Why I Had to Say Goodbye to My Trusty iPhone 11 Pro Max After Three Years: A Review of Its Features and What Went Wrong

Why I Had to Say Goodbye to My Trusty iPhone 11 Pro Max After Three Years: A Review of Its Features and What Went WrongHello to all the visitors!

You know the old saying: there are those who love iPhones and those who won't admit to it. Of course, it's a joke, but as we all know, there's a grain of truth in every joke.

Anyway, I'm that die-hard Apple fan, and since 2008, I've never had a phone other than an iPhone. My love affair with these smartphones started with the sleek, black, curved-back 3Gs model. Then I had a black 4, which is the only one I've kept from my previous phones – I sold the rest.

After that, I'd buy the latest models every year, opting for the initial color releases (which, let's be honest, cost an arm and a leg). So, when the 5s came out, I got the gold version. Next, in 2015, I upgraded to the 6s plus in rose gold – it was my first plus-sized iPhone.

Then I had a 7s plus with 256GB storage in red. That phone lasted me a while, mainly because the storage capacity was just right, so I skipped the 8 and all the X models. I have to admit, when the all-new flagship 11 Pro Max came out in 2019, I just couldn't resist and bought this model (of course) in the brand new, green color with 256 GB storage. And now, it's been almost three years since it's been my reliable companion.

All good things come to an end, and it's time for us to say goodbye. I'll share my experience with this model after using it for a pretty long three years and the reason behind our parting. Since I've had a lot of experience, there will be a lot to tell.

Key Details:

Full product name: Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max 256 GB

Country of origin: USA

Country of manufacture: China

Storage capacity: 256 GB (available in 64 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB)

Technical Specifications:

RAM: 4 GBCamera (MP): 12/12/12 (triple-camera setup)Video recording: yes, 3840*2160 pixels (+ stabilization)Screen size: 6.5 inchesFingerprint-resistant Face ID: yesPhone color: dark green (available in four colors: silver, space gray, gold, and dark green)Battery capacity: 3969 mAhPurchase price: 118,000 rubles (at the time of purchase, the current price of a new smartphone with similar specs is around 99,000 rubles, and a used one in 'like new' condition is around 70,000 rubles)Water and dust resistance: yesWhere to buy: mvvideo, connected, eldorado, and other technical supermarketsiPhone 11 Pro Max Packaging:

The phone itself;

The charger (wall adapter and cable);

The manual;

Wired earbuds (I didn't take them out of the box since I've been using my wireless Pro earbuds the whole time);

A SIM card ejector tool;

Apple brand stickers (what's the point of those, anyway?!)

All this goodness is nestled in a sturdy cardboard box that was originally wrapped in plastic. The box itself has the manufacturer's information and the phone's codes on it, so it's a good idea to keep it safe in case you need to find the code later.

To register an iPhone, you need to create an account linked to your email address and make sure you don't forget it – you'll need it a lot. Registration happens when you connect to a Wi-Fi network.

The iPhone's Design:

I think the iPhone's design is always stunning and stylish: no wonder new models inspire a ton of copycats, not just from China but also from South Korea and other countries.

The iPhone 11 Pro max has a new glass back and polished stainless steel frame for the first time. It looks super slim, although it's slightly thicker than the X model – and that's because of the massive battery that's been upgraded this time!

The Battery:

I was really impressed: I used it nonstop for a whole day, listening to music, scrolling through social media, and chatting with friends – and the battery only started to run low in the evening. Out of all the 11-series iPhones, the 11 Pro max has the most powerful battery. Plus, the charging process was lightning-fast (it takes around 1.5-2 hours to fully charge the phone).

About a year and a half to two years ago, I barely worried about the battery, but after two years, it had definitely worn out, and it started showing 80%, so I thought it was time to replace it.

