I currently have a 13 pro max that only needs a new battery, works perfectly otherwise. I really like the look of the new iphone pro max but after reading and seeing all this "Scratchgate" stuff and now seeing people posting that their phones are denting after drops even with cases on...........man I don't know which way to go! Any opinion's are welcomed.
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iPhone 13 Pro Max Torn between keeping my 13 pro max or upgrading to 17 pro max.
- Thread starter asjdwf
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If you can see and feel one at the store, decide that way.
Personally, I'd stick to the 13 Pro Max and wait for next year.
Personally, I'd stick to the 13 Pro Max and wait for next year.
Where would I get a battery replacement at for it? Does apple still do this?
Everything really. Mostly pictures, browsing, usual phone stuff. I used to be a power user but not so much anymore.
Then yea probably worth upgrading. You will get the ai features also that you’re missing and everything will be snappier
The reason i'm torn is because of the whole "Scratchgate" thing and now people posting that event though they have theirs in a case it's still denting if it's dropped
Well, where I live (EU) I have third party shops that do this. I don't know if Apple would do it (where you live), but since the 13PM is so far out of warranty, I think it's worth a try.
I was in the SAME BOAT! 13 Pro Max, still in near mint condition. Only issue was the battery, that's it. I went t check out the new phones yesterday...and it was a mixed feeling. Flip flopping between keeping 13PM and upgrading. Honestly the new phones looked and felt better in person...better than I expected. I actually thought the Silver was nicer than Deep Blue...didn't expect that. And yes, a lot more new features compared to this 4 year old phone. Is the camera(s) lenses, photo quality better? Yes, it is. Although a few pics I took in 8X, I wasn;t impressed!! Depends on lighting I guess. And well, yeah we still have the slow lightning port. USB-C is better..but for now I'm fine.
I simply asked the one Apple employee about getting a new battery, whats the process. Stated it's $89. Ok...I don't know why years ago another Apple employee stated "we run a test, the battery replacement is '$239!" SO...I just thought "to heck with that!!"
For a while I thought getting one myself and TRYING to do this on my own..I did it before, but before Face ID on XS Max, 6 Plus..etc. Or 3rd party repair shops....but I did this before on iPhone 5 and the guy put in a junk no name battery that ballooned up in a month.
Anyway..I walked into Apple this morning, wanted a new 13 Pro Max battery. They did run the test, what shows as "89% Health" on my 13PM was actually "82.3%" that's quite a difference and explains the horrible drain in the last 9+ months. I really haven't trusted that iPhone "Battery Health" % for a while TBH. So 45 min. later, it's done. "100% Health" - Yet Coconut Battery shows "102.4% - 0 cycles." I'm happy. No problems keeping this for another year at least....hell maybe until Apple stops supporting it.
The 13 Pro Max still has the 12MP RAW photos...for me that's fine. I can edit these in Lightroom/ Photoshop, if you do a lot of photography. 4K video, there are 3rd party apps like BlackMagic, FinalCut Camera, and others that takes great video...these can use older Apple Log uncompressed video format (those are MASSIVE files though, I barely use that)
As for iOS 26 and causing drain...ugh, I do expect it to some degree now, but...I HOPE I won't lose 10-15% battery life in 20-25 min. of simple normal use. I just may turn off the Liquid effects, animation ('Reduce Transparency' in settings, that might help a lot)
Not that it matters, I did explain to the Apple Genius employee this morning about I was quoted "239" years ago, he had NO idea why I was told that. Did state "older phones...7, 8+ years old can be more expensive, but not 200+ dollars"
I simply asked the one Apple employee about getting a new battery, whats the process. Stated it's $89. Ok...I don't know why years ago another Apple employee stated "we run a test, the battery replacement is '$239!" SO...I just thought "to heck with that!!"
For a while I thought getting one myself and TRYING to do this on my own..I did it before, but before Face ID on XS Max, 6 Plus..etc. Or 3rd party repair shops....but I did this before on iPhone 5 and the guy put in a junk no name battery that ballooned up in a month.
Anyway..I walked into Apple this morning, wanted a new 13 Pro Max battery. They did run the test, what shows as "89% Health" on my 13PM was actually "82.3%" that's quite a difference and explains the horrible drain in the last 9+ months. I really haven't trusted that iPhone "Battery Health" % for a while TBH. So 45 min. later, it's done. "100% Health" - Yet Coconut Battery shows "102.4% - 0 cycles." I'm happy. No problems keeping this for another year at least....hell maybe until Apple stops supporting it.
