iPhone 12 Pro Max price in USA 512GB review – how to use charger?

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What is the upgrade in iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB? Should you buy it in 2021? The arrival of iOS 15 also adds plenty of new functionality, from improved Apple Maps to more nuanced Messages functionality to watching or listening to media with others via SharePlay. the main 12MP sensor has been upgraded to capture a lot more light, and enhancements have been made to the image processing too. Apple has added the Ceramic Shield to the front of the iPhone 12 Pro Max, as it has with others in the iPhone 12 range – this is designed to make it four times less likely to crack in the event of a drop. How much is iPhone 12 Pro Max price in USA 512GB? Know about more features in iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB review.

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Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Great screen
  • Longer battery life
  • Powerful camera
  • Immersive 6.7-inch display
  • Superior performance
  • Convenient MagSafe charging

Cons

  • Feels almost too large
  • The most expensive iPhone
  • Camera not hugely better than the 12 Pro
  • Charger sold separately
  • A bit heavy and bulky
  • No 120Hz display

Specs – iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB

  • iPhone 12 Pro Max price in USA: $1,099
  • Display: 6.7 inches (2778 x 1284)
  • Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
  • Battery life: 10 hours 53 minutes
  • Size: 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 inches
  • Colors: Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue
  • CPU: A14
  • Rear cameras: 12MP wide (f/1.6), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 12MP telephoto (f/2.2)
  • Zoom: 2.5x optical/12x digital
  • Front camera: 12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2)
  • 5G: sub-6Ghz, mmWave
  • Battery: 3,687 mAh
  • Weight: 8.03 ounces

iPhone 12 Pro Max price in USA 512GB

The iPhone 12 Pro Max came out November 13, 2020 with a starting price of $1,099/£1,099 for 128GB of storage. Upgrading to 256GB costs $1,199/£1,199, and the 512GB version costs $1,399/£1,399.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max generally costs $100/£100 more than the regular iPhone 12 Pro regardless of the storage. 

iPhone 12 Pro Max price in USA carrier 512GB

There’s no question the iPhone 12 Pro Max is an expensive piece of hardware. It starts at $1,099 for the 128GB version and runs up to $1,199 for the 256GB model and $1,399 for the 512GB variant. You can get decent deals from US carriers,

iPhone 12 Pro Max price in Apple USA 512GB

If you buy your iPhone 12 Pro Max from Apple, for example, you can get up to $525 off the cost of the new iPhone by trading in your own device. (Only newer models fetch that high of a return, though — a two-year-old iPhone XS Max fetches you a $320 rebate from Apple.)

Compare iPhone 12 Pro Max price in USA 512GB

Apple iPhone 12 Apple iPhone 12 Mini Apple iPhone 12 ProApple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Display size, resolution6.1-inch OLED; 2,532×1,170 pixels5.4-inch OLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels6.1-inch OLED; 2,532×1,170 pixels6.7-inch OLED; 2,778×1,284 pixels
Pixel density460ppi476ppi460ppi458ppi
Dimensions (inches)5.78×2.82×0.29 inches5.18×2.53×0.29 inches5.78×2.82×0.29 inches6.33×3.07×0.29 inches
Dimensions (millimeters)146.7×71.5×7.4mm131.5×64.2×7.4mm146.7×71.5×7.4mm160.8×78.1×7.4mm
Weight (ounces, grams)5.78 oz.; 164g4.76 oz.; 135g6.66 oz.; 189g8.03 oz.; 228g
Mobile softwareiOS 14iOS 14iOS 14iOS 14
Camera12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide)12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide)12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto)12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing camera12-megapixel12-megapixel12-megapixel12-megapixel
Video capture4K4K4K4K
ProcessorApple A14 BionicApple A14 BionicApple A14 BionicApple A14 Bionic
Storage64GB, 128GB, 256GB64GB, 128GB, 256GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB
RAMUndisclosedUndisclosedUndisclosedUndisclosed
Expandable storageNoNoNoNo
BatteryUndisclosed; Apple lists 15 hours of video playbackUndisclosed; Apple lists 15 hours of video playbackUndisclosed; Apple lists 17 hours of video playbackUndisclosed; Apple lists 17 hours of video playback
Fingerprint sensorNo (Face ID)No (Face ID)No (Face ID)No (Face ID)
ConnectorLightningLightningLightningLightning
Headphone jackNoNoNoNo
Special features5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM)5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM)Lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM)Lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM)
Price off-contract (USD)$829 (64GB), $879 (128GB), $979 (256GB)$729 (64GB), $779 (128GB), $879 (256GB)$999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB)$1,099 (128GB), $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB)
Price (GBP)£799 (64GB), £849 (128GB), £949 (256GB)£699 (64GB), £749 (128GB), £849 (256GB)£999 (128GB), £1,099 (256GB), £1,299 (512GB)£1,099 (128GB), £1,199 (256GB), £1,399 (512GB)
Price (AUD)AU$1,349 (64GB), AU$1,429 (128GB), AU$1,599 (256GB)AU$1,199 (64GB), AU$1,279 (128GB), AU$1,449 (256GB)AU$1,699 (128GB), AU$1,869 (256GB), AU$2,219 (512GB)AU$1,849 (128GB), AU$2,019 (256GB), AU$2,369 (512GB)

