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iPhone 11 Pro Max vs iPhone 8 Plus – What’s The Difference?
Welcome to our iPhone 11 Pro Max vs iPhone 8 Plus comparison! Apple has a new big batboy flagship. It’s called the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the thing is an absolute beast. It’s the biggest, most powerful iPhone Apple has ever made. Prices start from $1000 for this phone, but you can get some pretty sweet carrier deals for the iPhone 11 Pro Max. With respect to how it compares to the iPhone 8 Plus, well… it’s a no-brainer. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is leagues better – from the camera tech to the battery life and performance, everything has been improved by upwards of 50-60% compared to the iPhone 8 Plus.
With respect to price, the iPhone 8 Plus – which is still on sale – is obviously cheaper. It also has a home button, if that’s something you want. With respect to performance, the iPhone 8 Plus is still plenty powerful too. For most users, it will be fine. And if all you want is a functional phone that doesn’t cost the earth, the iPhone 8 Plus is still a good option – even in 2020.
Another option, however, if you want to pick up a newer iPhone (but still save money), is to go the refurbished route – doing this will save you an additional 40%. You can pick up newer iPhones refurbished too – iPhones like the iPhone X, iPhone XR, and iPhone XS are all available via Gazelle, our #1 recommended retailer for refurbished iPhones.
Still thinking iPhone 8 Plus? Let’s take a more detailed look at how this three-year-old phone compares to Apple’s 2019 flagship iPhone…
iPhone 11 Pro Max vs iPhone 8 Plus Quick Comparison
Design
This is where things kind of get a bit crazy. Both the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone 11 Pro Max have almost the exact same dimensions when it comes to the physical sizes of the devices. However, even though they are the same size, the display in the iPhone 11 Pro Max is a full inch bigger.
How does the iPhone 11 Pro Max accomplish this? It’s due to the phone’s all-screen design. You see, the iPhone 8 Plus, while a massive phone, has much of its space taken up by the huge forehead and chin of the device. That chin especially is needed because the iPhone 8 Plus has the old Touch ID home button. But the iPhone 11 Pro Max? It uses the new, sleek and slim Face ID.
- iPhone 8 Plus – The iPhone 8 Plus has a 5.5in display and features Apple’s original biometric authentication system called Touch ID, which uses your fingerprint instead of your face to unlock your phone. Its industrial design features a glass and aluminium body and comes in a wide range of three color options.
- iPhone 11 Pro Max – The iPhone 11 Pro Max comes with a 6.5in OLED display. It features Apple’s biometric authentication system called Face ID. The textured matte glass and stainless steel design make it an absolutely gorgeous phone. And this year their glass back will feature a matte finish.
Winner? iPhone 11 Pro Max – The iPhone 11 Pro Max with its matte glass back and steel frame steals the show.
Displays
OK, now let’s get to the actual displays. The display of the iPhone 11 Pro Max is 6.5in. That’s a full INCH more of screen space than you get on the 5.5in iPhone 8 Plus display. Again, this is incredible considering the phones have nearly the same physical dimensions.
But the display size isn’t the only difference here. The iPhone 11 Pro Max also features an OLED panel, which is much brighter, has darker blacks, and is more power-efficient. The iPhone 8 Plus still uses the old LCD panel.
- iPhone 8 Plus – The iPhone 8 Plus features an LCD display that is 5.5in and has a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution at 401ppi.
- iPhone 11 Pro Max – The iPhone 11 Pro features an edge-to-edge OLED display that is 6.5in and has a 2688 x 1242-pixel resolution at 458ppi.
Winner? iPhone 11 Pro Max – Without a doubt, the iPhone 11 Pro Max wins the day here thanks to its OLED display.
CPU/Processor
The iPhone 11 Pro Max also beats out the iPhone 8 Plus in the processing department. The iPhone 8 Plus has the A11 chipset, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max has the A13. Despite just being two-generations apart, the A13 in the iPhone 11 Pro Max is actually 40% faster than the A11.
- iPhone 8 Plus – the iPhone 8 Plus features the two-year-old A11 chipset, which is about 40% slower than the A13.
- iPhone 11 Pro Max – the iPhone 11 Pro Max features the blazing A13 chipset.
Winner? iPhone 11 Pro Max – The A13 is 40% faster than the A11.
