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Introduction
The best iPhone ever, version 2022, size XL - we have the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The big news this year includes the notch morphing into a pill, the introduction of an Always-On display, and an all-new primary camera - and while you can get all of that on the 14 Pro, the extra screen estate and longevity coupled with the Max's 'ultimate' status mean it has a market niche of its own.
The Face ID notch that's been with us since the iPhone X was nobody's favorite, and perhaps its reincarnation as a pill is a step towards its eventual removal. But not before turning the eyesore into a feature - the pill is a Dynamic Island of notifications, blurring the line between hardware and software.
In a similar vein is the Always-On display - a software feature only made possible now in Apple's world thanks to LTPO displays being able to ramp down to 1Hz refresh rate.
A massive increase in brightness is also among the key developments this year, this one solely in the hardware department.
Late to yet another party, Apple finally joins virtually every other manufacturer and introduces a camera with a Quad Bayer type sensor - the specs on the 48MP main unit don't read like any other, so apparently, it's an exclusive design. The telephoto remains unchanged, but the ultrawide has gotten a sensor size upgrade, while the front-facing one now features autofocus (and maybe even OIS).
On the hardware front, there's the mandatory chipset update, of course, and little else worth mentioning. Well, there's the blanked-out SIM card slot for the US models, which will only operate with eSIMs - does that count as a hardware change? Crash detection and emergency sort-of satellite connectivity are also on the list of new features combining software and hardware.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max specs at a glance:
- Body: 160.7x77.6x7.9mm, 240g; Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 mins).
- Display: 6.70" LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM), 1290x2796px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 460ppi; Always-On display.
- Chipset: Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm): Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth); Apple GPU (5-core graphics).
- Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM; NVMe.
- OS/Software: iOS 16.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS; Telephoto: 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm, 1/3.5", PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF; Depth: TOF 3D LiDAR scanner.
- Front camera: Wide (main): 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS (unconfirmed); Depth: SL 3D.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 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; Front camera: 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 4323mAh; Fast charging, USB Power Delivery 2.0, MagSafe fast wireless charging 15W, Qi wireless charging 7.5W.
- Misc: Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer; NFC; stereo speakers; Ultra Wideband (UWB) support, Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving);, Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified).
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max unboxing
Hardly anything has changed in the presentation of the iPhone 14 Pro Max compared to last year's model. The half-height box has a color-matched likeness of the phone printed on the lid, and opens with a couple of paper tear-off pull tabs.
Inside, the phone is lying face down, its back greeting you as you remove the lid. There's no charger bundled, but there's still a USB-C-to-Lightning cable, at least. And an Apple sticker, because free advertising.
Design, build quality, handling
So the notch turned into a pill, and there's now a purple color option - is that really all they did for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max? In a way, the answer is yes. But that's also missing the point.
iPhone 14 Pro Max (left) and iPhone 14 Pro
For one, the iPhone industrial design has been an iterative evolutional process for several years now - depending on how you look at it, since at least the 12, the 11, or maybe even the X. Major disruptions haven't been Apple's thing lately and you'd have been wrong to expect one, is what we're saying. And then comes the fact that there's not a lot to fix about the iPhone's build or styling.
iPhone 14 Pro Max (left) and iPhone 14 Pro
What did need fixing got addressed, which is how we got from the notch to the pill. Apple's Face ID display cutout has been an easy target for mockery since its very inception on the iPhone X, and people who write reviews for a living have criticized it time and time again. We've even been told that regular people feel the same way, too, though the sales numbers don't indicate it's a deal-breaking offense.
iPhone 14 Pro (left) and iPhone 13 Pro
There's been ongoing speculation about which year the notch will disappear and what the technological advancement must be to replace it (cough, under-display fingerprint readers, cough), or what otherwise unrelated event could trigger its demise. The reality is that this is the 6th generation of iPhone to have Face ID, and no such thing has happened yet. But there have been tweaks.
iPhone 14 Pro Max (left) and iPhone 13 Pro Max
And it's precisely in the tweaks category that we'll file this year's development. The ever-shrinking Face ID bits have been packed even more tightly together for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max - Apple says the True Depth camera system (the Face ID and front-facing camera combined) are 31% smaller than before. They have also broken off from the border 'mainland' and have turned into a "Dynamic Island', leaving a small strait of pixels above it.
iPhone 13 Pro (left) and iPhone 14 Pro
The 'dynamic' part really comes from the iOS implementation of what is a very static cutout in the panel - and it's an ingenious way of turning an inherent flaw into a feature that even makes sense. Of course, masking a hardware deficiency that doesn't strictly necessarily absolutely have to be there with a software fix does read like the second best option in the first place, but we'll accept baby steps.
Dynamic island on the iPhone 14 Pro Max
We do keep saying 'cutout', singular, but in fact, it's two cutouts - one is for the selfie camera, and another one for the Face ID components are. There are functional pixels in between the two holes in the display, but they're lit up very rarely - just for the occasional mic or camera indicator.
And while iOS will try and present the two cutouts as a single island, under the right light, you'll be able to see through its deception. Some folks on the internet have tried to make an overly big deal of the different shades of black you can see there, but we think you'll just notice it once and simply move on.
The pill on the iPhone 14 Pro Max
Another point worth mentioning is that while the pill is indeed smaller in terms of the directly occupied area, the fact that it sits further down into the display means it tends to make more of the screen less usable. That strip above it can't really serve any purpose, and the 'effective' horns on the two sides of the cutout are, in practice, taller than they were with the notch of yesteryear. Then there's very widescreen video content to worry about.
