IPhone 14 Pro max review: release date, price, specs and features

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      Introduction      

The iPhone 14 Pro Max includes the upgrades I was hoping for — as well as one I didn't realize I needed. Yes, the always-on display is long overdue, but the most significant upgrade is Dynamic Island, which provides alerts and live activities such as your music, turn-by-turn directions, timers, and Face ID animations.

It's clever — and, to be honest, I enjoy using it.

I also enjoyed capturing video with the camera's new Action mode. Other smartphones have a feature like this, but the combination of the iPhone 14 Pro Max's video quality and super steady footage feels like magic. The ease with which you can switch between multiple phone numbers using this flagship's eSIM functionality is also magical, though some will bemoan the lack of a physical SIM card tray.

With its A16 Bionic chip, Apple has once again created the fastest phone on the market, but it's not about benchmarks. Instead, it's about what this chip can do, from the always-on display to the powerful 48MP camera. When you combine that with the extra-long battery life, you have the best iPhone you can buy, as well as the best phone you can buy period.

If you want a smaller phone, read our iPhone 14 Pro review, and if you want the most affordable new iPhone, read our iPhone 14 review. If you're interested in the latest Android flagships.

iPhone 14 pro max Release date and Price

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is £100 / $100 / AU$150 more expensive than the slightly smaller but allegedly otherwise identical iPhone 14 Pro, because it's priced at £1199 / $1099 / $1899, respectively).

There are further storage options, right up to 1TB, but In each case, that gets you a 128GB version of the phone.

You might want to consider the iPhone 14 Plus, which costs £949 / $899 / AU$1579, because you’re not sure whether you truly need the power or camera system or if the Pro Max’s size is appealing.

The standard iPhone 14, meanwhile, starts at £849 / $799 / AU$1399.

 IPhone 14 Pro max specifications 

	iPhone 14 Pro Max
Screen size	6.7-inches
Refresh rate	1-120Hz
CPU	Apple A16 Bionic
Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Cameras	48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom
Dust/Water resistance	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 inches
Weight	8.47 ounces

   Iphone 14 Pro max features   

iPhone 14 pro max: Design and build quality

When I first got my hands on the iPhone 14 Pro Max for this review, I noticed two things right away. The first difference is that the notch has been replaced by a pill-shaped cutout (more on the Dynamic Island below), and the second is that the camera bump has been increased in size. Because all three camera lenses and the flash on the back of the iPhone 14 Pro Max are larger, this area takes up a lot of space. This phone is also a little heavier and thicker than its predecessor: The iPhone 14 Pro Max measures 6.33 x 3.05 x 0.31 inches and weighs 8.47 ounces, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max measures 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.3 inches and weighs 8.46 ounces.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes in four colours: deep purple, silver, gold, and space black. Apple's Pro phones' matte glass backs are now removable and have colour-matched polished steel sides. With the same IP68 water resistance, the overall look is elegant, if a little too familiar.

Like the headphone jack before it, Apple has removed the SIM card tray feature for U.S. models, replacing it with eSIM technology.

It's quite easy to add a line to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and you can have two active numbers at once (say, one for your personal number and one for business). The problem is that you’ll need to check if your provider is compatible before you travel overseas because some overseas carriers don’t yet support eSIM.

iphone 14 pro max: Dynamic Island

This is truly innovative. Apple didn't just reduce and relocate the iPhone's notch; it also found a way to make this area useful and even enjoyable. The Dynamic Island, in addition to housing the TrueDepth camera, functions as a mini dashboard, providing access to the information you need regardless of which app you're in.

If you open Apple Music or Spotify and then swipe back to the home screen, you'll notice the album art on the left side and a mini waveform animation on the right. If you press and hold the Dynamic Island, a larger window with track progress and playback controls will appear. Alternatively, you can simply press once to launch the app.

Apple will make a Live Activities API available to developers later this year, allowing them to deliver more Dynamic Island experiences such as sports scores, food delivery status, ride sharing information, and more. I can't wait to see how far away my DoorDash delivery or Uber ride is without having to constantly return to the app.

There are numerous other apps that make use of Dynamic Island. You can see the status of your timer, the next route to take in Maps, the status of incoming and outgoing calls, and other information. On the Island, you can even have two live activities displayed side by side.

