DisplayMate Says iPhone 12 Pro Max Has Best Smartphone Display It's Ever Tested

DisplayMate today published its in-depth analysis of the iPhone 12 Pro Max's Super Retina XDR display, with the device earning a "Best Smartphone Display Award" and highest-ever display performance grade of A+.

iphone 12 pro display video
DisplayMate said the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a "state-of-the-art" display that sets or matches 11 smartphone display performance records, including high peak brightness, high contrast ratio, low reflectance, and color accuracy. DisplayMate said the iPhone 12 Pro Max's display is also up to 10 percent more power efficient than the iPhone 11 Pro Max's display.

With a 6.7-inch display, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the largest iPhone ever, sporting a 2778x1284 pixels resolution, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, peak brightness of 800 nits or 1,200 nits for HDR content, and P3 wide color gamut support.

Read the full DisplayMate article for in-depth analysis of the iPhone 12 Pro Max's display and the methodology behind its testing.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...

Top Rated Comments

Ron21 Avatar
67 months ago
MR members say otherwise... ;)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/yellow-screen-tint-display-seem-warm-check-here-first.2262691/
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cocky jeremy Avatar
67 months ago

A DisplayMate review is completely irrelevant. Apple pays DisplayMate for a glowing review. I know this for a fact considering I worked at Google and we paid DisplayMate for a positive review on Pixel.
Wait. Your "proof" that Apple does something is that Google does it? Not sure you know how evidence works.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
themanofsteeel Avatar
67 months ago
A DisplayMate review is completely irrelevant. Apple pays DisplayMate for a glowing review. I know this for a fact considering I worked at Google and we paid DisplayMate for a positive review on Pixel.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
67 months ago
But there’s no 120 Hz so it’s just useless.
Throw it away, get rid of it, one of the worst screens I’ve ever seen.
Tim Crook and his worthless little minions, not giving me what I want when I want it and how I want it.
/S
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
csalm87 Avatar
67 months ago

A DisplayMate review is completely irrelevant. Apple pays DisplayMate for a glowing review. I know this for a fact considering I worked at Google and we paid DisplayMate for a positive review on Pixel.
lol so because Google paid them it means Apple does too?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Refurbished_ Avatar
67 months ago

MR members say otherwise... ;)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/yellow-screen-tint-display-seem-warm-check-here-first.2262691/
I heavily prefer my XS Max’s screen.

All of the display 12’s had yellow tinted screens at the T-Mobile store I returned my phone to.

BTW, I calibrate my TVs with ISF calibration. I care about calibration. The 12 Pro looked yellow compared to my TVs and iMac, which all have calibrated screens.

Since then I have returned my 12 Pro, with one of the reasons being the yellow screen. The XS Max has much more pop and better white balance. Glad to be home, sorry I abandoned you XS Max.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)