Apple iPhone XS Max vs. Microsoft Surface Duo 2

Phone Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Apple iPhone XS Max and Microsoft Surface Duo 2. Compare sizes, cameras, batteries, memory, and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right phone for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the phone that will best fit your needs.

Phone Specifications Comparison

Apple iPhone XS Max vs. Microsoft Surface Duo 2 Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Product Type Smartphone Smartphone
Manufacturer Model Number A2101 -
Form Factor Touch Folder - dual screen
Height 157.5 mm 145.2 mm Apple iPhone XS Max has greater height than Microsoft Surface Duo 2.
Width 77.4 mm 92.1 mm Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has greater width than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Depth 7.7 mm 11 mm Apple iPhone XS Max is narrower than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Weight 208 g 284 g Apple iPhone XS Max is lighter than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Dimensions Details - Unfolded - 184.5 mm x 5.5 mm x 145.2 mm
Body Colour Space grey | Silver | Gold Glacier | Obsidian
Body Material Glass, surgical‑grade stainless steel Corning Gorilla Glass
Protection Dustproof, splashproof, waterproof -
Waterproof (Water-resistant) Yes - Apple iPhone XS Max is waterproof.
IP rating IEC 60529 IP68 -
Repairability Index 6.9 (out of 10) 3.9 (out of 10)
SAR Value 0.99 W/kg (body), 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.726 W/kg (head), 1.478 W/kg (body)
Connector Type Lightning USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C
SIM Card Type (Size) Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM) Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM)
SIM Card Qty Dual-SIM Dual-SIM
DISPLAY Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Display Type OLED display OLED display
Display Technology Super Retina HD AMOLED
Foldable Display - Yes
Display Design - Both directions folding
Screen Size (Display Size) 6.5" 5.8" Apple iPhone XS Max has larger screen size than Microsoft Surface Duo 2.
Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) 2688 x 1242 pixels 1344 x 1892 pixels Apple iPhone XS Max has better screen resolution than Microsoft Surface Duo 2.
Pixel Density 458 ppi 401 ppi Apple iPhone XS Max has better pixel density than Microsoft Surface Duo 2.
Aspect Ratio - 13:9
Max Brightness 625 cd/m² 800 cd/m² Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has better display brightness than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Contrast Ratio 1000000:1 -
HDR Yes Yes Both phones have HDR.
HDR Technology HDR10 -
Display Enhancement Technology Dolby Vision -
Display Refresh Rate 120 Hz 90 Hz Apple iPhone XS Max has better refresh rate than Microsoft Surface Duo 2.
Display Features True Tone display, Wide colour display (P3) DCI-P3 Wide colour gamut, 100% sRGB, Dual PixelSense Fusion Displays
Display Protection (Screen Protector) Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Corning Gorilla Glass Victus (scratch resistant glass)
SECOND DISPLAY
Second Display Type - OLED display - colour
Second Display Screen Size - 5.8"
Second Display Resolution - 1344 x 1892 pixels
UNFOLDED DISPLAY
Unfolded Display Screen Size - 8.3 in
Unfolded Display Resolution - 2688 x 1892 pixels
PROCESSOR Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Processor Type (CPU) Apple A12 Bionic Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
Processor Core Qty 6-core 8-core Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has higher processor core quantity than Apple iPhone XS Max.
64-bit Architecture Yes - Apple iPhone XS Max has 64-bit architecture.
MEMORY Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
RAM - LPDDR5 SDRAM - 8 GB
Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) 64 GB 128 GB Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has more internal memory than Apple iPhone XS Max.
CAMERA Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
MAIN CAMERA
Number of Main Cameras 2 3
Sensor Resolution 12 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Both phones have the same camera resolution.
Sensor Type BSI -
Lens Type Wide-angle lens -
Lens Aperture F/1.8 F/1.7 Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has better lens aperture than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Lens Construction 6-element -
Pixel Size - 1.4 μm
Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Both phones have optical image stabilization.
Focus Adjustment Automatic -
Optical Zoom 2x -
Digital Zoom 10x 10x Both phones have the same digital zoom.
Special Effects Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono HDR
HDR Mode Smart HDR -
Camera Modes Burst mode, Panorama, Timer mode, low-light shots, tap to focus, Live Photos, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting, wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos Night mode, Auto mode, low-light shots, Panorama mode with wide dynamic range, slow motion video at 120 or 240fps
Face Recognition (Face ID) Body and face detection - Apple iPhone XS Max has face detection.
Light Source True Tone quad LED flash Dual LED flash
Video Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps, 1280 x 720 (720p) at 30 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 120 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 30 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 60 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 24 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 240 fps 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 30 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 60 fps
Camera Features (Functions) Sapphire crystal lens cover, Cinematic video stabilisation, Focus Pixels, Cinematic video stabilisation, Playback zoom, Hybrid IR filter, Exposure control, geotagging, LTM (Local Tone Mapping), Stereo Recording, Continuous autofocus video, 8MP still photos recording 4K video, Time‑lapse video with stabilisation, Slow Sync, Advanced red-eye correction, Optical image stabilization for video, Extended dynamic range for video Dual Pixel Phase Detect Auto-Focus (PDAF), Smooth Zoom, HEVC (High Efficiency Video coding), HDR video recording, multi-frame photo capture, dynamic range scene detection
SECOND CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (2nd Camera) 12 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Both phones have the same second camera resolution.
Lens Type (2nd Camera) Telephoto lens Telephoto lens
Lens Aperture (2nd Camera) F/2.4 F/2.4 Both phones have the same second camera lens aperture.
Pixel Size (2nd Camera) - 1 μm
Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) - Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has optical stabilisation of the second camera.
Optical Zoom - 2x
Camera Functions (2nd Camera) Capture depth information -