The pill can get in the way occasionally
Let's just mention in passing here that for the purposes of authentication, Face ID works as fast and as accurately as it has for the past couple of years. The option to set up a masked appearance is also baked in.
Enrolling a face for Face ID on the iPhone 14 Pro Max
What the pill does for the user experience is a topic we'll cover in a bit more detail in the software section of this review.
However, there is a very hardware aspect to the dynamic island software functionality. It stems from the fact that the island area is actionable - meaning you'll be touching around your selfie camera and Face ID components, and by extension, you'll be touching the glass over the very selfie camera and Face ID components, inevitably introducing smudges and dirt. Over years of reviewing, we've developed an almost compulsive habit of wiping cameras before taking pictures, island or no island, so in our world, that's less of an issue, but it could take a few ruined selfies for you to get there.
Dynamic island on the iPhone 14 Pro Max
Then there's the new color - there needs to be a new color every year for those that want to make it obvious they have the new iPhone. The 2022 hero colorway goes by Deep Purple, and you can see it on our 14 Pro Max - pictured here next to last year's unique option, Sierra Blue.
iPhone 14 Pro Max in Deep Purple (left) and Sierra Blue iPhone 13 Pro Max
Technically, the 'black' variant is also different this time around - Space Black replaces the Graphite of years past. We don't have an iPhone 13 Pro in that colorway for immediate comparisons, but while you'll casually call either one simply 'black', the 2022 version is blacker.
The Gold and Silver options remain as before.
iPhone 14 Pro in Space Black (left) and Gold iPhone 13 Pro
Regardless of colorway, the iPhone 14 Pros have the same finishes on the surfaces you touch and see, and those are different from non-Pro iPhones. The flat stainless steel frame is tough - the iPhone 13 Pro units in circulation around the office are still pristine a year later. It's also pretty, but the high-gloss polish means it gets covered in smudges the moment it comes into contact with skin - wiping it clean is easy, keeping it clean - impossible.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
While still focused on the frame, let's do a quick tour, even though nothing's really changed. The power button is on the right and is equally easy for operation with a left index finger or a right thumb thanks to both its placement and generous size - and yes, that applies to both the Pro and Pro Max.
On the opposite side are the volume buttons, and those two are larger than on most any other phone. All three buttons have a reassuring click action - not that you'd expect otherwise from an iPhone.
Also on the left is the mute switch, a staple of iPhone alert handling. In addition to that, our European units have SIM card slots on this side, and the tray takes a single nano SIM. US units don't have the SIM tray though the slot space inside remains unused - as should be expected, doing different internal designs between markets seems illogical.
Down on the bottom of the iPhones, you'll find the Lightning port, flanked by dotted cutouts for the bottom speaker and the primary mic.
iPhone 14 Pro Max all around
You'll note that we made sure to present the frame in its best light for these shots, which wasn't a trivial task. The iPhone 14's satin-finished frame, in contrast, practically doesn't hold fingerprints. It can be argued that it's not as premium, being aluminum like them mainstream Androids.
iPhone 14
Then again, the non-Pro's glossy back suffers from a severe case of smudge accumulation. Conversely, the matte frosted treatment of the Pros only leaves the mirror-like Apple logo as the lone fingerprint magnet. Admittedly, that panel is among the more slippery ones you can get - as is the usual trade-off.
All things considered, you're likely to be slapping a case on your iPhone, Pro or non-Pro, and none of this is going to matter.
iPhone 14 (left) and iPhone 14 Pro
Not that the iPhones aren't durable all on their own, of course. The 14s have Ceramic Shield covering the screen but not the back. Made by Corning, the specialty toughened glass remains 'tougher than any smartphone glass' if you're to believe Apple. Just how much better (if, indeed, at all) it is than the Gorilla Glass-branded alternative found on non-iPhones is not for mere mortals to know.
As is the norm with Apple's handsets, the 14 series get an IP68 rating. But while your garden variety IP68 means water resistance for up to 30 minutes under 1.5m of water, the iPhones up that to 6m - we like the extra peace of mind. Having said that, the ingress protection deteriorates with use over time, and deliberately dunking your phone in water is never a good idea, not to mention salt water is always bad for your phone, IP-rated or otherwise.
Ceramic Shield-ed IP68-rated iPhone 14 Pro
Looking at the iPhone 14 Pro Max's back, you may have noticed that the camera assembly has grown further in footprint from what was already quite a sizeable island last year. On the smaller-size 14 Pro, in particular, it looks almost like a caricature of a smartphone camera. It's more... sensible looking on the Max.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Not only has it taken up more area on the back, but the three rings now stick out that extra bit further. Nice camera modules do take up space, and the new 48MP unit has mandated the added height, with the rest just extended to match. Naturally, the space between the camera rings will get filled with grime and pocket lint, and it's not like it's terribly easy to clean either.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
If you plan to use your iPhone 14 Pro without a case, you'd better not be one to frequently type on your phone when it's resting on a table. The protruding camera assembly means that hitting the keys on the right side of the keyboard with any amount of zeal will result in the much-dreaded wobbling. Is it about time we stopped pointing that out? Does anyone even care about it? Has anyone ever?
