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The iPhone 14 Pro Max's smart dynamic island, powerful camera, always-on display and long battery life make it the best phone you can buy. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is more than just the most powerful phone. It's fun to use, thanks to the clever new dynamic island for displaying noti
iPhone 14 Pro Max's smart dynamic island, powerful camera, always-on display and long battery life make it the best phone you can buy
iPhone 14 Pro Max is more than just the most powerful phone. It's fun to use, thanks to the clever new dynamic island for displaying notifications and live activity. Apple's largest Pro model also comes with a great camera – including a new 48MP main camera – a permanent display, compelling video action mode and excellent battery life. It's expensive, but it's also the best phone you can buy.
Advantages
+Excellent 48MP Camera
+Very smart dynamic island
+Excellent battery life
+Always on display
+Impressive video action mode
Disadvantages
-Missue SIM The card slot will annoy some people
-still only 20W charging
-a bit thicker and heavier
iPhone 14 Pro Max has the upgrade I've been waiting for-and I don't know I need to upgrade. Yes, the always-on display is long overdue, but the biggest upgrade is actually Dynamic Island, which provides alerts and real-time activities like your music, turn indicators, timers, and Face ID animations.
It's smart-I admit it's fun to use.
I also like to use the camera's new action mode to capture videos. Other smartphones have similar features, but the combination of video quality and super stable graphics on the iPhone 14 Pro Max feels a bit like magic. It’s also amazing that you can easily switch between multiple phone numbers using the eSIM feature of this flagship, although some people will lament the absence of a physical SIM card tray at all.
Apple once again made the fastest phone with its A16 bionic chip, but that's not really a benchmark. Instead, it's about what the chip can do, from the always-on display to the powerful 48MP camera and what it can do. With its super long battery life, you will have the best iPhone you can buy and the best phone you can buy.
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iPhone 14 Pro Max is now on sale, and the release date is September 16th. Starting at $1,099/£1,199/AU$1,899, making it one of the most expensive flagship phones available.
initial storage is still 128GB, which is frankly not very professional.But you can upgrade to 256GB for $1,199 (£1,309/AU$2,099). Upgrading to 512GB requires $1,399 (£1,529/AU$2,419), while 1TB requires $1,599 (£1,749/AU$2,769).
For more information, see our iPhone 14 trading guide for maximum discounts, and our iPhone 14 delivery date guide to learn when you can see your phone if you buy it now.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: Design
When I picked up the iPhone 14 Pro Max for this review, I immediately noticed two things. The first is that the notch is replaced by a pill-shaped incision (more on the dynamic island below), and the second is that the camera bulge is larger.
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The three cameras on the back of the iPhone 14 Pro Max are all larger and the flash is larger, so this area occupies a lot of space. It’s also a slightly heavier and thicker phone 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 8.46 ounces.
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iPhone 14 Pro Max is available in four colors: dark purple, silver, gold and dark space black. I prefer dark purple because it's the most popular, and that's the one I've tested for this review. I continue to admire the frosted glass back (now removable) and the color-matched polished steel edges that Apple uses for its Pro phones. If it's a little too familiar, the overall look is elegant and has the same IP68 waterproofing.
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? That would be the SIM card tray. Like the previous headphone jack, Apple has cancelled this feature for American models and replaced it with eSIM technology. The good news is that we found adding a line to the iPhone 14 Pro Max very easy, and you can have two active numbers at the same time (e.g., one for personal numbers and one for corporate numbers). The bad news is that some overseas operators don't support eSIM yet, so you need to check if your provider is compatible before traveling abroad.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: Meet Dynamic Island
Now this is innovative. Apple not only narrowed the iPhone's grade and moved it down. It found a way to make this area useful and even interesting. In addition to accommodating the original depth camera, Dynamic Island also acts as a mini dashboard that allows you to access the information you need no matter what app you use.
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For example, if you open Apple Music or Spotify and swipe back to the home screen, you will see the album cover displayed on the left and the mini wave animation displayed on the right. If you hold down Dynamic Island, a larger window will pop up showing track progress and playback controls. Or you can press once to launch the application.
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There are many other applications that utilize Dynamic Island. There you can view the status of the timer, the next direction to enter the map, the status of incoming and outgoing calls, and more. You can even show two live events side by side on the island.
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Later this year, Apple will provide developers with the Live Activities API to provide more Dynamic Island experiences, such as sports performance, meal delivery status, ride sharing information, etc. I can’t wait to see how far my DoorDash delivery is or Uber drive without having to keep getting back into the app.
