iPhone 8 Plus vs iPhone XS Max

The iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone XS Max are just one generation removed and are both good options to save you money on an iPhone. The iPhone 8 Plus was released in September 2017 compared to the more recent iPhone XS Max, which was released the same time the following year in 2018. Let's take a closer look at how these two flagship Apple smartphones compare.

Camera

When it comes to camera quality, both the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone XS Max have a 7 MP front camera, 12 MP main camera and 2160 px of video resolution. Camera performance is almost exactly the same between the two, so you likely won't notice any difference between your photo and videos. 

Battery

The iPhone Max XS has a good advantage in battery life over the iPhone 8 Plus. The 3174 mAh battery capacity on the iPhone XS Max outshines the 2675 mAh capacity on the iPhone 8 Plus resulting, which could result in up to 5 hours more of general run time on a single charge. Both phones, however, do offer wireless and fast charging options. 

Display

The display size and resolution also differ between these two models. The 8 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen with 1080 x 1920 px resolution while the XS Max has a 6.5-inch screen with 1242 x 2688 px resolution. This gives the XS Max the edge with a larger screen and a noticeably sharper display than its predecessor! 

Color & Storage Options

Both models are offered in a few different colors. The iPhone 8 Plus comes in Silver, Space Gray and Gold while the iPhone XS Max has those same 3 color options as well as Midnight Green. For storage, the XS Max also has an additional option compared to the iPhone 8 Plus. The 8 Plus comes in 64 GB/256 GB/512 GB options, while you can get the iPhone Max in any of those 3 storages or the 1 TB option. For the average user, both models give you plenty of storage options that will do the job just fine. 

Processor and RAM

Both phones have 4 GB RAM, but differ when it comes to their chipset & processor speed. The iPhone 8 Plus has an impressive setup for a 2018 phone with an A11 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture & M11 motion coprocessor. However, the upgraded A12 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture & M12 motion coprocessor on the XS Max makes it the faster iPhone overall! 

At the end of the day, if you're looking for something more recent then go ahead and get yourself an iPhone XS Max as this phone offers longer battery life (up 10 hours), bigger display size (6.5 inches) higher resolution (1242 x 2688 px) more storage capacity (up 1TB) and a faster chipset & processor speed (A12 Bionic chip). Since they're only 1 generation apart, you'll likely find them for similar prices, given you even more reason to go ahead and upgrade to the XS Max.