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Even though there are minute differences in the dimensions, both new iPhone Pros feel essentially identical to last year's models. The Pro Max has the size and heft to back up its price tag (well, not necessarily against other phones, but compared to the 14 Pro at least). Tipping the scales at the same 240g as last year's model, the Max can very well justify its name - short of big foldables, we can't think of anything heavier.
iPhone 14 Pro Max in the hand
Much like the smaller model, however, that's mostly a matter of density rather than sheer size - bigger competitors do exist. The most obvious one, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is some 2.6mm taller and a full mil thicker than the 14 Pro Max's 160.7x77.6x7.9mm, the width being the same between the two. That said, the 14 Pro Max is undeniably a huge handset and should be approached like one - with both hands and with deep pockets (in more than one way, sadly).
iPhone 14 Pro Max in the handRetina-searing brightness
Industry-leading displays have always been Apple's thing, especially so on the iPhones, and that's true on the 14 Pro Max as well. The Super Retina XDR OLED display has a 6.7-inch diagonal (the fine print says 6.69"), a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and the 1290x2796px resolution makes for a 460ppi pixel density. HDR10 and DolbyVision standards are supported, too.
It's a ProMotion panel, meaning it has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, which it can dynamically adjust depending on the use case, going all the way down to 1Hz for the newly introduced Always-On display feature.
The 14 Pros lead the way in terms of brightness. Apple says that the display on the Pro Max should be able to shine as bright as 2000nits in outdoor conditions, while in less extreme surroundings, you should get 1000nits. The peak in HDR applications is quoted at 1600nits.
We don't measure the HDR brightness numbers, but in our simulated outdoor scenario with the adaptive brightness turned on, we got 1760nits - okay, a little short of 2000, but how can we complain when the next brightest phone (not counting the 14 Pro non-Max, of course), the Galaxy S22 Ultra, is some 500nits less bright?
When adjusting brightness manually, we measured 828nits on the 14 Pro Max - that doesn't sound quite as impressive, but phones don't usually let you have that brightness outside of auto modes in bright ambient lighting. That is to say, Galaxies now do give you 800-ish nits starting with the S22 series if you enable the Extra Brightness toggle in settings, but that's about it. Until last year, iPhones would let you have all the nits they can put out without limiting things to adaptive brightness mode, but with the 13 Pros' ability to go above 1000nits, a cap on the manual brightness was indeed warranted, and it's all the more understandable on the way brighter 14 Pros.
To sum up the brightness talk - a spectacular showing from the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 828 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1760 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 842 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1791 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 804 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 852 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1050 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 494 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 829 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1266 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 475 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 762 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 506 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1050 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 512 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1065 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 668 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 498 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 780 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 497 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 860 | ∞ | |
As usual, this iPhone gets high praise for color accuracy as well - we got an average dE2000 of 0.8 when testing with sRGB color swatches. It's not the Apple way to give you options, so the 14 Pro Max doesn't have different color presets, but it will switch between sRGB for general use and Display P3 (Apple's sort of DCI-P3) for wide-gamut scenarios.
We often encounter issues on Android phones when delving into the implementation of adaptive refresh rates, and it's even harder to tell what's going on on the iPhone. We do feel comfortable with the assumption that Apple has done it the best way possible, and we do enjoy the smooth scrolling.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max battery life
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 4,323mAh battery inside, a 29mAh downgrade compared to last year's model - so the same, basically. That's also the same capacity as the 14 Plus, and some 35% more than the 14 Pro non-Max. Capacity comparisons against competing Android handsets are mostly pointless, but just for some perspective, the Galaxy S22 Ultra's cell is rated at 5,000mAh.
In our testing, the iPhone 14 Pro Max was generally better than its predecessor with the screen on. We clocked 23:39h of Wi-Fi web browsing (three and a half hours more than the 13 Pro Max), and 24:38h of offline video playback (a less significant 30-ish minutes increase). We timed practically identical call longevity this year at 27:23h (27:26h on the 13 Pro Max), while standby performance took a small dip. All of those work out to the same overall Endurance rating of 121h.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage - check out our all-time battery test results chart.
Charging speed
There's no charger in the iPhone 14 Pro Max's retail package, though some carriers do bundle one of Apple's 20W units. That does sound like the go-to option if you don't have any other USB PowerDelivery adapter to power your iPhone, so that's the one we tested with.
We observed a small improvement in the state of charge at the 30-minute mark compared to the 13 Pro Max (48% vs. 42%), but the new model took a bit longer to 100% (1:52h vs. 1:46h, neither is great). With its basic 25W charger, a Galaxy S22 Ultra is a lot quicker to 100% (1:03h) and also shows a more reassuring 60% half an hour into the process. Last year's Pixel 6 Pro, meanwhile, reads the exact same numbers as the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The takeaway is that if you want truly fast charging, the iPhone 14 Pro Max isn't for you, and for once, a Samsung can snatch a victory for charging speed.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi 12 Pro (120W)
100% - OnePlus 10 Pro
98% - Oppo Find X5 Pro
91% - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
73% - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (25W)
61% - Apple iPhone 14 Pro
60% - Apple iPhone 14
60% - Asus Zenfone 9
57% - Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
48% - Google Pixel 6 Pro
48% - Sony Xperia 1 IV
47% - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (20W Apple)
42%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Xiaomi 12 Pro (120W)
0:21h - OnePlus 10 Pro
0:32h - Oppo Find X5 Pro
0:40h - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
0:50h - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (25W)
1:04h - Asus Zenfone 9
1:15h - Apple iPhone 14
1:31h - Apple iPhone 14 Pro
1:41h - Sony Xperia 1 IV
1:42h - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (20W Apple)
1:46h - Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
1:52h - Google Pixel 6 Pro
1:52h
The iPhone 14 Pro Max supports wireless charging up to 7.5W with generic Qi-compliant charging pads, but you won't find it listed in the WPC's database. Apple would prefer you to use their MagSafe magnetically attached accessory ($39/€49 for the puck with the cable, and you still need a power adapter), which should max out at 15W.