The 13 Pro Max still has the 12MP RAW photos...for me that's fine. I can edit these in Lightroom/ Photoshop, if you do a lot of photography. 4K video, there are 3rd party apps like BlackMagic, FinalCut Camera, and others that takes great video...these can use older Apple Log uncompressed video format (those are MASSIVE files though, I barely use that)
As for iOS 26 and causing drain...ugh, I do expect it to some degree now, but...I HOPE I won't lose 10-15% battery life in 20-25 min. of simple normal use. I just may turn off the Liquid effects, animation ('Reduce Transparency' in settings, that might help a lot)
Not that it matters, I did explain to the Apple Genius employee this morning about I was quoted "239" years ago, he had NO idea why I was told that. Did state "older phones...7, 8+ years old can be more expensive, but not 200+ dollars"
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My wife is planning on getting a new battery for her 15 Pro Max (84%) - I bet in real life it's way lower than this because she can't make it through the day without having to charge. 45 minutes is not bad!
I upgrade every 6-7 years and my 13 PM battery still holds the charge at 81%. I will just replace the battery if needed. There is always a better phone released compared to mine, I will upgrade to iPhone 19 or 20. A rogue app could be draining your battery.
Yeah, that number doesn't quite mean anything to me after today. There is a shortcut I have to enable to get detailed info on the battery, cycle count, other stats, etc. (Newer iPhones have some of this...like cycle count, the 13 PM doesn't 😐) I totally forgot about that, I do have to turn on the "share analytics" on the privacy page and wait around 10-12 hours though for that to work.
My super old Apple Watch 4 stainless steel STILL shows a 93% health, means nothing. I'll take that off the charger and I might get 10 minutes out of that before it totally goes dead.
That was my number also, it was totally wrong after Apple ran it's test. 82.3% was the reading they had. That number and the drain since Spring, early Summer - well before updating to ios 26 - seems about right.
The way I thought was ... I have a 15 Pro Max. Even with trade in, I'm looking at ~$800. Is anything in the 17 Pro Max worth $800 vs my 15 Pro Max? Nope.
Battery life a tiny bit better? Ability to handle heat a little better? Slightly less reflective screen - not an issue cuz I use a matte screen protector. Cameras are nice but not a massive difference.
My battery health is 103% ... on my 15 Pro Max - I barely use 15-20% of my battery per day. My wife's iPhone 15 Pro Max is at 84% but her phone needs charging sometimes 2 times a day. coconutBattery says her health is a little bit less - but yeah, we have an appointment Friday to get her battery replaced.
Next year hopefully Apple comes out with a good reason to upgrade
.So in your mind - are the differences between the 13 Pro Max and the 17 Pro Max worth the $? - Helps to use this website: https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone-17-pro-max,iphone-13-pro-max,iphone-17
Do they still replace batteries on 13 pro max’s?The way I thought was ... I have a 15 Pro Max. Even with trade in, I'm looking at ~$800. Is anything in the 17 Pro Max worth $800 vs my 15 Pro Max? Nope.
Battery life a tiny bit better? Ability to handle heat a little better? Slightly less reflective screen - not an issue cuz I use a matte screen protector. Cameras are nice but not a massive difference.
My battery health is 103% ... on my 15 Pro Max - I barely use 15-20% of my battery per day. My wife's iPhone 15 Pro Max is at 84% but her phone needs charging sometimes 2 times a day. coconutBattery says her health is a little bit less - but yeah, we have an appointment Friday to get her battery replaced.
Next year hopefully Apple comes out with a good reason to upgrade
So in your mind - are the differences between the 13 Pro Max and the 17 Pro Max worth the $? - Helps to use this website: https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone-17-pro-max,iphone-13-pro-max,iphone-17
From what I know - yes - once a product becomes "vintage" I think they stop carrying parts / batteries for it.
My wife's 13mini got a new battery at the Apple Store like 3 months ago. So the 13PM should be good to go too.
I have gotten a 17PM to replace my 13PM, though still have 10 days before I mail in my 13PM.
It's better in every aspect, for me, I love the new cameras and the camera button, still getting used to that though. I can definitely tell it's "snappier", eg booting, loading apps and such.
I got the orange with a blue tech woven case, I'm very happy with the decision to go for it.
Welp. I canceled my order and will just get a new battery. My buddy has the orange 17 pro max and it literally can be dented just by putting a new tight fitting case on. He put it on and it dented a small portion of the phone.
That is astounding. I'm glad I kept my 15 Pro Max. Wow. Especially after that keynote video (toughness factor).
I know. I went to his house today to pick him up for work and he was so mad. He was on the phone with apple. He has apple plus and apparently this kind of thing is just cosmetic and isn’t covered. Wow
I call BS on this. I’ve tried the tech woven case multiple times, and also tried the clear case at the store, no scratch and certainly no dent on my orange 17PM. But of course I f one uses pliers, a lot of things can happen, or a case that’s not meant for a 17PM…