All of this rushing to buy the latest and the very best kinda reminds me of the time you HAD to have tail fins on your car. Didn't enhance your ability to drive...
I use this flash indoors and it works well. When it come to flash lighting, It is much more sophisticated than I am. It consistently gives me results I feel pleasing.
My comment as not meant to be unkind, and I fail to see how one could interpret it as such. As to “uninformed”, how informed do I have to be to say “Purchase or don’t purchase, as you want.” Seems pretty straight forward to me.
As to you’re chive to stay or leave this forum, I can only say, do whatever you want. (Kind of like my advice re buying or not buying the latest photo equipment.
I also have the new 13 ProMax. I had been considering the purchase of a macro lense for my DSLR, but I'm so happy with the close up shots I've been getting with the 13, that purchase is off the table. It's not the 13's small sensor size or lenses that make for some great photos, it's the phone's processing power that enables results like yours.