iPhone 13 Pro vs. 12 Pro Max camera comparison

The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max both have new camera tricks, including a larger sensor, cinematic mode and macro photography onboard. Let's compare photos and videos to last year's iPhone 12 Pro Max to see if there's any noticeable difference.
See more about the iPhone 13 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max in the links below 👇
iPhone 13 Pro Max bit.ly/3lbv28Q
iPhone 12 Pro Max bit.ly/2WJbO0Z
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#iPhone13Pro #iPhone12ProMax #vs

[@CNET]

Interested in the iPhone 13 or 12 Max? Check them out here 👇 iPhone 13 Pro Max bit.ly/3lbv28Q iPhone 12 Pro Max bit.ly/2WJbO0Z *CNET may get a commission from this offer.

[@noone5539]

Ok,cool

[@dgchvz]

I’m keeping my 12 Pro Max forever. Still a great phone and I love the Pacific Blue color the best out of all the new iPhone Pro colors.

[@novaaa05]

okay babe no one asked

[@dgchvz]

@@novaaa05 yet you care since you replied

[@arhamshoaib4324]

No one asked baby

[@mariamsayed4615]

Should a buy 12 pro max or 13 ? Upgrading from 8plus

[@dgchvz]

@@mariamsayed4615 go 13 pro max if you can cuz might as well get the new features, I also upgraded from an 8plus

[@gregoryluna535]

Kind of nice that you can focus so close to the subject with the 13 Pro. I have to keep my 12 Pro Max really far from a subject. I was surprised how far back I had to be to take pictures of my driver’s license or other things I need to scan. Probably the furtherest of any phone I’ve had.

[@cantucesar1988]

true

[@BrennoFerrari]

If you use the 2.5 zoom you can do close shots more easily on the 12 Pro Max.

[@mchammer5592]

Love, love, LOVE, shooting a review video on the camera(s) itself! It seems obvious but I’ve seen so many camera review videos with 90% of it shot on the creators favorite camera.

[@TutorialsMag]

Great job, Lexy! Awesome comparison video!

[@AKCHINAEXPLORER]

CNET i love your all videos really interesting and also educational

[@johnjohnson1141]

Great! Thank you so much for the work.

[@keltic341thoughtyouknuskii34]

Can you prevent Video background blur on the iphone 13 pro/max? I prefer fixed focus for the entire video most times, bigger censors make this difficult. Someone said they prefer the 12 promax because it doesn’t blur the background as much, us this true? Thanks 🙏

[@KenLeebow]

The macro zoom 15x is truly amazing. I just purchased a tripod bc I plan on taking many closeup nature shots.

[@mmone1178]

Thanks soo much for sharing

[@kunalparekh1952]

Great video. Interested in pro raw and looking forward to pro res video as well

[@kwekujobs4795]

😊😊😊😊

[@grahamevans8567]

Another great video Lexy. Thanks ✌🏻🇦🇺

[@lifegamechanger8572]

Weird

[@jj1234346]

Keeping the 12 pro max for another year or 2 . If I did upgrade this year it would only be for the fold3 . I love every thing in focus on my videos of friends and family… it’s the small things in the background that I love to see years later… now if I was shooting a video for doing a KZbin channel then the 13 is cool … but nice trick

[@ocallaghancolin94]

Crazy thing is I would have done the same if it weren't for the deal you can get at Best Buy if you have T-Mobile. Traded in my 12 Pro Max for a 13 Pro Max for $125. $135 after tax. And I own the new phone, no contract or financing, and the 12 pro max was still financing but it didn't matter! I'll keep financing the 12 but enjoy the 13! If you don't have T-Mobile or your phone is cracked or you want more storage than 128GB, yeah don't upgrade

[@mastergreyskull523]

Unless you are really into Ultrawide/Macro camera there's no point in upgrading

[@kenellis1326]

@@mastergreyskull523 There’s the better battery, brighter screen, slightly better gaming performance, better optimization and the display is better. Not reasons to upgrade on their own but all together it’s a pretty good upgrade

[@Alfredwijaya1]

I am from iPhone X I am gonna get 13 soon after they had released been using the phone since launched n my phone lag it’s time to change

