Hands on: iPhone 12 Pro Max in the real world

AppleInsider

The entirety of Apple's iPhone 12 line is finally out. We've spent the day testing the new iPhone 12 Pro Max and wanted to go over some of its best new features and how they play out in the real world.

Pacific Blue iPhone 12 Pro Max

New design

Everyone has seen the design of the new phones, and even side-by-side lineups of the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. They all share what is essentially an identical aesthetic, albeit at different scales.

Each handset sport iPhone 5-style flat sides and a ceramic shield glass on the front, while Pro models get a new Pacific Blue color option.

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The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the largest iPhone Apple has ever created. It takes the 6.5-inch display of the iPhone 11 Pro Max and stretches it just a touch to hit 6.7 inches on the diagonal. It doesn't sound like much, and even in use it doesn't seem discernibly larger until you have it side-by-side with the previous Pro Max model.

The volume buttons and the side button have shifted down for easier access

What we do love, though, are some of the other subtle design changes that Apple has made. Both the side button and the volume buttons have been shifted down ever so slightly. This makes them more easily accessible while holding the phone and is certainly a noticeable and welcomed change. The phone is absolutely huge, but this change makes that size a bit more palatable.

Battery life

Being the largest iPhone, it is no surprise that iPhone 12 Pro Max also has the largest battery, although the 11 Pro Max beats it out in terms of sheer capacity (14.13 Wh vs. 15.04 Wh). We will have to examine battery life under stress, but we still have to point this out as one of our favorite new features because of not only how long the battery appears to last, but how many ways you can charge.

Just today using the device, we started by connecting to Lightning right out of the box, then used MagSafe for most of the day before finally tossing it on a Qi charging pad while we sat down to edit.

Battery is great on iPhone 12 Pro Max

The many ways to charge makes the battery feel even more capacious. Apple has the iPhone 12 Pro Max rated for the same battery life as the iPhone 11 Pro Max -- 20 hours of video playback, 12 hours of video streaming, and 80 hours of audio streaming -- but if you don't use 5G, we wouldn't be surprised if that stretched a little further. The phone made it through a ton of tests without almost any hit on battery life.

For comparison's sake, the iPhone 12 Pro only gets 17 hours of video playback, 11 hours of video streaming, and 65 hours of audio streaming. We'll take the extra battery life.

Wide camera image sensor

The big deal with the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the camera. We've barely started testing this thing out and we are already excited. Apple has included a 47-percent larger sensor in this plus-sized phone and it certainly pays off.

Comparing iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro camera modules

Physically, you can see the difference. The camera module on the iPhone 12 Pro Max is bigger in size and protrudes a bit more as well. All to handle that new larger sensor and the upgraded sensor-shift stabilization that goes along with it.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max cameras stick out slightly further

Thanks to that new larger sensor on the wide-angle camera, much more light can be captured, resulting in less noisy photos when we tested in low light. That is backed up by the increased ISO. The iPhone 12 Pro has a top ISO of 5,808, and the 12 Pro Max has a top ISO of 7,616. Improved light sensitivity again means better shots in low light.

Compared: iPhone 12 Pro (left) and iPhone 12 Pro Max (right)

The final benefit of that new sensor is increased depth of field compared to the iPhone 12 Pro. In a couple quick shots around the office, we notice more bokeh blur in the foreground and background, which creates better subject isolation and overall more pleasing shots.

Tele lens

The wide angle camera isn't the only one that got an upgrade. Apple also took the liberty of moving the telephoto lens from a 52mm equivalent to a 65mm equivalent. This yields 2.5X optical zoom compared to only 2X optical zoom on the iPhone 12 Pro.

New maximum zoom

You see this on any shot you take whether a normal photo or a portrait shot. It will even increase the maximum digital zoom, going from 10x to 12X maximum. When shooting video, you can get 7X digital zoom rather than being capped at 6X.

We took quite a few shots to play with the cameras and it makes a good difference. We aren't usually trying to capture objects super far away, but just far enough from the wide-angle lens we jump to the tele. With 2.5X zoom, we get just a little closer with no loss in quality.

RAM

The last thing we noticed was the increase in RAM, from 4GB to 6GB. The iPhone 12 Pro Max isn't the only one that has 6GB of RAM, but this is where we noticed it most. Coming from our iPhone 11 Pro Max, when completing a lot of tasks we would sometimes notice background apps having to reload once we open them. This wasn't the case nearly as much on the new device.