If you want to get the maximum longevity out of your iPhone's battery, the Optimised Battery Charging toggle in settings should help. It allows the iPhone to adapt its charging curves to your charging patterns (mostly related to overnight charging and your sleep routine), so it minimizes the time the battery spends at 100%. It will charge quickly (well, iPhone-quickly) up to 80% and will then only finish things off just before it thinks you're going to need the phone.
Speaker test
The 14 Pro Max has the usual hybrid stereo speaker system you'd find on an iPhone - the dedicated speaker on the bottom is joined by the earpiece to make up a stereo pair. The earpiece is served the right channel in portrait orientation, while in landscape, the output is adjusted to match the phone's orientation. In any case, each speaker will still output some of the 'opposite' channel, but at a much lower volume.
Bottom speaker • Top speaker/earpiece
In our testing, the 14 Pro Max earned the same 'Very Good' mark for loudness as the 13 Pro Max, a notch above the 14 Pro's 'Good'. In terms of perceived sound quality, on the other hand, the 14 Pro Max is excellent as usual. We're getting some pronounced low-end thump, clean vocals and sparkly treble. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, for one, is nowhere as good.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Apple iOS 16 on the iPhone 14 Pro Max
All new iPhones come with Apple's iOS 16 out of the box. As usual, it's not a groundbreaking update over iOS 15, but it does improve on the lockscreen, the notification management, the Messaging app, and the privacy options, among other things. And, in typical Apple fashion, some features were left for a later date.
Let's take a closer look at the iPhone 14 Pro Max's iOS 16 now. Its interface is still based on homescreens populated with apps and widgets, App Library for your less important apps, and Notification and Control Centers.
The lockscreen on iOS 16 is the first thing that's been overhauled, though it still follows the same logic - it's one with the Notification Center and houses your notifications (privacy options are available), plus shortcuts for the torch and the camera. For the first time ever, there is also an Always-on option, but it's available only on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. You can get past the lockscreen via Face ID or PIN if you've opted for secure unlock.
You can customize your lockscreen by picking from some cool wallpapers and adding a row of widgets (up to four). There can't be more than one row of widgets. The neat thing is that you can build a couple of different lockscreens and switch them on the go (tap and hold, then swipe). This way, you can easily change the look of the homescreen/notification center depending on your mood, or work.
Lockscreen customization
Another change here is that the notifications now roll up from the bottom of the screen. It's more convenient to browse through them. There are different notification display options as stack, list, or just a count.
Lockscreen customization
You can also pair your homescreen look with the lockscreen and change both in one go.
Switching lockscreen and homescreens on the go
Your apps usually populate the homescreen(s) and widgets. There are two specific screens - the leftmost is Today page, while the rightmost page - App Library.
You can hide specific homescreens - you may have a page that's full of games and hide it when at work or hide a page of work/school apps when on vacation. You can't opt out of Today and App Library, though.
Lockscreen • Homescreen • Today • App Library • Hide homescreens
Apple iOS 16 has an improved Focus mode - now, you can assign a Focus mode on each lockscreen preset you create. And in addition to all other ways of switching between Focuses, now switching between lockscreens also changes the Focus mode.
There are different Focus modes like Work, Personal, Driving, Gaming, Do Not Disturb, among others, highly customizable at that. And you can create and automate you own, of course.
Focus modes
The new iOS 16 also introduces Focus filters, which can affect different apps, with a dedicated API available to developers as well. With these filters, apps like messages and mail clients can automatically filter their content as predefined by the user within the Focus mode.
Focus filters
Widgets can be placed on any of the homescreens and the Today page, and they can coexist with app icons. There are three widget sizes supported by iOS - 2x2, 4x2, and 4x4. You can stack widgets of the same size on top of one another, and, optionally, they can rotate automatically.
Widgets • Widgets • Widgets • Stacked Widgets
The App Library is an app drawer, which is always your rightmost homescreen pane. Apps are added automatically to the App Library upon installation. The sorting is also an automatic process, and you can't edit the categories or move apps in different categories. The app sorting depends on the App Store tags the developer has used upon uploading the apps.
App Library
The Today page is still alive. You can put the same widgets and stacks you can on your homescreens. Here you can also use the old third-party widgets that haven't been optimized yet for newer iOS versions. The old widgets come right after the new ones, should you choose to use some new ones, of course. It's a pity this Today page cannot be disabled, as we found it mostly useless.
The Notification Center is summoned with a swipe from the left horn or the pill itself. The pane was unified with the lockscreen in iOS 11, and that's why you can have different wallpapers on your homescreen and notification center.
The Control Center, which has customizable and (some) expandable toggles, is called with a swipe from the right horn. You can use haptic touch to access additional controls. And the battery percentage is also here.
Today • Today settings • Notification Center • Control Center
Other key improvement coming with iOS 16 include an improved Mail app, options to edit and unsend messages in Messages app, a completely redesigned Home app, and a Fitness app for everybody, even those without an Apple Watch.
FaceTime has also been improved with a better hand-off feature across devices - now, it includes your wireless headphones, too.
The Photos app has an option to discover duplicate photos. Hidden and Deleted albums now require Face ID/Touch ID.
The Wallet app and functionality have been drastically expanded. In addition to all sorts of keys you can store here, the app now supports detailed receipts and tracking information.
Digital Keys and Digital ID functionality via Wallet has been expanded, too. Now various apps can use basic information from here to verify your identity or whether you are of a certain age. Sharing car and home keys is also possible between family members.
Finally, the Health app now supports medication tracking in addition to all sorts of important medical and fitness information.
The multimedia is handled by Apple's default apps - Photos, Music, TV.
The Photos app's library has four different views - Years, Months, Days, and All Photos. AI-powered search option and powerful photo and video edit modes are available, as usual.
