Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: How Does It Compare to Other iPhones?

At the last Apple Day event, we had a lot of reveals. Apple revealed their new watches and even some new chips, but there was one thing everyone was looking forward to, and that was the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro max. Everyone wanted to see Apple’s latest megaphone, and we all wanted to see exactly what they had in store for us.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a lot of impressive features. There’s no doubt about that. However, most iPhones are always very impressive, so it’s not really about their impressive features, but it’s majorly about what makes them different from each other. Apple makes a new phone every year, so it’s all about what makes one phone better than the other.

We all know Apple makes their phones every year, so sometimes, it’s easy to see. Their phones almost meld together, and maybe they all look the same. Funny enough, I couldn’t actually notice the physical differences between the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro Max because they almost look the same.

 However, the 14 Pro Max has had a few big changes made to the performance display, colours, and cameras to really make the phone stand out. So, join me as we take a trip on the Apple expressway and see what changes they have made to make the iPhone 14 Pro Max a serious contender for smartphone of the year.

Related Post: Is the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Worth Buying?

Unboxing.

Unboxing the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is quite straightforward. There’s not much going on on the outside of the box, just your simple white case with the picture of the iPhone on top and some information about the phone on the back.

Once you take off the tape around the body, you get to open the box, and there you go, you’ve got your iPhone 14 pro max, a charging cable, your sim remover (if you are buying it outside of the US), a user manual, and that’s it.

You don’t get anything else when you open the box of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but you already know that. Finally, you can take off the plastic wrap covering the phone, which is always very satisfying to hear, and then you can turn on the phone and start using it.

Specs & Features

Storage/ RAM	128GB/6GB, 256GB/6GB, 512GB/6GB, 1TB/6GB
Connectivity	WLAN        Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspotBluetooth; 5.3, A2DP, LEGPS; Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSSNFC YesRadio   NoUSB Lightning, USB 2.0
Processor/ GPU	A16 Bionic chip, a 6core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores, a 5core GPU, and a 16core Neural Engine.
Dimensions and weight	160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 in)Weight 240 g (8.47 oz)
Display	Super Retina XDR display, 6.7‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display, 2796‑by‑1290-pixel resolution at 460 PPI
Camera	48MP Main camera, 12MP Ultrawide, 12MP 3x Telephoto, 12MP Selfie Camera
Video	4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, Cinematic mode (4K@24/30fps), stereo sound rec.
Splash, Water, and Dust Resistant3	Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes)
Power and battery charging	Li-ion 4232mAhFast charging, 50% in 30 min (advertised)USB Power Delivery 2.0MagSafe fast wireless charging 15WQi wireless charging 7.5W
OS	IOS 16
SIM Card	(Nano-SIM)Dual eSIM support (the US only)
Colours	Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple

Features

• New Dynamic Island
• Satellite Communications and connectivity
• Improved Gyroscope & Accelerator (for crash detection)
• eSIMs (only in the US).

Design & Build Quality

From a design standpoint, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro Max look almost the same. I won’t lie to you; when I first saw the 14 Pro Max, I was very surprised because I thought someone at the Apple event had made a serious mistake and posted the 13 Pro Max when they revealed the 14 Pro Max.

It wasn’t until I got my hands on it that I found out that the 14 ProMax looks almost exactly the same as the 13 Pro Max.

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro max measures 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85mm, which makes the 14 Pro max a bit shorter and narrower than the last phone, but would you notice? Both phones weigh the same and even feel the same.

As is now customary with every iPhone released since 2020, they all have the same polished stainless-steel frame and frosted Gorilla glass on the back and front. The button layout is still the same as last year’s phone. What’s really amusing about both phones is that the iPhone 14 Pro Max can fit into the iPhone 13 Pro Max case.

Don’t get me wrong. Apple has made some slight changes to the design of the 14 Pro Max, but you wouldn’t notice it except if someone pointed it out to you. The biggest changes I could notice on the iPhone 14 Pro Max were the slightly bigger camera bump and the slightly smaller bezels on the edges of the sides of the screen.

