iPhone 13 Pro Max Returning my 13 Pro Max

[SB1500]

I preordered the 13 Pro Max back in September. Decided to just sell it while I can recover pretty much what I paid for it. I haven't been using it half as much as anticipated. Planning to go back to my iPhone SE 2020 again, and possibly just upgrade when a new SE comes out.

I don't know what I expected really. It has a great camera, battery and design, but it just does the same effective thing as the SE did. A tad faster, but not night and day.

Is anybody else here feeling the same? Who is this phone for? I think I should shift more of my money into buying a better Mac as I spend more hours on it, poor iPhone sits on the desk most of the day.

 

[chabig]

You made the right decision.

 

[usagora]

The only reason I'd go for the SE would be the size. Any modern iPhone is going to be really fast. It comes down to features and display size. I prefer the larger display of the 13 Pro Max to the tiny (in comparison) one of the SE and of course there's other things it has that the SE doesn't such as Face ID, more advanced cameras and camera modes, and obviously the battery is bigger. Whether those features are desirable to you or not is an individual question.

 

[ericwn]

I usually only get a new phone now when my old one has an issue or I really want a feature of the new device. You’re doing the right thing here, get rid of stuff that has no additional value for you.

 

[now i see it]

Apple will make a new iPhone every year no matter what. That doesn’t mean people have to buy it.
New iPhones are intended for anyone who wants a new one or needs a new one. Obviously you don’t fall into either of those camps.

I’d say that the vast majority of people buying new iPhones don’t really need it because they’ve got a previous model that still works fine enough - but they want it. That’s what Apple marketing is all about: promote something in a way to make people think they want it.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

When the iPhone first came out, my upgrade cycle was new every 2, $200 with a carrier subsidized plan. Now that the phones have got more expensive and carrier subsidized plans in the US are a thing of the past, my upgrade cycle is when Apple stops providing OS updates. Applies to both mobile and laptop devices. I significantly lowered my monthly cell phone bill since moving off subsidized plans.

Now if Apple were to become a MVNO and offer a better deal than traditional carriers, I might consider a different upgrade cycle. My stock portfolio would benefit as well. Are you listening, Tim?

 

[ruslan120]

For many the cameras are a big motivator (which Apple knows and as such does incremental upgrades every year even though I’m sure there are better technologies now that aren’t being immediately implemented).

Something you get with a bigger screen is a better experience with Maps and seeing what you’re filming. Otherwise, Apple has a long way to go with improving the information density on bigger screens (the iPad Mini 6 has as much if not more information than an 11” iPad Pro, read about it). Agreed on the larger iPhones not having much more value aside from apps that have variably sized background interfaces.

 

[HalfFullmoon]

I preordered the 13 Pro Max back in September. Decided to just sell it while I can recover pretty much what I paid for it. I haven't been using it half as much as anticipated. Planning to go back to my iPhone SE 2020 again, and possibly just upgrade when a new SE comes out.

I don't know what I expected really. It has a great camera, battery and design, but it just does the same effective thing as the SE did. A tad faster, but not night and day.

Is anybody else here feeling the same? Who is this phone for? I think I should shift more of my money into buying a better Mac as I spend more hours on it, poor iPhone sits on the desk most of the day.

The night and day difference is in the battery charge upkeep. 13PM's battery will run laps around the SE 2020. I don’t think there is any reason why one should buy a lower rated battery in this present day and age.

 

[1BadManVan]

Im a sucker for the latest and greatest out there but I think I’m going to try and hold onto my 13 pro max for a few years. Apple finally gave us a big battery, a great high refresh screen and a fantastic camera. I also got the M1 iPad Pro and have been using that more, where before the iPad, I solely used my phone for everything. So I think between these two devices, I’ll be good for a few years and should run smooth.

 

[SB1500]

The night and day difference is in the battery charge upkeep. 13PM's battery will run laps around the SE 2020. I don’t think there is any reason why one should buy a lower rated battery in this present day and age.

I agree definitely here. The SE had dreadful battery life that I don't remember having since the iPhone 3G days where the occasional use of GPS when on 3G was enough to ensure a dead battery by the evening time

Though with my situation now I think a quality fast-charge external battery pack will solve that for me. The only places I go (not as often now) are my girlfriends house, the office or in the car - all these places have power outlets so the battery issue I suppose I can get by with the pack and not too much inconvenience.

I bought an Otterbox fast charge brick which is phenomenal, I doubt the SE will take advantage of that as much. But maybe the next SE will build on both of these things.

Does anybody know the most likely scenario as to when we might get the next SE?

 

[HalfFullmoon]

Does anybody know the most likely scenario as to when we might get the next SE?

If there is an SE, it will come out in March. Again, battery life won’t be that much different. I am reading that it will have 5G, but with the low battery life, 5G will be a huge battery drain.

 

[1BadManVan]

The problem with this super small battery is not only the short battery life on day to day usage, but battery health impact is much more significant over time. 5% health lost on a 4000+mah battery is much more insignificant than on a 1800mah one.

Plus having to charge that smaller battery more frequently will impact its health that much faster as you’re burning through the charge cycles at a faster rate

 

[now i see it]

New battery costs $69

 

[BigDO]

I preordered the 13 Pro Max back in September. Decided to just sell it while I can recover pretty much what I paid for it. I haven't been using it half as much as anticipated. Planning to go back to my iPhone SE 2020 again, and possibly just upgrade when a new SE comes out.