Dynamic Island's purpose is also extended to other activities such as Face ID, and the animation is smooth and not invasive. It's just a killer feature, and frankly, it's a good reason to get the iPhone 14 Pro Max over the regular iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Plus.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: Always online display and screen quality
In terms of the new always-on display of the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple is certainly catching up with Android phones, but Apple's implementation offers a more powerful experience – if you're willing to take the time to set it up.
Since the iPhone 14 Pro Max's display refresh rate can be reduced all the way to 1Hz, Apple designed its AOD to basically mirror the lock screen (color), but with much lower brightness levels. So you can still see your wallpapers, lock screen widgets (such as weather, calendar and event rings) and notifications passed.
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If you put your iPhone 14 Pro Max in your pocket or upside down on the table, the always-on display is very smart and can be turned off. I personally appreciate the always-on display, which simply shows the time without having to turn it on completely, as my dog usually thinks it is a sign that they can go out at night.
To some extent, I prefer the simplicity of the Pixel 6 and Galaxy S22 Ultra, whose constant-on display only shows basic information such as time, battery status, and notifications. But I like the iPhone 14 Pro Max with more customization options.
Otherwise, the Super Retina XDR display on the iPhone 14 Pro Max will be very bright and vivid. In fact, this panel is rated at 1,600 nits (HDR content) and 2,000 nits of bright outdoors in bright sunlight.
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When I enlarge the fountain's shot, this panel is dazzling because I can recognize the drops of water hit the pool below and create a bunch of foam. While playing AirTwister Aerial Shooter, I was lost in tropical paradise, with smooth animation matching the 120Hz ProMotion display.
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In our laboratory tests, the HDR content of iPhone 14 Pro Max reached 1,565 nits, which is very close to Apple's statement. The panel records 117.5% of the sRGB color gamut and 83.2% of the DCI-P3 color space. The Delta-E reading for color accuracy is 0.26, where 0 means perfection.
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In comparison, iPhone 13 Pro Max reached 1,040 maximum nits in our test, with scores of 109.3% and 77.4% in sRGB and DCI-P3 tests, respectively. So the iPhone 14 Pro Max's overall screen performs better, although its Delta-E rating is slightly lower than the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 0.21.
Galaxy S22 Ultra has 1,359 nits of HDR content, 137.5% and 97.4% on sRGB and DCI-P3, respectively. Its Delta-E rating is 0.25. This makes Samsung's panels more colorful, but a little dim.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: Camera
Apple's camera on iPhone 14 Pro Max has completely changed the status quo, providing a 48MP main width sensor for the first time. By default, the sensor groups every four pixels into one quad pixel and is optimized to better capture light in 12MP photos. However, if you want as much detail as possible, you can use 48MP in Pro RAW mode, which is ideal for cropping.
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8MP The camera also supports the new 2x zoom option, which adds a 12MP 3x telephoto zoom lens, but you can't get the higher zoom provided by the Galaxy S22 Ultra's 10x dual optical settings.
iPhone Pro Max also comes with a new 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera that is nearly twice the size of the original, while the 12MP TrueDepth camera now offers autofocus and a faster f/1.9 aperture for better low-light photos. In fact, better low-light performance is an important theme for this phone, as there is a photon engine powered by the A16 Bionic chip designed to provide brighter, more colorful photos for each camera.
You can take 48MP photos, but you must first enable Apple ProRaw and set the ProRaw resolution to 48MP in the Settings app. It will be easier to initially activate it in the Camera app, but once enabled, you can switch between RAW and normal photos in the Camera app.
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When I take a 48MP image in the fire pit area, I can zoom in more without losing details. You can see more details in the bricks and lights on the circular wall. Remember that you have to edit the image afterwards for the best results.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: Performance
iPhone 14 Pro Max's A16 Bionic is Apple's first chip made using a 4-nanometer process, and it once again becomes the fastest chip in a phone. The CPU is only 10% faster than the A15 Bionic, but it provides a 50% increase in memory bandwidth, which helps gameplay.
In my tests, I found that the iPhone 14 Pro Max responds very well, whether I'm switching between many apps or playing games like Asphalt 9 Legends. Racing on the Himalayas, I experienced the smooth movement even though several other cars on the screen competed for the first place.
On Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a single-core score of 1,882 and a multi-core score of 5,333. This significantly outperforms the iPhone 13 Pro Max (1,720/4,549) and beats the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and its Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip (1,328/3,831). The S22 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor (1,249/3,392) is even more behind.