[@deelo721]

I feel you bro I'm low key thinking about getting the Google pixel 6 myself

[@erllkennithsumook4163]

The only thing I love with the 13 pro is the macro lens which is the 12 pro max doesn't have

[@SalahDZ]

Thanks for sharing

[@morbly]

Many of the 12 pro max images look sharper to me. I'm noticing a couple things with my 13 pro's images that need to be ironed out: the HDR processing leaves some areas of the same subject dark while lightening other areas that would otherwise actually be darker or the same brightness (a tree's bare branches that reach into sky are practically black but just a little lower where they're no longer against the sky the bark is light and visible), the other is that the lens switching from normal to telephoto is overly cautious and the phone tends to stay on the normal lens and zoom digitally rather than use the telephoto, this results in poorer focus and lack of detail as well as too much noise reduction...pictures look like watercolor paintings, yuck!

[@michaelsliders3421]

Agreed

[@Fattiapples]

I am having the same exact problem with the camera! I called apple support and they said they haven’t heard of this issue at all!!! Do you know if the the iPhone 11 or 12 has the same issue? I’m going to return my 13

[@RoderickRickerson]

@@Fattiapples I almost went for one, the downgrade of sharpness is a huge deal breaker. iPhone 14s will come out in 2022 anyways with improvements, if Apple listens to peoples complaints.

[@leyzbryan]

which battery is better 12 pro max or 13 pro ?

[@sorrai]

@@leyzbryan 13 pro battery is better, and 13 pro max battery is way better

[@danieladam1202]

Great Review - I have the 12 Pro MAX (256G) and love it, I am looking at the 13 Pro MAX (256G). I was not sure if it was worth it and your video seems to agree with my findings that its not that much of a change. I really wanted more ZOOM or heck an IOS/Apple SLR Lens ring adaptor :)

[@dylanpower1438]

It’s literally 0.5x more optical zoom

[@sigmamale5286]

Ur age gone chhacha

[@kencarp57]

My 1TB 13 Pro will arrive in early November, and I'm super excited to take it on our cruise on the Allure Of The Seas over Christmas. I have had my 256GB iPhone X for 4 years now, and while it is still good, the 13 Pro (in fashionable Sierra Blue!) will be a HUGE upgrade for me. I'm really looking forward to getting lots of good shots on the cruise! I considered the 13 Pro Max too, but it's just too big for me. My wife has an iPhone XR Plus (or whatever the BIG one is called), and I just find it too big to deal with. I love the size of my iPhone X, and the 13 Pro is around that same comfortable and easily-pocketable size.

[@bannanateam]

Having waited that long to upgrade will soon pay off when you receive it. Congrats. Nowadays even upgrading every 2 years feels more like an incremental upgrade rather than a substantial must have upgrade.

[@alfredoalejandro87]

Getting mine tomorrow (1tb too) looking forward to capturing videos on the thing!

[@saddemwilamis2552]

Please how much the % of the X batterie ?

[@adi1161]

It’s called Xs Max not Xr Plus, X,Xs,XsMax,Xr

[@whitemailprivilege2830]

@@adi1161 ok nerd Jk

[@tomahah5933]

Thank you for this very very good full video on these iphones! I have an s10 + and I switch to ios. I like photography, but I have a professional camera. I think I will take a 12 pro max for the first smartphone and be very satisfied ... You confirm my feelings? Thank you and hello from France 😁. +1 subscriber

[@elisapellegrini8386]

What about the differences in weight and size? I have an iPhone 12 Pro Max and I consider it a litte heavy and too big for me.

[@mac180sx8]

I love the cinematic mode ! looks like i will need to get Iphone 13

[@kallex7741]

Awesome video thx

[@chrisschwaab]

Need to keep my huawei p30 pro. I hope one day apple will next year be at least as good as the 2018 p30 pro with 50 times zoom, Macro (finally they did this), a real 5 times zoom, nd-filter effects for silky water and so on. Really a pitty what apple "delivers"... or not

[@dlbKilli0nRi]

Will iphon12 pro max camera lens protectors fit the iPhone 13 pro since the camera are the same.

