iPhone 12 Pro How much of a difference do you expect to see with the Pro Max camera?

[Tsepz]

Looking at MKBHD and Mrwhosetheboss reviews of the Max, it seems there is a difference but not as dramatic as the numbers suggest.

Still a great Camera regardless!

AutoTrader have shot their entire Aston Martin DBS Volante review on the 12 Pro Max, nice plug by Apple here:

 

[bobmans]

wow. are you not taking these things too seriously?

Don’t know man, just watched his review and he started comparing daytime shots?
The improvements on the Pro Max are mainly on lowlight/nighttime shots and video and wouldn’t be noticeable in daytime shots.
Any reviewer who bothers checking what the differences are would’ve compared nighttime and low light shots, portraits and video instead of daytime shots.

 

[PeteBurgh]

Who should I listen to?

Listen to whoever you like, and don't pay attention to silly gatekeepers who tell you otherwise!

I think MKBHD does a terrific job in his particular niche, but I also enjoy folk who do a deeper dive into the technical stuff (like the Halide blog). Rene Ritchie, Joanna Stern, Nilay Patel, John Guber, and many others all have their strengths. Personally, I like a balance of people who are narrowly focussed on products in terms of their technical capabilities, and others who are more reflective about how they fit into broader ecosystems of other products and our lives in general.

 

[konicky]

Stop listening to people like MKBHD if you want to know technical details.
MKBHD doesn't know what he's talking about half of the time and is just for "entertainment" and first looks. Nobody should ever base a purchase on a MKBHD review lmao.

Nonsense, most people should base their purchases on reviewers like MKBHD! If you're a pixel peeper then fair enough look elsewhere but if you're interested in real-world use then MKBHD gets it spot on most of the time.

 

[DMB1]

Quite enjoyed The Verge’s review.

Quite refreshing compared to Marquee’s review.

A lot more testing when it came to photos and videos.

 

[bobmans]

Who should I listen to?

For entertainment stick with MKBHD but for real reviews you can check The Verge (good for camera reviews) or Rene Ritchie (in depth on everything, might want to watch on 1.5-2x speed).

 

[akash.nu]

According to Mrwhosetheboss there is a notable difference in camera performance:

This guy is actually a real photographer. As per his review it’s so minimal that he doesn’t see much difference.

I’ve watched the review from Mrwhosetheboss as well and it seems your lighting need to be very specific to see any real difference.

 

[Nspyr]

I was kind of let down after watching MKBHD review. Looking at other videos to get my hopes up.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

I’ve watched 7 videos now with one solely focused on the camera. The differences seem to be there between the Pro and Pro Max but so far the general consensus seems to be that those who were angry and worried about the largest phone having a dominant camera can take a deep breath and feel better.

I’ve seen examples where the Max may not kick in night mode for a shot whereas the Pro does. Where a 10 second night mode exposure on the Pro might only take 2 seconds on the Max. That’s cool and all, but not really a difference in ‘results’ I was expecting. In daylight, it’s a wash. In low light, each review I watched suggested you'd have to pixel peep to see noticeable differences. The Verge was a bit more generous in their love for the Max camera but that was only example I found.

I was 100% set on the Max because I bought into the 47% larger pixels and other differences marketed. But thus far, it seems the hype on paper doesn’t quite equate to real life. In the end, those looking to justify their purchase will cherry pick which review(s) they wish to buy-in to.

 

[bmac4]

Watching the verge review. It seems they are comparing it to the competition not really 12 pro. It’s ever so slightly better than the 12 pro. Mostly just destroys the competition, but so does the 12 pro

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Weird how some reviewers are saying a huge difference, and some saying not much difference at all.

 

[SHKLMRE]

I was disappointed in MKBHD’s camera review.

The Verge’s review did an amazing job highlighting the difference. It’s clearly ahead in low light performance. They shows examples of the camera having greater detail. And my particular favorite thing: it mentioned times that other phones kicked into night mode and took up to 3 seconds to take a photo, while the 12PM did not have to go into night mode and took a better photo in 1 second.

 

[ayuchan]

Nonsense, most people should base their purchases on reviewers like MKBHD! If you're a pixel peeper then fair enough look elsewhere but if you're interested in real-world use then MKBHD gets it spot on most of the time.

People coming to forum are finding justification on their purchase.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

I was disappointed in MKBHD’s camera review.

The Verge’s review did an amazing job highlighting the difference. It’s clearly ahead in low light performance. They shows examples of the camera having greater detail. And my particular favorite thing: it mentioned times that other phones kicked into night mode and took up to 3 seconds to take a photo, while the 12PM did not have to go into night mode and took a better photo in 1 second.

Yeah, the Verge is a much better review. Calls it the best smartphone camera you can buy, which is pretty high praise.

 

[PeteBurgh]

I’ve watched 7 videos now and one was only focused on the camera. The differences seem to be there between the Pro and Pro Max but so far the general consensus seems to be that those who were angry and worried about the largest phone having a dominant camera can take a deep breath and feel better.

