A simple glance at this year’s high-end mobiles is enough to realize that, on paper, the technical specifications of the new iPhones do not stand out at all. No cameras over 100 megapixels, no telephoto lenses with a 50 or 100x zoom, no double-digit RAM, or batteries with several thousand extra milliamps.
Quite contrary to the others, in fact, those from Cupertino do not even make public some of those figures .
On paper, we insist, it might seem that even the biggest of the new iPhones, the 12 Pro Max , is just one of many mid-range devices. Although, yes, with a price that does not lower than 1,200 euros in its cheapest version , which offers 128 GB of memory for storage, and that exceeds 1,600 euros in which it includes 512 GB.
Why then is the new Apple flagship considered not only high-end, but an iconic mobile, among the most desired of the moment? And how is it possible that with its bare-bones 12-megapixel cameras it is able to produce extraordinary images (better than most of its competition, in fact) and videos whose quality, stabilization, detail and sharpness no one has been able to beat until now?
How do you explain that despite its “little” RAM memory this terminal can run half a dozen applications at the same time without any problem, without any suffering or slowing down?
Normally, when analyzing a mobile phone, its different components (processor, memory, cameras, battery, etc.) are shelled to determine the solvency of each of them. But with an iPhone this exercise is misleading, since the final performance of the device is far superior to what could be expected from the simple sum of its parts.
The secret, in my opinion, lies in the exquisite balance that Apple is able to achieve between the software and all the components of its phones. 12 GB of RAM is not needed if with less than half, but well tuned and used, the same or even better results are achieved.
No 64 or 108 megapixel sensors are needed if our 12 megapixel cameras are perfectly “understood” and work together as one.
Of course, the Apple “secret” I’m referring to is an open secret. It’s called iOS, and it’s the brand’s exclusive operating system, which powers and “gives life” to all its mobiles and is now in version 14.
So, after several weeks regularly using an iPhone 12 Pro Max (the top of the range), this time I opted for what we could call a “holistic” analysis, based more on user experience than on user experience. technical characteristics. And I already anticipate that the experience has been ten.
In this model, as in the rest of the iPhone 12 family, Apple has opted for a “return to the classics . ” No more curved edges. The straight lines win the battle and the completely flat edges give the terminal a glass-clad monolith look that is both attractive and evocative.
We can almost imagine him planted among the rocks of a prehistoric world and surrounded by hominids throwing their crude tools into the air. Its slight overweight (228 g) and good grip already tell us, as soon as we pick it up, that we have a solid and well-finished product in hand.
All in all, the phone is somewhat smaller and thinner than the previous iPhone 11 Pro Max, and that’s despite the larger Super Retina XDR display at 6.7 inches.
With a resolution of 458 pixels per inch, images and videos are reproduced in high quality, even in bright sunlight. Apple’s color treatment achieves, once again, that what we see on the mobile really looks like the “real” world, without the fanfare and oversaturated tones that are common in other brands.
As for the cameras, they are undoubtedly the best mounted by Apple on a mobile until now. And the rest of the iPhone 12 this year are also included there. In the 12 Pro Max, in effect, we have three lenses, with 12-megapixel sensors in all cases: a main sensor, a wide-angle and a telephoto lens that allows a 2.5x optical zoom. At the front, the front camera is also 12 megapixels.
Without going into too much technical detail, the cameras perform really good in all lighting conditions, even at night, where previous models could lag. The larger pixel size of the main sensor, which is 1.7 nanometers, allows more light to be captured, resulting in excellent night images.
Of course, it has HDR, and we can record videos in 4K or in Dolby Vision. On this occasion, the front camera can also record in slow motion.
However, if there is one thing in which Apple places itself far above the rest, and that is where the differences are marked, it is in the way in which the processor, the new A14 Bionic , treats the images and monitors what they do. cameras at all times. In this way, and although it is possible to apply manual adjustments whenever we want, in automatic mode, that is, without having to do anything other than shoot, the result is exceptional. The processor manages the sensors to measure and correct colors, definition, movements … so that the result, which is the photo we have on the screen, will always be the best possible.
Comparing identical images made with an iPhone 12 Pro Max and practically with any other mobile with higher theoretical performance, the best result is always that of Apple. If we want to check it, we just have to play the photos and videos on a large screen TV (for example 65 inches). It seems incredible that these images were made with a mobile, and not with a professional camera.
As for the sound, just say that it is of high quality and in stereo, thanks to the two speakers located in the upper and lower areas of the screen. The clarity of the bass stands out, which is often the weak point of mobile audio systems.
But the power of the processor, along with the large screen, are very useful for what is perhaps the greatest value of this phone: the user experience, which is unbeatable thanks to the iOS 14 operating system.
It has never been easier (and fluid) go from one application to another, do several things at the same time or consult, with the simple touch of a finger, any document or image that we have saved on the computer.
Yes, that is also possible with other systems, but what we are talking about here is sensations. A utility car and a luxury saloon are cars, and they will take us, both, anywhere we want to go. But you can’t compare the “how” they take us …
In my particular case, I have two computers in two different cities, as well as an iPad Mini (my favorite) and an iPhone. From the phone I always have, and with a single touch, access to any document I have on any of the other devices.
This same article, for example, I started to write on a Mac, but if while on the street I had an idea to add, I just had to pick up the phone, open the text document (which is on the computer), and keep typing on the iPhone.
When returning to the Mac, all the changes and additions made with the mobile were already in the document, ready to continue … Carrying the iPhone in your pocket is like always carrying the office with you.