However, aside from that, I couldn’t notice anything else. On the whole, Apple has stuck to the age-old rule of thumb, “if it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it.” That statement rings true with the design of the iPhone 14, and I can’t see Apple changing such a winning design.

Display

If you only glanced at the 14 Pro Max’s display, you might think it’s the same one. I mean, that is, if you can manage to avoid seeing the big dynamic island on the screen. It still has the same 6.7” OLED Super Retina XDR display as last year, which is still an excellent display. However, the 14 Pro max has slightly thinner bezels and a slightly higher resolution of 2796 x 1290 pixels, which you still wouldn’t notice.

It’s got the 120hrz refresh rate that is part of the pro mode appeal when you buy a pro-iPhone, while on the plus and the base model iPhone 14 Plus, you get the 2000nits max brightness on this phone, which is absolutely outstanding, and I must say it makes everything on this phone look super incredible and sharp.

However, something you will immediately notice on the screen is the “Dynamic Island.” Trust me; you can’t miss it. I won’t lie when I first heard this feature was announced at the Apple Day event. I despised that name, but now that I’ve had the opportunity to use the dynamic island, I’ve changed my mind. I can honestly say that I still don’t like the name, but I think it is a pretty useful feature.

The Dynamic Island Notch

The dynamic island is one large pill-shaped cut-out on your screen that merges your selfie camera and the Face ID sensor at the top of your screen with a bunch of black pixels to cover the space that separates them. Apple would like us to think of the dynamic island as a piece of software that has been integrated into the display.

So, the dynamic island has about thirty different things that it does to indicate ongoing activities and background activities, and the integration of several first-party and third-party apps has been fantastic to use on the dynamic island. 

It works perfectly with apps like Facebook, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Pocket Casts, and Soundcloud.

The dynamic island will show you the music cover art and the waveform of the music that is playing in the background. It will also show you system alerts for incoming calls, connectivity alerts with your Airpods, plugging in your charger, airplay and a lot more. It will also give you access to widgets that pop up and even media controls. 

A quick one to note about the dynamic island was the fact that it doesn’t come up in any of the screenshots or screen records that I took.

It also serves as a user interface for background activities such as ongoing calls, music, and even map directions. When you have at least two apps running in the background, the dynamic island transforms into a multitasking hub, and it is fantastic when in use. It enables you to freely switch between and control multiple apps at the same time. I believe this will be one of the most copied features found on many phones.

The Always on Display

Another feature that Apple has included on the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the “Always on Display”. This isn’t a new feature that Apple has added. It is just something that they have finally added to their phones, and it is a welcomed addition. The always-on display comes on when your phone is turned off and put in sleep mode. 

The screen brightness dims down, the display goes down to 1 Hrtz/s, and the wallpaper fades out, allowing the clock to come up. If you are playing music, then the cover art for the song comes up, and the media controls come up below. It also shows you incoming calls and messages coming in.

However, I quickly noticed that the always-on display does influence the battery power of your phone and drains the battery a little bit more than what is expected. Although that is to be expected when the phone is “always on”. However, it does know when to turn itself off. 

When it is inside your pocket, it will turn off; if you have a sleep mode timer to indicate when you are sleeping or not working, then it will turn off; and if you have an Apple watch on, the phone can track you with the Apple watch and turn off when it knows you are far enough away to not see the display anymore.

The always-on display has been implemented in a very Apple way, which means it’s been integrated with all of Apple’s apps, features, and devices, to make it feel as seamless as possible. I don’t usually use the always-on display because when I’m working, I would much rather not see my screen always on. After all, it is a bit distracting, but I know a few people who love it.

Performance

Apple’s new A16 Bionic chipset is the engine behind the iPhone 14’s supermassive performance paired with 6GB of RAM, and you should be able to get a very solid and impressive performance from the phone. However, the A16 Bionic chip must have been a very slight upgrade over the A15 chip because, at the Apple event, they compared the chip to the A13 chip from a couple of years ago. However, the A16 Bionic is benchmarked very similarly to its A15 counterpart, but the A16 performs slightly better than the A16.

