Honor View30 vs. iPhone 12 Pro Max: A Deep Dive into Performance, Camera, and Value
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a seamless ecosystem, long-term software support, and a consistently excellent camera experience, the iPhone 12 Pro Max remains the superior choice. However, the Honor View30 delivers impressive performance and significantly faster charging at a substantially lower price, making it ideal for budget-conscious users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Honor View30 | Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2342 |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2342 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G (2+ Gbps DL) | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 Sub6 - A2410, A2411, A2412 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, February 24. Released 2020, April 27 | 2020, October 13 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2020, November 13 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 162.7 x 75.8 x 8.9 mm (6.41 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 213 g (7.51 oz) | 228 g (8.04 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Yes | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.57 inches, 104.2 cm2 (~84.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | IPS LCD | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2x2.09 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x1.86 GHz Cortex-A55) | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) |
| Chipset | Kirin 990 (7 nm) | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP16 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 10, Magic UI 3, no Google Play Services | iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 3.0 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Triple | 40 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7", PDAF 8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), 1/4.0", PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 8 MP, f/2.4, 16mm (ultrawide) | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 65mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@960fps, (gyro-EIS) | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10‑bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm 8 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide) | - |
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 40W wired, 70% in 30 min | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.4 update |
| Type | Li-Po 4200 mAh | Li-Ion 3687 mAh (14.13 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Ocean Blue, Midnight Black, Icelandic Frost, Sunrise Orange | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue |
| Models | - | A2411, A2342, A2410, A2412, iPhone13,4 |
| Price | - | $ 328.00 / C$ 549.75 / £ 270.67 / € 339.00 |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 599.99 |
| 256GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 728.45 |
| 512GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 886.67 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 627.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 95h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -23.8 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 638584 (v8) GeekBench: 4240 (v5.1) GFXBench: 55fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Honor View30
- Significantly faster 40W wired charging
- Lower price point offers excellent value
- Powerful Kirin 990 chipset delivers strong performance
- Less refined software experience compared to iOS
- Long-term software support is limited
- Camera performance likely trails the iPhone 12 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Superior camera system with excellent image quality
- Seamless iOS ecosystem and long-term software support
- High-quality display with excellent brightness and color accuracy
- Significantly higher price
- Slower wired charging compared to the Honor View30
- Limited customization options compared to Android
Display Comparison
The iPhone 12 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 822 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Honor View30’s peak brightness isn’t specified, it likely falls short of the iPhone’s figure. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, delivers deep blacks and vibrant colors. Both devices utilize OLED technology, but Apple’s calibration and color accuracy are generally considered best-in-class. The iPhone’s display benefits from the Ceramic Shield front cover, offering improved drop performance, a feature absent on the View30.
Camera Comparison
Both devices offer capable camera systems, but Apple’s image processing consistently delivers more natural-looking results with excellent dynamic range. The iPhone 12 Pro Max excels in video recording, offering cinematic mode and ProRes video capabilities (though ProRes requires higher storage tiers). While the Honor View30’s camera specs aren’t detailed beyond ‘Photo / Video’, it likely relies heavily on software processing to compete with the iPhone’s hardware advantages. The iPhone’s sensor-shift optical image stabilization provides superior stabilization for both photos and videos, particularly in low-light conditions.
Performance
The Apple A14 Bionic, fabricated on a 5nm process, demonstrably outperforms the Honor View30’s 7nm Kirin 990. The A14’s hexa-core architecture (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) prioritizes both peak performance and efficiency. While the Kirin 990’s octa-core configuration (2x2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2x2.09 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x1.86 GHz Cortex-A55) is powerful, the A14’s superior single-core performance translates to snappier app launches and smoother multitasking. The iPhone 12 Pro Max’s 6GB of RAM is comparable to the View30, but Apple’s software optimization allows it to manage memory more efficiently, minimizing app reloads.
Battery Life
Both the Honor View30 and iPhone 12 Pro Max achieve an endurance rating of 95 hours, indicating similar overall battery life. However, their charging approaches differ significantly. The Honor View30’s 40W wired charging can reach 70% charge in just 30 minutes, a substantial advantage over the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s slower wired charging (50% in 30 minutes with PD2.0). The iPhone offers 15W wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi2 (with iOS 17.4), while the View30’s wireless charging speed isn’t specified. The iPhone’s optimized power management contributes to its long-lasting battery performance despite a potentially smaller battery capacity.
Buying Guide
Buy the Honor View30 if you need blazing-fast 40W charging, prioritize raw performance for the price, and are comfortable with the Android ecosystem. Buy the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max if you prefer a polished user experience, a robust app ecosystem, guaranteed software updates, and a consistently high-quality camera system, and are willing to pay a premium.