iPhone XS Max

I don’t know if I should buy the iPhone 12 Pro Max or iPhone 12 mini

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IMG_1833At the Apple Store looking at the accessories for the iPhone 12.

Less than 24 hours from Preorder Day, I am facing a dilemma – should I buy the 12 mini or should I go ahead and go straight for a 12 Pro Max?

The Plus size iPhones

I have always been using the plus size phones, ever since the 6s Plus came out. They have been hard to control one handed, and thus I have always stuck bunker rings on the back of the iPhone cases to make them usable. Simply put, I cannot control any of the iPhones today without a bunker ring. That is also why I have not been utilising wireless charging for the iPhones since the 8 Plus, as the bunker rings were preventing the iPhones from getting a proper charge.

The Pro Max is really heavy

The plus size phones also used to be thinner and lighter during the 6 Plus to 8 Plus era, but beginning with the Xs Max, they have grown in both absolute size and weight. The 11 Pro Max is now so heavy that when I am using the phone in bed, it always feels like my hand/finger is going to break from holding the phone up above my face. According to Apple, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has the exact same weight as the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Finally the return of a mini iPhone

This year, due to the introduction of the iPhone 12 mini, I had made up my mind to try out the smaller phone at launch, with the idea that if I do not like it, I can always let go of the 12 mini some months later, and get a 12 Pro Max at a lower price from alternative resale channels then.

iPhone 12 Pro component shortages?

However, today’s news that Apple is having issues locating enough components for the iPhone 12 Pros (and likely the Pro Max, since they share similar components) now make me wonder if I have made the correct decision to preorder the 12 mini tomorrow. Maybe I should just go ahead and order the Pro Max first tomorrow and only switch to a 12 mini in a few months if I do not like it?

Upgrade later? Downgrade later?

I have always preferred to have the 512GB version of the Pro Max, but however, I can not afford Apple’s MSRP for that particular model. Preordering tomorrow will mean that I have to settle for the 256GB, and might regret my decision in a few months. Also, as the prices of the Pro models are a lot higher, their value also drop quite a bit more in the resale channels after some time, compared to the regular models. Downgrading from a 12 Pro Max to a 12 mini runs the chance that I will likely lose more money overall than if I upgrade from a 12 mini to a 12 Pro Max after a few months. And money is important in a year where I am jobless. Seriously I should not even be buying the iPhone 12, but this is the only time of the year when I am the happiest, and saving up to purchase the yearly iPhone is one of the main drivers keeping me sane from work (and for this year, from COVID-19). So I really want one.

But I still do not know what I want.

The iPhone XS Max review – Same old same old, but the price not so old

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Price

Having purchased my Silver 512GB XS Max for quite a bit lower than the local MSRP, I have to say that this is a worthwhile purchase at the price I bought the phone at. At the local MSRP though, the 512GB Max is probably not a worthy purchase, nor even a reasonable one.

One thing though, for the majority of people the 256GB model will almost definitely be enough for your phone needs, there is no need to pay the additional 400 Singapore dollars or so for the 512GB model.

During the reveal of the iPhone X last year, I was crying foul because the MSRP of the X in Singapore is so much higher than in other countries like Japan and Hong Kong. Apple is price discriminating surely, but nobody seems to mind.

When the rumored 100 USD drop to the pricier XS line did not happen this year, I shuddered at the thought of spending 2349 Singapore dollars on a phone. I knew that I wanted the 512GB, as my previous 256GB phones were chocked full of photos and videos after less than a year of usage, so to me only the storage space of 512GB phone be will enough for my use. The most I ever paid for a portable Mac was around 1.7K (Hi 12” MacBook!), and it almost makes little sense to pay way more for a phone that will likely only last me for a year.

However, in Singapore we have various ways of buying phones that do not directly involve Apple in the sales process. And one of these “ways” worked out quite well for myself. So maybe this is the one time I will tell you not to buy something from Apple directly (either via Apple Orchard or the online store).

Size

The Max is the preferred size of iPhones for me. I had been using the Plus sized phones since the 6s Plus, and the display of the iPhone X last year was simple not wide enough for my use cases. Despite having what seems to be a bigger screen in total area size than the iPhone 8 Plus, the usable area size of the X was definitely more similar to that of the smaller iPhone 8. So the XS Max was a welcomed change.

Battery Life

I don’t know how Consumer Reports was testing the phone, but it does not last longer than my iPhone 8 Plus, frequently unable to last a hectic work day without topping up the charge. However it is likely still going to last longer than the regular XS. iPhones have never had the best battery life in the industry since multitasking become a thing in iOS (and since iPhones don’t trade having a manageable size for more battery life), and it does not bother me so long it lasts most of a day.

So I’ve just repeated what most reviewers said about the phone.

But then this phone is just that – just the exact phone that everyone else is saying it is. It’s a bigger version of last year’s iPhone X. And it is likely to delight anyone who loves the iPhone X last year but thinks that the usable screen estate is too small.

The XR

Unlike most others who used the iPhone XS Max exclusively without any experience of using the XR, I have been using a blue XR (a family member’s phone) since its launch a few weeks ago.

To be honest, there are so many ways that I prefer XR over the Max that I rather use the XR as my main phone if only it had the telephoto lens and 3D Touch. Those are likely the major annoyances on the XR for the majority of power users.

But the XR has a shitty display you say? Not even 1080P you say?

The XR has arguably a better overall display than the XS Max, the colors of photos simply looked more natural on the XR than the XS Max, and while I am not sure how close Android idiots/users look at their phone screen, the XR screen looks as sharp as any other iPhone displays I used. It might not go as bright as the XS Max can, but seriously who uses their phones at full brightness?

Coupled with the fact that you are actually getting the exact same screen estate as the XS Max but in a more usable form factor (without a pop socket or bunker ring) not to mention the great color options (everyday I look at the AWESOME blue body of the XR and then at the boring gold/silver Max, I wonder why anyone pays more for the Max), I have no idea why anyone except the most dedicated iPhone users will buy the Max over the XR (oh yes the regular XS is not even in the consideration, it is not much smaller physically than the XR but shows a lot less information on the screen). Oh, and the battery life of the XR is much better than the Max.

But this is not the iPhone XR review. That is coming later.

In conclusion, I love the 512GB storage tier, the presence of 3D Touch and the telephone lens (but the XR takes better portrait photos, I use the telephoto lens for 2X zoom mainly) about the Max, but nothing much else. I hate the steel antenna bands, for they can scratch to the high hells even with much care, and dislike the weight, unwieldy-ness and the boring colors of the Max/XS. Oh and once again who can forget the high MSRP of the phone? Get it if you buy on contract or get a decent deal on the highest spec models. Miss it if you want to. Either way I don’t care.