Replacing the battery in an iPhone isn't cheap, and it's also a bit of a hassle. I thoroughly researched this topic and spoke with many services, and here's what I learned (all of the following is true if you replace the battery anywhere other than an official Apple service center):

Nobody replaces the battery with an original one (if they claim to have an original, you should question their trustworthiness. In the best-case scenario, they have a Chinese copy, and in the worst case, it's something completely unknown);If someone tells you that after replacing the battery it will show the level of battery wear - they're just trying to scam you: they copied the original charging cable's connector and added it to the phone's matrix (I might be explaining it a bit wrong, but the gist is clear). In reality, after such a replacement, your battery may always show only one value: if you got 90% installed, it will always show 90, and if you got 100, it will always show 100. So, the battery is just showing a picture, not the actual battery level (that's why, if you're buying an iPhone on Avito, be careful what the battery shows: if the phone has been used for at least a year and a half to two years, and the battery is still 100, you should think twice, because it's not possible). If the technicians mess around with the connector during the replacement, the battery may not work correctly or at all. As I understand, it's not that hard to do, but normal technicians don't recommend it.It's been roughly 2.5 years since I started using my iPhone, and my battery started showing signs of wear around the 76% mark, prompting me to consider a replacement. After doing some research and consulting with trusted sources, I decided to swap out my battery for a popular Digi Power one, which has a slightly higher capacity than the original Apple battery. I have to admit, I was a bit of a 'tough teacher' and insisted on watching the process myself, which took around 15 minutes in total.

The cost was around 4,000 rubles, which is roughly half the price I'd have paid if I'd had the replacement done locally. Keep in mind that the quality of the replacement battery may not be the same as the original.

It's been four months since the replacement, and I have to say that it's been a game-changer. Even with heavy use – I write reviews on it, take photos, and edit them on the same device – my battery still lasts until the next evening, with a remaining charge of at least 80%. I've also made a conscious effort not to use additional cables, which can put additional strain on the battery.

Top Tips for Using Your iPhone Battery:

Try not to charge your iPhone overnight, as it can cause unnecessary strain on the battery. My iPhone 11 Pro Max takes around 2 hours to charge, and any extra time spent on the charger can lead to battery degradation.And here's the thing: I've never charged this iPhone with the original charger, and after almost three years of use, it still looks brand new - that Lightning port is surprisingly reliable.And one more thing: try not to use your iPhone while it's charging (that's not great for the battery either).Screen Lock System:

This iPhone model has a few security systems in place: Face ID screen lock and a password after entering the password.

The password can be 4-6 digits, and if Face ID fails for some reason, the screen will definitely unlock after entering the password.

Face ID first appeared in the iPhone X model, and it's one of the most reliable systems out there.

My iPhone 11 Pro Max Face ID works every time, even with sunglasses (except for one pair of black Ray-Ban aviators - I'm not sure why it doesn't work with those).

Another exception is when you've got a scarf wrapped too tightly around the bottom of your face.

If someone else tries to unlock your iPhone with Face ID, the system will block it, and you'll need to enter your password to unlock it.

After restarting your iPhone, you can only unlock it with your password.

Life Hacks for Unlocking:

I've heard rumors that some customs officers might ask for your phone for inspection, so I've found a way to avoid that. If you don't want to show your phone's info to anyone, here's what you can do:Quickly tap the power button five times on your phone (it's in your pocket, for instance) - this will lock your Face ID system. You can also use this trick to make an emergency SOS call, which will trigger a loud siren.Enter the wrong password three times (stuff happens, right?).Your iPhone will be locked for a while.You can enable this feature in Settings > Emergency SOS > Call with Side Button.If you go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Other Apps, you'll see a list of apps that have access to your Face ID. You can block any app from using Face ID here.Now you can set a custom passcode with letters and numbers (4-digit or 6-digit).Camera and Video Recording:

This is one of the main reasons people buy a new smartphone. For me, it's a top priority too.

I know some people will say that camera quality on Chinese or Korean phones is just as good (or even better), but from my experience, that's not the case.

I gotta say, I'm not a huge fan of the display on those Korean flagships, like Samsung. The colors just aren't as crisp and vibrant as I'd like, and the brightness can be a bit over the top. On the other hand, Chinese phones often have a more muted color palette and a weird, unnatural blur effect.