The TV app is part of iOS 16, and it is your default video player for locally stored movies and shows you've added via iTunes. This is also the digital store for movies and TV shows, and it is also the place where you find the Apple TV+ streaming service. A bit overwhelming, but you get used to it eventually.
Photos • Photos • Photos • TV
Music is the default player, and it relies heavily on Apple Music. But even if you decide not to use the streaming service, it can still do an excellent job if you have a few minutes to add your songs via iTunes.
Music
Books are here for your documents, PDFs, and eBooks. Stocks and News are onboard. Safari is your default web browser, and Apple Maps is your default map client.
Books • Books • Stocks • Safari
Finally, Live Text has been part of iOS for a year now, but it has been immensely improved in iOS 16. It now works on both photos and videos and is powered by advanced machine learning. It can easily recognize texts and photos and allows one to look them up right away. What's even cooler is that you can now choose an object from a photo/video, tap and hold onto it, and then drag it and use it wherever you like - photo editor, video editor, messages, emails, whatever.
Live Text
The LiDAR scanner is onboard on the latest Pro models, too. It measures distances by firing laser beams and measuring their reflections with a dedicated sensor. This way, the phone can make a super accurate 3D representation of an object and later place it virtually anywhere. Thinking of new furniture? This will be perfect. Want to compare the size of objects you can't put next to each other - LiDAR will help.
The LiDAR scanner is also very accurate at measuring distances, and you can use it just for that - like a fancy digital tapeline. Or you can set a distance and see virtual walls in real-time at the predefined distance. Professionals such as interior designers may find the LiDAR scanner a handy tool. Thanks to the powerful AR capabilities that also come as a bonus with LiDAR, you can also have an amazing AR experience with compatible apps and games - there are plenty available on the App Store.
And those are the basics of Apple iOS 16 running on the latest iPhone 14 series.
Emergency improvements
All new iPhone 14 models support this new feature called Emergency SOS via satellite. It required designing all-new custom hardware and bespoke software to make sending out a message to a satellite possible without bulky antennas. This service is text-only and will be used primarily for emergencies, but it does support two-way communication, so you will be notified when rescue is on the way. The Find My app will also be able to share your location with friends so that they can keep an eye on you.
The new satellite messaging service • An emergency questionnaire • Find My reports location over satellite
You can compose custom messages to explain your situation, but when speed is life-saving several specially-prepared questions will let you send out a detailed SOS in just a few taps. In locations with a clear view of the sky, a message can be transmitted in about 15 seconds, but if there are trees overhead, it may take a couple of minutes. The satellite service will launch in November for users in the US and Canada, and iPhone 14 buyers get a free 2-year subscription.
Crash Detection is also available on all iPhone 14 models, thanks to a new accelerometer that can detect up to 256G. If such an emergency occurs, the phone will automatically contact emergency services. This is a setting within the Emergency SOS menu called Call After Serious Crash. You can either turn it on or off; there are no other settings.
Crash Detection
Dynamic Island and Always On Display
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max feature two exclusive software tricks as part of iOS 16 - Always-on Display and Dynamic Island.
Let's start with the Always-on Display. It has no options - it's either on or off. It dims your lockscreen to a certain level but keeps it always on as is - with the wallpaper, widgets, and everything. Even if it is not mentioned, the AOD does go off when the phone is in the pocket, lying on its face, in a backpack, and even when you are not around the phone after a certain time has passed.
Settings • AOD
Note that the AOD has different brightness according to the ambient light - it can be incredibly dim in dark environments, but it is brighter when you have the phone in broad daylight. And this should affect the battery life in different ways.
The Island is what Apple calls the new i-shaped cutout, and the Dynamic Island is the animations that the maker has developed to make it cool and less of an eyesore.
For all intents and purposes, the Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped notch as Apple has blackened the middle part for aesthetic purposes. There you will see the mic and camera indicators and nothing else.
The animations around the island always use black background.
There are three Island modes. Standard form - inactive island or just accommodating camera/mic indicators.
Indicators
The active form is a longer pill-shaped notch with info on both left and right side for certain events, alerts, notifications. This long pill can also split into an i-shaped one if you launch another compatible app that can be minimized here, like the Timer.
Dynamic Island
There is also a third form that expands into a pop-up balloon - this can be invoked by a tap and hold on the small animation. A tap will open the respective app instead, though. We think these gestures should have been inversed, or at least configurable, but as usual - Apple knows best.
Dynamic Island expanded
So, the Dynamic Island incorporates different things - starting with the Face ID animation, charging animation, music info (Music, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, Soundcloud), call info (Phone, WhatsApp, Skype, Instagram, Google), timers, etc. If you activate a second app that needs to use the Dynamic Island, you get a sweet animation that shortens the island and adds a small icon on the left side.
The supported system alerts include calls, AirPods and Watch connections, Battery and Charging, Focus changes, AirDrop, Face ID, AirPlay, NFC events, SIM alerts, Silencer on/off.
Dynamic Island alerts
The Dynamic Island supports few features at launch, but Apple will open it with the upcoming Live Activities feature. This will allow displaying various real-time notifications like sports scores, voting, etc.
At its premiere, the Dynamic Island is not the disco dance Apple suggested it to be at the event. We do appreciate that it accommodates all those legacy bubbles like Phone, Navigation, Music, Alarms - stuff that usually went within the left horn. And we have to give it to Apple - it does know how to make something as an eyesore as this cutout a feature, something that will spread across various Android launchers by the end of this year.
The Dynamic Island is in the early stages right now and needs more work from both Apple and the developer community. But we are sure it will get there because Apple now wants everyone to look at the notch instead of ignoring it.
