Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max: Honest review after 6 months of use

iPhones have always been the topic of discussion when it comes to premium smartphones. Apple has been playing with its only premium range of iPhone series against the other OEMs’ most advanced phones. The Cupertino-based company never disappoints its customers in terms of offerings.

From its every year bundle, iPhone 12 lineup is the latest from Apple launched back in October 2020 with loads of features and a brand new old iPhone-like design. These are the first-ever iPhones to have 5G connectivity that will add to their extended usability.

As the company has a brilliant software update mechanism and hardly there’s any other phone maker which could compete with it, the demand for even the old iPhones is still growing. While Samsung’s efforts are also counted when it comes to software updates. However, the South Korean company is not that accurate as the iPhone maker but it’s better than the other Android phone manufacturer.

Now coming back to the iPhone 12, it’s just not the specs that excite customers. Fact is, the name is enough and the number behind the name makes people happy. Throw in stuff like the super-fast performance of the Bionic chip, upgraded and advanced software system, and unbreakable security are the other concerns.

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Some people think of the iPhones as all-rounders, while for the others it’s just a prestigious product. For those who are thinking to buy the iPhone 12 Pro Max and make it their primary device for daily use, this is where all your questions will be answered if the latest iPhone is worth buying or not.

In this article, I will share my honest review after using the iPhone 12 Pro Max for around 6 months. Every single detail is evaluated in this article to show how this latest generation iPhone can be worth buying and for how long you can use it.

Old iPhone like classy design

The first sign of just how different the iPhone 12 Pro Max is from its predecessors comes from the phone’s design. The front is still the same as the old iPhone with the well-known and old-fashioned notch. While the changes can be easily noticed from the sides which are now flat as compared to the rounded of the iPhone 11 series.

The new flat edges provide a more premium look and also feels different and classy. The back looks clean with an attractive Apple logo at the center. This time, the camera module is bigger and has a number of sensors including three cameras and a LiDAR scanner for better low light images.

This is the largest iPhone ever with a display size of 6.7-inches and sometimes it becomes difficult to hold it with one hand. While you can enjoy videos and can easily play games with large screen size. Despite the notch, there are very slim bezels on the sides to interrupt you.

The overall design and build quality of the iPhone is undoubtedly amazing and anyone can fall for it. I think the flat edge design is something that may attract you more than anything on the iPhone 12 series.

5G connectivity could be the reason for buying iPhone 12 Pro Max

As the iPhone 12’s are the first-ever iPhones to come with the support for 5G connectivity. It’s not just the 5G, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max also offers a superior quality network speed engineered with seamless integration of world-class hardware and world-class software.

5G is one of the reasons for buying an iPhone 12 as it increases its lifeline and one can use it for a longer time. While the 5G is currently in its initial stage and will soon be available in all the countries around the world. Buying an iPhone 12 by looking for its 5G option is also worth it as the software system will be there for a longer time to support it.

Advanced and upgraded software system: iOS 14

The software system on the iPhone is very well optimized with the hardware and the response of the iPhone’s operating system is always consistent. With iOS 14 pre-installed the iPhone 12 Pro Max is loaded with all the upgraded and advanced security features which is almost impossible to breach.

Comparing with the older iOS versions, the new one has some cool stuff to offer such as the beautifully redesigned widgets that present timely information at a glance and can be pinned in different sizes on any Home Screen.

The App Library is a new space that automatically organizes all of a user’s apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view. iOS 14 also brings new ways to discover and use apps with App Clips, powerful updates for staying connected in Messages, greener ways to explore cities with Maps, and enhanced privacy features for even more transparency and control.

Speaking of the software experience on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, it is completely different from the Android. And if you are switching then you may get confused at the start. But once, you are into it then you might discover it to be one of the best OS offered.

Realistic AR and innovative camera experience along with LiDAR

As always, Apple never disappoints its users with the camera. The company never believes on to increase the megapixel counts and keeps on improving the quality of the camera by including some additional changes to it.

The device is packed with three different lenses of 12MP each, the main camera is 12MP with an f/1.6 aperture lens, OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), and PDAF. The other two are the Ultra-wide lens and the Telephoto lens.

Leaving behind the camera specs, let’s get on to the capturing power of this iPhone. The image capturing is just out of the world on this iPhone 12 Pro Max. Thanks to OIS, blurry pictures (and shaky videos) are a thing of the past, and photos taken in daylight are sharp and have a good dynamic range, although the color reproduction can sometimes be off and make things look less colorful than they actually are.

If you are a photoholic then this could be the phone you are searching for. The night shots are actually amazing on this iPhone and thanks to the LiDAR scanner. Coming to the video quality, the phone performed up to expectations and was able to handle the most dynamic scenes. Even this iPhone can capture 4K Dolby Vision HDR videos at 24/30/60 fps.

I have seen many phones with wide-angle cameras but the perfect use of this camera lens can be easily defined on this Pro Max. The other most exciting thing is the slow-motion videos on this iPhone.

Now, after evaluating the camera performance, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is much better than the other flagship phones such as the Galaxy Note 20 in some scenarios, while there are some places where it lags. Even then the camera can still be one of the reasons to buy this flagship.

Apple’s A14 Bionic: Powerful and Efficient

Ah, the A14 Bionic! Apple might not want its iPhone to lack in terms of performance, so it used the most advanced 5 nm-based chipsets. This latest A-series processor from the company is very well optimized with its software and also it is power efficient.

For gamers, this might not be as perfect as we expect it to be. After playing heavy games like PUB-G and Call of Duty for a while, the iPhone gets warm and the battery also drains pretty fast. Other than the game stuff, the iPhone can easily handle multitasking and even heavy applications. You’ll not find any lagging issue with it while using multiple apps.

Some people say that the iPhones are not good with battery life, but this is not the case with the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The battery of this iPhone will be enough for you and you’ll not be disappointed.

I am using this phone for almost 6 months and didn’t see any changes over time. The overall performance of the A14 Bionic chip gives the iPhone a lead over the other Android smartphones. If you are not a kind of heavy gamer then the iPhone 12 Pro Max is still perfect for you.

Is the iPhone 12 Pro Max worth buying?

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is a complete all-rounder if we talk about camera, performance, design, and build quality. Keeping the price aside, this could be the ideal smartphone you are looking for.

The only disadvantage that I and most of the customers would notice is its hefty price which is almost double than any other flagship phone. But if you are looking for a security-focused phone with the Apple logo on its back then you don’t have an option, other than spending more than 1000 dollars.

Now, the most important question. Is the iPhone 12 Pro Max worth buying? In terms of value for money, this iPhone does provide a good value. And if you are looking to use the iPhone for a long time then it’s a perfect phone.

The US tech giant offers long-lasting software upgrade support for its iPhones, so the outdated software will not be a concern for a longer time. It also comes with the 5G support which adds some more years of life to the iPhone.

P.S.: If you want to know something more about the iPhone 12 Pro Max that’s not mentioned in this review, then you can ask me in the comments section.