	A16 Bionic iPhone 14 Pro max	A15 Bionic iPhone 13 Pro max
Geekbench 5 Single-Core	1871	1727
Geekbench Multi-Core	4939	4756
Metal Score	15400	14202

When I ran Geekbench 5 on the new phone, it revealed a chip that was incrementally more powerful than the A15 Bionic chip. Both phones have a 6-core CPU and a 16-core neural engine. Apple hasn’t just reworked the architecture of the iPhone 14 Pro Max; they have boosted its performance with the A16 Bionic.

Based on the scores, I saw the iPhone 14 Pro Max as a solid boost in performance that makes it a worthwhile phone for most who are looking to make an upgrade to their iPhones. The A16 Bionic chip provides fluid animations on the screen and on the dynamic island.

It also helps provide touch sensitivity around all the cutouts so that it can register a tap even when you are touching a dead zone. 

The A16 Bionic chip also helps improve the processing of images from the new 48 mega-pixel cameras, giving the sensor a lot more bandwidth to process more information and produce far better images than the previous generation. 

The A16 Bionic chip may not be the greatest boost in performance, but it is certainly the most efficient.

Cameras

So, there’s always one major thing about Pro iPhones that makes everyone want one, and it’s not in the display or performance. It’s all about the cameras on the Pro iPhones; that is one of the major reasons why people want one and why they are so highly sought after. 

At the last Apple Day event, the iPhone 14 Pro Max got a total of 23 minutes of discussion, and they spent 7 minutes of that time talking about the camera on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.  

So, let’s take a look at what got everyone at the Apple event so excited.

• A 48MP Main camera
• A 12MP Ultrawide
•  A 12MP 3x Telephoto
• A 12MP Selfie Camera

The main camera on the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max has gotten the biggest bump in specs in over 5 years.  It’s 65% bigger than the main camera on the 13 Pro and 35% bigger than the 13 Pro Max. It’s got a 2^nd Gen Focus Shift Optical Image Stabiliser and 100% focus pixels, all behind a new F1.78 lens.

That is an awesome set of specs to have on any camera, and I must admit, I’m very impressed with the new main camera. However, it’s not just about what kind of photos the camera can take; it’s more about what the 48MP camera enables us to do.

So, the new 48MP sensor bends down to 12mp for all your normal photos, but you still get the benefits of sharper images, more light being gathered from a larger sensor, faster shutter speed to freeze motion more often, and it lets you take low-light photos with shorter shutter times. It also gives you an improved shallow and natural depth of field without portrait mode, making for much better wide-angled shots.

 I’ve also been impressed with how the iPhone’s cameras handle fringing with close subjects, as well as its 100% coverage of focus pixels even with the shallow depth of field. However, I am a bit disappointed with the weak minimum focus distance because most images become blurred when they get very close to the primary camera, which means it must switch to the macro camera very early. 

However, all those issues go away when you switch to the new and improved 12MP ultrawide camera, which brings all close-up images into greater focus.

You can also take pictures in Pro Raw mode, and that should allow you to get the highest resolution images saved on your phone. Although, if you take a lot of high-resolution shots, you might fill up your 1TB of storage very quickly.

Video Capturing

The 48mp camera also enables an action mode for videos being captured. It provides an aggressive level of stabilisation for objects that are moving as well as the person moving the camera. So, even if you and the subject are running, the video image should have a greater level of stability and a greater level of balance.

However, all videos captured in action mode are capped at 2.8K and not 4K because the sensor can’t enact that kind of balance at higher resolutions, but there has been an improvement in its cinematic mode because it now shoots videos at 30fps and not 24fps. So, I know this will be a welcomed addition for most iPhone filmmakers.

The Selfie Camera

There is a new 12MP selfie camera on the front of the phone, but it still overexposes people with dark skin, and that is a bit disappointing to see. The selfie camera is much more balanced than last year’s selfie camera.

