Review iPhone 12 Pro Max

Reviews are now available for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, giving us a closer look at the full-size device before it starts hitting customers on Friday. We’ve rounded up some media reviews below. For video reviews, click here.

Image: Le Verge
With a 6.7-inch display, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the largest iPhone ever, eclipsing the 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max. Since the iPhone 12 Pro has already launched, this roundup focuses on what sets the iPhone 12 Pro Max apart from its little brother, including its larger screen, more advanced improvements to the device. photo and longer battery life.

Big screen

With its oversized 6.7-inch display, the iPhone 12 Pro Max won’t be right for everyone because The edgeNilay Patel explains:

The combination of the size and the flat sides basically requires a case to make it easier to hold, which makes the whole thing look even bigger. It’s still doable, but it’s about to be too big. I think the size reflects increased choice: this year Apple has more phone sizes available than ever before, including the tiny iPhone 12 mini, so it had the ability to push the Max even further.

But: it’s still big. I highly recommend finding a way to safely see the size of the 12 Pro Max in person before placing a call to order one.

The Wall Street JournalJoanna Stern wanted Apple to take more advantage of the device’s big screen:

It’s crazy to me, however, that Apple hasn’t allowed us to do more on a phone practically the size of an iPad. Why can’t I have my inbox on the top half of the screen and my calendar on the bottom like Samsung allows with its multi-window mode? Why does the tiny iPhone Mini allow the same number of rows of icons and homepage app widgets as the iPhone Giant? Why can’t I use an Apple Pencil to take notes on the laptop-sized device? Apple declined to comment on future software updates.

Long battery life

The Wall Street JournalJoanna Stern found the iPhone 12 Pro Max to have an impressive daylong battery life. In a YouTube video streaming test, she found the device to last 17.5 hours, compared to 14.5 hours for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12, and 10.5 hours for the iPhone 12. mini. Of course, heavy use of 5G will lead to less battery life than this.

I tried – really tried – to kill the Pro Max’s battery pack at bedtime. I’ve failed. It’s simple: a bigger phone = a bigger battery = a longer battery life. See the iPhone Mini review for the opposite proof.

While the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro also last until bedtime, the Pro Max wasn’t even in 15% of the territory by 11:30 p.m. most days. My YouTube video streaming test showed the same thing: the Pro Max lasted an insane 17 and a half hours; the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro lasted 14 and a half hours, and the poor little Mini lasted 10 and a half hours. Expect shorter lead times if you use the 5G network a lot.

EngadgetChris Velazco has also achieved more than a day of autonomy:

All in all, I was able to use the Pro Max for full working days and there is still a little left in the tank the next morning. Full Disclosure: Rather than setting this phone up like new, I restored it from a backup like many iPhone users do. Apple has previously stated that the background processes related to restoring the device can continue for up to a few days after the fact, so it is possible that the battery life will improve a bit with it. time. Either way, I wouldn’t sweat: even with a restore, the Pro Max will get you through a long day with a little more for the next.

Camera upgrades

Apple’s camera improvements this year go even further on the iPhone 12 Pro Max compared to the iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is one of a kind: a ƒ / 2.2 larger aperture for the telephoto lens, a 47% larger sensor for the wide-angle lens and what Apple calls optical image stabilization. by moving the sensor.

The edgeNilay Patel believes the iPhone 12 Pro Max has “the best smartphone camera you can get,” noting that photos taken on the device “are generally quieter” than those taken on the iPhone 12 Pro. However, Patel said these improvements are mostly only visible in low-light environments, as he found that both devices produced virtually indistinguishable photos in brighter and sunny conditions.

In slightly darker conditions, most phones automatically switched to their respective night modes, where they take multiple long exposures and merge them together. But the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s bigger sensor, with its higher maximum ISO, means it doesn’t automatically go into Night Mode as often. And when the iPhone 12 Pro Max goes into Night mode, it does so with shorter exposures than the 12 Pro – in situations where the 12 Pro would take a three second exposure, the 12 Pro Max only needed more. ‘a second photo, resulting in a sharper photo.

Patel shared a side-by-side comparison of a photo taken on the iPhone 12 Pro Max (left) and iPhone 12 Pro (right) in a low-light environment, noting that the 12 Pro took a photo in three-second night mode, while the Pro Max only needed a one-second exposure:

TechCrunchMatthew Panzarino made a similar assessment, finding that the iPhone 12 Pro Max outperforms the iPhone 12 Pro in low light conditions:

The wide-angle shots of the iPhone 12 Pro Max show slightly better sharpness, lower noise, and better color rendering than the iPhone 12 Pro and much more improvement from the iPhone 11 Pro. In bright conditions, you’ll be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two iPhone 12 models, but if you’re on the lookout, the signs are there. Better stabilization when held in the hand in open shadow, better noise levels in darker areas, and slightly improved detail sharpness.

More reviews

We’ve also collected unboxing videos for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, MagSafe Duo charger, and the leather case.