[@dwylhq874]

The "Cinematic Mode" video looks so over-processed. Don't need it. Sticking with the 12 Pro. Thanks for this.

[@dandansfu]

I find it really isn’t much difference when it’s under bright light I don’t know how to described it but I find 13 process too much that is it better on text book term but to the eyes I find some photos worse

[@Zylohex]

I wish iphone 13 pro had pacific blue 😭

[@allwinnernirmal191]

Beautiful!

[@tabcore]

12 pro max still beast

[@Mamtorad]

Try 13 pro 14 pro after coment are 12 pro still beast

[@lilblingking1491]

@@Mamtoradstill beast for what it is

[@DANIELCHUKWUKERE]

Not with that peasant 60hz display.. no.

[@LIFESTYLEOFSANMZI]

this video is amazing

[@me4654]

Definitely the size is important for those of us that can't see well

[@gumtree7177]

An Aussie abroad 🇦🇺 congratulations good job. Can I ask on the lens side what’s the extra tech thing on iPhone 13 that the 12 pro max doesn’t have ?

[@revzgarcia1125]

Macro

[@calliope1121]

Happy with my 12 pro max. Maybe will get the 14 pro max mas it really depends on what's new.

[@ChantingInTheDark]

The ultra-wide macro focusing on the 13 Pro would be the only reason to upgrade for me.

[@gesx6598]

The only thing I don't like about my 12 Pro Max cameras is that you can't do a good close macro shot with them. Not enough of a problem to make me upgrade though.

[@pramudayan]

Thank you dear

[@bharteshgoyal480]

Is there any size difference between both camera?

[@yogisinghvlog]

Waaaoooo superb video your all video is awesome mind-blowing outstanding bigggg thumbsup 👍👍👍..... 🙂❤️

[@RoderickRickerson]

iPhone 13 Pro Max needs improvement, when cinematic mode focuses on the subject it's not as sharp compared to the 12 without cinematic, the depth of field feature is cool but at the cost of losing sharpness, especially on the hairs and edges which look like a bad attempt at photoshop.

[@R--wd1qx]

Is it just really me who isn’t a fan of the cinematic mode? I think the edge of the subject in the video looks blurry. I watched a few videos showing this functionality of iphone13 but I can’t really convince my eyes that it is really a great one. Maybe it is really just me. What are your thoughts everyone?

[@Newbeginning1980]

12 has better pixelation The details pop off the screen; even the blades of grass are individually identifiable.

[@MasoodJamal]

Which camera is good work for real estate videography in low light condition with wide angle lens ?

[@sleepless51]

Ultra wide lens is great for Indoor, Real Estate videos, but I think it's not performing great in low light. Check other videos for low light, and especially for ProRes.

[@WPid]

which one is best for recording walks?

[@Fala_ires]

Excellent

[@raceofknowledge5070]

Cinematic mode is just crap and looks like forcefully blurring by some third party app. I will go with 12 pro max. First of all for it's battery and second reason is, almost all images i observed here are almost very similar except that one taken at ngt time. And i sleep at ngt. So don't need that night mode so damn clarity haha lol. 12 pro max for now. And will see if 14 or 15 can do something so great. For just camera, I don't think 13 would be a great good option at this high price.

[@GoldenSte]

Where in SF was this ?????

[@amazingyashworld6233]

That’s so nice and superb

[@islamicpagz]

Mam 12 pro max macro photography is good or bad please reply

[@pattycarljackson]

Having night mode on all lenses and having macro plus photographic styles was. Deal breaker for me. I take a lot of close up photos and photographic styles has been extremely useful for me.

[@whitemailprivilege2830]

If you like the features why are they a deal breaker?

[@YouAndImpact]

Nice video 👌

[@nady1367]

Thanks friend, 12pm is best

[@Randomnessextremez]

I don't like their artificial sharpening on the 13 pro like that bridge pciture

[@jahongvlog]

I feel the cine model on the 13 is not really cine but wired. haaham just a personal opinion. I have my sony caerma, so no need the 13, I'm staying with 12 :) (I'm poor that's why)

[@Rambo9700]

Cinematic mode in my opinion looks rubbish, way over processed and looked fake. I’ll stick with my 12 Pro Max. However it was always incredibly unlikely that I would be looking to change for the next couple of year.

