The iPhone12 Pro Max mark the beginning of a new generation of iPhone. Support for 5G, a new hardware design and camera improvements are a significant step away from the iPhone X generation of devices. This is nothing new. Apple did something similar in 2010 with the iPhone 4 and in 2014 when it released the iPhone 6 and 6 plus.
There is one big difference with the iPhone 12 generation, though. It's the first time there are four new iPhone at once: the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 pro max. If you want to go small and reap the benefits of a lower price there's the Mini. If you want the biggest iPhone with the newest in iPhone cameras, get the Pro Max. But that leaves the 12 and 12 Pro which are similar (like basically-the-same-phone similar). That's not necessarily a bad thing.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max have the same 5G support
It's brilliant that both 12 pro Max can connect to sub-6 and mmWave 5G here in US. One phone doesn't have better 5G support than the other. They are both the same.
I tested these phones in Greenville, South Carolina on both T-Mobile's 5G network and Verizon's Nationwide 5G (the non-mmWave version without the bonkers speeds). I was impressed with the coverage both carriers offered, but not always with the consistency of 5G speeds. Using the app SpeedTest, the iPhone 12 on T-Mobile recorded download speeds between 10.4 and 14.9 megabits per second, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max on Verizon clocked in between 97.9 and 104Mbps for downloads.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max have an iPhone 5 design
One of the first things I noticed about the iPhone 12 Pro Max is its "slabular" beauty. Apple's idea of premium differs from the flash and spectacle we see in flagship Android phones. Body colors don't appear to morph from one to another depending on the light. The screen doesn't wrap around the edges. In fact, the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro don't have curved edges at all.
Instead, a straight-edged polished stainless steel band defines the iPhone 12 Pro Max (it's matte aluminum on the 12), much in the way it did on the iPhone 5, 5S and SE, just without the chamfered edges. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro have a bold, striking look without any frills. The build and finish on the 12 Pro are extraordinary.
The cameras received hardware, software and processing upgrades. While other phones might have a standout camera feature (like the Galaxy S21 and S20 Ultra’s 100x Space Zoomthat these iPhones lack, the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro can capture excellent photos and video and deliver consistently fantastic images). Here's a sample taken in a range of different environments and lighting.
iPhone 12 Pro Max are the fastest phones
The cameras aren't the only thing that the A14 Bionic chip improves. It's fast, but it's hard to see the increased speed over the A13 chip, which is still peppy. The A14 chip is as much about power now as it is about future-proofing your phone so it can handle iOS 17 in a few years.
In performance benchmark tests, the iPhone 12 Pro Max recorded the highest scores of any phones we've ever tested. See the results below.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max are amazing phones, but we only have half the picture right now. There's also the iPhone 12 Mini (which I'm particularly excited about, given its size and price) and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which maxes out the size of the phone's display and offers camera improvements that none of the other iPhones 12 have. But that's just what we know based on the specs. We'll have to wait until November to see how they work out in reality.
