Apple’s single model per year was broken with the arrival of the “Plus” and in recent years this has been expanded, especially this one. 2020 has meant five iPhone, five sizes spread over two lines and three ranges, and the one that concerns us this time is the largest of all in several ways: this is the analysis of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. A mobile that shares much more than nomenclature with the iPhone 12 Pro: its technical sheet is almost a carbon copy except for the dimensions and subtle differences in screen and camera. Of course, more volume usually means more battery, so let’s see what experience the colossus of this year’s iPhone gives.
Design: the importance of width in the era of large mobiles
Iphone 12 Pro Max 01 Edge 02
As we already discussed in its presentation and especially when talking about the iPhone 12 Pro, the main change in the iPhone 12 is that it returns to the flat edge and says goodbye to the semi-cylindrical side. Something that aesthetically you may like more or less, but that is a return to the (almost) origins of the product, when this design of the edges in the iPhone 4 was changed.
The rear cameras maintain the triangle scheme, inserting the flash and LiDAR in that square module with curved edges. Going into detail, the lenses of the iPhone 12 Pro Max protrude a little more from its metal frame than on the iPhone 12 Pro.
Iphone 12 Pro Max 01 Iphone 12 Pro 02
iPhone 12 Pro on the left, iPhone 12 Pro Max on the right.
It is less bulky than the iPhone 11 Pro Max despite including a larger diagonal screen, but it weighs a bit more
The Max lives up to its last name by being the largest in its class. Although beware, it is less bulky than the iPhone 11 Pro Max despite being taller and including a larger diagonal screen, thanks to being slightly thinner. Of course, it weighs two grams more.
In fact, if we are already used to 6.7-inch smartphones (and considering the average of recent years it would not be surprising), the iPhone 12 Pro Max will not seem especially large or thick, but wide (it is less elongated than the rest, so to speak). And this width makes the grip less comfortable than mobiles that are taller but narrower, such as the Xperia we mentioned or the OnePlus 8 Pro.
Although what most affects the grip sensations in this case are the weight and the edges. As it happened to us with the iPhone 12 Pro, we believe that the previous design is more comfortable and ergonomic, although it is true that the leather cover is much more pleasant than the transparent one and helps to soften the edges (which is not to bother or are nailed).
Iphone 12 Pro Max 01 Accessories 01
The leather case and the Leather Wallet accessory.
Despite being the largest of the four iPhones this year, the buttons are equally well placed. We talk about the two volume, on the left side next to the silent mode (another brand of the apparently immortal house) and the power button, on the other side. Nothing of Touch ID or any other button, crowning the front part the Face ID as in the rest of its brothers and without changes in the size of the notch.
This notch also houses the earpiece and secondary speaker, which together with the main speaker on the base provides the stereo sound that we will talk about later. The screen fits into a vertically symmetrical frame, with sides the same thickness (except for the notch). Of course, they are not especially thin, seeing what the competition achieves, although on the other hand the screen does not have curvatures (something we usually celebrate).
Iphone 12 Pro Max 01 Profile 01
The back maintains the matte finish on the glass that we already saw in the iPhone 11 Pro and 12 Pro, which prevents fingerprints. They do fit easily on the aluminum edge, in gloss, although luckily not on the lenses.
On the aluminum edge we also see the CE marking as a change in this year’s edition, as well as the transfer of the nanoSIM tray to the left side. And both physical buttons such as the Lightning port and the rest of the elements of the base are perfectly aligned to the center of the edge.
