Jiří Filip The iPhone 12 Pro Max review is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated reviews at this year's Apple Fair. We are all the more pleased that we managed to get the phones to the editorial office and we can now bring you their comprehensive evaluation in the following lines. So what is the iPhone 12 Pro Max really like?
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Design and processing
To talk about the design of the iPhone 12 Pro Max as something new is frankly not very good. Since Apple has bet on the sharp edges from iPhones 4 or 5 in combination with elements of iPhones from past years, we are getting, with a bit of exaggeration, a recycled design. However, I definitely can't say that he wouldn't be able to impress - quite the opposite. After years of using rounded edges, a major design change in the form of a sharp chamfer is at least pleasing to the eye, and I think this is the thing that will play a role in the decision of many Apple lovers. After all, the best-selling iPhones in the past have always been those that showed a new design, not a new function in an old body. If I were to evaluate the "new" design of the iPhone 12 (Pro Max) for myself, I would evaluate it positively.
Unfortunately, I can't quite say the same about the color variant that I got my hands on for review. We are specifically talking about the gold model, which looks quite nice in the product photos, but in real life it is not a hit parade, at least in my opinion. His back is too bright for my taste, and the gold on the steel sides is too yellowish. So I was much more satisfied with the gold version of the iPhone 12, i.e. the iPhone XS or 8. However, if you like bright yellow with gold, you will not be disappointed. However, on the contrary, apparently yes, it will be how easily the phone can be "spoiled". While the back and display resist fingerprints relatively decently, the steel frame is literally a magnet for fingerprints, even though Apple should have chosen a new surface treatment for it, which was supposed to eliminate the unwanted capture of fingerprints. But for me, he didn't do anything like that.
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Lovers of completely straight backs will certainly be disappointed by the fact that even this year Apple did not manage to embed the phone's camera completely into the body, as was the case in the past. Because of this, it is necessary to take into account that when it is used without a cover, it will wobble well. On the other hand, with regard to the technical specifications of the camera (which I will discuss later in the review), I kind of wonder if it makes any sense to criticize its protrusion from the body. It would be much more appropriate to say something along the lines of "significant improvement paid for by compromises".
To evaluate the processing of a phone from Apple, the price of which starts relatively significantly above the threshold of 30 crowns, seems to me to be almost pointless. You probably won't be surprised that, as always, this is a masterpiece of technology from the point of view of production, on which you will find absolutely nothing "sloppy" and which is simply a pleasure to look at from any angle. The matte glass back in combination with steel and the front with a cutout simply suits the phone.
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Ergonomics
If there's one thing you can't really talk about in connection with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, it's compactness. You definitely won't get that with this mac with a 6,7" display and dimensions of 160,8 x 78,1 x 7,4 mm at 226 grams. However, it must be said that compared to last year's model, it has grown only slightly in terms of dimensions and has not even gained a single gram in weight. In my opinion, in this regard, this is a very pleasant move by Apple, which its users will definitely appreciate in abundance - that is, of course, at least those who are used to larger phones.
Although the iPhone 12 Pro Max is only a tiny bit larger than the iPhone 11 Pro Max, it honestly felt a lot worse in my hand. However, I think that it was not so much a slight change in size that played a role in this, but rather a significant change in the edge solution. After all, the rounded sides fit better in the palm of my hand, even though my hands are quite large. With the sharp edges combined with the size of the phone, I wasn't as sure about the cramples when holding it in one hand, as they say. As for the one-handed controllability, it is more or less at the same level as last year and by extension also in previous years for larger models. In other words, this means that without the Range function, you simply have no chance of more convenient phone operation. If you want to have a firm grip on the phone even in one hand, you can't avoid using a cover that rounds the edges of the iPhone to a certain extent and thus makes them "hands-friendly". So, at least in my case, putting the cover on was a small relief.
Display and Face ID
Perfection. That's exactly how I would briefly evaluate the used Super Retina XDR OLED panel. Although it is, at least according to the technical specifications, the same panel that Apple uses in the iPhone 11 Pro, its display capabilities are definitely not one year old. All the content that the display is able to display is, without any exaggeration, gorgeous in every way. Whether we're talking about color rendering, contrast, brightness, viewing angles, HDR or anything else, you won't complain about poor quality with the 12 Pro Max - quite the opposite. After all, the title for the best display used in smartphones of all time, which the phone won recently from the experts at DisplayMate, was not for nothing (in terms of performance).