I don't know what I expected really. It has a great camera, battery and design, but it just does the same effective thing as the SE did. A tad faster, but not night and day.

Is anybody else here feeling the same? Who is this phone for? I think I should shift more of my money into buying a better Mac as I spend more hours on it, poor iPhone sits on the desk most of the day.

How much money is it, really, and how much does it mean to you vs. using a 2014-gen iPhone?

 

[Al Rukh]

I preordered the 13 Pro Max back in September. Decided to just sell it while I can recover pretty much what I paid for it. I haven't been using it half as much as anticipated. Planning to go back to my iPhone SE 2020 again, and possibly just upgrade when a new SE comes out.

I don't know what I expected really. It has a great camera, battery and design, but it just does the same effective thing as the SE did. A tad faster, but not night and day.

Is anybody else here feeling the same? Who is this phone for? I think I should shift more of my money into buying a better Mac as I spend more hours on it, poor iPhone sits on the desk most of the day.

First of all, I think what you did was a great call. The 13PM is a great phone. But me personally, I did find the camera bump to be of nuisance, and a couple of software and hardware bugs did bother me so I returned mine and chose to rock my 11PM for another year.

 

[sonstar]

home button, lcd screen, great for kids and granny.

people do this on forums every year, buyers remorse over the $, you'd be losing near 30%

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I preordered the 13 Pro Max back in September. Decided to just sell it while I can recover pretty much what I paid for it. I haven't been using it half as much as anticipated. Planning to go back to my iPhone SE 2020 again, and possibly just upgrade when a new SE comes out.

I don't know what I expected really. It has a great camera, battery and design, but it just does the same effective thing as the SE did. A tad faster, but not night and day.

Is anybody else here feeling the same? Who is this phone for? I think I should shift more of my money into buying a better Mac as I spend more hours on it, poor iPhone sits on the desk most of the day.

I would never use the SE honestly. Sounds like you regret spending the money which is okay but I would have went for a 13 Mini which is physically smaller than an SE but still blows it out of the water.

 

[hatchettjack]

Should have got the mini! Mini, iPad Air and MacBook Pro are the hat trick!

 

[ght56]

I think the issue you are running into is that new smartphone releases have become more evolutionary than revolutionary. That's just where it is right now.

Your decision makes sense if you feel you arent getting any additional value for your money, as the MBP is a hell of a computer, and if you use your laptop all the time, that money sounds like it is better put into a MBP.

 

[Ram65]

I preordered the 13 Pro Max back in September. Decided to just sell it while I can recover pretty much what I paid for it. I haven't been using it half as much as anticipated. Planning to go back to my iPhone SE 2020 again, and possibly just upgrade when a new SE comes out.

I don't know what I expected really. It has a great camera, battery and design, but it just does the same effective thing as the SE did. A tad faster, but not night and day.

Is anybody else here feeling the same? Who is this phone for? I think I should shift more of my money into buying a better Mac as I spend more hours on it, poor iPhone sits on the desk most of the day.

But going back to a crappy intel modem is not cool man

 

[Fred Zed]

I’ve never touched or held a 2020 SE before until today. My gosh it felt so good ergonomically. Shame about the battery size though.

 

[BigDO]

I’ve never touched or held a 2020 SE before until today. My gosh it felt so good ergonomically. Shame about the battery size though.

Try a Mini then. Smaller, with a bigger screen. It's really a fantastic form factor.

 

[usagora]

Try a Mini then. Smaller, with a bigger screen.

And bigger battery capacity by about 30% or so over the SE 2020 I believe.

 

[webkit]

When the iPhone first came out, my upgrade cycle was new every 2, $200 with a carrier subsidized plan. Now that the phones have got more expensive and carrier subsidized plans in the US are a thing of the past, my upgrade cycle is when Apple stops providing OS updates. Applies to both mobile and laptop devices. I significantly lowered my monthly cell phone bill since moving off subsidized plans.

I wouldn't necessarily say carrier (and MVNO) subsidized phones in the U.S. are a thing of the past. Many still subsidize through things like inflated trade-in values, paying off phones, freebies, etc. While some of these may require upper tier plans, the plans can still be as cheap or cheaper than those in the early years of the iPhone. When the iPhone first came out, the very cheapest AT&T iPhone plan you could get was $60/month (about $80/month inflation adjusted) and that had limited texts and minutes.

 

[whattodo11]

I preordered the 13 Pro Max back in September. Decided to just sell it while I can recover pretty much what I paid for it. I haven't been using it half as much as anticipated. Planning to go back to my iPhone SE 2020 again, and possibly just upgrade when a new SE comes out.

I don't know what I expected really. It has a great camera, battery and design, but it just does the same effective thing as the SE did. A tad faster, but not night and day.

Is anybody else here feeling the same? Who is this phone for? I think I should shift more of my money into buying a better Mac as I spend more hours on it, poor iPhone sits on the desk most of the day.

I returned my 13 pro. As much as I wanted to love it I just hate the squared off frame. So uncomfortable. Back to the 11pro I go.