Consumer Reports has published its breakdown of what it calls the “best smartphones of 2021.” This list breaks down the best smartphones of the year, and somewhat surprisingly, the publication ranks the iPhone 12 Pro Max as the “best iPhone” to buy.
What’s surprising about the Consumer Reports recommendation of the iPhone 12 Pro Max is that rarely does the publication endorse Apple’s highest-end iPhone for the masses. The iPhone 12 Pro Max comes in at $1,099, making it notably more expensive than the $829 iPhone 12.
Consumer Reports says that the iPhone 12 Pro Max does enough to justify that higher price, though it notes the iPhone 12 Pro is also an excellent choice:
While the 12 Pro Max will cost you $100 more than its smaller sibling, the 12 Pro, it packs in several more hours of battery life, a slightly larger display, and a 2.5x zoom camera that gets you just a hair closer to the action than the 12 Pro’s 2x camera.
On the flip side, the Max version is significantly heavier and can be tough to use one-handed, even for people with long fingers. If you’re wary of bulky phones, you might be happier with the 12 Pro.
But what’s also interesting is that when you look at the full Consumer Reports rankings for smartphones, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is ranked above the iPhone 12 Pro, at scores of 85 and 84, respectively. The iPhone 12 mini has a score of 79, while the iPhone 12 is ranked at an overall score of 78.
The story is similar on the Android side of things, where Consumer Reports recommends the high-end Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G. The best “budget phone,” according to the publication, is the $300 OnePlus Nord N10 5G.
You can find the full details here.
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