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I’ve got big hands, but the Pro Max is just too heavy for me to use comfortably long term. Even the 13 Pro I bought is noticeably heavier than my old XS Max.
I bet that’s one of the things Apple will do next year to temp anyone who bought this years pro/pro max iPhones. Either slim the phone down to cut the weight down, or use a lighter metal than stainless steel.

I don’t mind the weight, or the size really. The only time the size does get on my nerves a bit is when my phone is in my jeans pocket. I can live with that though with it being the only real negative regarding the size and weight.
 
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The added screen real estate and battery life are a nice bonus. I get a little annoyed at issues like weight and the feel of the flat edges. It's a refreshed design popular with one of the most beloved legacy iPhones. To me, it's a more premium feel. Half an ounce heavier? I have running shoes and boxing gloves that weigh more. Premium burgers in upscale restaurants weigh more. Moreover, the larger battery adds to the weight. Battery size was a ding on the iPhone 12 Pro Max so there is a trade-off between a larger battery and longer battery. It also seems that the Pro Max seems to get features before the regular Pro model.
 
I bet that’s one of the things Apple will do next year to temp anyone who bought this years pro/pro max iPhones. Either slim the phone down to cut the weight down, or use a lighter metal than stainless steel....
And then people will complain that Apple cheaped out on the materials, and there'll be another "bendgate" fury. If slimming the phone required reducing battery capacity, that would create another "scandal".

It doesn't matter what Apple does, there will be obsessive people who will find something to complain about (read the threads here every year, with every new model release for proof of that!). They can't please everybody, because everybody wants different things from their phone design. Some want more battery life at any cost, some want a feather light and paper-thin phone at any cost, some want it to fold up into the size of a business card. Some want huge screens for content consumption, others aren't into that and want smaller screens to make the phone more pocketable. Some want headphone jacks back, others want no ports for maximum protection from the elements. There will never be a model that gets universal love and approval.

The way I see it, my options are to accept what Apple makes, wait a year to see if they change anything, or move on to another phone - and since I hate all things Android with a passion, the latter is not an option.
 
One week in and the size of 13 Pro Max feels totally normal now. For real I don’t even think about the size no more. Coming from 12 Pro, 11 Pro, XS Max (switch to regular size XS after a while).
 
I would and went with Max. Especially if you are watching videos in landscape. On regular 13 and 13 Pro, new notch cuts into viewing area. That happens because notch is little taller than in previous phones. On Max not is not issue due to size of the phone. While it is not big issue it is still annoying.
 
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One week in and the size of 13 Pro Max feels totally normal now. For real I don’t even think about the size no more. Coming from 12 Pro, 11 Pro, XS Max (switch to regular size XS after a while).

Coming from the 12 Pro to the 13 Pro Max here, and honestly the 13 Pro Max felt "normal" to me almost instantly. I was actually more shocked by how small the 12 Pro felt after using the 13 Pro Max all day, and then picking up my 12 Pro that night.
 
Ended up with the Max too 🤣

I was 100% set on going down to the Pro but just couldn't give up the bigger screen size. I'm sure I would gotten used to it quickly just feel like a bigger screen provides an overall better user experience.
 
I would and went with Max. Especially if you are watching videos in landscape. On regular 13 and 13 Pro, new notch cuts into viewing area. That happens because notch is little taller than in previous phones. On Max not is not issue due to size of the phone. While it is not big issue it is still annoying.
Honestly, after a while, I seldom noticed the notch on my 12 Pro Max. Initially, I noticed that the notch on my 13 Pro Max was smaller, mainly because so much has made about its reduction in size. I do like the increased real estate on both sides of the notch but I am sure that I soon will not notice it as much. Besides, it's iconic and it makes it easier to determine the orientation of the screen.
 
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Honestly, after a while, I seldom noticed the notch on my 12 Pro Max. Initially, I noticed that the notch on my 13 Pro Max was smaller, mainly because so much has made about its reduction in size. I do like the increased real estate on both sides of the notch but I am sure that I soon will not notice it as much. Besides, it's iconic and it makes it easier to determine the orientation of the screen.
Its not about notch itself, but the way it interacts with video playback on 13 and 13 Pro.
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Its not a big issue but for OCD people it might be annoying. On 13 Max phone it is not an issue.
 
