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 Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, Macs, and More

Thursday January 15, 2026 11:19 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the United States, according to the company's website. Most of the values declined slightly, but some of the Mac values increased. iPhone ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Friday January 16, 2026 12:12 pm PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...

Top Rated Comments

Ron21 Avatar
68 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
68 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
68 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
68 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
68 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
68 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)