Camera Features (2nd Camera) - Phase Detect Auto-Focus (PDAF)
THIRD CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (3rd Camera) - 16 Megapixel
Lens Type (3rd Camera) - Ultra wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture (3rd Camera) - F/2.2
Field of View (3rd Camera) - 110 degree(s)
Pixel Size (3rd Camera) - 1 μm
Camera Features (3rd Camera) - Field of view, distortion correction
FRONT CAMERA
Number of Front Cameras 2 1
Sensor Resolution (Front) 7 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has better front camera resolution than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Sensor Type (Front) BSI -
Lens Aperture (Front) F/2.2 F/2.0 Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has better front lens aperture than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Pixel Size (Front) - 1 μm
Special Effects (Front) Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono -
HDR Mode (Front) Smart HDR -
Camera Modes (Front) Burst mode, Timer mode, Live Photos, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting -
Face Recognition (Face ID) Body and face detection, face recognition - Apple iPhone XS Max has face detection.
Light Source (Front) Retina Flash -
Video Resolutions (Front) 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps -
Camera Features (Front) FaceTime HD camera, Exposure control, Auto image stabilisation, Animoji, Memoji, TrueDepth camera, Extended dynamic range for video, Cinematic video stabilisation -
SECOND FRONT CAMERA
Camera Functions (2nd Front) Infrared camera for Face ID -
Camera Features (2nd Front) Flood Illuminator, Dot Projector -
BATTERY AND CHARGING Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Battery Capacity (Battery Size) - 4449 mAh
Fast Charging Technology Apple fast charging technology - Apple iPhone XS Max has fast charging technology.
Wireless Charging Yes - Apple iPhone XS Max can be charged wirelessly.
Wireless Charging Standards Qi -
Talk Time 1500 minutes 1680 minutes Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has longer battery life when making calls than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Run Time Details Talk: up to 1500 min
Active online usage: up to 13 hrs
Playback (wireless video): up to 15 hrs
Playback (wireless audio): up to 65 hrs
Talk: up to 1680 min
Playback (local video): up to 15.5 hrs
Battery Technology Lithium Ion -
CELLULAR Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Mobile Broadband Generation 4G 5G Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has more advanced generation mobile network.
Operating System iOS 12 Android 11
Intelligent Assistant Siri Google Assistant
Payment Technology Apple Pay -
Navigation A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS
COMMUNICATIONS Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Data Transmission GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE, DC-HSDPA, LTE Advanced, VoLTE, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, VoWiFi, Gigabit LTE GPRS, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, Gigabit LTE, LAA, 5G NR FR1
2G Band 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM
3G UMTS Band - Band 1, Band 2, Band 5, Band 8
3G UMTS Frequency - 2100, 1900, 850, 900
4G LTE Band Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 13, Band 14, Band 17, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 29, Band 30, Band 32, Band 34, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 46, Band 66 Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 13, Band 14, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 29, Band 30, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 42, Band 46, Band 48, Band 66, Band 71
4G LTE Frequency FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700c, FDD 700 PS, FDD 700b, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, FDD 700d, FDD 2300 WCS, FDD 1500 L, TDD 2000, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500, TDD 5150, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS-3 FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700c, FDD 700 PS, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, FDD 700d, FDD 2300 WCS, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500, TDD 3500, TDD 5150, TDD 3600, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS-3, FDD 600
5G NR Band - N1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n20, n28, n38, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79, n25
5G NR Frequency - FDD 2100, FDD 1900PCS, FDD 1800, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 800, FDD 700APT, TDD TD 2600, TDD TD 2500, FDD AWS-3, FDD 600, TDD TD 3700, TDD TD 3500, TDD TD 4500, FDD 1900
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11ac IEEE 802.11ax
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.1
NFC Yes Yes Both phones have an NFC reader for mobile payments.
Messaging Services SMS, MMS -
MEDIA Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Supported Digital Audio Standards Audible, MP3, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AC-3, AAC-LC, LPCM, HE-AAC, Audible AAX, Audible AAX+, protected AAC, EAC3, HE-AAC v2 WAV, AAC, AMR, MP3, FLAC, OGG, MIDI, M4A, apt-X, IMY, RTX, OTA, MID, TWS, RTTL
Supported Digital Video Standards M-JPEG, H.264, HEVC, MPEG-4 Part 2, HEIF MKV, FLV, AVI, MOV, MPEG-4, WMV, ASF, 3GP, H.264, TS, M2TS, WebM, HEVC, 3G2, HEIF, H.265 HEVC, HEIC
Sound Enhancements Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Digital sound Qualcomm aptX HD audio, Qualcomm aptX Classic
FEATURES Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Phone Functions Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert
Sensors Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, 3-axis gyro sensor, digital compass, barometer Hall sensor, Time of Flight (ToF), dual accelerometers, dual gyroscope, dual magnetometer, dual ambient light sensor, dual proximity sensor
Security Devices Face recognition Fingerprint reader (side)
Security Technology Face ID -
Additional Phone Features TTY compatible, FaceTime, MIMO technology, Wi-Fi Calling, iBeacon microlocation, QuickType keyboard, Apple TV support (2nd or later), Neural Engine, AirPlay Mirroring MIMO technology, Fast Charging, dual battery, Full Duplex communication, dual microphones with AI-based noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation
OTHERS Apple iPhone XS Max Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Included Accessories Power adapter, Apple EarPods with Lightning Connector, Lightning to USB cable SIM card removal tool, USB-C headset, Surface Duo 2 USB-C cable
Compliant Standards IEC 60529 IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible) HEARING AID M4/T3
Max Depth of Water Resistance 2 m -
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C -
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C -
Humidity Range Operating 5 - 95% (non-condensing) -
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