Overall, I’m still very impressed with the overall versatility of the whole camera system of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max. I like the shutter speed improvements, the better image quality with the bigger camera, and the improved colour consistency between the three cameras at the back. Apple has done an excellent job with its camera system, and this should be a strong contender for the camera of the year.

Battery Life

Apple never reveals the actual battery size of their phones, but after a bit of snooping around and some leg work, I was able to find out that the new Apple iPhone 14 Pro max has a slightly smaller battery than the previous model, with the 13 Pro max having a 4352mAh battery vs the 14 Pro max’s 4323mAh. 

Apple promised a lot with the battery performance for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but I was left feeling very disappointed with the battery life on the phone.

The always-on display drains the battery faster than I had anticipated, but it was not very apparent at first. It sort of shows up over time. I also noticed that the battery would only last me about 16 hours of use. I usually start my day at 6 am, and I found out my battery would be drained by 10 pm, which is very disappointing because the 13 Pro Max was able to get me to about 2 am.

I think the A16 bionic chip makes the iPhone 14 Pro max more efficient, but the battery feels a little behind in power output, but that can be remedied by making some changes to the way you use the phone’s battery. You might want to turn off the always-on display to keep the battery going for a while longer.

In essence, I found out that using the phone outdoors in the sun while performing a variety of everyday tasks, like taking photos, playing games, and watching videos, meant that the battery life would fall well below the expected full day of the performance to about 13 hrs.

However, your use of the battery and how quickly it drains will depend on how you use the phone and what you are doing with it. I hope Apple figures out that a bigger battery will always provide better and longer performance for the user. However, if the A15 Bionic chip was on this phone, I doubt that it would have been able to last as long as it does now.

Portability

In terms of portability, I wouldn’t call this phone portable; at 6.7 inches, it’s a bit large. I won’t lie, I have fairly large hands, and this phone felt a little big in my hands, but that’s why you’re getting the 14 Pro Max in the first place: you want a larger-than-life phone.

However, I would say that the phone is relatively thin, and it still fits very comfortably in my hands, so it is thankfully not too thick.

What are Some of the Pros and Cons of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Pros

• Quality design and build
• Impressive camera
• Dynamic Island is fresh and very clever.

Cons

• 3x zoom could be better
• No USB-C charging port
• Battery life is weaker than last year’s phone.

Buyer’s Guide – Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Review

To buy an Apple iPhone 14 Pro max, you have several options available in most storefronts, from Amazon to Walmart and many others. The price of the phone will vary depending on the amount of storage space and where you purchase the phone from.

The 128GB model costs about $1099, the 256GB model costs $1199, the 512GB model costs $1399, and the 1TB model costs $1599. Apple unveiled its entire iPhone 14 line at the Apple Day event on September 7, 2022.

The best accessory to get with your iPhone 14 Pro Max would have to be the new AirPods Pro 2, which are still the best earbuds I have ever used. The sound quality is amazing, and it has all the latest and greatest features that Apple’s H2 chip has to offer. 

The AirPods Pro 2 cost about $250, so they are a bit on the pricey side, but they are absolutely worth it, and I think they pair nicely with the iPhone 14 Pro max. Also, there’s no harm in staying immersed in Apple’s ecosystem, so that’s a plus.

You should also get yourself one of those D-brand phone cases because they look extremely cool and are very slim and functional. Depending on the design you want, a D-brand case can go anywhere from $50-80, so make sure you have some fun when you are buying one. 

Another thing you can get is a screen guard. I mean, if you are going to get an expensive phone, then you should protect it accordingly, so getting a solid $10 screen guard should not be an issue.

After that, I think you should be fine. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is a very solid phone to get, and there are not too many problems with it.

Although you could opt for a power bank if you know you rely on your phone a lot because the battery on the iPhone 14 Pro Max is not as good as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. So, a power bank should help keep you going when you’re away from home, or a charger isn’t close by.