Camera
The camera department is also an area where the iPhone 11 Pro Max really outshines the iPhone 8 Plus, too. That’s because the iPhone 11 Pro Max features and triple-lens rear camera system with a 12MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, and 12MP telephoto lens. The iPhone 8 Plus only has a dual-lens 12MP wide and telephoto rear camera.
The differences are almost as stark when it comes to the front selfie camera, too. The iPhone 8 Plus has a 7MP selfie camera while the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 12MP selfie camera. The iPhone 11 Pro Max also features advanced photography tools like night mode.
- iPhone 8 Plus – The iPhone 8 Plus features a 7MP front-facing camera. On the rear camera, you get a dual 12MP wide and telephoto camera.
- iPhone 11 Pro Max – The iPhone 11 Pro Max features a 12MP front-facing camera. But the rear camera is a triple-lens system with a 12MP wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and telephoto lens, triple optical image stabilization, optical zoom, and 4K video recording. It too also supports advanced photo features like portrait photography and night mode.
Winner? iPhone 11 Pro Max – That triple-lens puts the dual-lens to shame.
Storage Options
The iPhone 11 Pro Max, unsurprisingly, has the better storage options.
- iPhone 8 Plus – 64GB or 128GB
- iPhone 11 Pro Max – 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB
Battery Life
WOW! Talk about being left in the dust. The iPhone 8 Plus gets you about 14 hours of battery life. But the iPhone 11 Pro Max? A full 20 hours on a single charge. That’s over 25% more usage for you on a daily basis.
- iPhone 8 Plus – The iPhone 8 Plus’s battery will get you about 14 hours of battery life with mixed usage. It also features wireless charging.
- iPhone 11 Pro Max – The iPhone 11 Pro’s battery will get you about 20 hours of battery life with mixed usage. It also features wireless charging.
Winner? iPhone 11 Pro Max – You get an extra six hours of battery life.
Price
- iPhone 8 Plus – The 5.5in iPhone 8 Plus costs cost £579 (64GB) and £629 (128GB).
- iPhone 11 Pro Max – The 6.5in iPhone 11 Pro Max will cost £1149 (64GB) and £1299 (256GB) and £1499 (512GB).
Verdict?
So can the iPhone 8 Plus compete against the iPhone 11 Pro Max? Nope–it’s not even close. 2019’s iPhone 11 Pro Max DESTROYS the iPhone 8 Plus in every metric. It features that sweet triple-lens rear camera system with a 12MP wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and telephoto lenses, triple optical image stabilization, optical zoom, and 4K video recording. There’s just no way the old dual-lens system on the iPhone 8 Plus can compete.
The iPhone 11 Pro Max also features an OLED display, versus the iPhone 8 Plus’s LCD display. This means your screen is just going to look better on the 11 Pro Max. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is also 40% faster than the iPhone 8 Plus thanks to its A13 processor. The iPhone 11 Pro Max wins thanks to it camera, display, and better industrial design. That’s not even to mention the design of the iPhone 8 Plus looks archaic compared to the all-screen design of the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Another option worth considering, however, is picking up a newer
Be sure to check out our iPhone 12 vs iPhone XR comparison!
iPhone 11 Pro Max vs iPhone 8 Plus: Specs
Here are the specs for the iPhone 11 Pro Max:
- Display: 6.5-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display with a 2688 x 1242-pixel resolution at 458ppi
- Dimensions: 158.09mm x 77.8mm x 8.1mm
- Weight: 226 grams
- Storage: 64, 256, or 512GB
- Processors: A13 Bionic chip with third-generation Neural Engine
- Front camera: 12 MP TrueDepth camera with 4K video recording at up to 60 fps
- Rear camera: Triple 12MP Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto cameras with Night mode; 4K video
- Battery: Up to 20 hours (video playback)
- Other: Face ID, NFC, wireless charging, IP68 waterproof (4m)
And here are the specs for the iPhone 8 Plus:
- Display: 5.5in LCD Retina HD display with a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution at 401ppi
- Dimensions: 158.4mm x 78.1mm x 7.5mm
- Weight: 202 grams
- Storage: 64 or 128GB
- Processors: A11 Bionic chip with Neural Engine
- Front camera: 7MP FaceTime HD camera with 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps
- Rear camera: Dual 12MP Wide and Telephoto cameras; 4K video
- Battery: Up to 14 hours (video playback)
- Other: Touch ID, NFC, wireless charging, IP67 waterproof (1m)