Here’s why you should still buy the iPhone 12 Pro Max in 2022
It has been 2 years since Apple introduced the iPhone 12 series to the market. Out of its 4 debutants that took center stage, one stood out above the rest: the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The largest of the group, as well as the most expensive (the cheapest iPhone 12 Pro Max’s price in Malaysia was RM5,299), a lot was riding on its reputation as one of Apple’s best iPhones, ever.
And it certainly hit the mark. Out of the iPhone 12 series, the iPhone 12 Pro Max was the most popular, accounting for 29% of total sales globally.
But the years have come and gone. The world has moved on to the iPhone 13 series, and is now in anticipation of the iPhone 14.
Does that make the iPhone 12 Pro Max redundant? Absolutely not. 2 years on, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max still feels like a premium smartphone in more ways than one.
What exactly are those reasons? Read on to find out why you should still buy the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Performance and Display
The iPhone 12 Pro Max incorporates the A14 Bionic processor, which at that time was dubbed the fastest chip ever in a smartphone. The A14 Bionic successfully increased the performance of the iPhone all while improving energy efficiency, paving the way for extensive battery life.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the biggest of the iPhone 12 series with its 6.7-inch screen. The Super Retina XDR OLED display means your content experience will be clear, crisp, and vibrant. The display resolution is an impressive 2778 x 1284px, and is capable of 1200nits brightness. The iPhone 12 Pro Max runs at a 60Hz refresh rate, which is much lesser than the 120Hz running on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. However, you probably won’t notice much unless the two are side-by-side.
The iPhone 12 series was also the first in the iPhone line up to dawn Apple’s Ceramic Shield coating. According to Apple, this layer of hardened glass gives you up to 4x better drop resistance than the previous iPhones. This, together with the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s stainless steel edge makes it one tough cookie to crack.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max comes in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
Camera
You get more than just a smartphone when you buy an iPhone. You get top notch camera systems and groundbreaking features. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is no different.
The camera on the iPhone 12 Pro Max surpasses the previous year’s iPhone 11 Pro Max thanks to its upgraded image processor.
The triple camera setup on the iPhone 12 Pro Max consists of the 12MP f/1.6 wide camera, the 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera, and the 12MP telephoto camera with 2.5x zoom.
As with the iPhone 11 series, the triple cameras are only available on the Pro and Pro Max. The standard iPhone and iPhone mini are limited to dual cameras. We must add that the sensor on the iPhone 12 Pro Max is larger than that of the iPhone 12 Pro. Therefore, you can expect the picture quality of the iPhone 12 Pro Max to be brighter and clearer.
You will get the best of Apple’s Night Mode on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, upping your night photography game in the process. In addition to that, the Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) will be beneficial for those with shaky hands.
Because of the high quality photos, much of your storage will undoubtedly be taken up by media files. So to be safe, we’d recommend getting the 256GB model. You can easily purchase the iPhone 12 Pro Max (256GB) at a price of RM5,399 in Malaysia.
Battery Life
The 3687mAh battery on the iPhone 12 Pro Max is more than enough to get you through the day on a single charge.
According to this battery test by PhoneArena, the iPhone 12 Pro Max offers 8 hours and 37 minutes of continuous YouTube streaming, and up to 14 hours of web browsing.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max triumphs in this aspect, providing an extended 2.5 hours. Still, the battery on the iPhone 12 Pro Max is by no means bad, and you should be able to get by comfortably.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max supports wireless charging, albeit at a rather slow pace. It’s estimated that 30 minutes of wireless charging will only give you 28%. In contrast, wired fast charging on a 20W adapter will give you 0-50% in 30 minutes. The downside? The iPhone 12 Pro Max does NOT come with a 20W adapter, so be prepared to fork out a little extra.
iPhone 12 Pro Max: Still getting updates, and still worth the price
One of the main reasons why the iPhone 12 Pro Max is still relevant: it’s still receiving iOS updates. That goes to all the older iPhone models as well.
The iPhone 12 series – though not the newest – is still very much premium, and should be receiving iOS updates for at least the next three years.
So, is the iPhone 12 Pro Max worth a buy or should you go for the newest model instead? That’s something you have to decide yourself. The price of the iPhone 12 Pro Max hasn’t dropped to drastically over the two years. At first launch, the cheapest Pro Max model was RM5,299. Now, you can purchase the iPhone 12 Pro Max at a price of RM4,899 in Malaysia.
With the coming of the iPhone 14 series soon approaching, we could possibly see a further drop in prices in the coming months. So keep an eye out, and happy phone hunting!
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