There are two downsides as we see right now - bright environments reveal the cameras and sensors, as well as the display part in between, and thus break the Island's illusion. And second - it sits a bit lower than the previous notch, which means it does eat even more screen space than the old notch, in a certain way.
Performance and benchmarks
The new Apple A16 Bionic chip is at the heart of the new iPhone 14 Pro devices. It is manufactured by TSMC 4nm process node and contains 16 billion transistors, up from 15 billion within the A15 chip.
It comes with a familiar six-core CPU configuration - there are two performance Everest cores clocked at 3.46GHz and four efficiency Sawtooth cores working at 2.02GHz. The CPU overall is billed to be 40% faster than the competition, while its two high-performing cores require 20% less power than the ones in the A15.
The improved 5-core Apple GPU offers 50% higher memory bandwidth.
The A16 uses includes a 16-core Neural Engine that is capable of 17 trillion operations per second.
The A16 uses Qualcomm's X65 5G modem for cellular connections.
The ISP has seen some improvement, too, with even more advanced computation photography capabilities and up to 4 million operations per each high-res photo taken.
Finally, there is a brand-new Display Engine, a dedicated feature that made possible the Always on Display by tuning the display properties to reduce battery consumption (1Hz refresh rate, brightness, color settings). It also allowed for higher peak brightness up to 2,000 nits. The antialiasing work around the Dynamic Island is also a major task for the Display Engine.
Obviously, any of the tasks mentioned above could have been done by traditional hardware. But having the Engine working independently from the rest, GPU included, allowed for much better resource allocation and saves a lot of battery juice.
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max still use 6GB of RAM, but it has been upgraded to LPDDR5 and now offers 50% higher bandwidth than in A15.
There are, indeed, improvements in the CPU performance - to the tune of 8% in the single-core GeekBench run and 14% in the multi-core test. It's not a groundbreaking development, but it's about what you can expect for YoY advancements.
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
1890 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro
1861 - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
1741 - Apple iPhone 14
1738 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
1337 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
1329 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
1324 - OnePlus 10T (High performance mode)
1321 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
1276 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
1180 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
1160
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
5423 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro
5346 - Apple iPhone 14
4761 - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
4706 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
4300 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
4265 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
3981 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
3980 - OnePlus 10T (High performance mode)
3907 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
3657 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
3403
The 50% wider memory bandwidth Apple quoted for the A16 'materializes' in Antutu, where the new phone scored in the low 160Ks vs. 103K on our iPhone 13 Pro we had for comparison.
Antutu 9: iPhone 14 Pro Max • iPhone 13 Pro
The overall Antutu score isn't as dramatically different, the 12% improvement falling within the realm of predictable yearly improvements.
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro
968412 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
955884 - Apple iPhone 14
817125 - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
801691
Graphics benchmarks illuminate the effect that the minor difference in display resolution can have on fps count - the higher-res Pro Max can't quite match the Pro's scores in onscreen tests in GFXBench. Then again, the larger phone does have a fraction more raw power as evidenced by the usually better results in offscreen runs.
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
63 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
62 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro
60 - OnePlus 10T (High performance mode)
60 - Apple iPhone 14
55 - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
55 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
54 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
42 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
39 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
31 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
29
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
79 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
74 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
73 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro
60 - Apple iPhone 14
60 - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
60 - OnePlus 10T (High performance mode)
60 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
59 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
54 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
51 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
37
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
52 - OnePlus 10T (High performance mode)
51 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
51 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
51 - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
50 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
50 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
43 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro
42 - Apple iPhone 14
38 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
35 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
26
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
121 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
118 - Apple iPhone 14 Pro
112 - Xiaomi 12S Ultra
104 - OnePlus 10T (High performance mode)
103 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
102 - Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
102 - Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
93 - Apple iPhone 14
91 - Sony Xperia 1 IV
79 - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1440p)
76
When it comes to stability during sustained load, the 14 Pro Max returned rather impressive results, superior to the ones we got on the smaller size. In a 30-minute APSI Bench continuous CPU test, the 14 Pro Max throttled just a little to 92% (compared to the still respectable 84% on the Pro), while in the 3DMark Wild Life stress test the number was 83% (75% on the 14 Pro).
ANSI Bench CPU test • 3DMark Wild Life stress test
To sum it all up, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has an immensely powerful chipset that offers unrivaled smartphone performance and is solid under continuous load.
All-round camera improvements
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max offer identical four cameras - three on the back, one at the front. And while their logic and operation seem quite like what the iPhone 13 Pro duo had, all but the telephoto camera have been improved in various ways.
The primary camera of the iPhone 14 Pro Max has seen the biggest update. It now uses a 48MP 1/1.28" sensor with a Quad-Bayer color filter, a first for the iPhone. The camera has a 1.22µm pixel size before binning - 2.44µm with binning. It's coupled with a 24mm f/1.78 lens. There is also second-gen sensor-shift stabilization, as well as full-focus pixels.
The high-res main sensor enables a new intermediary zooming step of 2x in the camera app, by cropping from the middle and AI-assisted upscaling. High-res 48MP RAW shooting is also available in addition to the standard 12MP RAW mode.
There's a new 12MP sensor for the ultrawide camera, too. It's a 1/2.55" unit with large 1.4µm pixels and should deliver sharper images with more detail and improve on macro shots, too. The lens now has a 14mm equivalent focal length and an f/2.2 aperture. Dual-pixel PDAF is available for this camera.
The telephoto camera has no improvements - it's still the same 12MP 1/3.5" imager with a 77mm f/2.8 OIS lens that provides 3x optical zoom over the main camera.