The display of the iPhone 12 Pro Max

We tried opening as many apps as we could and let them load. Then we bogged down the processor by exporting a 4K HDR video. Then we went back to try to re-open all of those apps to see if they'd have to reload themselves. Not one did. It isn't the most scientific of tests, but it is very much like the real world. We frequently jump between so many operations and apps that having them instantly ready to go felt like magic.

iPhone 12 Pro Max deals

Ready to purchase Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max? Wireless carriers are offering aggressive incentives, from free phones to cash discounts on the new models.

Find the best iPhone deals across all models, including the new iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 mini.

ninjagosg

“Thanks to that new larger sensor on the wide-angle camera, <snipped>

The final benefit of that new sensor is increased depth of field compared to the iPhone 12 Pro.”

Correction: the bigger the sensor, the shallower/thinner the depth of field (DOF). that is why in terms of dof, aps-c sensor > full frame sensor > medium format sensor

tmay

ninjagosg said:

“Thanks to that new larger sensor on the wide-angle camera, <snipped>

The final benefit of that new sensor is increased depth of field compared to the iPhone 12 Pro.”

Correction: the bigger the sensor, the shallower/thinner the depth of field (DOF). that is why in terms of dof, aps-c sensor > full frame sensor > medium format sensor

Very true, but a fair tradeoff for a larger aperture, IMO, given the LIDAR enhanced autofocus, and bokeh effects that are simulated fairly well. 

rd reese

What is that brown case with wireless charging . Saw the pro max video earlier , and have been searching for that case but, can’t find it. Help ...? As for the Pro max , I received mine yesterday, so we’ll see a couple months from now . But, for the day I’ve had it , I’ve been reaching for it more than my iPad , I absolutely love it. Despite being huge , it doesn’t feel to big or uncomfortable to hold . The last big one I had was the 6 plus & I hated it , never got used to holding it . But, Pro max feels great !!

charlesn

My 12 Pro Max, which arrived yesterday, is my 3rd Max phone, so I’m used to the size. That said, this is the first one that feels like a brick in hand, and not in a good way. Side by side with my 11 Pro Max, there’s actually very little difference in size, but the feeling in-hand is more than I expected. The flat sides—which I was hoping to see returned to the iPhone—are a mixed bag for me, in reality. A more secure feeling grip, for sure, but less comfortable. And they make the phone feel thicker, more “brick-ish,” although I don’t think it measures that way. I bought this Pro Max specifially for the better camera system, and it seems to live up to the hype in my early tests, so despite my comments about how this iPhone feels, I’d rather have it than not. 

One final comment: Pacific Blue is so close to Midnight Green, it’s barely a color change from one to the other. 

dbvapor

The final benefit of that new sensor is increased depth of field compared to the iPhone 12 Pro. In a couple quick shots around the office, we notice more bokeh blur in the foreground and background, which creates better subject isolation and overall more pleasing shots.

Didn’t it get a faster lens too?  F1.6 I think?  That could have an effect on depth of field. 

ST3

I believe the 12 Pro Max lens on the front of the phone  has a two stage wide angle lens. My 11 Pro Max did not offer that but it is certainly a big improvement when using that lens. It is adjustable by two opposing arrows at the bottom of the screen.

yuniverse

charlesn said:

...

One final comment: Pacific Blue is so close to Midnight Green, it’s barely a color change from one to the other. 

Thanks for the review.  But, I noticed that pacific blue is not at all similar to midnight green. I just can't see(pun) how it's just a 'barely' different. I do like the pacific blue, better.

yuniverse

I got my 12 pro max couple of days ago and I love it.  
Yes, it is big, but it's barely bigger than 6s Plus, which i still had lying around. 
The screen is gorgeous and fully expanded videos on it is just beautiful.  
Many were complaining about the fingerprint prone shiny sides, but my pacific blue sides weren't noticeably bad.  Perhaps the color helps to hide them.
It is quite hefty, though.  I would definitely get a case, because the extra weight may cause it to slip out of your hand more easily.

scartart

dbvapor said:

The final benefit of that new sensor is increased depth of field compared to the iPhone 12 Pro. In a couple quick shots around the office, we notice more bokeh blur in the foreground and background, which creates better subject isolation and overall more pleasing shots.

Didn’t it get a faster lens too?  F1.6 I think?  That could have an effect on depth of field. 

No, not compared to the 12 Pro which has the same f/1.6 lens,

anantksundaram

I *love* the form factor of the Pro Max. And the color. Face ID seems much faster. The camera is FANTASTIC. 

Strangely, however, the screen brightness (for the same brightness level setting) is noticeably lower than with my Xs Max. 

22july2013

Brown carrying case? To make it look like the brown Zune?

