You are designing where idle power is the priority.

Both use four external 0.1µF capacitors to generate the required RS-232 signal levels.

At exactly 3.0V, the MAX3232’s output voltage swing drops to ±3.7V—marginally above the RS-232 minimum (±3V). The SP3232E maintains a at 3.0V due to its improved MOSFET switch resistance.

A manufacturer of portable ECG devices switched from MAX3232 to SP3232E after field failures due to ESD from patient cables. Failure rate dropped from 2.5% to 0.1% over 12 months.