While the display's display capabilities cannot be faulted in any way, the bezels around it and the cutout in its upper part can. I kind of hoped that Apple would finally get the hang of it this year and show the world phones with today's bezels and, above all, a smaller cutout. There is some attempt to narrow the frames, but they still seem quite thick to me. In my opinion, compared to previous years, they look narrower mainly due to the change in the type of phone edges, which no longer optically stretch the display frames. And the cutout? That one is a chapter unto itself. Although I have to say that the iPhone 12 Pro Max does not have as much of an effect due to its dimensions as with smaller models, there is no question of its inconspicuousness. However, it is a question whether Apple is really not able to reduce the sensors for Face ID to some more interesting dimensions that will allow the cut-out to be reduced, or whether it has simply phased these improvements into the future. Personally, I would see it on option B.
I also think it's a huge shame about Face ID that it hasn't moved anywhere since its introduction in 2017. Sure, we keep hearing from Apple how it's improving its algorithms and viewing angles, but when we now put the iPhone X and the iPhone 12 Pro side by side, the difference in unlock speed and the angles at which the technology is capable of working is absolutely minimal. At the same time, the improvement of the scanning angle would be absolutely great, as it would take the phone's usability to a new level - in many cases, it would eliminate the need to lift it, for example, from the table. Holt, unfortunately there was no step forward this year either.
Performance and storage
If there's one thing the novelty lacks, it's performance. This is what it has thanks to the Apple A14 Bionic chipset and 6 GB of RAM to give away. The sadder is the fact that you won't know how to deal with him with a little exaggeration. Sure, apps from the App Store will run faster on your phone than ever before, and the phone itself is very snappy. But it is really the added value that comes from the most powerful processor in mobiles are we currently expecting? I'll admit that I don't think so. Everything will run great, but in the end it's only slightly better than last year's models. At the same time, it would be enough to exploit the potential of the processor in the same way that Apple has been doing it on iPads for years - that is, with some more advanced multitasking. Two applications running next to each other or a small application window running in front of a large window would simply be great and make sense - all the more so when you have a 6,7" giant in your hand - the largest iPhone ever in Apple's history! However, nothing like that happens and you have to make do with basic multitasking for managing applications running in the background, i.e. with the Picture in Picture function, which is essentially no different from the one available on the iPhone 12 mini with 5,4" display or SE 2 with a 4,7" display. The practically zero use of the display in terms of software is the thing that, in my opinion, stomps the potential of the iPhone 12 Pro Max into the ground and does not make it the phone it could be without major problems. Small software modifications, when, for example, Messages are converted to the iPad version when using the phone in landscape, are simply not enough - at least for me.
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However, there is no point in lamenting the result, so let's get back to the evaluation. In terms of performance, this can't be anything but positive either, because - as I already wrote above - all applications, including the most demanding ones, will run perfectly fine on your phone. For example, the game gem Call of Duty: Mobile, which is probably the most demanding game in the App Store, loads really lightning fast and runs smoothly like never before - even if it wasn't such a big leap forward as a result.
While I don't really like the performance potential and its underutilization in the iPhone 12 Pro Max, I have to say the exact opposite when it comes to basic storage. After years of waiting, Apple has finally decided to put more usable storage in the basic models - specifically 128 GB. I think that it was this step that convinced many users this year that instead of the basic 12 with 64 GB of storage, it is worth throwing in a few thousand crowns for the basic 12 Pro with 128 GB, because this size is, in my opinion, the absolutely optimal entry-level solution. Thanks for that!
Connectivity, sound and LiDAR
One big paradox. This is exactly how I would, with a little exaggeration, evaluate the iPhone 12 Pro Max in terms of connectivity. Although Apple presents it as a professional device, at least in terms of the camera (which is also what its name iPhone 12 PRO Max should evoke in you), but in terms of the simple connection of accessories through the port, it still plays second fiddle with its Lightning. It is precisely because of the really bad options for connecting external accessories, which you can't enjoy other than via a reduction, that playing on a professional device doesn't quite make sense to me. And be careful - I'm writing all this as a Lightning lover. Here, however, it is necessary to say that if I am presenting the phone as a perfect professional camera, it would not be out of place to use a port (i.e. USB-C) with which I can easily connect it to an external display or anything else without any reduction.
