Ok, the hype the Apple iPhone 13 is real, the excitement is building up as we approach
the launch of the new iPhone 13 but the question I've been getting the most here is "Should
I get the 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max" instead of the 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max.
You might be on that same situation, or you could be thinking of leaving Android but you're
not sure if the iPhone 13 is the one you should go for. So I thought I'd put this video out
to help you with your decision.
In this video we WILL talk about when the iPhone 13 IS a good choice and why it might
make sense for you to go for that shiny new iPhone 13.
But also why I think, for the right budget and type of usage, that the 12 Pro and 12
Pro Max will be the best bang for your buck.
I am Alex and I do down to earth tech reviews. And I am here every week.
Oh yeah iPhone 14 apparently is coming in 2022.
We are now 2-3 days away from actually seeing the new iPhone 13. If you're watching this
after the California Streaming event, then you already know what the iPhone 13 looks
like.
But you're still not sure whether to go for it or not.
And if you are coming from an older iPhone like the iPhone 7 or 8 or even the iPhone
10! The iPhone 12 Pro is a great option. I will
explain why.
Oh, throughout this video I might say 12 or 13, I am really talking about the Pro range.
Noticed how I didn't include iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max. There is a reason for that.
If you're coming from the iPhone 11, I'd say that's when the upgrade to the 12 doesn't
really make a lot of sense...
Unless you really care about that improved camera on the 12 but let me tell you..
I was gutted I had to sell my 11 Pro Max to get the 12, because yes it's a nice upgrade
but I lost a lot of cash on that. For very marginal improvements.
In less than a year my 11 Pro Max went from $1300 to $700. You know, that is a ridiculous
loss of value.
But what is someone else's loss could be your gain!
If we apply the same logic to the 12 Pro Max, there will always be a lot of people who purchased
the 12 Pro Max outright and don't mind losing that money.
And I can already see Pre-owned 12 Pro Max, with 256GB storage being dropped below $800
dollars (ok, locked to AT&T or Sprint for example)
To give you an idea, Apple are selling that same model for $1200 dollars.
So you're saving $400 dollars today. Alright is pre-owned and it may not be in pristine
condition but as I discussed in my last video, these phones have barely left their house
because... 2020 was dumpster fire.
Not only externally, as people are now just dropping their phones on their carpets instead
of tarmac, but also from a battery perspective!
This 12 Pro Max here which I'm passing on to my wife, look at that battery health!
It's still above 90% after a year of usage. So you can see it's not brand new but that's
in pretty good condition and will last at least another 2 years, if well-looked after.
Ok, that's great Alex, I am saving at least $400 bucks but what am I missing out on?
Taking the fear of missing out and keeping it fairly rational here...
The main upgrades are probably going to be the display and the camera. There will be
plenty of other improvements, but the most noticeable will be in these two areas.
So if you go for the 12 Pro Max instead of the 13 Pro Max as an example, you're probably
not gonna get Portrait video, and AI-based filters and ProRes recording.
But if you're coming from an iPhone 8, 7 or even 6... Let's be honest, the 12 Pro Max
camera will blow you away anyway.
So if you can't stretch your budget to $1000 or $1100, which is usually where that Pro
range starts, then think about the 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max as an option.
On the display front. I am going to be slightly controversial here... and let' me just preface
this by saying that...
For heavy usage of gaming and watching content for hours and hours... Absolutely! 120Hz ProMotion
display is obviously going to be a major deal breaker for you. Especially if you're coming
from an Android device that ALREADY has 120Hz display refresh rate.
But for the majority of people 120Hz display...you know, after a while, is just a bit nicer than
before. There I said it again.
Sure, it's smoother and we can almost guarantee that Apple Marketing will make this sound
like this is something that never existed before but, it is one of those things that,
most people CAN live without.
Not only because it's only "a bit" nicer than before, but also because it's likely to be
an adaptive 120 Hz display.
Without geeking out too much and sending you to sleep on this one, what that means as you
probably know is that the 120Hz refresh rate will only kick in when needed.
For the majority of time the display will be dropping to 60Hz and even below that if
they want to.
Brightness and contrast are likely to be better too, so deeper blacks and really sharp images,
EVEN when using the iPhone outdoors!
But again, the 12 Pro Max is no slouch in that department.
When it comes to being able to use the iPhone 12 in direct sunlight... It does lose to
a device like the S21 Ultra (in my testing anyway) I will leave some links here.
But when using the 12 Pro Max indoors indoors there's not much between them and ignoring
that annoying notch, it's actually a very pleasant display, very accurate colours. Just
beautiful. There's no gimmicky saturation going on here.
And the video capabilities on this thing? for straight-up point and shoot, even up to
4K60... Really excellent quality, you can do loads with that.
Oh it doesn't do 8K or it doesn't do Portrait videos... Ok, and look, I am not trying to
diss Samsung here but this is what 8K and Portrait videos look like on the S21 Ultra.
8K crops to a point where you need to be really distant from the action and there's no stabilisation.
And Portrait video just... sucks. It's barely usable in my experience. Unless you're in
perfect lighting and even then it adds this very fake-looking haze around the subject.
It's a bit like what they do in Zoom and Microsoft teams...
So yeah... It's one thing to say we can do it. It's another to say... We can do it really
well.
And we never know until we really get our hands on the 13 and Apple maybe will do exactly
the same and will be no better.
But based on track record we can expect them to really deliver on this.
Again, not trying to diminish the S21 Ultra, after all it's been my main device for the
last couple of months and there's a lot that I love about it.
I am just giving you this perspective so that you don't get blinded by Marketing and start
to think that, you know, you must have certain features.
In this tech industry, it's becoming important (maybe too important) to be the first for
that quick success but I think it's much more important to deliver something well and play
the long game which Apple in recent years have been great at.
So that's my case for the 12 Pro Max, if you are getting value from this video it would
mean the world if you gave me a thumbs up. As a small channel, it's really important
so that YouTube can recommend this to other viewers.
The end result is this channel and this community grows, I then get to create even better videos
for you, so it's a win-win situation.
And if you like my stuff, you know what to do.
Ah, don't forget the bell! Right next to the subscribe button. I will try not to spam you
with my videos but I will try and be as regular as possible, doing my best to bring a down
to earth perspective to you.
So just to recap on the pricing, Apple at the time of recording, are still selling the
12 Pro Max at the brand new pricing.
The 12 Pro starting at $1000 and the 12 Pro Max starting at $1100 for that 128GB storage.
128GB 999 / 1099 256GB 1099 / 1199
512GB 1299 / 1399
But in the second hand market, to give you an idea we already started to see THESE prices
for the unlocked iPhone 12 Pro Max.
256GB $750!! It's like, $1200 versus $750. Pre-owned, but if it's in good nick, that's
a bargain. For what this device is... I feel sorry for the person selling it... But for
you this could be it!
And after the Apple event, it’s almost guaranteed that we will see even lower prices.
Not great if you trying to get rid of your 12 Pro or Pro Max to upgrade to the 13 (and
I really hope that if that's you, that you are cool with that)
But it's great news if you want to upgrade from a much older iPhone or Android but not
keen on throwing over a grand on the 13 Pro or Pro Max. 12 could be the new 13.
I hope this helps you. Whichever device you go with, or even if you just decide to wait
for the next one, I will be here, reviewing them, reviewing accessories for it, comparing
and testing them so hopefully...
And I will see you and your smiling faces on the next one!