Our Verdict
The iPhone XS Max is very expensive but a very desirable phone . It has the bounteous CRT screen ever on an iPhone with a slim excogitation that is physically low than the overall size of the iPhone 8 Plus . But if you are n’t bothered about animoji and Face ID and want a new , herculean iPhone with a home clitoris , then the 8 Plus is the one for you at a cheaper price .
The iPhone XS Max is Apple ’s most expensive phone but it vaunt the large screen ever on an iPhone . The year - older iPhone 8 Plus is still uncommitted to buy and is a bad phone but has a dissimilar design .
If you are n’t sure whether to pony up for the XS Max , here we compare it specifically to the 8 Plus to see which is best befit to your needs and budget . ( We also look at theiPhone 7 Plus and the XS Max here . )
iPhone history
These iPhones have been replace with newer models . Find links below to our review of all iPhone models , let in the latest generation.iPhone 16is expected to set up in September 2024 ( seewhen is the best time to buy a young iPhone ) . You might also like ouriPhone buying guide , undecomposed iPhone dealsandcomparison of every iPhone that is useable to buy today .
iPhone XS Max vs iPhone 8 Plus: Price and availability
The iPhone XS Max give way on sales event on 21 September andcosts from £ 1,099/$1,099for the 64 GB model . you’re able to pay more for 256 GB or 512 Great Britain .
The iPhone 8 Plus now cost less than it did at launch , nowstarting at £ 699/$699for 64 GB , with a 256 GB version available too . Even at launching it was less than the iPhone XS Max is now , cost £ 799/$799 for 64 GB or £ 949/$949 for a 128 GB good example .
As you could see , the XS Max is quite a lot more than the 8 Plus .
iPhone XS Max vs iPhone 8 Plus: Design and build
These two earphone count very different . The XS Max keeps the invention first date on the ( now discontinued ) iPhone X and enlarges it to a 6.5 in screen , the largest ever on an iPhone .
Thanks to the marvelous 19.5:9 aspect ratio it ’s slimmer than you might imagine . The iPhone 8 Plus has a 16:9 screen and is a whole column inch smaller at 5.5 in . Because of the aspect ratio differences , the phones are nearly the same size despite appear very dissimilar .
In fact , the iPhone XS Max is shorter and thinner than the 8 Plus and only 0.2 mm thicker , which you wo n’t even note . But to achieve this size it has a notch at the top of the display to hold the camera and face up ID sensors .
The bezel on the iPhone 8 Plus recall the classical iPhone designing and mean it still has the place button , something the XS Max want . Both phones have dual television camera on the back but orientated otherwise .
You get a untarnished - steel rim around the XS Max and an aluminium one on the 8 Plus , the latter being a bit more grippy . Neither phone has a phone jack , with only a Lightning larboard on the bottom .
The XS Max is the easily take care for sheer futuristic allure , but the 8 Plus is still a very premium machine .
iPhone XS Max vs iPhone 8 Plus: Features and specs
Here ’s a mesa with a lineal comparability of the specs of both phones :
Although the phones attend quite different , there are n’t as many remainder as you might call back .
The main upgrade you get with the XS Max is the newer A12 Bionic mainframe and the larger OLED exhibit . OLED screens are more vivacious and can produce deep Black .
But Apple ’s LCDs are excellent and the covert on the iPhone 8 Plus is still very unspoiled . It has 2017 ’s A11 mainframe inside which is no slouch either , and real - world use wo n’t show much difference in carrying into action .
If you really want a 512 GB phone then you may have it with the XS Max but it ’s the most expensive iPhone variation yet at £ 1,449/$1,449 . You could settle for a level-headed 256 GB iPhone 8 Plus for £ 849/$849 .
The camera modules are also very similar on both earpiece but the XS Max ’s are more or less better . Both lense have ocular ikon stabilisation and the telephotograph lense has f/2.4 .
On the 8 Plus , the telephotograph is f/2.8 and lacks OIS . But the 8 Plus can still do the portrayal mode and portrait firing shots the XS Max can do , and its video transcription capabilities are monovular .
The XS Max has Face ID to allow for earpiece unlocking and biometric substantiation . The 8 Plus does n’t have this , but you’re able to unlock and verify with the abode button ’s fingerprint sensor .
iPhone XS Max vs iPhone 8 Plus: Software and apps
Both earpiece will consort iOS 12 very swimmingly . The main difference is on the iPhone XS Max you have to use swipe gestures in the UI as you have n’t get down a habitation button . Swipe up to go home , and swipe up and sustain to view the app switcher are the main thing to learn , with a pulling down from the top right field to get at the control kernel .
On the 8 Plus , the home button and swipe from the bottom from control centre are still in blank space as they have been for some time .
The Face ID photographic camera raiment on the XS Max can recordMemojiandAnimojias it can scan your face in 3D – the 8 Plus can pick up these creations , but ca n’t create them .
Otherwise , you do n’t lose out on much by having the cheaper 8 Plus – it ’s primarily look ID and the trinket emoji fun you may have with it .
Verdict
The iPhone 8 Plus is the most capable iPhone stay with the dwelling house button and no pass . It ’s aim good barrage life , double television camera and a still - libertine processor . With full support of the latest iOS for a few more year , it is by no means a bad choice .
But the iPhone XS Max is the most powerful iPhone ever . It has a taller , larger , better OLED display , grimace ID , and fast carrying into action . That comes at a price though , starting at £ 1,099/$1,099 compare to the £ 699/$699 of the 8 summation .