Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

One of the greatest iPhones to date, packing in the best smartphone camera, outlandishly good performance and cutting-edge features like 5G and Dolby Vision, but a few too many issues undermine an otherwise excellent experience.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is truly excellent, if you can stomach its size. It offers excellent battery life, a marginally better camera than the smaller Pro, and a screen that’s a pleasure to use for watching, reading and playing.

Personally, the advantages in screen size, battery life, and camera performance are worth the trade-offs in physical heft and price. My colleague Vincent, who has also been using the iPhone 12 Pro Max, is similarly swayed by the sort of photos it’s capable of producing. All four iPhone 12 models can capture great pictures, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max steps up when it counts in tricky complex or low-light situations. If you’re willing to pay for, and carry, a phone that doesn’t compromise to deliver the best camera, this is it.

But the size allows for what I think is easily the best and most capable smartphone camera on the market right now, and a battery that seems to last forever. If you can deal with the size, I think it’s worth passing over the 12 Pro and getting the 12 Pro Max. Those are two dramatic and meaningful improvements for the money. This is a tremendous phone.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the best iPhone money can buy, with an immersive 6.7-inch display, amazing cameras, 5G and the longest battery life.

Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max has a lot in common with its smaller sibling. Think: a new design, expansive 5G network support and amazing performance, to name just a few. Because they're so similar, we think the smaller iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are better options for most people, but if you can handle an enormous screen, the Pro Max's better battery life and more flexible cameras make it Apple's most capable new model, and an all-around fantastic smartphone.

Apple has four new phones in its 2020 lineup, so if you're upgrading this year, you have a lot of options to choose from. For most people, the cheaper iPhone 12 is the way to go. It's a phone with very few faults. But for lovers of big phones, and for those who absolutely must have the best camera—even if it's only a little bit better than the rest—the answer is the Max.

With a big battery, outstanding cameras and the largest screen ever on an iPhone, the 12 Pro Max deserves a spot in your pocket -- if you can get it to fit.