Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max review: A smartphone, but nothing more

With the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, the Californian manufacturer dared to take another step in the direction of the giant flagship. I tested it for you, I noticed that.

With the iPhone 12 series, Apple has ushered in a design era that will be important for future AppleProproducts will be decisive. For the first time, Apple is launching the new 5G mobile communications standard and a more angular but modern design. After a good three months, I have a good impression of the iPhone 12 Pro Max can get for you in everyday life.

A design that speaks the future

When Apple launches a new design, you can rest easy knowing they've carefully thought through the accents for an upcoming portfolio. It's the same with the launch of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Anyone who hoped that the notch would disappear or be disguised in the display was unfortunately disappointed. Because the edges appear more compact and thinner compared to the predecessors, but more changes are not noticeable.

It looks completely different when you look at the housing of the iPhone 12 Pro max out While the "normal" iPhone 12 models have an angular and non-slip aluminum frame, a shiny stainless steel frame surrounds it Pro-Model. On the back you will find a matte glass, which doesn't give fingerprints a chance and is really grippy in the hand. The design is clear with that of the iPad Pro 2020 and speaks the language of Apple's future. In my opinion, the new design is simply refreshing in everyday life, because you now know exactly which iPhone you have in your hand.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max sets a new design standard for upcoming Apple devices. (Picture: TechnikNews/ Kevin Özgün)

A display with 10-bit color depth: in a smartphone?

With the 6,7 inch OLED panel, which Apple markets as “Super Retina XDR” and comes with a resolution of 2778 x 1284 pixels at 458 ppi, the world's most valuable corporation wants to mute its competition.

All smartphone displays are becoming increasingly high-resolution these days. This also applies to the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max to. While the normal iPhones only fill the counter with 8-bit color depth, the big brother is given better 10 bits, which basically means a sharper and more detailed picture on the display of the 12th generation Pro should aim at Max. Ultimately, this is an added value for Profi photographers who want to see everything on a screen “sharp as a rat” down to the last detail. However, if you, as an average consumer, put an iPhone 12 and the 12 Pro Max with the same picture next to each other, you won't be able to see big differences with the naked eye.

Anyway, anyone who values ​​10-bit color depth and attention to detail will resort to a large monitor or television in order to benefit from this technology. Unfortunately, films also have to be recorded with 10-bit color depth in order to be able to reproduce this experience on the display. This is exactly the same with a streamed film that is available in 4K or 8K, this can also only be displayed on an equivalent monitor or television in full resolution.

During my test period, I occasionally watched a film or series about the iPhone 12 Pro Max watched, but none of the 10-bit color depth supported. So this feature is more of a nice-to-know than a must-have.

Three cameras and a LiDAR sensor

The battle of camera lenses has been in the smartphone market for years now. While one or the other manufacturer has its own Proproducts, Apple relies on proven technology and skilfully refreshes it. The camera module is supported by a small mechanism called sensor shift, which allows the lenses to take pictures without shaking. For amateur photographers or content creators, this can certainly be pretty useful for social media.

For the first time, Apple is upgrading its digital zoom from 2x zoom to 2,5x lossless zoom. This is made possible optically by a lens and therefore does not require a digital “artificial” zoom. This is good for amateur photographers who value detail, because the existing lens allows you to get the photo untreated on the lens. The telephoto lens is also fun for large-area shots. The 0,5x zoom of the telephoto lens supports HDR, which improves color dynamics. This has proven to be very useful review, because the images have more color and contrast, which was really very nice: photos can also be processed with Apple for the first time Probe recorded RAW. This is a new RAW standard from Apple that is available in addition to the well-known RAW format. The iPhone 12 can do that Pro Max really good. Because this gives photographers a lot of leeway in post-processing. You don't necessarily need a DSLR or DSLM camera for this.

Thanks Apple ProRAW, more image information is now used to edit the images. (Picture: TechnikNews/ Kevin Özgün)

What is this "weird" LiDAR anyway?

LiDAR was originally used in the automotive industry to detect objects and improve autonomous driving. Apple deliberately took this step and installed the LiDAR sensor in the camera module of the iPhone 12 Pro Max installed. At the moment there are unfortunately only a few apps for a sensible use of the sensor, but it significantly improves the quality of the bokeh effect in pictures. It also recognizes objects much faster in existing AR apps, which means that the display of graphics in augmented reality can be readjusted much more quickly.

With LiDAR you can also measure rooms through certain applications and, as far as the software allows, also get precise calculations of rooms or furniture. Look forward to what will come from Apple in the industry in the future.

Before it was installed in the iPhone, LiDAR was already responsible for precise distance measurement in the automotive industry. It also improves photos with a bokeh effect. (Image: TechnikNews/ Kevin Özgün)

MagSafe has been revived

Most people still know MagSafe from the Macs of the time. This time Apple renewed and modernized the MagSafe connector. Instead of throwing away the Lightning connector and getting a new one proTo create a proprietary connection, Apple rebuilt the standard a bit. The back of all new iPhone 12 models now houses a magnetic coil that allows compatible accessories to be attached. This is particularly useful for wireless charging, as you don't have to worry about finding the perfect position for the process. But there are a lot of other accessories. I really liked Apple's leather wallet, which can hold up to 3 cards.

The leather wallet is a nice addition that can be flexibly attached to all new iPhone 12 models with a built-in magnet, anytime and anywhere. (Image: TechnikNews/ Kevin Özgün)

iOS 14 is innovative and wasted at the same time

Anyone who has been using Apple devices for years will be familiar with iOS 14 without any worries. Recently, however, widgets have been added that are known from Android - but unfortunately they are not interactive. As good as I find iOS 14, it doesn't come off without criticism. Because, in my opinion, Apple has hardly learned anything from the past few years. iPhones keep getting bigger over time, but the software is hardly improved and adapted to the different device sizes. Space is sometimes wasted unnecessarily on the home screen and gaps are left instead of the icons being better placed. And iOS 14 still doesn't offer multi-window support. Apple should definitely make up for that over the years and take a look at Android.

Specs

For the first time, Apple is installing the A14 Bionic in a smartphone that was manufactured using the 5-nanometer process and therefore works more efficiently. That's why Apple decided to make the case and the battery smaller. However, that never really limited me in everyday life. I've always gotten over a day with regular use. And if it's been used longer during lockdowns, I still have 20 in the evening Prozenz battery left. As a former iPhone owner, the lack of a power adapter is not really a disadvantage for me either, since I own a few power adapters.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max: Conclusion

Now we are in 2021 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the top smartphone from the Californians from Cupertino. There has often been a small optical and technical fine-tuning of the iPhones here and there. But neither Processors, nor the cameras have made such a serious leap in the past two to three years that the new devices make older models look so old that one would have to switch to be able to still participate in the digital world.

An iPhone 12 Pro Max is a smartphone that is equipped with the latest bells and whistles. However, at least the users will notice a serious difference and will really need the built-in features in everyday life. WhatsApp, YouTube in 4K, Netflix or Amazon Prime - things that you need in everyday life - run no better or worse on this iPhone. And you would still have to pay around 1.300 euros for it.

Who iPhone 12 Pro Max is considering the new design and longevity and 5G (for the future) coming from a three to four year old smartphone who may happily keep this iPhone 12 for years to come Pro buy Max. Otherwise you don't miss the world here.

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