I’ve seen examples where the Max may not kick in night mode for a shot whereas the Pro does. Where a 10 second night mode exposure on the Pro might only take 2 seconds on the Max. That’s cool and all, but not really a difference in ‘results’ I was expecting. In daylight, it’s a wash. In low light, each review I watched suggested you'd have to pixel peep to see noticeable differences. The Verge was a bit more generous in their love for the Max camera but that was only example I found.

I was 100% set on the Max because I bought into the 47% larger pixels and other differences marketed. But thus far, it seems the hype on paper doesn’t quite equate to real life.

I think that's pretty fair. I would have loved it if the Pro Max had been some huge leap forward, but realistically, that was unlikely. I prefer large phones anyway, so I'll take whatever incremental improvement I can get.

One other issue here that hasn't been mentioned - potential software updates. As with last year when the 11s launched before Deep Fusion was ready (albeit by just a couple of weeks), the 2020 phones are shipping with a significant photography feature (ProRaw) still to come. Perhaps ProRaw will expose some other subtle differences between the camera systems, or perhaps other features like HDR, Night Portrait Mode and so on will be tweaked. I'm not saying they'll be big changes, but computational photography always leaves open the possibility of subtle improvements.

 

[Jacoblee23]

This guy is actually a real photographer. As per his review it’s so minimal that he doesn’t see much difference.

I’ve watched the review from Mrwhosetheboss as well and it seems your lighting need to be very specific to see any real difference.

I want to see more comparisons to the 11 pro max. The camera is already insanely good on the 11 pro max. I had a new battery put in by apple and am now at 100% max capacity. If the camera isn’t a big upgrade I will stick with my 11 pro max for awhile longer.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

People coming to forum are finding justification on their purchase.

Absolutely correct. Those who are looking to justify their decision are going to cherry pick which reviews they find beneficial. That’s with any of the new phones.

 

[akash.nu]

Yep that’s what MKBHD said.

Yep watched a few reviews and I’m convinced that the improvements are not worth for me to go through the hassle of handling a huge phone for a whole year while we all are mostly stuck at home. I like the form factor of the 11 Pro way too much to give in for a minimal improvement that the 12 Pro Max brings to the table.

Therefore order cancelled.

I want to see more comparisons to the 11 pro max. The camera is already insanely good on the 11 pro max. I had a new battery put in by apple and am now at 100% max capacity. If the camera isn’t a big upgrade I will stick with my 11 pro max for awhile longer.

After watching the reviews I don’t think you’ll see much of a difference compared to 11 Pro except some specific low light conditions.

 

[bmac4]

Yep watched a few reviews and I’m convinced that the improvements are not worth for me to go through the hassle of handling a huge phone for a whole year while we all are mostly stuck at home. I like the form factor of the 11 Pro way too much to give in for a minimal improvement that the 12 Pro Max brings to the table.

Therefore order cancelled.

After watching the reviews I don’t think you’ll see much of a difference compared to 11 Pro except some specific low light conditions.

Yep I couldn’t justify carry a large phone based on the reviews. I can’t handle the iPhone 12 pro, and am very happy with it!

 

[Sam in SoCal]

Yep I couldn’t justify carry a large phone based on the reviews. I can’t handle the iPhone 12 pro, and am very happy with it!

You watched the wrong video LOL. I watched Mr. who’s the boss. I’m charging ahead and picking up my 12 pro max this Friday. Goodbye Felicia

 

[bmac4]

You watched the wrong video LOL. I watched Mr. who’s the boss. I’m charging ahead and picking up my 12 pro max this Friday. Goodbye Felicia

Never heard of that reviewer.

 

[Sam in SoCal]

Absolutely correct. Those who are looking to justify their decision are going to cherry pick which reviews they find beneficial. That’s with any of the new phones.

Right and you having said that means nothing. The benefits are obvious And factual. Better battery life, bigger screen, easier to type on. The plus and Max phones have always been two handers. So those people getting these phones know what they’re getting into and if they complain later they were just mucking around.

 

[flowuk]

Never heard of that reviewer.

I'm not surprised to be honest. He only has a paltry 5.37M subscribers & goes into a lot more detail than some of the others.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

Right and you having said that means nothing. The benefits are obvious And factual. Better battery life, bigger screen, easier to type on. The plus and Max phones have always been two handers. So those people getting these phones know what they’re getting into and if they complain later they were just mucking around.

So as you put it, the facts eliminate subjectivity all together? Ok lol. So a person who doesn’t value better battery life, doesn’t care for a bigger screen, or finds the size of the Pro easier to type on are just delusional? And the Max is a definitive two-hander? I’m 6’7” and can reach all four corners with ease. So while the benefits are obvious to “you”......you don’t speak for everyone. Though I do notice you try to. Aren’t you the same person in another thread telling everyone which colors they should and should not get???

 

[The Game 161]

Nonsense, most people should base their purchases on reviewers like MKBHD! If you're a pixel peeper then fair enough look elsewhere but if you're interested in real-world use then MKBHD gets it spot on most of the time.

Not anymore he doesn‘t, he doesn’t go into enough in depth to base your decisions on his videos.