<--

avon b7

If confirmed I think the noise reduction is a massive improvement. That has been the number one complaint I've seen in low light over the last few years. 

kkqd1337

for me, this is the most boring ProMax ever. Really minimal and niche upgrade over the 12 pro. but whatever, i like to have the biggest phone.

but to be honest, in the UK... i still have a lot of issues with basic old call quality and reception. not apples fault of course. but it is still a pain.

randominternetperson

ninjagosg said:

“Thanks to that new larger sensor on the wide-angle camera, <snipped>

The final benefit of that new sensor is increased depth of field compared to the iPhone 12 Pro.”

Correction: the bigger the sensor, the shallower/thinner the depth of field (DOF). that is why in terms of dof, aps-c sensor > full frame sensor > medium format sensor

That caught my eye too.  Change "increased" to "decreased" in the original article and we're good.  Although reduced depth of field isn't always desired.  If you want subjects at different distances to be in focus you want greater DOF, not less.  For example, in that photo sample, the blurry "Reserved" sign in the right photo is not an improvement IMO.

JMStearnsX2

Increasing the depth of field is making more of your view in focus, decreasing depth of field is making less in focus. Larger apertures (smaller number) makes for less DoF, as does larger sensors.

melgross

Ugh. Waiting for Verizon to say we can get the new phones. Still got three weeks to go. Crazy contracts.

Appleish

Loving the flat edges. So much easier to hold and so much more pleasing to the eye. The rounded era was a mistake.

I like the blue a lot. This is my 11th iPhone and aside from the original (where there was no choice) and the 3G (which I got in white for some reason) all of my iPhones have been black or gray. Pacific Blue is very nice.

sflocal

I saw the new iPhones on a recent visit.  The shiny stainless steel frame on the Pro's is horrendous.  I'm not sure what Apple was thinking.  Every single fingerprint and smudge was clearly visible on it.  The brushed aluminum of the non-Pro's were beautify.  I wish Apple went that route, or better yet, used the brushed stainless steel from the iPhone4, which I still consider to this day the most beautifully designed phone imho.

I'm still on the fence if I will buy a new phone this year to replace my iPX.  My eyesight is not as good as it used to be, and I'm contemplating the Pro Max.  I'll have it in a case so the criticism is moot, but that shiny frame is a real turn-off.

avon b7

sflocal said:

I saw the new iPhones on a recent visit.  The shiny stainless steel frame on the Pro's is horrendous.  I'm not sure what Apple was thinking.  Every single fingerprint and smudge was clearly visible on it.  The brushed aluminum of the non-Pro's were beautify.  I wish Apple went that route, or better yet, used the brushed stainless steel from the iPhone4, which I still consider to this day the most beautifully designed phone imho.

I'm still on the fence if I will buy a new phone this year to replace my iPX.  My eyesight is not as good as it used to be, and I'm contemplating the Pro Max.  I'll have it in a case so the criticism is moot, but that shiny frame is a real turn-off.

This is a common observation and it's clearly true but still in the nit pick bag.

I wouldn't have an issue with it and 'horrendous' is perhaps a little over the top but if it's going in a case it's not going to pick up fingerprints.

I've always liked the flat designs but haven't seen these new phones in person yet but I'm pretty sure I'll like them. 

StrangeDays

charlesn said:

My 12 Pro Max, which arrived yesterday, is my 3rd Max phone, so I’m used to the size. That said, this is the first one that feels like a brick in hand, and not in a good way. Side by side with my 11 Pro Max, there’s actually very little difference in size, but the feeling in-hand is more than I expected. The flat sides—which I was hoping to see returned to the iPhone—are a mixed bag for me, in reality. A more secure feeling grip, for sure, but less comfortable. And they make the phone feel thicker, more “brick-ish,” although I don’t think it measures that way. I bought this Pro Max specifially for the better camera system, and it seems to live up to the hype in my early tests, so despite my comments about how this iPhone feels, I’d rather have it than not. 

One final comment: Pacific Blue is so close to Midnight Green, it’s barely a color change from one to the other. 

I feel the same way about the flat sides -- pros & cons. Going back to the 11 after using the 12, and the rounded-glass sides personally feels more organic and even grippier. 

I also find the Pacific Blue to be pretty weak in person. It's almost identical to Midnight Green -- basically gray. Another gray, hoo.

yuniverse said:

charlesn said:

...

One final comment: Pacific Blue is so close to Midnight Green, it’s barely a color change from one to the other. 

Thanks for the review.  But, I noticed that pacific blue is not at all similar to midnight green. I just can't see(pun) how it's just a 'barely' different. I do like the pacific blue, better.

On the web promo photos they look different, sure. IRL they're both just slightly tinted grays.