Take a look at these photos I took in the park. It's really eye-opening to see the difference between a Chinese phone and an iPhone 11 Pro Max. The photos taken on the iPhone are super sharp and lifelike. If you zoom in, you can even see the individual leaves on the trees. The photos taken on the Chinese phone are decent, but they're definitely more blurry and the colors are a bit washed out. They look more like prints than actual photos.

I have to give it to the iPhone, though - it's like it's showing me all the tiny flaws (and even exaggerating them a bit). That's why I always use the portrait mode to take close-ups. It's my favorite mode, actually. I set it to studio lighting and the photos come out almost as good as they would on a DSLR.

The three cameras on the iPhone are definitely a game-changer. The ultra-wide, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses all work together seamlessly.

I was blown away by how much more of the architecture or people fit into the frame when I switched to the ultra-wide-angle camera in Portrait mode.

The Night mode kicks in automatically when there's not enough light, and the photos I got from my iPhone are way sharper than anything I've taken with another device.

It's crazy to think it's been over 2.5 years since I went to a concert and took some video footage. Check out the screenshot from that video: this is what the iPhone can do in terms of zooming in on objects.

The video stabilization on this iPhone is top-notch: I've got a ton of video footage from different devices, and not a single one of them is shaky – I've never had a shaky video on an iPhone before.

Photo and Video Tips:

If you're looking at live photos, tap on them and you'll get a mini-video of the shoot with sound effects.Long-pressing on a photo in the photo album lets you move it to a different spot.Holding down the volume-up button while the camera is open takes a burst of photos, holding down the volume-down button takes a video – tapping either button just takes a single photo.Messages/Chat:

I'm not going to cover messaging through social media here – it's all the same across devices.

One thing to keep in mind: if you send an SMS message from an iPhone to an iPhone with the internet turned on, the message will be sent as an iMessage, and if you have an SMS package, it won't be used.

iMessage Hack:

If you send an iMessage with the text 'I'm here' to your contact, they'll receive your location (as long as you haven't turned off location services in settings). I often turn this off to save battery life.Notes:

I use notes a lot – I write all my reviews there first. You can dictate notes, and then you can edit them later (I'm a bit old-school, it's just easier for me).

Notes Hacks:

You can even draw the correct shape in notes (circle, square, etc.). Just draw any shape, hold your finger on the screen, and the shape will be corrected to the correct one.You can scan a document in notes: select a new note, tap the camera icon at the bottom, and select 'scan document'. This feature has saved me many times when I needed to quickly scan a document instead of taking a photo.Water and Dust Resistance:

I've read that the iPhone 11 Pro Max has improved water resistance, but let's get real – that only applies if your phone hasn't been tampered with. I had to replace my battery, so that's a no-go for me. That being said, I haven't exactly put my phone to the test by dropping it in a river. But I have used it in the rain, and it's handled a few splashes just fine.

I recall dropping my fourth iPhone in a stream during a trip to Pamukkale. It floated for about 3 meters before I turned it off and thought all was lost. I dried it out with a hair dryer, let it sit in rice overnight, and then turned it back on. Miraculously, it still works today – I guess I just got lucky.

Pro Tip:

If you've dropped your iPhone in water and the speaker's not working, but the screen says your headphones are connected, try cleaning out the headphone jack with a tiny cloth wrapped around a toothpick. That one little drop of water can create a false connection.iOS System:

People always trash-talk iOS because it's expensive, everything's paid, and you can't download anything from the internet for free. I get it – it's not perfect. But let's be real, it's a solid operating system that gets the job done.

I'll be honest, I've been using iPhones since 2008 - 14 years now - and I've never come across an app that I needed but couldn't find in the App Store. Not even once.

On the contrary, the inability to download anything from the internet without the App Store is a plus in my book. It's a security feature that prevents viruses from spreading through the internet.

I'm a fan of this system and I think it's reliable. The only downside is downloading music. But to be fair, I've never had an issue with it. In the past, I'd download the music I needed through iTunes, first on my laptop and then on my smartphone. Lately, I've been listening to music on VKontakte.

The system is regularly updated, and after each update, I get a notification about what's been fixed and what's changed. It's super convenient to have that information available on my smartphone.