[@muonkret7817]

Very good

[@TitusBogba]

Come on now.. 12 pro Max LETSS goo 🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@kyrie93]

what if both person look at the camera in cinematic mode?

[@mariolabate2314]

I have an iphone 12 pro max and I don't change it until they do something really satisfying,I'll wait for the 14...Will see

[@zkotpen]

Thanks for "nit picking" as you say. Perhaps each nit is just that, but the sum of the nits is decisive, at least for me! Also, I'm not upgrading from the 12, rather, I've still got my 1st smart phone, the #2 from 2017 Huawei P10 Plus (#1 was the Huawei P10 Pro), so this is a larger type of purchase for me -- and it's the first time I'm buying some iProduct for myself, so it's Huawei P50 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max -- big difference in price on the one hand, big difference in reliability & future of the company (Huawei) on the other. Regardless, no need to buy last year's iPhone, for a once in 9 blue moon event! Thanks so much for your review. iPhone 13's look & feel of the images is decisive, for me: I want those rich, deep blue sky tones w/o clipping the brights or blackening the shadows, rather retaining detail in both, as you clearly demonstrate. Thanks!!!

[@SevenDaysToNoon]

Thanks. I’m sticking with my 12PM !

[@jonpeach5851]

Are they both on high efficiency format in the camera settings ?? Thanks

[@LexySavvides]

Yes! HEIC files. Same on both.

[@jonpeach5851]

@@LexySavvides that for picture taking :) good video btw

[@noone5539]

The edge detection on the intro bruhhhhh

[@0okm0okm66]

How did you record the dog walking the same way on both phones in the same spot I call cap on some of these

[@weliveinsideadream315]

Hold the phones side by side and record simultaneously

[@Pabla98]

Upgraded from the 12 pro max to the 13 pro max and the camera quality are basically the same. At night the 13 is a decent bit better. The biggest two differences is the screen and the battery

[@gesx6598]

Better macro capability with the 13 and that is very important to some users.

[@Pabla98]

@@gesx6598 yea I probably won’t ever use it, but it’s cool to see

[@sapienmanas0735]

how's battrey??

[@willyucarter]

Finally, there is one review can stop me

[@Michal-tm8or]

Please compare 11promax vs 13 pro

[@amirayari4370]

Iam an android user with an S8 should i be going for the 12 promax or 13 pro🤔?

[@prithakgurung6173]

13 pro

[@huplim]

❤️ for the mini

[@JD-ie3em]

Just got an upgrade from XR to 12pro max and it’s significantly massive upgrade. Love the smooth refresh rate, wider screen, and of course, the CAMERA. Ngl though, I still love the XR which I’m still keeping and it still rocks. I just love how handy it is than the 12pm.

[@wratnik]

but the 12 pro has the same refresh rate as XR

[@jannelletangalin6321]

Im planning to upgrade from 8plus. What should I get? 12 pro max or the regular 13?

[@yamballamaurinella]

Gorl buy iphone13 pro max. The battery is soo lit 🔥

[@LakshayGrover]

13 pro max. Or 13 pro

[@ghofranmohamed5187]

So which one did you end up with ?

[@jessiewald4076]

The cinematic video mode didnt look natural at all. You can see the blurring around the subjects body

[@chrisb9475]

Great VID I will be sticking with my 12 Pro Max Basically cause I have that leather case with the strap with the little window with the time / if that could have FIT on the 13 Pro Max I would have UPDATED SMGDH 🤦🏾‍♂️LOL 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@BEATMASTERTHETHIRD]

Chris... Go find some help.

[@chrisb9475]

TROLLING

[@SydTheGray]

Where’s the low light video?

[@QPrince2023]

That dog photo at 6:28 on 13 Pro looks too dark and washed out blurry! I like the brighter 12 Pro Max photos better though the the pictures look brighter 💯 I don’t like dark photos

[@sharfaraj7093]

12 pro max or 13 pro(not max) which is better?

