The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best phone money can buy. Thanks to its innovative Dynamic Island, potent cameras, always-on display, and extraordinarily long battery life
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best phone money can buy. Thanks to its innovative Dynamic Island, potent cameras, always-on display, and extraordinarily long battery life
Not only is the iPhone 14 Pro Max the most powerful phone available today. Thanks to the ingenious new Dynamic Island for showing notifications and live activities, it’s a delight to use. In addition, Apple’s largest Pro model offers fantastic cameras, including a new 48MP main camera, an always-on display. An engaging Action mode for videos, and long-lasting batteries. Although expensive, it is the best phone money can buy.
| Pros | Cons |
| Superb 48MP camera | Lack of SIM Card slot will annoy some |
| Very smart Dynamic Island | Still just 20W charging |
| Superb battery life | A bit thicker and heavier |
| Always-on display | |
| Impressive Action mode for video |
With its A16 Bionic chip, Apple has once again produced the fastest phone available, but this isn’t really about benchmarks. Instead, focus on the capabilities of this chip, such as the always-on display and the potent 48MP camera. The best iPhone and overall best phone are created when you combine them with an exceptionally long battery life.
iPhone 14 Pro Max specs
| Screen size | 6.7-inches |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz |
| CPU | Apple A16 Bionic |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Cameras | 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom |
| Dust/Water | IP68 |
| Colors | Purple, gold, silver and space black |
| Rated battery life | 13 hours 39 minutes (web surfing) |
| Size | 6.33 x 3.05 x 0.31 |
| Weight | 8.47 ounces or 240.1205 grams |
Release date and price
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is available for purchase now, and it will go on sale on September 16. One of the most expensive flagship phones available, it starts at $1,099, £1,199, or AU$1,899
Since the starting storage is still 128GB, it doesn’t feel very professional. However, you can pay $1,199 (£1,309/AU$2,099) to upgrade to 256GB. It costs $1,399 (£1,529/AU$2,419) to upgrade to 512GB, and $1,599 (£1,749/AU$2,769) to get 1TB.
iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Design
Release information and a review of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The camera bump is larger, and the first difference is that the notch has been replaced by a pill-shaped cutout.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max’s back features three larger camera lenses, as well as a flash. Which takes up a lot of space. Additionally, compared to its predecessor. This phone is a little thicker and heavier. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is smaller and lighter than the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Measuring 6.33 x 3.05 x 0.31 inches and weighing 8.47 ounces respectively.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is available in deep purple, silver, gold, and space black. Since it pops the most, I prefer the deep purple, so I tried that one out for this review. I still value Apple’s Pro phones’ matte glass back (which is now removable) and color-coordinated polished steel sides. With the same IP68 water resistance, the overall design is elegant but perhaps a little too recognisable.
What is lacking? The SIM card tray is that. Apple has eliminated this feature from U.S. models. Just like it did with the headphone jack, and replaced it with eSIM technology. The good news is that adding a line to the iPhone 14 Pro Max was surprisingly simple. And you can simultaneously have two active numbers (say, one for your personal number and one for business). The bad news is that not all international carriers yet support eSIM. So before you leave for another country, make sure your provider is compatible.
iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Meet Dynamic Island
This is creative right now. Apple found a way to make the iPhone’s notch useful and even enjoyable. Not just reduce its size and move it lower. The Dynamic Island serves as a mini dashboard and houses the TrueDepth camera in addition to giving you access to the information you require regardless of the app you’re using.
For instance, if you open Apple Music or Spotify and then swipe back to the home screen, the album art will be shown on the left side and a small waveform animation will be shown on the right. Additionally, a larger window displaying the track progress and playback controls will appear if you press and hold on the Dynamic Island. Alternatively, you can simply press once to open the app.
Many other applications benefit from Dynamic Island. There, you can view a number of different things, including the status of your timer, the next step in Maps, the status of incoming and outgoing calls, and more. Even two simultaneous live events can be shown in the Island.
In order to provide more Dynamic Island experiences, such as sports scores, food delivery status, ride-sharing information, and more, Apple has made a Live Activities API available to developers. I can’t wait to no longer need to constantly open the app to check the location of my DoorDash delivery or Uber ride. For the time being, take a look at some of the first applications to use Live Activities and how they integrate with Dynamic Island.
Dynamic Island can be used for a variety of tasks, including Face ID, and the animations are smooth without being obtrusive. Since this is a standout feature, choosing the iPhone 14 Pro Max over the standard iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Plus makes sense
iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Always-on display and screen quality
Apple is undoubtedly lagging behind Android phones when it comes to the iPhone 14 Pro’s new always-on display, but if you’re willing to put in the effort to set it up, Apple’s implementation offers a richer experience.
