Based on my experience with the iPhone 11 Pro, I wasn't planning to upgrade my phone when the iPhone 12 came out. I was even looking for an Android alternative like the Sony Xperia 1 Mark III. Unfortunately, they are taking too long to release the phone to the U.S. market, and the price is too high, in my opinion. Long story short, my first six months with iPhone 11 Pro were a disaster. It crashed every day, and I had to restart my phone to take a picture. Although Apple consistently worked with me throughout the six months and eventually fixed it with an iOS software update, the experience was simply awful. I used to upgrade my iPhone every year, but that incident took my trust and confidence away. I ended up using my iPhone 11 Pro for two years before upgrading to iPhone 12 Pro Max.

I decided to stick with the iPhone because I am in Apple's ecosystem, and so are my friends. iPad Pro is one of my favorite products from Apple, and I am also using iMac daily to edit my photos. No other way around it. It is easier to transfer files and pictures among devices when they have a shared system. Also, since my friend is working at Apple, I thought I would give the iPhone another chance with his employee discount. After all, my iPhone 11 Pro was stable after the fix.

If you asked, why didn't I get the iPhone 12 Pro? I had considered it, but after going into BestBuy to check out the phones in person, I changed my decision. The first impression playing with iPhone 12 Pro in-store was highly underwhelming! It felt too similar to my iPhone 11 Pro, the size and everything. I couldn't justify paying over $1000 for an "upgrade" that ultimately felt like my old phone. It is so stupid that my reason to go with iPhone 12 Pro Max was the bigger screen!

A while back, when I had my iPhone 7 Plus, or some other bigger iPhones that I don't remember its name, that phone was too heavy for me. After using it for months, my wrist was hurting. I had to consciously use my phone less and make sure I held it with both hands. iPhone 12 Pro Max feels a little lighter than those Plus iPhones, but it could be my imagination. I have been using the iPhone 12 Pro Max for a month now, and I am glad to report my wrist has been fine so far. I often have to use both hands to handle the phone due to the large screen size, so maybe that's what makes the difference.

In terms of experience, I don't feel many changes in day-to-day usage. If I exclude the camera feature, it is exactly like my iPhone 11 Pro. My limited human brain couldn't detect all the minor changes and upgrades Apple put in the phone. Having a bigger screen is nice though, as I get older, it is getting harder to read small texts on a tiny phone. A large screen has its perks and could be helpful if you have similar issues. However, I did find typing accuracy has decreased on this bigger phone. When I am texting, the keyboard often types out wrong alphabets compared to when I use the smaller iPhone 11 Pro.

One thing I do notice the enhancement is the cameras on iPhone 12 Pro Max. Is it magical? No. It still has a tiny sensor, and it does have its limitations beyond its computing capability. When the lighting condition is extreme, like sunset hours, I encounter glitches with light and dark split on the images. It didn't appear in all the pictures I took that day, but I just wanted to point out it could happen due to the nature of computing photography. It reminded me of the glitches I sometimes got when I processed HDR photos. Another limitation of iPhone's cameras is the low light capability. There's only so much you can do with a tiny sensor, even with its excellent computing power. I did a photoshoot for fun in an empty condo the other day. The photos look great on my iPhone, but when I transferred them to my desktop for editing, they looked like shit; there's no way around it. Luckily, most people consume online content on their phones, so they probably couldn't tell the difference in image quality.

With a slightly bigger lens and more zoom, I did see a difference when I shot with the 2.5x camera. You do get more separation for your subject from its background. However, it means you could also get more misfocus images if your subjects are things like tiny flowers flowing in the wind. As long as you are willing to put in extra effort in taking pictures, you end up with images that appear to be more pleasing with that background separation.

Believe me, I didn't buy this iPhone 12 Pro Max with high expectations, so I am not disappointed. I am glad the phone doesn't crash every day, and I can go on with my day smoothly without annoying interruptions. I recommend the iPhone 12 Pro Max if you like to take pictures, spend a lot of time watching or reading on your phone, and don't mind it peeping out from your jeans pocket.