Storage Capacity:

Now we're getting to the good stuff. Storage capacity is a crucial factor for me. I love taking photos and videos, especially of my family. I've got a decent camera, but who wants to carry it around all the time? Not me.

Here's the thing - I've got a ton of apps on my phone, and let's be real, some of them are seriously outdated and need to be cleaned out. But the problem is, the ones I need the most are the ones that are taking up the most space. After three years of regular use, I finally realized that my phone's memory had hit its limit. I'd copied over some old apps from my previous phone, and it was just too much.

Of course, I tried to clear out the unnecessary videos and apps first, but it only gave me a couple of months of extra space.

A Bit of a Crisis, and a Lifesaver Tip to Get Out of It:

When I missed the boat and didn't keep an eye on my remaining memory, my iPhone froze right in the middle of taking a photo.

Then, when I turned it off and turned it back on, it froze again.

After digging into the issue and scouring the internet for answers, I realized that my phone just needed a tiny bit of free space to load properly - and I didn't have that. So, I forced it to load with a partial reboot, deleting a few unnecessary apps and hoping for the best. It looked a bit wonky, with some icons and apps not loading properly.

I tried 'jiggling' the phone to fix the issue, but that's not recommended, as it will slowly recover on its own. The key is to free up some memory for it to breathe. I freed up a bit of memory, and let it do a hard reset overnight.

The next morning, I got a brand new phone (with all data intact) and started methodically cleaning up my photos and videos.

Keep in mind that simply deleting photos and videos from the album doesn't free up space immediately. They'll go to the 'recently deleted' album first and get deleted after 30 days. If you want to genuinely free up space, you'll need to clean that album too. If you're running low on space, it's best to delete one photo at a time, then a few at a time; if you have enough space, you can select all and delete in one go.

If you accidentally delete a photo you need, you can also recover it from the 'recently deleted' album within 30 days.

My Phone is Fully Recovered and Working Correctly, but the Memory Shortage is a Major Issue for Me, as Cleaning Up Photos All the Time is Unrealistic.

I Don't Pay for Extra Gigabytes in iCloud, but I Can Always Transfer My Photos to My Computer.

I've Gotta Say, Transferring Data from My Old iPhone Was a Real Pain, Especially When I Had to Use iTunes to Back Up the Whole Thing. But Now That Technology's Advanced, I Can Just Place My New iPhone Next to My Old One and All My Info Gets Transferred Automatically - No Messing Around with iTunes Required!

To Be Honest, Running Low on Storage and Constantly Cleaning Out My Gallery and Apps Was Getting to Me, So I Decided to Upgrade to a Phone with More Memory.

Might as Well Tell You About My New Phone - But That's a Whole Other Story

And Finally, After Torturing You with All That, Let's Talk About Accessories for a Minute)

I've got a few cases from official stores, but the rest - including cases, screen protectors, and skins - I've ordered from AliExpress. This is just a small sample of my case collection, but most of the time I'm rocking either a clear or classic Apple design (the pink one in the bottom right corner is a good example - I've also got green and blue ones). I order the rest based on the occasion or just because I'm feeling fancy.

I've got to say, if there's not a huge difference, why pay more? I had the original Apple case for $2.5K, and then I ordered a pretty similar one from AliExpress for 300 rubles - it was a bit of a letdown! The inside surface was slightly different, but it's a minor thing - the material on the outside was almost identical, and it's hard to tell the difference visually. I do buy my earbuds cases from the same place and try to match them to my phone case (as you can see in the lower left corner of the photo for example).

The only accessory that should be original, in my opinion, is the charger. I don't think phone cases and screen protectors need to be original.

I could go on and on, but I don't think anyone would be able to get through all that text. Maybe I'll write a review about my new 'friend' and describe some other features in more detail.

Positives:

Reliability: iOS is way more reliable for me than Android, because with Android, you can copy anything from the internet without any protection (and you can also access your phone's data without any issue). I've never had any issues with my iPhone data leaking out;Sleek design;High-quality photos and videos;Durability: I've had six iPhones now, and not a single one has broken on me after years of use.Negatives:

High price.