Apple created its AOD to essentially mirror the lock screen (in colour), but at a much lower brightness level. Given that the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s display refresh rate can scale all the way down to 1Hz. As a result, you can still see your lock screen widgets. Including the weather, calendar, and activity ring, as well as notifications.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max’s always-on display is programmed to turn off if you place the device in your pocket or face down on a table. I personally found the always-on display to be useful for simply showing the time without having to fully turn on the display.
iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Cameras
With the inclusion of a 48MP main wide sensor for the first time in the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple has upended the status quo with its cameras. For better light capture in 12MP photos, the sensor groups every four pixels into a quad-pixel by default. If you want the greatest amount of detail, however, you can shoot in 48MP in Pro RAW mode, which is perfect for cropping.
The 48MP camera also enables a new 2x zoom option, joining the 12MP 3x telephoto zoom lens, but the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 10x dual optical setup offers a higher zoom.
A new, nearly twice as large 12MP ultrawide camera and a 12MP TrueDepth camera with autofocus and a faster f/1.9 aperture for better low-light photos are also included in the iPhone Pro Max. Better low-light performance is actually a common theme with this phone, as each camera has a Photonic Engine powered by the A16 Bionic chip that is intended to provide brighter and more vibrant photos.
You must first enable Apple ProRaw and set the ProRaw resolution to 48MP in the Settings app before you can take 48MP photos. It would be simpler to turn this on in the camera app at first, but once it is, you can switch between RAW and regular photos.
Video quality review
The video capture on the iPhone 14 Pro Max has undergone two significant improvements. The first is Action mode, and the second is Cinema Mode with enhanced 4K resolution.
When recording, you can smooth out the action by simply toggling a button in the camera app. This is especially useful when the shooter and the subject are moving. I first captured a clip of myself running up a slight incline on a trail to test out Action mode.
Performance review:
The A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro Max is Apple’s first 4-nanometer chip, and it is once again the fastest chip in a phone. Although it has a 10% slower clock speed than the A15 Bionic, the CPU offers 50% more memory bandwidth, which improves gaming.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max scored 1,882 for single-core performance on Geekbench 5 and 5,333 for multicore. That significantly outperforms the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and its Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip (1,328/3,831) as well as the iPhone 13 Pro Max (1,720/4,549). As a result of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor (1,249/3,392), the S22 Ultra lagged even more.
Geekbench results
| Model | Processor | Single core | Multi-core |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | A16 Bionic | 1,882 | 5,333` |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | A15 Bionic | 1,720 | 4,549 |
| Galaxy S22 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | 1,240 | 3,392 |
| Galaxy Z Fold 4 | Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 | 1,328 | 3,831 |
iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Battery life and charging
The iPhone 14 Pro Max had a very long battery life on the Tom’s Guide battery test, in part because of its more effective chip. It takes 13 hours and 39 minutes on average. This enables the iPhone 14 Pro Max to climb close to the top of our list of phones with the best battery life.
According to personal experience, the iPhone 14 Pro Max endured quite well. The phone’s battery only depleted to 60% after being charged almost 90% and then used from 1 to 6 p.m. for downloading apps, listening to music, and taking pictures and videos.
iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Emergency SOS via satellite and crash detection
Apple introduced security features for the iPhone 14 Pro Max later this fall. There is Emergency SOS via satellite, which combines new antennas and software to connect to satellites when a cellular or Wi-Fi signal is unavailable. Then, emergency services will come to your location to assist you.
The iPhone 14’s improved accelerometer and gyroscope are used by Crash Detection, the second safety feature, to determine whether you are involved in a car accident. If a crash occurs, your iPhone will automatically contact emergency services and any designated emergency contacts.
iPhone 14 Pro Max review: iOS 16
There are many positive aspects of iOS 16, which is the default operating system for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. You can add widgets, photos, and other elements to the lock screen, and whatever you decide will also appear on your always-on display. Other notable features include the capacity to edit and un send texts, Passkeys, a new fitness app, and (finally) a battery percentage indicator.
The iCloud Shared Photo Library feature was added in the iOS 16.1 update, making it simpler to share and edit photos with family members. As we previously mentioned, Live Activities are now available to display information such as sports results and the current status of your food order or ride-sharing.
Conclusion
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best big-screen phone currently available, and it justifies the high cost by offering a fantastic display with always-on capabilities, the best cameras available in a phone, and an exceptionally long battery life. The Dynamic Island is unquestionably my favourite feature because it saves you time from having to switch between several apps just to get important information. As more developers join the platform, it will only get better.