Dynamic Island's applications include other activities such as Face ID, and the animations are fluid without being intrusive. This is a fantastic feature and, frankly, a compelling reason to choose the iPhone 14 Pro Max over the regular iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Plus.

iphone 14 pro max: Always-on display

When it comes to the iPhone 14 Pro's new always-on display, Apple is definitely catching up with Android phones, but Apple's implementation provides a more robust experience — if you're willing to take the time to set it up.

Because the iPhone 14 Pro Max's display refresh rate can be reduced to 1Hz, Apple designed its AOD to essentially mirror the lock screen (in colour), but at a much lower brightness level. So you can still see your wallpaper, lock screen widgets like the weather, calendar, and activity ring, as well as notifications.

The always-on display is smart enough to turn off if you put the iPhone 14 Pro Max in your pocket or upside down on a table. I personally appreciated having the always-on display for simply displaying the time without having to fully turn on the display, as my dogs usually see that as a sign they can go outside no matter the time of night.

In a way, I prefer the simplicity of the Pixel 6 and Galaxy S22 Ultra with their always-on displays, showing just the basics like time, battery status and notifications. But I like that there’s more customizations options for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Otherwise, the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s Super Retina XDR display is amazingly bright and vivid. Indeed, this panel is rated for up to 1,600 nits of brightness with HDR content and 2,000 nits in direct sunlight.

iphone 14 pro max: Cameras and photo quality

Apple has changed things up with its cameras on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which now includes a 48MP main wide sensor for the first time. The sensor will group every four pixels into a quad-pixel by default and optimize for better light capture in 12MP photos. However, if you want the most detail, you can shoot at 48MP in Pro RAW mode, which is ideal for cropping.

The 48MP camera adds a new 2x zoom option to the 12MP 3x telephoto zoom lens, but it lacks the higher zoom offered by the Galaxy S22 Ultra's 10x dual optical setup.

The iPhone Pro Max also has a new 12MP ultrawide camera that is nearly twice the size of the previous model, and the 12MP TrueDepth camera now has autofocus as well as a faster f/1.9 aperture for better low-light photos. Indeed, better low-light performance is a recurring theme with this phone, as it includes a Photonic Engine powered by the A16 Bionic chip, which is designed to provide brighter and more colorful photos for each camera.

To take 48MP photos, first enable Apple ProRaw and set the ProRaw resolution to 48MP in the Settings app. It would be easier to enable this in the camera app at first, but once enabled, you can toggle between RAW and normal photos in the camera app.

I was able to zoom in much further without losing detail when I shot a 48MP image of a fire pit area. More detail can be seen in the bricks and lights atop the circular wall. Just keep in mind that for the best results, you'll need to edit the images afterwards.

Based on my comparisons with competing flagships, I believe the iPhone 14 Pro is the best camera phone money can buy. Let's begin with this image of pansies. The purple and yellow stand out more on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, but the iPhone 14 Pro Max has more details in the petals. This one comes very close.

When it comes to this pepper photo, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has more contrast and depth as you zoom in, while the colors from the S22 Ultra are a little too saturated. In this case, I'd say Apple has the upper hand.

here some other photos from Apple

Video

The video capture on the iPhone 14 Pro Max has two major improvements. The first is Action mode, and the second is Cinema Mode, which has a higher 4K resolution.
To smooth out the action, simply toggle a button in the camera app while recording. This is especially useful when both the shooter and the subject are moving.

The video capture on the iPhone 14 Pro Max has two major improvements. The first is Action mode, and the second is Cinema Mode, which has a higher 4K resolution.
To smooth out the action, simply toggle a button in the camera app while recording. This is especially useful when both the shooter and the subject are moving.

With Action mode turned off, the camera shook so violently that it was dizzying.
The rushing water and green moss look professional-grade look like they were shot by a pro-level camera, despite a bit of lens flare. And Apple has made stepping between zoom levels when shooting video smoother than before.
Unfortunately, If you want to shoot video in 4K ProRes, you will need to buy an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max with at least 256GB of storage. Otherwise, you will be capped at 1080p HD video at 30FPS.

   Performance   

The A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro Max is Apple's first chip built using the 4-nanometer process, and it is once again the fastest chip in a phone. The CPU is only 10% faster than the A15 Bionic, but it has 50% more memory bandwidth, which helps with gameplay.

During my testing, I found the iPhone 14 Pro Max to be incredibly responsive, whether I was juggling multiple apps or playing games like Asphalt 9 Legends. Even with several other cars jostling for first place on the Himalayas track, I experienced fluid action.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max scored 1,882 in single-core and 5,333 in multicore on Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance. That outperforms the iPhone 13 Pro Max (1,720/4,549) and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and its Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip (1,328/3,831). With its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor (1,249/3,392), the S22 Ultra lagged even further behind.