The selfie camera uses a 12MP 1/3.6" sensor again, but it now comes with a brighter f/1.9 aperture on its 23mm lens and supports autofocus. There is also OIS, something that Apple did not mention at the event, but various teardown videos have revealed later on. This has to be a first on a selfie camera, at least for the western markets, so one has to wonder why Apple didn't make a big thing out of it.
All cameras support up to 4K@60fps video recording with Cinematic Stabilization and Expanded Dynamic Range. Dolby Vision HDR capturing is possible on all cameras in all modes. The Cinematic Mode works on the primary, telephoto and selfie cameras and now supports up to 4K HDR recording at 30fps.
There are two new Stabilization options - one is a setting called Enhanced Stabilization, and the other one is Action mode.
Enhanced stabilization crops a bit and stabilizes the footage even more. Apple has always forced electronic stabilization across its cameras, and it still does it. This new option seems to be a small improvement over the default EIS should you need it.
Action mode is quite a familiar feature to many Android phones, but it finally made it to the iPhones - exclusive to the 14 Pro series, of course. It uses heavy cropping to achieve action-camera-like stabilization and saves videos in 2.8K resolution or 2,816x1,584px. It's best used in 60fps with the ultrawide camera, but it is available to the main and telephoto cameras, too.
Finally, we have to mention the new LED flash. It now consists of 9 LEDs within a 3x3 grid. Each of those can be independently adjusted and fired. It's a true-tone flash with slow-sync, but now thanks to this new arrangement, it can also fire in a specific pattern.
Camera app and features
The viewfinder has been mostly the same since the iOS 13 and the iPhone 11 - you can see outside of the viewfinder thanks to the precise calibration of the three cameras that allows seeing what will be left outside of the frame in real-time.
The Apple image processing includes all legacy features (Smart HDR, Night Mode, and Deep Fusion), but the big deal is the Photonic Engine.
Photonic Engine is new to the iPhone camera, available only on the iPhone 14 Pro duo via the Apple A16 chip. It further improves on Deep Fusion and promises 2x improvement in mid- to low-light conditions.
Deep Fusion triggers instead of Smart HDR and Night Mode when light conditions are not ideal, but it's not that dark just yet. Deep Fusion uses frames before you hit the shutter, more frames once you do, and one long exposure shot. The Neural engine will select the best frames and create a high-quality HDR photo that is very detailed, sharp, and more natural looking. The Neural processor's machine learning process analyzes the image being taken and processes them differently depending on what's in the frame - say, sky, foliage, or skin tones. Meanwhile, structure and color tones are based on ratios obtained by the Neural unit on the Apple CPU.
The Night Mode icon pops up automatically when a low-light scene presents itself, and you will see the seconds suggested next to the Night Mode icon. You can choose longer exposure or altogether disable the Night Mode.
Macro mode is available, too. Enabled by the ultrawide camera's autofocusing capability, it's an option you only get on the recent Pro models.
As usual, all cameras talk to each other, so they already know the correct exposure and tone mapping settings when you switch between them. This applies to both stills and videos.
The camera interface is mostly unchanged unless we count the new 2x toggle between 1x and 3x. The macro toggle appears automatically if you are close enough for such a photo.
You swipe between modes and have a couple of settings you can uncover with an upward swipe - flash, night mode, live photo, photo aspect, exposure compensation, and filters. In video mode, you can change the resolution and frame rate from the viewfinder.
Camera app
Portrait mode is available on the main, tele and selfie cameras.
RAW capture is supported across all cameras, and it can shoot in 48MP for the primary one - in fact, this is the only way to get 48MP images out of the iPhone 14 Pros.
There is this feature called Photographic Styles which automatically edits a photo, one element at a time (applying different corrections to the subject and background, for example). You can choose between Standard, Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, and Cool. You can tune each of these modes to your liking, and set your preferred one as default. It's like filters but more permanent.
Camera options
Cinematic Mode is present, and it now supports 4K HDR at 24fps and 30fps. It does automatic rack focus, but the phone records a depth map alongside the video, so you can change the focus point manually after the fact. Editing such videos is possible in iMovie and Clips apps.
Finally, there is also Action mode, which is intended to be used with the ultrawide camera at 2.8K@60fps, though you can use any rear camera and any resolution and frame rate. It heavily crops from the 4K stabilized footage to mimic an action camera output.
Video options
Daylight photo quality
As expected, the iPhone 14 Pro Max saves 12MP images, and in principle, they're no different than what iPhones have been capturing for the past couple of years. That means accurate color rendition, excellent contrast, and noise-free detail. Apple's way when it comes to HDR processing, even with Smart HDR in place, has been to deliver reasonable dynamic range without the photos looking overtly HDR-y, and that's the case here as well.
One thing we're not enthusiastic about is the foliage rendition, which is anything but natural-looking. While the leaves in a tree crown will inevitably outresolve a 12MP image, we've seen way less heavily processed interpretations of such intricate textures.
Main camera, 12MP
You stand to get superior results if you shoot RAW at 48MP and downscale the images to 12MP in post - without any additional work. We'd go ahead and call these results class-leading thanks to the excellent detail level and its organic rendition. Noise is nowhere to be found, colors are wonderful, and contrast and dynamic range are on point. It makes you wonder why Apple has made the choices it's made with the default processing when a better alternative clearly exists.
48MP-to-12MP
Okay, but we skipped a step there. The 48MP RAW files are your only option if you want to get photos at the nominal resolution of the sensor - there's no 48MP JPEG or HEIF mode. Again, without any processing other than a format conversion to JPEG, these 48MP images are the best we've seen from a Quad Bayer-type sensor in its 'native' resolution.
