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I was atleast expecting official photos from Apple...

Scroll down to the section that talks about the cameras and you’ll find the photos they used during the keynote. I’ve seen no other examples besides these.
 
There are several videos on YouTube that claim to show side-by-side comparisons of photos taken by the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 11 Pro Max. I’m skeptical of their authenticity.

Normally, Apple would seed a few selected photographers with iPhones early, but with everything that’s going this year, that probably dropped by the wayside.
 
I’m skeptical of their authenticity.

I wouldn't worry about "authenticity" per se. This is Apple, not Samsung. I am certain they wouldn't doctor the photo or try to pass off a shot taken on a DSLR, for example. But their photos do sometimes look like they were professionally lit, in which case they may have been shot in a controlled environment with special lighting or the careful use of reflectors, which wouldn't exactly represent the sort of natural lighting conditions you might encounter organically.
 
I really wanted to see samples before I decided on my pre-order for the 12 instead of the 12 Pro. My gut feeling is that the images are almost the same as they were in iPhone 11/XS and thats why Apple isnt drumming them up. The only photos they showcased were from the iPhone 12 Pro Max and focused on the night shots. The Pro Max is definitely a beast for sure, but its just too big for me to carry, I gave up on large phones after my 6S Plus.
 
I really wanted to see samples before I decided on my pre-order for the 12 instead of the 12 Pro. My gut feeling is that the images are almost the same as they were in iPhone 11/XS and thats why Apple isnt drumming them up. The only photos they showcased were from the iPhone 12 Pro Max and focused on the night shots. The Pro Max is definitely a beast for sure, but its just too big for me to carry, I gave up on large phones after my 6S Plus.

I was also tempted by the Max's much larger sensor and faster lens, but yeah, the size is just ridiculous. My XR (about the same size as the 12 Pro) already pushes my limits.
 
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