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iPhone 13 Pro Max Should I or shouldn't I?

jjohnstonjr

jjohnstonjr

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2017
270
362
Cleveland Ohio
So we are close to March and that means we are about eight to nine months away from the next iPhone coming out. My iPhone 12 Pro Max's battery is trash! I am debating on if I should upgrade to the 13 Pro Max or sit tight. I have a few friends who have the 13 Pro Max and they brag about the battery life and a few other specs. I held off because I did not see the purpose of getting it at the time. This summer I am going to take several trips and I am taking up photography as well. Having said that I have a Galaxy S22 Ultra coming that I will be using to take photos in additional to my iPhone and my cameras. What is everyone's verdicts as to what I should do or what you would do in this instance. Thanks for all feedback in advance.
 
How’s your battery health? I had a 12 pro max and it’s battery was a beast. Maybe take it in for a new battery to get through the year till the next model comes out?
 
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Either get a new battery for your 12 Pro if it has degraded by over 15% or pick up a MagSafe battery pack which you can use until September and keep for your 14 Pro also. I am in a similar situation with my 12 Mini (85% the original charge) which has a fairly poor battery now but I reckon I’ll keep it and accessorise with a MagSafe battery pack.
 
I’m in the same boat. I skipped the 13 Pro Max, a first for me skipping a generation. My 12 Pro Max battery is down to 85% and nothing like it used to be. Apple won’t even talk to me about it because “it has to be 80% or less.”
 
jjohnstonjr said:
So we are close to March and that means we are about eight to nine months away from the next iPhone coming out. My iPhone 12 Pro Max's battery is trash! I am debating on if I should upgrade to the 13 Pro Max or sit tight. I have a few friends who have the 13 Pro Max and they brag about the battery life and a few other specs. I held off because I did not see the purpose of getting it at the time. This summer I am going to take several trips and I am taking up photography as well. Having said that I have a Galaxy S22 Ultra coming that I will be using to take photos in additional to my iPhone and my cameras. What is everyone's verdicts as to what I should do or what you would do in this instance. Thanks for all feedback in advance.
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Closer to 7 months. Keep the 12, maybe get the battery replaced.
 
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ScreenSavers said:
….My 12 Pro Max battery is down to 85% and nothing like it used to be. Apple won’t even talk to me about it because “it has to be 80% or less.”
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Is that for free warranty replacement… or Apple won’t even do a PAID replacement until it’s <80%?

Also, is a 15% health drop like dropping from 15hrs > 13hrs SOT?
 
ScreenSavers said:
I’ve tried to do a paid replacement twice. But they obviously don’t want to admit that the battery is weak when it’s not below their set opinion of 80%.
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Yep, here in South Africa we don’t have official Apple Stores but we have iStore who are a certified reseller and when I wanted to get my 11 Pro Max battery replaced at 87% they told me NO not until it’s 80% or below, I told them I am more than willing to pay for the replacement and they still said NO, they are not allowed to do it even if I am paying.

My assumption is that there is a limited number of these batteries per store and they are trying to control how many of them get taken and so they do this by setting a limit of only at 80% or below to ensure that if people who do have a low battery health come in they have a higher chance of getting a replacement immediately as there will be stock for them.
 
I like my 13 Pro, but I‘m not sure I‘d recommend upgrading from a 12 Pro to anyone. Even coming from an iPhone X, most of the improvements are minor or only noticeable in very specific use cases. Just get the battery replaced.
 
If you are traveling and want great photos, you would be much better off getting a good camera from Sony, Canon, or Nikon. Smartphone cameras, even good ones, suck in comparison, and they are crazy difficult to use. If you are just pointing and shooting, then that isn't "taking up" photography. Learn to shoot a real camera and get the best photos, certainly much better than you can get in a pathetic smartphone camera. A good small, travel camera will cost about the same as an iPhone 13 Pro Max, and is a better investment because it will last a decade.
 
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w5jck said:
If you are traveling and want great photos, you would be much better off getting a good camera from Sony, Canon, or Nikon. Smartphone cameras, even good ones, suck in comparison, and they are crazy difficult to use. If you are just pointing and shooting, then that isn't "taking up" photography. Learn to shoot a real camera and get the best photos, certainly much better than you can get in a pathetic smartphone camera. A good small, travel camera will cost about the same as an iPhone 13 Pro Max, and is a better investment because it will last a decade.
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I read a blog from a professional photographer writing an article on a 12 Pro v Nikon D850. The pictures are surprisingly close and the phone turned out to be a good substitute to the expensive DSLR camera. Not quite as good but but not too far off either.

Definitely adequate for us folk who are not professional photographers.
 
Andeddu said:
I read a blog from a professional photographer writing an article on a 12 Pro v Nikon D850.
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Most probably that article was paid by Apple. You can't even compare an iPhone camera with a DSLR or mirrorless. Especially the iPhone 12/13 series with its computational photography which does what it want to photos, and not in a good way.
 
catean said:
Most probably that article was paid by Apple. You can't even compare an iPhone camera with a DSLR or mirrorless. Especially the iPhone 12/13 series with its computational photography which does what it want to photos, and not in a good way.
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You’re probably right that it was a paid article. I still think that modern Apple cameras are great though. I only use my phone camera casually and have taken it on trips and used it for holiday snaps, etc... I only have a Mini 12 also but I am very impressed with it so I’d imagine the 12/13 Pros to be much superior. I would imagine that modern phone cameras are sufficient for normal use. Most people I know who used to use DSLR cameras are happy with their phones these days.
 
Be sure there is no difference between the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the 12 Pro Max, except for the 120Hz display and better camera modules. There is no noticeable performance difference between the A15 and A14 Bionic yet. I think you should change the battery of 12 Pro Max and continue. It will be less costly for you.
 
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Similar situation with my X. Battery is at 86% doesn't last the day with not doing much. Camera will be nice for some upcoming stuff, but to do that with my X it wont last long at all. My issue is if I wait, there is an extra wait after launch for stock. Even now months later, most shops (apart from Apple Stores) are always out of stock - I can get a reduction at John Lewis here in the UK plus they give 2 year warranty which is why I would prefer to go there.
 
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