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iPhone 12
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iPhone 13 Pro Max
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What we think

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The PerfectRec phone team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If a larger screen size is important to you, the iPhone 13 Pro Max offers a 6.7-inch display compared to the iPhone 12's 6.1-inch display. For photography enthusiasts, the iPhone 13 Pro Max provides superior camera performance with better still photo and video quality, and includes additional camera features like a telephoto lens. The iPhone 13 Pro Max also has a longer battery life, which means you can use your phone for a more extended period without charging. However, it is heavier and slightly larger, which may be less comfortable for some users. Both models have similar build materials, no headphone jack, and support wireless charging, but only the iPhone 13 Pro Max offers a high refresh rate display for smoother scrolling and animation. If these improvements are worth the potential tradeoff in size and weight, then the iPhone 13 Pro Max might be the better option for you. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple iPhone 12
  • The Apple iPhone 12 has no clear advantages over the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Advantages of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • Very good battery life
  • Best in class display quality
  • Very good performance

Key differences

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Overall Camera Quality

7.3
iPhone 12
iPhone 13 Pro Max
8.0
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max has very good overall camera quality, while the Apple iPhone 12 has good overall camera quality.

Photo Quality

7.1
iPhone 12
iPhone 13 Pro Max
7.8
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and Apple iPhone 12 both have good photos, though the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max takes somewhat better photos.

Video Quality

7.2
iPhone 12
iPhone 13 Pro Max
8.6
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max takes very good videos, while the Apple iPhone 12 takes good videos.

Battery

6.2 Hours
iPhone 12
iPhone 13 Pro Max
9.6 Hours
The Apple iPhone 12 has 6.2 hours of battery life. The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max has 9.6 hours of battery life.

Screen Size

The Apple iPhone 12 has a screen size of 6.1 inches and the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is 6.7 inches.

Cost

$600
iPhone 12
iPhone 13 Pro Max
$639
Product image
Product image

$300

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$500

$600

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$800

$900

$1,000

The Apple iPhone 12 has a price of $600 and the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max costs $639.
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How the Apple iPhone 12 and the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max compare to other phones

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Spec Comparison

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Apple iPhone 12Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 12Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

GENERAL

Price
$600
$639
Brand
AppleApple
Operating System
iOSiOS
Release Date
October 23, 2020September 24, 2021

SCREEN

Screen Size
6.1"6.7"
Resolution
2532 x 11702778 x 1284
Variable refresh rate
NoYes
Pixels Per Inch
460458
Display Type
OLEDOLED

INTERNAL

Processor
A14A15
Internal Storage
64 GB128 GB
RAM
4 GB6 GB

CAMERA

Overall Camera Quality Score
7.4/108/10
Photos Score
7.1/107.9/10
Videos Score
7.3/108.6/10
Rear Cameras
Main, UltrawideMain, Ultrawide, Telephoto
Main Camera
12 megapixels + OIS12 megapixels + OIS

BATTERY

Battery Life
6.2 Hours9.6 Hours
Battery Capacity
2815 mAh4352 mAh
Wireless Charging
YesYes
Wireless charging Speed
15 W15 W
Reverse wireless charging
NoNo

PHYSICAL

Size
5.78" x 2.81"6.33" x 3.07"
Weight
5.78 oz8.47 oz
Back Material
GlassGlass
Stereo Speakers
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

Dual SIM
YesYes
Bluetooth Version
5.05.0
A2DP
YesYes
WiFi Version
66
NFC
YesYes
US 5G Bands
(SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6) 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79(SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79

OTHER FEATURES

Biometric unlock
Face unlockFace unlock
Unlockable Bootloader
NoNo
Color
Blue, Purple, Green, White, Black, RedAlpine Green, Graphite, Sierra Blue, Gold, Silver
SD Card
NoNo
Custom ROM Support
NoNo

Shopping

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Apple iPhone 12

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Dig into reviews and images

Pocket-lint

Stuart Miles | March 2022
"The iPhone 12 offers many of the important things that you want from the iPhone: a decent camera, 5G, great screen, fast processor. For the group of people who want a new iPhone without the price tag of the iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 13 range, this is a great choice. There's no settling for second best with this smartphone."

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

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Tom's Guide

Mark Spoonauer | March 2023
"The iPhone 13 Pro Max is that rare phone that gets a 5-star rating from us. You get blistering performance and a very responsive 120Hz display. Plus, the battery life is among the best we’ve seen from a 5G flagship. Some may simply prefer the iPhone 13 Pro because it’s smaller and lighter, as there are no other functional differences between the two handsets. But if you prefer a bigger screen, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the closest thing to perfect you can get in a phone."

Get a great deal on the Apple iPhone 12 or the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

About Apple

The tech giant called Apple is synonymous with the most popular smartphone in the world: the iPhone. Known for their build quality and aesthetics, as well as for their excellent integration between hardware and software, iPhones have defined the smartphone industry ever since their conception and they continue to do so by setting new industry standards. Apple's own operating system, called iOS, is known for its simplicity and ease of use, and the company tends to complement it well by creating devices with some of the most powerful processing hardware available in the mobile world. The iPhone is also known for its robust ecosystem of accessories, as it facilitates a very seamless experience when interacting with other Apple products, more so than most of its competitors.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec phones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest phone information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

68
Phones evaluated
7,820
Phones stats compiled
8
Proprietary Phones ratings developed
132,600
Recommendations made
75,140
Consumer hours saved

About the phone team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Phones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Seth Peoples

Phones Expert
Seth is a US-based product expert focusing on smartphones and he is a moderator of one of the largest smartphone subreddits. His tailored recommendations have helped him earn over 87k comment karma, putting him in the top 1% of Redditors.

Efthimis Kotanidis

Phones Expert
Efthimis is a Greece-based product expert focusing on smartphones. He has been recommending phones for 4 years and his recommendations on Reddit have earned him over 35k karma.

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