To the (Pro) Max
Despite being a lifelong lover of small phones, I recently made the leap to the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
I've been anti-Max for many years. The Pro Max iPhone - large phones in general - have always seemed so unwieldy when I've handled them that I had ruled them out. Honestly, who needs a phone that big? Just get a tablet. This was my mantra as an anti-Max apologist. The only thing that I found somewhat appealing about the Pro Max was when the iPhone 12 Pro Max included an improved camera system. But when the iPhone 13 Pro & Pro Max were updated with identical camera systems, I saw absolutely no reason anyone would ever get the Max phone.
And then I got the Pro Max. And in short: I love it!
How Did We Get Here?
I've always gravitated to smaller phones to the degree that when the iPhone 5 debuted, the new 4-inch display seemed so unwieldy that I held off updating right away. And over the years, I've consistently stayed with the smaller iPhone size and cautiously updated each time the form factor grew. This included when I updated from the 4.7-inch display of the iPhone 6 and again when I went up to the 5.8-inch display of the iPhone X. Each fraction of an inch felt gratuitous. The main driver in convincing me to update always seemed to be enhancements to the camera, so I continued to compromise on increased size for improved optics.
Inch-by-inch (literally), I would balk at the increased size, upgrade, adjust, and repeat. But that incremental adjustment doesn't explain how I went from a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 to the 6.7-inch behemoth iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The catalyst started with the return of travelling. The last few iPhones I owned faired well in day-to-day use, but whenever it came to out-of-town trips, I would find myself wanting on battery life. Photography on the iPhone is a VERY battery-hungry process and coupled with on-device image editing. I knew battery banks, wall outlets, and charging cases existed, but I wanted a device I didn't have to fret about as I considered my travel possibilities.
I went back and forth on whether I should update the iPhone 13 Pro Max or not. Forums discussed the merits of the improved battery life, better camera (back when the 12 Pro Max had a better camera), and a larger screen for viewing content. But the more I read, the more I found the comments didn't help me make my decision. Every "I went Pro Max and didn't regret it" post had an equally persuasive "I went down to the Pro and love it" argument right under it. I was befuddled.
I figured that perhaps handling the device might help me decide, but even that was complicated by a severe 4th wave of COVID, which limited the ease and desire to be in an Apple Store. And honestly, during my handling of the device, I couldn't get over how chonky the Pro Max felt. It wasn't enough time to truly test-drive the device. After way too much time spent scouring forums and visiting the Apple Store, I decided that if I were to make an informed decision, I would need to use a Pro Max for a few weeks - lugging it around, working on it, doomscrolling, etc.
Instant Regret
The moment I got my hands on the Pro Max, it was instant regret! You moron, you bought yourself a damn surfboard instead of a phone!
The first days of using the iPhone were very unpleasant. The Max feels gargantuan coming from the 6.1" Pro, which isn't exactly a tiny phone itself. And all my early evaluations of the Max had me comparing it to the smaller devices I was familiar with, not reviewing the device on its own merits. And besides, I wasn't travelling (yet); I was sitting around my house with something that felt like a friggin' football field in my pants pocket. More than once, I contemplated ditching this experiment and going straight back to the Apple Store and returning to the familiar footprint of the iPhone 13 Pro.
Time Heals All Regrets
But something strange began to happen after the 4th or 5th day, the Pro Max started to grow on me. I noticed that I was ending a typical day with 50%+ battery, and I was editing photos without feeling cramped by the experience. I also started to do more things on my iPhone that I had previously reserved for my larger devices. During that time, I began to habituate and appreciate the size of the Pro Max. The muscle memory for a Pro-size phone began to erode from my memory, and the size of the Pro Max began to seem sensible.
My week-long adventure around Amsterdam sealed my resolve that my conversion to the Pro Max was the right one. This phone would not quit despite taking hundreds of photos (per day), getting directions, messaging, and being on social media. I would end each 18-hour day with more than 30% of my battery remaining. And during the trip, not once was I encumbered by the size or weight of the Pro Max.
Happily Ever After
I am a creature of habit & I stick with what I know, so the decision to test out the Pro Max was completely uncharacteristic. This was also not an outcome that I would have settled on if I had stuck handling the device in-store. It took living with the device over several days before I began to shed my expectations and judge the device on its own merits. And at this time, with my particular use case and habits, the 13 Pro Max has been a sublime choice.