While the port is, in my opinion, a big negative, the use of MagSafe technology, on the other hand, is a big positive. This unlocks enormous possibilities not only for Apple, but also for third-party accessory manufacturers, who will suddenly be able to attach their products to iPhones much more easily than ever before. Thanks to this, iPhones will become more attractive and friendlier for their products, which will logically increase the number of accessories that can be connected to them. Although it may not seem like it yet, it was in MagSafe that Apple presented the near (and perhaps even distant) future of accessory usability.
In a similar spirit, I could continue to support 5G networks. Sure, it's still a technology in its infancy, and it probably won't come out of it any time soon. However, once it becomes more widespread worldwide, I believe it will change it to a great extent in terms of communication, file transfer, and basically everything that requires the Internet. And it's great that we're ready for it thanks to the iPhone 12. In the case of European iPhones, it is not entirely possible to talk about perfect preparation, as they only support the slower version of 5G, but this can be blamed more on the local operators, who do not plan to build their networks for faster mmWave, as they would have to be denser.
I will not criticize the sound of the phone in any way. Although Apple did not brag about its quality at the recent Keynote, the truth is that it has also improved significantly. I admit that this was a relatively big surprise for me, since I recently tested the iPhone 12, whose sound can withstand comparison with last year's iPhone 11. However, when you put the 11 Pro and 12 Pro side by side, you will find that the sound performance of the newer phone is about knowledge better - cleaner, denser and overall much more believable. In short and well, you won't be angry with this phone for the sound.
Unfortunately, that's where the praise ends. I would really like to say that even LiDAR is a real revolution, but I can't. Its usability is still very small, as only a few applications and the camera for portraits in night mode understand it, but mainly it seems to me that Apple grasped it as badly as ARKit and thus de facto condemned it to languishing "on the edge of the technological society ”. What I want to say is that although it is an amazing technology capable of mapping the phone's 3D surroundings really precisely, the world has practically not understood it due to the sold-out presentation by Apple, and because of this I think its usability is declining. Apple already planted the seeds of doom this spring when it added LiDAR to the iPad Pro. However, he presented them only through a press release, through which he was not able to present the advantages of this gadget, and therefore, in a way, it took a backseat to everything else. Here, we can only hope that she will be able to dig out of it and that in a few years LiDAR will be the same phenomenon as, for example, iMessage. Sure, they are two completely different products in terms of type, but in the end, just a good grip is enough and they can be on a similar level in terms of popularity.
Camera
The rear camera is the biggest weapon of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Although it doesn't differ much from the 2019 Pro series in terms of its paper specifications, there have been quite a few changes. The biggest one is the deployment of stabilization with a sliding sensor for the wide-angle lens or a significant increase in its chip, thanks to which the phone should be able to perform more convincingly even in poor lighting conditions. As for the aperture of the lens, you can calculate sf/2,4 for the ultra-wide-angle, uf/1,6 for the wide-angle and f/2,2 for the telephoto lens. Double optical stabilization is a matter of course for the ultra-wide-angle and telephoto lenses. You can also count on a 2,5x optical zoom, a two-fold optical zoom, a five-fold optical zoom range and a total of twelve-fold digital zoom. True Tone Flash or software photo enhancements in the form of Smart HDR 3 or Deep Fusion are also available as usual. And how does the phone actually take pictures?
Ideal, slightly degraded natural light conditions and artificial light
Taking photos on the iPhone 12 Pro Max is pure joy. You get a phone in your hands that you don't have to modify in any way for quality photos and yet you can always be sure that you will manage to capture really perfectly. When I specifically tested the phone in ideal and slightly degraded light, i.e. under artificial lighting, it achieved almost unbelievable results in the form of photos with very realistic colors, perfect sharpness and a level of detail that any compact could envy. At the same time, you can always take a picture of all this in just a few seconds by simply pressing the shutter button without any major adjustments to the settings. However, you can of course get a much better picture of the quality of the camera from the photos taken from it. You can view them in the gallery below this paragraph.
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Deteriorated lighting conditions and darkness
The phone achieves impressive results even in poor lighting conditions or in the dark. It can be seen that this is where Apple again worked significantly on improvements, and it also managed to bring them to a successful end. In my opinion, the alpha and omega of improved night photos is the deployment of a larger chip in a wide-angle lens, which is ultimately the main lens of the vast majority of apple shooters for their classic photography. That way, you can count on the fact that the photos will be significantly better thanks to it than it was with the night mode last year. A great bonus is that the creation of night photos is now significantly faster and therefore there is no risk of blurring them. Of course, you can't talk about quality comparable to SLRs for night photos on your phone, but the results achieved by this year's iPhone 12 Pro Max are truly impressive.
