Apple released the iPhone XS Max in 2018, following the excitement of the iPhone X's release. Many people voiced out their wish for a plus-size model, and this was when Apple produced and launched the iPhone XS series, consisting of the XS, XR, and XS Max.

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I have to admit, the name tagged to the XS series was found to be quite funny, I mean, how did Apple come up with that name, putting together an “X” as in roman figure, which stands for 10, and the letter “S” itself, but over time, everyone adapted to that. The iPhone XS Max was a wish come true for many people, particularly those who had been hoping for a Plus version of the X.

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In this review, we will take an in-depth look at the XS Max, examining its features, performance, and whether it remains a good buy in 2025.

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First thing we’ll be looking at is the body design of the iPhone XS Max

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Regarding the body of the iPhone XS Max, there is essentially nothing to notice aside from its size; this is pretty much the same as what you’d find on the X, with no significant differences. It was more like Apple took the iPhone X body and simply expanded it, making it appear quite larger. The size is the only notable difference regarding the body. If you take a look at the X and the XS, honestly, you won’t know the difference until you check the settings or start using the phones. I’m not saying this is a bad thing; there’s just no real time change, but it still looks good and feels slippery.

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For me, I was not really a fan of the XS Max, I loved how portable the X is, and Apple maintained same in the XS which was a more viable option for me, the XS Max was quite big which had a lot of advantages when it comes to tasking, but there is just this thing about the X and XS that makes it feel better for me, I guess the size was just doing its charm.

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Overall, the body design of the XS Max is decent, built with a Stainless steel frame, reinforced glass front and back, and IP68-certified water and dust resistance. However, I would never advise you to use your phone in water. It comes in Space Gray, Gold, and Silver Color options.

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Over to the Display of the iPhone XS Max

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The display on the XS Max was quite impressive, still one of the best displays out there with excellent colour production, brightness and touch response, Apple said the front and back glass are more durable than that of the X, but just like its predecessor, it is prone to scratches, any slight drop would leave a dent on it, the metallic steel frame edges on it are not resistant to scratches, even some certain phone cases, when used for long would leave dents on the edges of the XS Max.

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The OLED screen was crisp, as I’d already grown accustomed to the X. It's very immersive, just like its predecessor and the XS. If I’m being honest, despite my not being so comfortable with the size of the XS Max, It made it a lot easier for me to perform my daily tasks on my iPhone than ever; I could work on my online platforms more conveniently in urgent situations without having to reach for my laptop.

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And when it comes to the color output of the XS Max, this is a significant hit. It was amazing, even the iPhone 11's color output can't compare to the XS Max. The True Tone and HDR10 features make the colors pop, which is impressive.

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The iPhone XS Max runs on 60 Hz refresh rate which is which also run on its successors up to the 12 Pro Max, and the Hertz refresh rate plays a huge role in the responsiveness and smooth scrolling of each device, but not just that, other components adds to that too, so despite all these models of the iPhone running on same 60 Hz refresh rate, their responsiveness would differ with slight improvement in the higher models.

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Next thing we’ll be looking at is the Camera of the XS Max

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This was literally my favorite part of using the XS Max, the cameras are super nice, there’s a huge gap in the performance of the camera of the XS Max and that of its base version, even compared to the iPhone 11, it beats it hands down, as at then, this was one of the best cameras out there, even now in 2025, the cameras of the the XS Max is still a strong contender.

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The color outputs are very impressive, but if im being honest, I don’t think the camera of the XS Max are better than the camera of the Pixel 2, don’t get wrong, its a really good camera, takes really nice shots, but the Pixel 2 is the standard to beat and honestly, the XS Max doesn’t really beat that for me.

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Now in 2025, the cameras of the XS Max would definitely come in handy for an average user, but for a user who is aspiring to dive into the mobile photography or videography world in general, I will honestly recommend you go for a more advanced iPhone model for improved features and quality to get a more satisfactory result.

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Above all, the cameras of the iPhone XS Max remain impressive, even in 2025, despite the availability of better options now. They are still useful for the average user.

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Now to the Battery Life

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The battery life of the IPhone XS Max is decent, I think that’s the world I will use for it, using the XS Max, performance was okay, quite better than Apples claim of 90 minutes more than the X, I got around 10 hours of battery life without making use of the low power mode and this was under my pretty heavy daily use, though without gaming.

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Gaming seems to drain the battery significantly more. Whenever I play games on the XS Max, the battery tends to drain more quickly. On days like that, I have to use a power outlet or recharge my phone to get my usual 10 hours of regular usage.

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The battery performance is decent, as I mentioned, but there are many phones with better-performing batteries on the market these days, so battery should be a factor to consider if you’re planning to get the X Max.

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The XS Max doesn’t fast charge, comes with a 5-watt charger, which would take a little over 2 hours and 30 minutes to fully charge, which is a lot of time, but if you buy the Apple USB-C fast charger, then you can get a smooth 100% charge in about an 1hr30mins or less.

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General Performance

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Performance-wise, the XS Max is quite decent and can still be useful in 2025 for basic day-to-day tasks. Although we can’t compare this to what we have currently in 2025, many features have been introduced, and most of these features are absent in the XS Max. However, performance is still solid, given its affordability.

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One major issue I had with the XS Max was the overheating. This might come off as a joke, but I’m not joking - the XS Max can literally be used to iron a cloth or possibly fry eggs, lol. It tends to overheat easily, and the issue persists. The iPhone XS Max runs on the A12 Bionic Chipset, which Apple quoted is about 15% performance improvement from that of its predecessor, but I honestly didn’t see any noticeable speedup over my iPhone X, the GPU which had about 50% improvement, and honestly gaming on the XS Max was decent, but I had more expectations, the overheating often resulted to lags and that wasn’t a pleasant experience, but when the phone isn’t overheating, gaming is quite enjoyable.

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When it comes to IOS update, the iPhone XS Max currently supports the latest IOS update and it works smoothly on it, my only concern now is that, the iPhone XS may not be able to support the next line of Apple Major Software Update, it is likely that the XS lineup may not get or at most just a couple more years of major IOS update support. And when this happens, all the security features that comes with the new IOS update won’t be on these phones, this is a major concern for me, I will honestly recommend buying the 12 series which would definitely cost you some extra bucks for the Used/Refurbished version, performance wise, the 12 series are a really good catch too, and they offer more longevity if you plan on holding on to your iPhone for a good few years.

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Conclusion

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In Summary, the iPhone XS Max is an amazing device, still solid in 2025, with a lovely display and camera features that beats that of the iPhone 11, performance is pretty decent, and still a contender among its competitors with its competitors, good battery life, despite being an old device, it still performs even now in 2025.

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If you’re looking to buy the iPhone XS Max, then bear in mind that the iPhone XS lineup might cease to support the IOS update in a short time, but that doesn’t stop the functionality of the iPhone XS Max or will it reduce its performance, it only means that when that happens, you won't be able to upgrade your IOS to the new versions or get the new software features that comes with the IOS updates. Aside from that, the  iPhone XS Max is pretty decent and runs smoothly on iOS 18.

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