Ended up with the Max too 🤣

I was 100% set on going down to the Pro but just couldn't give up the bigger screen size. I'm sure I would gotten used to it quickly just feel like a bigger screen provides an overall better user experience.
In the same boat! I got a regular 13 Pro last week, but today managed to find a 13 Pro Max. I will be keeping the Max. The 120 Hz screen is just too damn good to have it all crammed in on the smaller one. Also, the Max might be heavier than the regular Pro, but the weight distribution is better on the bigger one.
 
Has everyone who’s gone with either of the pro phones put a screen protector on it? My screen protector has been delivered today. And, usually I always put a screen protector on my phones, but I can’t decide whether to put one on my iPhone 13 pro max or not.

Sorry for going off-topic. I’m just heading out of the house so I haven’t got time to search the forums on this topic yet.
 
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I went with to 13 pro max 256gb at first I was thinking I made a mistake after trying a demo 13 pro at the store as it felt more comfortable to hold but after a week Im glad I stuck it out with the 13 pro max the extra weight is not that noticeable any more and I love the larger screen
 
I'm lucky because I've got very small hands so it isn't such a difficult choice for me and once I analysed the situation when it came to upgrade from my iPhone X to either an 11 Pro or 11 Pro Max the answer became obvious - go with the Max size. I did and have never looked back.

As I said maybe I'm lucky having such small hands because once I realised that even with my iPhone X I couldn't really use it one-handed and for many things was using both hands anyway I realised that if I was already quite naturally doing a lot of stuff two-handed on my phone then why not get the biggest screen I could? Even with the Max size I can still get to the lower 10 icons with one hand and if I'm doing something like ebook reading it sits in one hand and I turn pages with my thumb, and my hands aren't so small that I can't hold it one-handed for a phone call, but for most other stuff I just use 2 hands and it doesn't bother me at all.

I did worry a bit at first about the weight and about fitting it into my pocket but I am now so used to the weight that if I pick up a regular Pro-sized phone it feels freakishly and somewhat disconcertingly small and light to me. As for fitting into one of my front trouser ("pants" in American English, mostly chinos in my case) pockets I don't find that any problem at all and I'm a small 5'8" slim guy. Admittedly I don't have a case on my phone, I've never used phone cases since my very first release-day iPhone 4, so maybe pocketability would be more of an issue if I did use a case but for me at least it is a non-issue.

With Apple's return policy I think my advice to anyone on the fence about Pro or Pro Max, especially if you are the opposite of the OP and thinking of going from a Pro to a Pro Max, is to at least try the bigger size because you can always do a 14 day return if you just can't get on with it. I am now so comfortable with the Pro Max size that I regret the time I wasted sticking with the smallest iPhone available for each generation thinking that anything bigger would be too much. Heck, I even skipped the iPhone 5 because I thought the bigger size vs my iPhone 4 would be too much for me! I've come a long way in the last couple of decades.
 
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One week in and the size of 13 Pro Max feels totally normal now. For real I don’t even think about the size no more. Coming from 12 Pro, 11 Pro, XS Max (switch to regular size XS after a while).
I went from a 12 pro to a 13 pro max and it feels completely normal now. My mom handed me her 13 mini yesterday, and it felt so tiny.
 
Is that the screen on time you’ve got with just over 50% battery left? Sorry if I’m being dumb here.

Tthat's my usage with 45% left, this phone can easily get 12-13 hours usage over WiFi, I've hit 12 hours with 16% left.
 
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Going with 13 Pro here, coming from 12 non pro.

Pro Max is beautiful, however Pro just fit my needs better for front jeans pocket and easier navigation/reach across screen after trying out Apple Store display model. Looking forward to the battery and pro motion display. First week of Nov ship date since I recently ordered.

As always it's all about personal choice- I'm glad Apple kept same options again this year (mini/pro/max).
 
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