I’m curious why Apple reduced the battery sizes after the pretty dramatic increases in the 11 Pro models but looking at how the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max have nearly identical weights to the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, respectively, I‘d wager that was a leading factor.
No doubt battery performance will take a hit vs. last year but let‘s put it in some context. The 11 Pro models had remarkably improved battery performance over the XS models, which I found pretty good in their own right. The problem Apple will face is perspective. Battery performance may be as good or even better than models prior to the 11 Pros but everyone is and will be comparing to last years models, and they’re not going to match up.
I love great battery performance as much as anyone but my 11 Pro Max never came near not making it through an entire day—and my day is generally 6 am to midnight. It was overkill for my daily usage. If the 12 Pro Max doesn’t live up to those lofty standards but still lets me go all day without worry, that’ll be fine for me.
I was surprised at the decrease in performance, but that doesn't mean the battery life is bad. Like you said, 11 Pro models were just really good. Apple obviously had to make some compromises. I imagine that the newer tech, such as MagSafe, that they are adding into a smaller form factor made the battery a necessary downgrade. Otherwise, wouldn't you really just be getting the same 11 model plus 5G?