iPhone 12 Pro vs 12 Pro Max — Don't Choose WRONG!

- I'm Rene Ritchie, and I hear you, I feel you. For the past few years, the Pro and Pro Max iPhones have been identical except for the Max part, the size part. But this year, this 2020 of years, the cameras are different and even the size differences are different. So if you still can't decide between the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, if you're still on the fence, if you prefer the regular pro size but want that pro max camera or battery, if you don't mind big phones but you you're worried that the new Max is too big, but if you're also worried that if you don't get it, you might regret it, if you have FOMO, YOLO to the max, but you're worried about the max price.

So it's just impossible, wow, but do I have the video for you? Just hit the subscribe bell or I'll delete your 120 Hertz and then let's do this. So I'm actually trying to decide between the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max right now. I used to have all the full size iPhones, but when the iPhone 10 came out, that was enough for me. I was never Max, neither at 10 nor at 11. But now, now that new camera is calling me again. So I'll use the same video to decide with you and give you my answer at the end. But for now, let's start with the price.

The Max is $100 more than the Pro and that's it. For everything we'll look at below, the cost differential is only $100, which I understand may be a lot for some people, like 10% more. Even on a $1000 phone. But with trades, installments, and upgrade programs, the difference upon difference over the course of a year, never mind several, won't be that much. And of course, never, ever, ever spend a penny more than you can or should. And if you have a strict limit, absolutely respect it. I'm just saying that if you have no other concerns, the price simply isn't a huge flashing neon stop sign for the Max.

At least not once you've decided to go Pro. That size though, I mean, Apple has already made the Pro bigger, it's full on the iPhone 10r, iPhone 11 like now from 5.8 inches to 6 ,1. So if you go Pro, you'll do it more and more. Although not much bigger. The screen has gone from 6.5 inches to 6.7. So it really is the biggest Max phone Apple has ever made. Some of that is a reduced bezel. Well, a little bit of that. It is only 0.11 inches taller but only 0.01 inches wider. And it's also 0.03 inches thinner, yes, 0.06 ounces heavier. All that to say, if you were okay with any of the full-size iPhones or if you ever owned or owned the iPhone 10s or iPhone 11 Max, the iPhone 12 X won't be that much of a difference.

In fact, the biggest difference might be that everything old is new again in the design. Because the loss of curves from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 11 makes the iPhone 12 series feel more substantial and grippy. The edges not only slide in your hand but put pressure on them, which some prefer and some really don't. And let me know which of those you are in the comments. But either way, if you're coming from a smaller iPhone that's not even talking about five or original SE, but just six or 10 or even 10R or 11, you have to be careful when considering the size.

If you're coming from the previous Plus or Max or yes, basically any Android phone, this non-XL Pixel size will probably be absolutely fine. The colors: silver, graphite, 18K gold and Pacific blue are the same, the same, the same in both pros. So is the design, the stainless steel antenna has bands in the matte glass on the back, the ceramic shield on the front, the notch and the notch, all the same. Everything is equally Pro, everything is equally notch in both. Even the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro displays are identical in every way except size, same Owlet, same HDR high dynamic range, same contrast ratio, typical maximum and brightness levels, same in everything except size.

With the increased size, you get a higher number of pixels on the iPhone 12 pro max screen, an additional 246 vertical and 114 horizontal, which is like half the size of the original iPhone, which is ridiculous. But with current pixel counts and densities it really isn't that much. And like 10 and six, more than the maximum of 11 probably won't even be enough to put any real additional pressure on the A 14 bionic chipset. However, it is physically larger, meaning it can fit quite a bit. more on the screen. If you just love yourself, some information density. Or you can put the same amount in a larger size.

Thanks to the screen, the zoom accessibility feature is really fantastic if your eyesight needs all the extra it can get. Even for playing games or watching videos, everything will be much larger. And if this is your main device, it could be very valuable to you. But it also means it will be harder to fit in your pockets. Especially, many of you are wearing what looks like a hybrid between skinny jeans and yoga pants and really 2020, as if everything else wasn't enough. And depending on what else you're carrying and how you pack, it may also be harder to fit into your bags, jackets, and all your stuff.

The iPhone 12 pro is already a lot of phone. The iPhone 12 max is a lot. In both the best and worst ways. So you have to discover which path is best for you. Probably the most important difference. The biggest deciding factor between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 pro is the camera system. It is not a 13 millimeter F 2.4 and 120 degree ultra wide angle camera. That handle is the same in both. The same goes for the LiDAR scanner which allows for fast autofocus and portrait mode in low light and much faster augmented reality in daylight. The same again. However, the 26 millimeter F 1.6 wide angle is better at maximum, bigger and better with 1.7 micron pixels instead of 1.4.

So yes, in addition to 0.3 microns more lug, which means it can collect more light for better low-light performance and optical image stabilization, the OIS also has maximum sensor offset, which It means that instead of the lens, it just floats to cancel. Outside of sensor movement, the sensor itself floats, which is mechanically simpler and yes, better optical quality. The 52 millimeter telephoto lens is not 52 millimeters at most, but 65 millimeters, which means it has even more compression and less distortion, which can be really nice in portraits and product photography even closer to a 50 than a an 80, but a little more in between.

And that also means you can zoom in 2.5X not just for wet clicking on Apple's previous telephoto camera systems. The downside is that instead of an F 2.0 aperture, it's an F 2.2 aperture, which means that on this camera it actually lets in less light. So while the wide angle is just pure, while the telephoto is really more of a mixed bag, if you prefer a 50 millimeter and don't want to give up any low light performance, you might be happier with it. 12 pro instead of the 12 pro max. However, if you are interested in those 26 millimeters of width, then you will be interested in that Pro max.

The A 14 bionic chipset is the same in both the iPhone 12 pro and 12 pro max, same architecture, same IP, same Qualcomm, X 55 modem for low and mid-band 5G globally and two millimeter waves of High band in They both have six gigabytes of RAM, which helps keep even the most bloated social media apps and games in memory for much, much longer than before. And both go up to 512 gigabytes of storage if you want to pay the premium for it. Where they differ is that while the Pro Max has a larger screen to power and more pixels to move and perhaps a slightly larger thermal envelope, it also has a larger battery to do so.

Big enough that Apple rates it for three extra hours of local video playback and one extra hour of streaming video. Also 15 additional hours of audio playback and both work with Apple's new safe magnetic inductive charging system and both still have a Lightning port and can fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes with Apple's new 20 watt power, but not included in the box. adapter. But the bottom line here is that bigger is more, especially since the regular Pro affects battery life a bit. Thanks to the new construction and especially 5G. The maximum is still maximum as in maximum battery for those who want an iPhone that lasts as long as possible.

And especially with the new camera, that's why I will personally buy the iPhone 12 max this year. It's a little more for me, but I just want the best camera and adding that bigger battery makes it the best option for me. At least for this year, you have to do it. And if you have more questions or just want to chat, check out, my members only disagree when we talk about iPhones, iPads, watches, Apple Silicon, equipment and workflows, and much, much more. You can find it on Patreon. And yes, I now have Patreon, patreon.com/reneritchie. I set it up right after I left my big media job in March, right before all of 2020 happened and this new independent channel started.

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For much more, it's much more on iPhone 12, click the playlist above. I already have a full 45 minute review detailing every new feature and much more to come. So click on the playlist and I'll see you in the next video.