Who is it for – iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB

If you’re a budding movie-maker, we’d say it’s definitely worth looking at the 12 Pro Max – it’s packing Dolby Vision recording at 4K and 60 frames per second, so if you’re a content creator looking for a phone that can record high-quality footage, the 12 Pro Max can definitely do that.

HDR will also make your movies look better, with improved brightness and color; however, it can look a little artificial, and clips will take up more storage space on your phone. It’s not a feature that most should look to upgrade for.

iPhone 12 Pro Max price in USA 512GB review

Build

 The polished gleaming gold stainless steel on my unit was particularly eye-catching. It’s the smartphone equivalent of jewelry. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is decked out in premium-looking, more muted colors though, and we’re fans of the shiny metal rim around the edge (despite the fact that it’s a real fingerprint magnet). It gives the big phone a modern and industrial look.

Color

Besides gold, the other color options include the more ho-hum silver and graphite, as well as the head-turning Pacific Blue I really like on the regular iPhone 12 Pro.

Design

This is the largest iPhone Apple has ever made, with dimensions of 160.8mm x 78.1mm x 7.4mm, and despite being thinner than last year’s 11 Pro Max, it actually feels slightly larger in the hand, thanks to the square edges.

The bezels around the OLED display have been shrunk to allow Apple to increase the screen size.  it’s easy to hit the Siri / screen lock button on the left and the volume keys on the right. The headline feature on the new iPhone 12 Pro Max is the camera array: there are three cameras, all upgraded with a better image processor. 

Connectors

Apple has dropped the charging block and Earpods from the box. You’re now just getting a charging cable at purchase – and it’s USB-C to Lightning, rather than standard USB-A to Lightning cable that Apple’s been putting in boxes for years.

Display

With its 6.7-inch OLED display, the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s OLED panel is smaller but brighter than the 6.9-inch Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The iPhone 12 Pro Max’s display averaged 654 nits in our lab tests, compared to a slightly higher 662 nits for the Galaxy. But outdoors we found the iPhone’s screen easier to read in direct sunlight. 

 The phone’s 2,778-by-1,284 resolution has over 200 vertical pixels more than the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, which makes for an additional readable headline on NYTimes.com, or a few more lines of a PDF.

Camera you are getting – iPhone 12 Pro Max at this price in USA 512GB

Three 12MP cameras live here – standard wide, ultra-wide and the 2.5x telephoto zoom – and they’ve been upgraded from last year too, with Night Mode available for the ultra-wide sensor as well as the main shooter.

Image quality

The main lens on the iPhone 12 Pro Max also features a fast f/1.6 aperture and a LiDAR sensor for faster auto focus. At a 65-millimeter equivalent, the new telephoto lens on the 12 Pro Max has a 2.5x optical zoom. Compare that to the 52-millimeter equivalent telephoto lens on the 12 Pro, which has a 2x optical zoom. And that 0.5x extra goes a long way. It’s definitely nowhere close to the 5x optical zoom on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, but I was glad to have a little more reach on the iPhone.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max camera’s Smart HDR 3 capability also did an amazing job capturing a challenging scene of a river in the background of several trees with a complex mix of sunlight and shadows.

Refresh rate

The only thing missing from the iPhone 12 Pro Max is a smooth 120Hz rate, which would have made for smoother scrolling and even better gameplay like it does on the latest Samsung flagships. 

