Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G
US$ 1699.99
The Good Stuff
- Excellent performance quad camera
- Fast & smooth performance
- Rich audio output
- Bigger battery & longer battery life
- Bigger screen
The Bad Stuff
- Same design, performance & sound as the iPhone 12 Pro
- No charger & no earphones
- Limited FaceID function when face mask worn
- No micro SD to expand storage
- Very expensive
- Weighs over 200g
New Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G Review: Great with Powerful Additions
Introducing the bigger Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G. The top range model of the iPhone 12 series smartphones. This one promises a bigger screen, bigger battery, better performance, more features, more everything. The name really says it all.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is one of the top dogs of smartphones but is it great enough to stay there. There are other great top-rated smartphones competing for the same top spot with similar, if not better, features and qualities. Let’s see how great the new Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G is from this review.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | DISPLAY: 6.7-inch, Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, 1284 x 2778 pixels | CPU: Hexa-core, 5G, Apple A14 Bionic (5nm) | OS: iOS 14.1 | STORAGE/MEMORY: 128GB 6GB, 256GB 6GB, 512GB 6GB | CAMERA: Quad-lens, 12MP (wide), 12MP (ultra wide), 12MP (telephoto), 3D LiDAR depth scanner, Dual selfie, 12MP (wide), depth scanner | BATTERY: 3687 mAh | WEIGHT: 228 g | RATING: 4.6 out of 10
Table of Contents
Overview
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G is the top-tier model available in the Apple iPhone 12 series. Compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, it comes with similar features but with the following improvements: (1) a larger screen, (2) a bigger battery, and (3) an improved quad-lens camera system.
From the iPhone 12 Pro, it inherits the same hardware spec that offers fast performance, premium looks and design, and great durability. But it’s not a perfect smartphone. Let’s see more from the review below.
Display & Design
The iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G includes a 6.7-inch display, with a Super retina XDR OLED technology, HDR10, and a full HD+ (1284 x 2778 pixels) screen resolution.
This is the biggest in the series and offers a stunning overall display, with rich and accurate colors, good brightness and contrast, and satisfying views of pictures and videos. The refresh rate is a standard 60Hz.
Not much more to say here. Compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, the screen technology is the same but with a larger screen, and can handle more pixels. To conclude, the iPhone 12 Pro Max certainly is larger and includes excellent screen tech and views.
Next is the design. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is encased with a ceramic glass in front, a frosty-textured glass at the back, and a stainless steel frame. The glass is pretty strong and offers great durability from scratches and is shatterproof.
It also comes with an IP68 rating, meaning that it’s resistant to dust and water. You can even submerge it up to 6 meters underwater, and it will still work. The design is the same here as the iPhone 12 Pro as well as the durability feature.
Overall, the design looks good. It uses the same premium look and offers great durability as the iPhone 12 Pro.
Performance
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G comes with a great hardware spec, which includes Apple’s own 6-core A14 Bionic chip. It’s the fastest performance chip right now and offers fast and smooth performance for daily use.
In terms of storage, the models range from 128GB to 256GB, and 512GB being the highest. They each come with 6GB of RAM that helps with multitasking.
The Apple GPU offers great performance for games. The gameplay is smooth and gaming graphics are well-detailed. Compared to the other great gaming phones, the iPhone 12 Pro Max isn’t a gaming phone, so don’t expect any GPU tweaking apps. But the hardware specs support games like PUBG and Fortnite.
The iOS 14 preinstalled works well with new improvements such as floating windows, improved widget management, and the overall smoother experience, thanks to the hardware.
The hardware spec and the overall performance can also be experienced in the iPhone 12 Pro as well. Overall, the performance is insane, gaming is a blast, the new iOS performs great, and is an excellent phone for daily use.
Camera
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G comes with a quad-lens camera that takes excellent photos and records stunning high-quality videos.
First, there’s the 12MP (wide) camera, which takes stunning pictures with rich and accurate colors, and great detail. It equally takes great pictures at night and in low light areas.
Second, is the 12MP (ultra-wide) camera. It takes the widest pictures possible, producing accurate and rich color pictures. The photos do lack some detail.
The third is the 12MP (telephoto) camera that helps with the 2.5x zoom feature. Equally the pictures are excellent, the zoom works well, producing well-detailed images.