Geekbench results

	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

On the 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited benchmark, the iPhone 14 Pro Max scored 12,363 or 74 frames per second. The Galaxy S22 Ultra received a score of 9,499 and 56.87 frames per second. Last year's iPhone 13 Pro Max achieved 11,418 and 68.37 frames per second, so there's definitely an improvement in graphics performance here.

3DMark results

	Processor	Score	FPS
iPhone 14 Pro Max	A16 Bionic	12,363	74
iPhone 13 Pro Max	A15 Bionic	11,418	68.3
Galaxy S22 Ultra	Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	9,499	68.37
Galaxy Z Fold 4	Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1	8,819	52.8

   Battery life and charging   

The iPhone 14 Pro Max lasted a very long time on the Tom's Guide battery test, thanks in part to its more efficient chip. We're talking about 13 hours and 39 minutes on average. This is enough to propel the iPhone 14 Pro Max to the top of our best phone battery life list.

Anecdotally, the iPhone 14 Pro Max performed admirably in terms of battery life. The phone's battery only dropped to 60% after charging close to 90% and then using it from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. for downloading apps, playing music, and shooting photos and videos.

Unfortunately, the iPhone 14 Pro Max only supports 20W charging, so there are phones that charge faster. We only got to 42% in 30 minutes charging a drained iPhone 14 Pro Max; Apple claims you can get to 50%, so we'll retest and update this review. In comparison, the Galaxy S22 Ultra reached 58% in 30 minutes with its 25W charger, while the OnePlus 10 Pro reached 93% and 55% in 15 minutes with its 65W charger.

Emergency SOS via satellite and crash detection

Apple will release two important safety features for the iPhone 14 Pro Max later this fall. The first is Emergency SOS via satellite, which combines new antennas and software to connect to satellites when cellular or Wi-Fi signals are unavailable. You will then receive assistance from emergency services at your location.
Crash Detection, the second safety feature, uses the iPhone 14's improved accelerometer and gyroscope to detect whether you're in a car accident. If a crash occurs, your iPhone can automatically dial emergency services and notify your designated emergency contacts.
In one iPhone 14 Crash Detection test by a YouTuber (opens in new tab), the feature worked well during simulated crashes using a remote-controlled vehicle. Both times, the iPhone began its countdown to automatically call the emergency services before being canceled. However, there was a small delay between the crash and Crash Detection kicking in on the low-speed crash.

      iOS 16      

The iPhone 14 Pro Max ships with iOS 16, and there's a lot to like about this new software update. You can personalize the lock screen with widgets, photos, and other elements, and what you select will also appear on your always-on display. Other highlights include the ability to unsend and edit texts, Passkeys, a password replacement, a new fitness app, and (finally) a battery percentage indicator.

iCloud Shared Photo Library will be available later this year, making it easier to share photos with family members. Developers are also working on Live Activities, which will improve the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro by showing things like sports scores and the real-time progress of your food order or ride share. More information can be found in our iOS 16 review and how to use iOS 16 guide.

iPhone 14 Pro Max problems and issues

Some iPhone 14 Pro owners are complaining about the camera shaking or rattling when using apps like Snapchat and Instagram. The issue could be related to the optical image stabilization system in the new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. While we have not been able to replicate the issue, some users have posted videos of the problem.

We would anticipate that a software update would address this problem in the iPhone 14 Pro series and will report back.

iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Verdict

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best big-screen phone on the market, and it justifies its high price by offering a stellar display with always-on capabilities, the best cameras in a phone, and an extra-long battery life. The Dynamic Island is by far my favorite feature because it saves you time from having to switch between multiple apps just to get key information, and it will only get better as more developers join in.

If you enjoy shooting video, you'll appreciate the new Action mode for smoother footage as well as the even sharper Cinematic mode. The always-on display also performs admirably, even if you must exert some effort to get the feature to function properly. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best big-screen phone on the market, and it justifies its high price by offering a stellar display with always-on capabilities, the best cameras in a phone, and an extra-long battery life. The Dynamic Island is by far my favorite feature because it saves you time from having to switch between multiple apps just to get key information, and it will only get better as more developers join in.

If you enjoy shooting video, you'll appreciate the new Action mode for smoother footage as well as the even sharper Cinematic mode. The always-on display also performs admirably, even if you must exert some effort to get the feature to function properly.