Other feature

In terms of connectivity, the Pro Max is on par with the other iPhone models. It can handle any form of 4G or 5G currently available in the US and Canada. Like the other models, it has dual-SIM capabilities with one SIM being an eSIM, so you can load a second subscription or number while traveling.

iPhone 12 Pro Max MegSafe wireless charger

Apple has also added the innovative MagSafe tech to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which enables you to magnetically clip chargers, cases and accessories to your new iPhone. We like this addition, and more accessories are appearing all the time right now; MagSafe will only get better as time goes on, and getting the iPhone 12 Pro Max will future-proof you as more accessories appear on the market.

Battery life

Continuous web surfing over 5G, the iPhone 12 Pro Max lasted 10 hours and 53 minutes. That’s nearly two hours longer than the regular iPhone 12 Pro, which endured for 9:06. 

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was slightly behind the 12 Pro Max with a runtime of 10:26 over 5G, which dropped to 7:59 with the 120Hz display mode on.

iPhone 12 Pro Max (price in USA) 512GB Performance review

The A14 Bionic processor in the iPhone 12 Pro Max, paired with 6GB of RAM, has no equal. When playing the Arena fighting game, I kicked, slashed and impaled enemies with abandon and the gameplay remained as fluid and smooth as a console.

The new Smart HDR 3 capability looks for different scenes when the photo is taken, grabbing multiple exposures and stitching them together intelligently to give you the best picture, while Night mode, which requires you to keep the phone still for a varying amount of time (depending on the conditions) can turn a dark, gloomy setting into a rich and vibrant scene.

the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s larger sensor certainly lets in more light compared to the iPhone 11 Pro Max, and the vibrancy, clarity and detail in every photo is a real step forward. 

As expected, the iPhone 12 Pro Max also blew away the Android competition on Geekbench 5. Apple’s phone hit 4,111 on the multi-core test and 1,603 on single core. Compare that to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, whose Snapdragon 865 Plus chip scored just 3,294 and 985.

On our own video editing test. It took the iPhone 12 Pro Max just 28 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p, compared to 1 minute and 16 seconds for the Note 20 Ultra.

While the iPhone’s battery life holds up, the charging speeds are among the slowest in the flagship market. The phone supports wired charging up to 20W and wireless charging up to 15W. That’s only if you buy Apple’s chargers, which aren’t included with the phone. If you use a third-party, Qi-based charger your wireless charging speed is limited to a pokey 7.5W. Using the optional Apple wall charger will net you approximately a 50% charge in about 30 minutes.

iPhone 12 Pro Max price in USA 512GB Customer review

The best cell phone on the market

While I have a bit of a learning curve, moving from an iPhone 7Plus to an iPhone 12 Pro Max, with the loss of the home button and addition of Facial Recognition and a camera tool set that just appears incredible… I have been using my new phone just shy of a 1 month and have found my phone to be faster, more efficient, lots of storage, and incredible picture quality with just its most basic use.

The Trade-In Program is the only reason I’d consider giving this less then a stellar review. I am unsure where the break in communication lies, but while I received my new phone and no instructions for how to complete the Trade-In process. No physical instructions in my package and no email communications, though I explicitly looked for both. I waited 1.5 weeks for more information and provided some other survey feedback with no responses. Given the Thanksgiving holiday, I called the day before and spoke with Rep, Demar, who kicked off the process of requesting a trade in thru the system. Neither of us were sure why this wasn’t completed and no instructions had been provided to me. He expected I’d have my return envelope and label by the following Monday.

I received an auto-email explaining next steps for the Trade-In and prepared my phone for that receipt of that return envelope and label; and I decided to wait the full 7 days before inquiring again about this return package I was told I’d received. I found myself frustrated with the whole process… not the representatives, they did great, but I learned more about the Third Party Trade-In Partners and found ourselves (both myself and the Reps) on hold waiting for someone to answer, only to be turned away by an automated voice noting call volumes were too high and to try again another time.

I had already inquired directly with them 2 times via their Questions website, to no avail and clearly they were not reading their emails regarding our concerns. Today, I’ve finally received my trade in package… given I activated nearly a month ago, the Sprint Reps assured me my Trade-In promotion would be honored, event though receipt of my old phone has exceeded the time it should be received by the Trade-In Program’s Warehouse for assessment. I have low confidence in the Trade-In Program’s company, but am very appreciative to Sprint for their continued assistance and notation in my account to ensure I’m not penalized for the 3rd party’s lack of return packaging in a timely manner.

By IndioAtlacatl at Best Buy

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