Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max review

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Introduction

With the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, our collection is finally complete. It is the biggest, heaviest, most powerful, and most feature-rich iPhone Apple has made so far, and that's enough to make it the best-seller it was designed to become.

The new iPhone 12 Pro Max is the only member of Series 12 to pack the new and improved triple-camera on the back. This might be even enough to entice users who may not even be after the Max size. That is how a proper upgrade should be done - by updating every aspect possible, not just the design.

The iPhone 12 Pro's Max denomination isn't standing just for maximum size, but for the complete set of new features. The biggest iPhone to date enjoys the most premium and durable design Apple has ever made, the most powerful chip with 5G support, the latest Apple camera, the LiDAR scanner, the largest speakers, the beefiest battery, and, of course, MagSafe support.

This Max version could have been even better with a 120Hz display, but, alas, this feature didn't make the cut on Series 12. Maybe next year, who knows, but today even the most expensive iPhone can't show more than 60fps on its screen.

We know you are eager to see the Pro Max's battery life and camera performance, but first things first. Let's take a closer look through its specs, shall we?

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max specs:

• Body: Stainless-steel frame with glossy finish, Ceramic Shield front with oleophobic coating, Glass back with frosted finish, IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue color options. 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm, 228 g.
• Display: 6.7" Retina XDR OLED screen of 1,284 x 2,778 px resolution, 458ppi, 800 nits, 120Hz touch sensing. HDR10, Dolby Vision support, wide color gamut. True Tone.
• Chipset: Apple A14 Bionic chip (5nm) - Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm with 3.1GHz Turboboost) Apple CPU, four-core Apple GPU, 16-core Apple NPU 4-gen
• Memory: 6GB of RAM; 128/256/512GB of internal storage
• Rear camera: Triple 12MP camera: Primary - 1.7µm pixels, 26mm, f/1.6, IBIS, Dual Pixel AF; Ultrawide-angle - 1.0µm pixels, 13mm, f/2.4, 120-degree field of view; Telephoto -- 1.0µm pixels, 65mm, f/2.2, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom; dual-LED flash with slow sync. Night Mode, Smart HDR 3, Deep Fusion.
• Video recording: 2160p@60/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps video recording with wider dynamic range and spatial sound, OIS + EIS, Dolby Vision capturing.
• Front camera: Dual camera - 23mm 12MP f/2.2 front-facing camera with HDR mode + 3D TOF camera; Night Mode, Smart HDR 3, Deep Fusion. 2160p@60/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps video recording with wider dynamic range and spatial sound, EIS.
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 5G, 4G; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac/6; Bluetooth 5.0; Lightning port; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS; NFC; Apple U1 chip ultrawideband
• Battery: 3,687 mAh battery, 20W fast charging, 15 Qi wireless charging (MagSafe)
• Misc: Face ID through dedicated TrueDepth camera, stereo speakers, Taptic Engine

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is an upscaled version of the iPhone 12 Pro with a bigger display and battery. It also features a larger 12MP sensor for its primary camera with the industry's first sensor-shift image stabilization. Finally, its telephoto camera has an even longer-range lens now - 65mm f/2.2 for 2.5x optical zoom. Nice!

Finally, even if the iPhone 12 Pro Max is one of the most expensive phones today, just like the rest of the iPhone 12's, it also comes accessory-free thanks to Apple's latest controversial endeavor to save the planet.

Unboxing the iPhone 12 Pro Max

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max comes within a thin and lightweight box that contains the phone and a USB-C-to-Lightning cable.

There is no charger or EarPods inside, but you will find a SIM ejection pin and a lonely Apple sticker if you dig deeper. You better hold on to that metal pin, as it might disappear next year, too.