivers consistent results in tricky situations. Night mode alone is a major upgrade. ProRAW another. Photographic styles an unexpected third. As a point-and-shoot it is great.

 

[beerseagulls]

I have never heard that 13 is taking worst daylight than older phones. Could it be a slightly dirty lens or something?

Night mode is important though.
When you ride your bike in the evening, through the Mongolian steppe, listening to THE HU - WOLF TOTEM,
you will get some excellent shots, even while quite dark.

I meant pics taken with the 13PM that I returned was over processed... (but otherwise, the 13PM is the greatest iPhone ever)

 

[PhillyGuy72]

I do think the quality of the photos are a bit better than XS Max, sharper. I tend to shoot in RAW though 99.9% of the time because JPG's are seriously over processed however. (almost HDR on steroids in some shots and I can't turn that off)

Night time photos, the 13 Pro Max clearly blows the XS Max out of the water. XS Max night shots were grainy, terrible flare in many shots. I mostly trashed the photos I took, basically why bother keeping them.

Macro. That's a whole other story. 13 PM can do it, XS Max, you can't...unless you have some 3rd party lens clipped over the existing phones camera lens and hope you won't get distortion.

The zoom, 3X is cool...I tend not to go past 4-5X, after that pics become choppy, day or night shots. Apple, get it together and give us a 8x-10x...heck 12x at least...this is silly!

I WAS expecting much more from video in lower light. I had the 12 Pro Max, eh.. 13 Pro Max was supposed to be better in darker settings, I don't see it what so ever. I do have 3rd party apps like Filmic, Moment (in some settings) that can bump up ISO, exposures, but I tend to get some grainy unwatchable clips. The nighttime video part I am very unimpressed with.

 

[vddobrev]

After 3 years and traveling the world with my XS Max, it was finally time to upgrade to the 13 Pro. While there were some nice upgrades, such as the battery, screen, and the additional lens, I was honestly surprised how little else felt like an upgrade, especially comparing the prime cameras.

I wrote an article with lots of side-by-side comparison shots:

The 3 Year Upgrade Cycle: From iPhone XS Max To iPhone 13 Pro — A Lot Has Changed… Or Has It?

Anyone else expect a lot more after a 3 year upgrade cycle?

Good job, enjoyed your writing! I am still on iPhone X, 4 years and counting! I am totally skipping 13 series, my battery still lasts a day, and my only complaint about the X's camera is in dark conditions. I can live with that until the X dies of natural death...

 

[ColdShadow]

After 3 years and traveling the world with my XS Max, it was finally time to upgrade to the 13 Pro. While there were some nice upgrades, such as the battery, screen, and the additional lens, I was honestly surprised how little else felt like an upgrade, especially comparing the prime cameras.

I wrote an article with lots of side-by-side comparison shots:

The 3 Year Upgrade Cycle: From iPhone XS Max To iPhone 13 Pro — A Lot Has Changed… Or Has It?

Anyone else expect a lot more after a 3 year upgrade cycle?

I agree with the article for the most part,but what about the Macro closeup mode?
for me that was the main selling point to upgrade from Xs Max to 13 Pro Max (and the now unreliable, reduced capacity battery of my Xs Max)
the Macro mode is very cool and I used it all the time on my real cameras,so I wanted it for a long time on my phone..to the point that I almost decided to order a Samsung S21 Ultra and ditch iPhone..luckily they added it to 13 Pro range.

 

[Fred Zed]

I do think the quality of the photos are a bit better than XS Max, sharper. I tend to shoot in RAW though 99.9% of the time because JPG's are seriously over processed however. (almost HDR on steroids in some shots and I can't turn that off)

Night time photos, the 13 Pro Max clearly blows the XS Max out of the water. XS Max night shots were grainy, terrible flare in many shots. I mostly trashed the photos I took, basically why bother keeping them.

Macro. That's a whole other story. 13 PM can do it, XS Max, you can't...unless you have some 3rd party lens clipped over the existing phones camera lens and hope you won't get distortion.

The zoom, 3X is cool...I tend not to go past 4-5X, after that pics become choppy, day or night shots. Apple, get it together and give us a 8x-10x...heck 12x at least...this is silly!

I WAS expecting much more from video in lower light. I had the 12 Pro Max, eh.. 13 Pro Max was supposed to be better in darker settings, I don't see it what so ever. I do have 3rd party apps like Filmic, Moment (in some settings) that can bump up ISO, exposures, but I tend to get some grainy unwatchable clips. The nighttime video part I am very unimpressed with.

Yep, no videoing under the sheets. 🤣

 

[A Happening in Hades]

I took beautiful photos with the original SE but I was photographing beautiful places in Europe and Japan. ?

 

[GuruZac]

I definitely notice improvements in lower lighting conditions from my 11 Pro to my 13 Pro but agree with you. I think the big changes for me were ProMotion, which was instantly noticeable and now very noticeable when using a non-ProMotion display, and the battery. Ridiculous battery life on my 13 Pro. But in general, I think if you have an iPhone X on up, you’re not really getting a much different experience at all. Some people will find that disappointing, but I find that a testament to the hardware. I think the 13 Pro will be a special phone because it is feels like the epitome of the iPhone X generation of phones. Everything is polished. I do enjoy some astrophotography on my 13 Pro that I don’t remember being able to do on my 11 Pro.

 

[osx'r]

Sounds to me like you drank the kool-aid