The fourth camera is the ‘LiDAR sensor’ that helps the phone in a few ways: (1) it scans objects with a laser and shows it 3D in an augmented reality interface, (2) it helps to improve focus and accuracy when taking pictures and videos at night.
The dual selfie camera takes stunning pictures and videos as well. The cameras come with a 12MP wide camera and a depth sensor to help with ‘FaceID’ scanning. You can expect the same picture and video quality to the rear main wide camera.
In terms of videos, the iPhone 12 Pro Max can produce up to 4K quality videos capping at 60fps. It includes a video stabilizer to help keep videos rigid when recording.
The difference here compared to the iPhone 12 Pro is the improved telephoto 2.5x zoom feature. Everything else is the same. The image and video quality remain the same. But overall, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G comes with a quad-lens camera, that produces excellent pictures and records good high-quality videos.
Other Features
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G comes with other features to see and consider before purchase.
First, the audio output is excellent. Listening to the music from the smartphone, you can hear the rich sounds, good delivery of bass, and treble. Speakers are located at the bottom of the smartphone as well as the top section of the display.
The second is battery life. The iPhone 12 Pro Max comes with a big 3687 mAh battery, the biggest in the iPhone 12 series. This offers you more battery life. Charging the phone with a 20W charger, you can get a full charge in an hour or a little less.
There’s no iPhone charger in the box. You will either need to buy one or use your existing iPhone charger. And yes, it does support wireless charging but is the charging method as it’s slower.
The third is the security features. For those new to the iPhone series, there is the passcode then there’s the ‘FaceID’ unlock feature which quickly scans your face to unlock the iPhone. It’s one of the best features in for iPhone but will come with challenges.
Since we are wearing face masks, the FaceID function won’t work well with our face masks on. So to unlock your phone you’ll need to take off your mask or unlock using your passcode. No fingerprint sensor here.
Overall, the iPhone 12 Pro Max comes with good features, but compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, it retains similar challenges as well. The bigger battery is a welcome feature but compared to other top smartphone brands, they have even more battery life at the same price.
Verdict
Here are some points to note before reaching my final verdict. Firstly, the screen is bigger than the iPhone 12 Pro but maintains the same tech quality. It does look even better and that large-size screen is a welcome addition to the Pro Max model.
The issue is the 60Hz refresh rate. Other top brands include higher, between 90Hz or 120Hz, refresh rates, which offers better quality views and a smoother OS navigation experience. This is not a major issue. The screen does look great, but tech phone users would expect more from an iPhone. I guess we must make do with what we have.
The second is the battery. It’s much bigger, meaning more battery life, meaning more time to use to phone before it runs out of power. But compared to other smartphone brands, they range between 4500 to 5000 mAh on top-tier phones. Something to think about before considering a top-tier smartphone with the best battery life.
The third is the performance, the stunning phone design, the camera, and the other nice features. No problems with these but they are so much similar to the iPhone 12 Pro.
The only things improved are the battery, the camera, and the screen size of the phone. They are great additions but does anyone really need extra features. Depends on the market, I guess.
My final verdict, if you’re looking forward to getting the new Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, because of the extra additions, then so be it. But know that it’s going to cost you so much more money. If your budget says no, then get the iPhone 12 Pro instead of the previous iPhone 11 Pro Max, as it will be cheaper.
Recommendations
I recommend you buy the new Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G, as it includes the following:
Though the iPhone 12 Pro Max is a great phone, there are reasons why you should not get it:
As I said before, the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max is cheaper now and worth the look if you seek an alternative. The iPhone 12 Pro is also on to consider as it has most of the features.
Another one for the creatives like video producers, editors, and photographers. College students and budget phone users not recommended. iPhone fans and those who can afford it will enjoy using this phone.
Close Off
So what are your thoughts on this awesome Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G smartphone? Is it the best top tier smartphone? What do you like about it? Do you currently have one?
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here below the review. I will respond to them as soon as I can.
To see how good and similar the iPhone 12 Pro is, click here to check the review.
Thank you for your attention thus far. I hope you enjoyed the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G review.
That’s all from me. Take care.
Keep safe until next time.