Processor
Single core
Multi-core
A16 Bionic
,882
,333
15 Bionic
,720
,549
Galaxy S22 Super
Snapdragon 8 1st
,240
,392
Galaxy Z fold 4
Snapdragon 8 Plus 1
,328
,831
Speaking of graphics, iPhone 14 Pro Max runs at 12,363 or 74 frames per second in the 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited benchmark. The Galaxy S22 Ultra scored 9,499 and 56.87 fps. Last year’s iPhone 13 Pro Max hit 11,418 and 68.37 fps, so the graphics performance here is definitely an improvement.
Processor
score
FPS
Phone 14 Professional version
A16 Bionic
2, 363
4
1 iPhone 13 Professional
A15 Bionic
1,418
8.3
Galaxy S22 Super
Snapdragon 8 Chapter 1
,499
8.37
Galaxy Z fold 4
Snapdragon 8 Plus 1
,819
2.8
Strangely, in our video editing test, the iPhone 14 Pro Max runs slightly slower, which involves transcoding 4K videos to 1080p in the Adobe Premiere Rush application. The new iPhone took 30 seconds, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max took 25 seconds. The Galaxy S22 Ultra takes 47 seconds, while the Galaxy Z Fold 4 takes 45 seconds.
If you are interested in our full results and their comparison with other iPhones, check out our iPhone 14 benchmarking guide.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: Battery life and charging
thanks in part to the more efficient chip of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which lasted a long time in Tom's Guide battery test. We are talking about an average of 13 hours and 39 minutes. That's enough to make the iPhone 14 Pro Max top our best phone battery life list.
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Interestingly, the iPhone 14 Pro Max performs quite well in terms of durability. After charging close to 90%, the phone’s battery dropped to just 60% after using the phone to download apps, play music, take photos and videos from 1 to 6 p.m.
Unfortunately, the iPhone 14 Pro Max sticks to 20W charging, so there is a faster charging phone. To charge the iPhone 14 Pro Max that runs out of battery, we only charge 42% in 30 minutes; Apple claims you can hit 50%, so we will retest and update this review. By comparison, the Galaxy S22 Ultra hit 58% in 30 minutes with a 25W charger, while the OnePlus 10 Pro hit 93% and 55% in 15 minutes, benefiting from a 65W charging speed.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: Urgent help with satellite and collision detection
Later this fall, Apple will introduce two key security features for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The first is an emergency SOS through the satellite, which combines new antennas and software to connect to the satellite when you can’t get cellular or Wi-Fi signals. You will then receive help from the Emergency Services to your location.
The second safety feature is collision detection, which uses iPhone 14's improved accelerometer and gyroscope to detect if you have a car accident. In the event of a crash, your iPhone can automatically call emergency services and notify you of the specified emergency contact.
In a iPhone 14 crash detection test conducted by YouTuber (opened in a new tab), the feature works well when simulating a collision with a remote control vehicle. Both times, the iPhone started counting down, automatically calling emergency services before being cancelled. However, there is a small delay between collision and collision detection initiates a low-speed collision.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: iOS 16
iPhone 14 Pro Max runs iOS 16 by default. There are many things to like in this new software update. You can customize the lock screen with widgets, photos, and more, and the content you choose will also be displayed on your always-on display. Other highlights include the ability to send and edit text, a password replacement called Passkeys, a new fitness app and (last) battery percentage indicator.
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Later this year, iCloud shared photo library will make it easier to share photos with family. Live events are from developers, which will make Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro better by showing things like sports scores and real-time progress on your food orders or ride sharing. For more information, see our iOS 16 review and how to use iOS 16 guide.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Issues and Issues
Some iPhone 14 Pro users complain about camera shake or clicking sounds when using apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. This issue may be related to the optical image stabilization system in the new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. While we cannot copy the issue, some users have posted videos of the issue.
We expect the software update to resolve this issue in the iPhone 14 Pro series and will report it back.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Review: Verdict
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iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best large-screen phone at present. It proves that the high price is reasonable by providing an excellent display with always-on function, the best camera in the phone and the long battery life. Dynamic Island is my favorite feature so far because it saves you time jumping between multiple apps for critical information, and it will get better as developers join.
If you like to shoot videos, you will also enjoy new action modes for smoother graphics and clearer movie modes. Even if you have to work hard to get the feature the way you want, the steady-on display works well.
iPhone 14 Pro Max has something I don't like, including its weight and the fact that it doesn't offer faster charging that matches competitor phones. While I personally can live without a SIM card tray, international travelers may be frustrated by not being able to insert a new SIM card when landing; some operators do not support eSIM functionality at all.
However, overall, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is a powerful mobile beast and is also fun to use. This is the best phone you can buy during the period.
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