DisplayMate: iPhone XS Max Has Best Smartphone Display Ever - MacRumors
Skip to Content

DisplayMate: iPhone XS Max Has Best Smartphone Display Ever

iPhone XS Max has the best smartphone display ever, according to display testing and calibration firm DisplayMate Technologies.

iphonexsdesign 1
iPhone XS Max has a number of notable improvements over the original iPhone X, including higher peak brightness and better color accuracy, and matches or sets smartphone display records in a number of areas, according to Dr. Raymond M. Soneira, President of DisplayMate Technologies.

For example, DisplayMate says the iPhone XS Max has a peak full-screen brightness of up to 660 nits for the sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts, which improves screen visibility in high ambient lighting conditions. By comparison, the iPhone X achieved a peak full-screen brightness of 634 nits in its year-ago tests.

DisplayMate measured the iPhone XS Max's screen reflectance to be 4.7 percent, close to the lowest that it has ever measured for a smartphone. As a result of this high brightness and low reflectance, the iPhone XS Max has one of the best contrast ratings in high ambient light on any smartphone it has ever tested.

DisplayMate provides an extensive overview of the iPhone XS Max display, concluding that it is a "very impressive top tier smartphone display."

Based on our extensive Lab Tests and Measurements the iPhone XS Max receives our DisplayMate Best Smartphone Display Award, earning DisplayMate's highest ever A+ grade by providing considerably better display performance than other competing smartphones.

Of note, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max use the same display technologies.

DisplayMate's iPhone XS Max OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out article is a worthwhile read for anyone looking for comprehensive analysis and testing of the iPhone XS Max display. DisplayMate has been a provider of display calibration software for consumers and technicians since 1991.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

app store monthly sub commitment

Apple Introduces App Store Monthly Subscriptions With 12-Month Commitment

Monday April 27, 2026 12:52 pm PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of a new subscription option for App Store developers: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. The new option allows developers to offer subscribers discounted pricing typically associated with an annual subscription but paid on a monthly basis to keep payments more affordable. This new payment option allows you to offer subscribers more affordable...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

This Is What the iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like

Saturday April 25, 2026 10:00 am PDT by
A recent leak provides our best look yet at the design of Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Leaker Sonny Dickson recently shared images of the first iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone dummy models. The images largely conform with rumors about the designs of the three devices and provide the first real visual confirmation of how they will look. ...
MacBook Pro Low Angle Wide Lens

Apple to Launch 'MacBook Ultra' With These Six New Features

Friday April 24, 2026 10:32 am PDT by
While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly around the corner. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the higher-end MacBook Pro models will be receiving a major redesign by early 2027, and he said that Apple might use "MacBook Ultra" branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a...

Top Rated Comments

99 months ago
Fake news it has a piss yellow tint hue and brightness keeps diming using it and auto brightless and true tone night shift is OFF Loads are having this issue
Oh okay, DisplayMate, MacRumors, stop everything. This guy is having an issue so that means everyone must be having that issue and it means DisplayMate lied!
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
99 months ago
Fake news it has a piss yellow tint hue and brightness keeps diming using it and auto brightless and true tone night shift is OFF Loads are having this issue
goto the apple genius bar. i have no such problem so your iPhone is probably defective

edit:
i just read your post about Apple replying to you. they're going to fix it. so what's "fake news" about this article? displaymate got a non-defective device. their article is accurate.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
99 months ago
That can't be right. I keep reading on here that everything apple does is horrible, and the Max is nothing but a rip-off money grab.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisMoBro Avatar
99 months ago
Until another smartphone is released in a few months...
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dan9700 Avatar
99 months ago
Fake news it has a piss yellow tint hue and brightness keeps diming using it and auto brightless and true tone night shift is OFF Loads are having this issue
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
99 months ago
Love the Debbie downers in here claiming about massive issues with the screen. Not discounting anyone's problem, but the XS Max screen is probably one of the most beautiful screens I've seen on a smartphone. Yes, I'm an Apple fanboy, but still. :)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)