iPhone 13 Pro Max has world's best smartphone display, according to DisplayMate

After thorough testing, DisplayMate's Dr. Raymond Soneira determined iPhone 13 Pro Max's screen to set or match 12 display performance records including color accuracy, brightness, contrast ratio, screen reflectance and visible screen resolution. The results earned the handset DisplayMate's highest overall assessment rating, a grade of "A+" and the publication's Best Smartphone Display award.

In lab testing, iPhone 13 Pro Max measurements were "green" across the board, meaning each metric earned "very good to excellent" ratings. Categories evaluated include image quality, viewing angle, absolute color accuracy, image contrast accuracy, performance in ambient light, brightness, reflectivity and more.

Six measured attributes — absolute color accuracy, shift in color accuracy, maximum color shift, contrast accuracy and intensity scale accuracy, shift in image contrast and intensity scale, change in peak luminance — were "visually indistinguishable from perfect." The handset also set a record for peak brightness at 1,050 nits for average picture level calculations.

"The iPhone 13 Pro Max joins the very select Top Tier of Smartphone Displays which all provide Close to Text Book Perfect Calibration Accuracy and Performance that is Visually Indistinguishable From Perfect, so they all received and maintain Concurrent DisplayMate Best Smartphone Display Awards," Soneira said.

Since making the switch to OLED screen technology, iPhone has consistently received industry accolades for class-leading panel quality. DisplayMate previously awarded its Best Smartphone Display award to iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone XS Max.

The latest top-tier iPhone 13 Pro Max introduces Apple's ProMotion dynamically variable refresh rate technology to the iPhone lineup, promising smooth graphics and new levels of power efficiency. When announcing the device earlier this month, the company touted the Super Retina XDR display's improved peak brightness, enhanced color fidelity and additional viewing area thanks to a 20% reduction in TrueDepth "notch" size.

Apple's continuing work on camera systems is also paying off, with DxOMark lauding the iPhone 13 Pro's improved video capabilities in a report today.