[@MoneyBuysDrug]

I have the 13 pro max I like it but I still don’t think iOS is my preferred operating system but I still use it because I spent a lot of money on it 😂

[@gingerale4231]

I upgraded from the 12 pro max to the 13 pro max only cos I was switching to Verizon and they let me turn my 12 in and get the 13 basically for free lol

[@wbeard358]

I want 10X zoom lens

[@masomaf]

Unfortunate no 4k60 fps cinematic

[@sheeladeepaknaik7915]

Beauty

[@geraldpolymath]

I have the 12 waiting for 14

[@vote4ulvio]

I'll wait for the Google Pixel 6 reviews.

[@Solo-nr4in]

Keeping my iPhone 12 Pro Max not getting another iPhone until the phone flips or folds comes with a keyboard jeez apple bring a keyboard in the mix

[@Vilmir]

Not an upgrade year, clearly. Except for the ones caring about 120hz.

[@veryproudfatherTN]

I have the 12 Pro Max… and today I get to go pick up my regular 13 Pro. Excited 😎👍🏻

[@CheeceerLP]

how to waste money the dump way

[@sagweman8196]

@@CheeceerLP its not really waste if u have the money and want more

[@adrianbyron-parker5797]

cinematic mode seems to wreck the image.Ip12 seems better for "Normal" folk

[@kwekujobs4795]

God Bless The Soul of Steve Jobs ❤️❤️

[@parthsoni1847]

Lexy is trying really hard to tell the difference between two...😂

[@LexySavvides]

It's a close call for sure!

[@kevin-sj3wt]

nothing different apple just gonna ... rot maybe hahahaha

[@Jay2k2323]

Lmao no damn difference why are people hyping the 13 pro like it's soo far ahead of the previous generation

[@EAflies]

The screen and battery is way better than the 12 but I wouldn’t upgrade from the 12 to the 13 just because of that, the camera upgrade is noticeable but not worth upgrading if you’re not a photo fanatic. I upgraded from the 11 pro max to the 13 pro max and it’s way better imo.

[@user-is1rf1mz6p]

The cost for the parts are also increase by $20

[@29kalel]

There is a difference. The camera system on the 13 pro max is better. I have a 13 pro max and used a 12 pro max and the 13 is better. Zoom the images up after you take them and you will see that the iPhone 13 images have more detail where the 12 are mushy

[@jadeg4341]

I’m upgrading from the iPhone 11 to IPhone 13 pro max.. (1TB) I’m only paying 599.99 so why not..

[@reekrodriqguez6552]

@@29kalel then why it’s basically the same in this video?

[@lifegamechanger8572]

The 13pro camera def has more natural looking lighting on the pics compared to the 12pro

[@29kalel]

13 pro is better. Night photos on the 13 pro blow the 12 pro out of the water

[@Prateek6054]

Iphone 13 pros have lens flare issue which Apple hasn't addressed yet. Please don't buy until fixed.

[@Fattiapples]

Also adds over processing and oversharpening of photos which look awful

[@mariolabate2314]

yes

[@jerrybade465]

Xs max user, I was considering to buy the 12 pro max, but I was hesitating because of that new max size that seems to be huge. After this video, I think I'll got the 13pro, and keep it for sooooooo long

[@dylanpower1438]

I got the 13 pro max after the xs max. It’s much bigger and takes some time to get used too

[@aliash109]

I want to see how coronavirus actually look like with iphone 20 pro max🤐

[@StevenChris]

My 12 Pro Max is still a godly Phone so i'll wait for the 14 Pro Max

[@sakibmini7570]

🤣

[@StevenChris]

@@sakibmini7570 whats so funny?

[@wethenorth783]

I don’t see difference

[@bebeto6861]

12 pro rocks !

[@Mousymusic]

12 pro max has LIDAR sensor and bigger sensor . It takes better images than 13, 13 doesn't have LIDAR and sensor is small. Low light photos are better on 12 pro max.

[@RommelAbella]

13 pro sensor is big too 1/1.7 and it has lidar the 13 has smaller sensor and dont have lidar

[@nadilweerasinghe]

lets go with 13 pro😇

[@giovannicasillas433]

Phone 12 pro max. For me

[@psykoxyaphrodisiac5280]

Me too

[@AnilSingh-pn9vz]

Me too