Wife and I had a 512 Xs MAX. Went to the 11 Pro Max. We love it. Much much better pictures, better screen, better battery life. We went with the 256 GB 11 Pro Max so we're paying a bit less per month now. We use our phones a lot.
The whole complaint on innovation is really getting old. If you don't like it, move on. I stay with Apple because it provides what I want. If it didn't, I'd move on. And I've tried the competition - I make sure to so I'm informed - actually using Samsung phones/tablets, etc... People's opinions are nice, but nothing like actually trying the device for yourself.
Definitely worth it for us. We are really enjoying the phone.
If it was something we didn't use much, it wouldn't be worth the $. I use this phone hours every day - my wife even more. It helps me avoid traffic in the morning, I read on it for hours, it is a communication link to my family, connection to the outside world, flashlight at 4am when I wake up in the morning, .... for something that I use every day, it is a well invested cost. I could write a book about this phone... I do most of my banking now on my phone (cashing checks, checking balance, paying CCs, etc...).
If you're buying to upgrade just to upgrade, that's a problem.
The Apple Upgrade Plan is a nice 0% interest loan for those of us that like to upgrade yearly and not deal with the potential hazards of re-selling online.