Conclusion: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Review

Overall, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is a great phone for anyone that likes bigger screens size smartphones with high-intense performance and features. The camera is amazing, the audio is crisp, the new A16 Bionic chip is very impressive, and the dynamic island should definitely keep you, at the very least, engaged and slightly entertained. 

There is no doubt that the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is going to be one of the big contenders for the phone of the year. However, one of the major drawbacks of this phone is the price tag. 

The phone’s price is quite high, so it might not be a good fit for everyone because there are other great phones on the market with similar or even better specs for a fraction of the price of an iPhone 14 Pro Max, such as the Google Pixel 7 Pro, HONOR 70 or the HONOR Magic4 Pro.

FAQs – Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Review

Q: What is an eSIM?

A: An eSIM is an embedded chip that is pre-installed on your smartphone during the manufacturing process. It does not require a physical card or a sim card, and you can add or remove network operators whenever you want. 

The eSIM serves as a stand-in for a physical SIM card. If your smartphone supports an eSIM, you will only need to add your sim profile to the phone, and it will function just like a regular SIM. It is a digital SIM that allows you to use your carrier’s cellular plan without the need for a physical nano-SIM.

Q:  Is buying an Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max worth it?

A: It’s important to keep in mind that the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max offer more pronounced upgrades. All the improvements from the 14 are included, along with an improved main camera with a larger 48-megapixel sensor, an ultrawide camera that supports Macro photography, and a third camera with a telephoto lens.

Q: Is there a big difference between iPhone 13 and 14?

A: There isn’t much of a distinction to be made here. The iPhone 14 from this year and the one from last year are very similar in terms of size, display, processor, and nearly identical camera systems.

Q: How Big is the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max?

A: The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with a large 6.7-inch Liquid Retina XDR OLED display with a 1-120Hz refresh rate and always-on display functionality.

Q: How old is the iPhone 14 Pro Max?

A: The iPhone 14 Pro Max was released on September 16, 2022.

Q: Is Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Worth the Upgrade from the 13 Pro Max?

A: The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is a more powerful phone with a better camera and more new features such as the A16 Bionic chip, Dynamic Island, and Pro camera system. However, both the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro Max are very similar in terms of look, size, and display.

Q: What is the best colour for the iPhone 14 Pro Max?

A: The best colour for the iPhone 14 Pro Max will depend on your personal preference. The colours available for the iPhone 14 Pro Max are Deep Purple, Gold, Silver and Space Black.

Q: What is the best case for the iPhone 14 Pro Max?

A: The best case for the iPhone 14 Pro Max will depend on your personal preference and needs. Some popular cases for the iPhone 14 Pro Max are the Otterbox Defender Series Case, the Speck Presidio Grip Case, and the Lifeproof Slam Case.

Q: How much does the iPhone 14 Pro Max cost?

A: Here are the prices for the different storage capacities for the iPhone 14 Pro Max: the 128GB is $1,099 (£1,199), the 256GB $1,199 (£1,309), the 512GB $1,399 (£1,529), and the 1TB $1,599 (£1,749).

Q: How much does the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max weigh?

A: The iPhone 14 Pro Max weighs 8.47 ounces (240 grams).

Q: What is the battery life of the iPhone 14 Pro Max?

A: The iPhone 14 Pro Max has up to 29 hours of video playback (streamed) and up to 25 hours of Audio playback.

Q: What is the difference between the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 14 Pro?

A: The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the larger version of the iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch display, while the iPhone 14 Pro has a 6.1-inch display. The iPhone 14 Pro Max also has a longer battery life and a higher price tag.

Q: Should I buy the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max or the iPhone 14?

A: The decision of which iPhone 14 to buy depends on your needs and budget. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the larger and more expensive version of the iPhone 14 Pro. If you need a bigger display and don’t mind spending the extra money, then the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the better choice. If you’re looking to save money or don’t need a bigger display, then the iPhone 14 is the better choice.

References: Apple, iPhone.