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Video
You will appreciate the new form of image stabilization with the wide-angle lens the most when shooting video. This is now more fluid than ever. I wouldn't even be afraid to say that now it looks almost like shooting through stabilizers for thousands of crowns. So here, Apple has done a really perfect job, for which it deserves huge praise. Maybe it's just a bit of a shame that we didn't get support for portrait mode when shooting this year either, because it's an element that would make the phone very special and shooting would become more interesting thanks to it. Well, maybe at least in a year.
Battery life
Looking at the technical specifications, the phone may disappoint in a way in the section dedicated to battery life - it offers the same values as last year's iPhone 11 Pro Max. In other words, that means 20 hours of video playback, 12 hours of streaming time, and 80 hours of audio playback time. Since I vividly remember testing the iPhone 11 Pro Max from last year, I knew what I should +- expect for the "twelve". I've been using this as my primary phone for the past few weeks, through which I've handled all work and personal matters. This means that I received 24/7 notifications on it, made calls from it for about 3 to 4 hours a day, actively browsed the Internet on it, used emails, various communicators, but also of course auto navigation, a game or social networks here and there. Using this, my iPhone XS, which I always use in between new phone reviews, gets me down to 21-10% battery in the evening around 20pm. It probably won't surprise you that I easily exceeded these values with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, because even during active use in the evening I reached about 40% of the remaining battery, which is a great result - especially when it applies to weekdays. On weekends, when I hold the phone less in my hand, it was no problem to fall asleep at 60%, which is really nice and shows that two days of moderate use would not be a problem for the phone. If you were to use it even more sparingly, I think you can easily think about a four-day endurance, even if it was on the edge. However, it should be noted that, in addition to using the phone, its settings also affect its durability. I personally use, for example, automatic brightness together with Dark Mode in almost all applications, thanks to which I am able to save the battery solidly. For people who have the brightness at maximum all the time and everything in white, it is of course necessary to expect worse endurance.
While the phone's battery life is pleasing, charging is not. This is a long-distance run in all charging variants. If you reach for an 18 or 20W charging adapter, you can get from 0 to 50% in about 32 to 35 minutes. For a 100% charge, you need to count on roughly 2 hours and 10 minutes, which is not exactly a short time. On the other hand, you need to take into account the fact that you are charging the largest iPhone in the history of Apple, which will naturally take some time. If you are interested in wireless charging, Max can only use it at night or when you don't have much time. Even at 7,5W, the charging time is more than double that of charging via a classic cable, which makes this option a really long-distance run. However, I personally only use wireless charging at night, so the longer duration did not bother me at all.
Summary
Great phone with unfulfilled potential. This is exactly how I would evaluate the iPhone 12 Pro Max in the end. This is because it is a smartphone with a lot of really great things that will entertain you, but at the same time elements that will freeze you or outright annoy you. I mean, for example, the (un)usable performance, LiDAR or perhaps the aforementioned absence of greater options for shooting video, which would make this option more attractive overall. Still, I think it's a great buy that will please anyone who likes big iPhones. On the other hand, if you're deciding between the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, then know that the larger model won't bring you that much extra, and what's more – you'll have to try its less compact size.
Everything OK, except for one small thing. The author does not know what compactness is, so he also uses it incorrectly. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is definitely compact, and that's without a doubt. I can't imagine how it could be made more compact. I understand what the author is criticizing, but this is not compactness. Compact means something completely different.
Despite the enlarged chip, the iPhone 12 PRO MAX unfortunately achieves the same photos as the iPhone 12 PRO.
In the review below, you can see a comparison even with the iPhone 12. No difference.
https://youtu.be/qrzCLgDplTw?t=230
I want to ask the local smart people (sorry, opponent) - does that cloud still interfere with data transmission (and even via hotspot) and determine what is and isn't safe for a fool? Do I still block VPNs on older protocols (and applications that use them internally)? Or can a person who needs to work with data and not just make jokes on tiktok buy it?
I would also be interested in that, I need a VPN for work and the iPhone won't let it. Because of this, I have to have a Xiaomi :(, where the necessary program runs without problems