Main camera, 48MP
This exceptional performance is undeniably the reason why the iPhone 14 Pro Max is capable of producing great shots at the 2x zoom level - they are sourced from this main 48MP camera, after all. Detail is excellent, better than some dedicated 2x cameras, we'd say, while global parameters remain the same as in images saved at the native field of view.
Main camera 2x zoom, 12MP
There is a standalone telephoto camera, of course - that's what the 3x zoom level in the viewfinder uses. These photos don't disappoint either - they are detailed and sharp, with a natural look and likable rendition. The colors are accurate, the contrast is high, and the dynamic range is Apple-grade wide.
Tele camera 3x zoom, 12MP
The overhauled ultrawide camera features a larger sensor and a different lens, and it's one successful combo. The competent distortion correction and sharp corners are just the start of it, while color reproduction, contrast, and dynamic range are a solid match for the other modules. Now, greenery isn't looking the absolute best and can have some of the overprocessing we mentioned on the main camera, but even so, these are some of the better ultrawide shots you can get.
Ultrawide camera, 12MP
The ultrawide camera can focus down to as low as 4cm, and that makes it suitable for closeups. Apple leverages it for its auto macro mode (that 'Macro Control' toggle in the camera settings), which will switch to the ultrawide camera if you're trying to take a picture with the primary module and get too close for it to be able to focus. In that scenario, you'll get a photo sourced from the ultrawide, but with a field of view to match that of the main camera, which can only happen from upscaling.
These are good, certainly better than the pretend-macro cameras on more budget-friendly devices. Depending on what you're going to do with them, the narrower field of view may be more important than the absolute per-pixel detail, which does suffer from the upscale.
Macro control
But you can always just switch to the ultrawide and use it for closeups in its native FoV. That way, you'd be looking at sharper detail.
Macro with ultrawide, 12MP
Portrait mode
You could say that Apple made 'Portrait' mode the big thing it is today, even if earlier attempts at faux bokeh did exist prior to the iPhone 7 Plus' debut. Years later, the iPhone 14 Pro can shoot portraits at three zoom levels with two of its rear cameras (plus the front-facing one). This year, the new iPhone Pro generation offers 2x portraits in addition to 1x and 3x, and the 48mm equivalent focal length is perfect for such photos.
And they do! Let's start with the 1x shots. The subjects are incredibly detailed, colorful and well-exposed. Meanwhile, the background is blurred proficiently, and HDR is applied when necessary without making it too obvious. The depth map is accurate, and the separation in most cases is great, though complex backgrounds and light conditions pose a challenge.
The detail we observed in regular 2x zoom shots translates nicely to Portrait mode, where the subject gets excellent sharpness and definition. Subject separation is proficient, while the background blur looks natural. This is the default zoom level for portraits, and we can see why that is the case - not only is image quality top-notch, but the perspective is flattering on the faces, while you also get decent coverage for some context.
Portraits, main camera, 2x zoom
That said, the native 1x zoom level works better for context, or for those cases where you'd like wider framing than just head and shoulders. The perspective from this focal length can distort faces if used at too short subject distances.
Portraits, main camera, 1x zoom
Conversely, the 3x zoom level is your best bet for true 'portrait' perspective, and it helps that subject separation remains excellent. It's best used outdoors in ample light however, because indoor scenes do end up on the noise side.
Portraits, telephoto camera, 3x zoom
Selfies
This year, Apple introduced OIS and autofocus for the selfie camera, while the sensor size and the lens field of view remained the same. The camera still offers two FoV settings in the viewfinder - the slightly zoomed-in 7MP crop that is equivalent to a 30mm field of view and the full 12MP mode, which has a 23mm equivalent FoV.
If you hold the phone in portrait orientation, selfies are cropped to 7MP to provide a tighter framing but rotate the phone horizontally, and you get more of the scene with the phone automatically switching to the wider 12MP mode. You can also switch between those two modes manually by tapping on the arrows near the shutter button.
We've always been fans of iPhone selfies, and the new hardware doesn't change that. The 14 Pro Max captures nicely detailed photos, if a little too high on the micro-contrast, with well-contained noise. The dynamic range is wide, and colors are pleasingly accurate.
Selfies, 12MP
You can shoot selfie portraits, and these only come out at the 7MP zoomed-in level - no full-res full-coverage option. Even so, there are great as well, with some of the most competent subject separation you can get on a selfie portrait thanks to the 3D face-scanning hardware.
Portrait selfies, 7MP
Low-light image quality
Apple's Night Mode works the same as before - it triggers automatically in low-light scenes and usually chooses 1s exposure for the primary camera and 2s for the rest. You can choose between the Auto or the Max exposure for any given scene (with both predetermined for you and no in-between settings) or disable the Night Mode. Once disabled, it will stay this way until you enable it or restart the camera app.
The first set of photos we offer you below were shot on Auto, and for most, if not all of them, the algorithm chose 1s exposure time. Where it didn't, we engaged it to the Max setting, which for those cases is, again, 1s. That results in great photos - as expected, really. We're getting a spot on exposure, just a touch brighter than reality because of the Night mode. Highlights are well contained, and shadows have a just a cautious bit of brightening without going into excesses.
Main camera (1x), Night mode
There won't be a major difference if you intentionally disable the Night Mode in the better-lit scenes, though dimmer surroundings will result in notably darker photos, particularly indoors.
Main camera (1x), Night mode off
The 2x zoomed photos with Night Mode are great. We're seeing low noise and excellent detail that is rendered in a very organic way. Color reproduction and dynamic range are also top-notch.
Main camera (2x zoom), Night mode
Again, with Night mode disabled, you can expect darker exposures, which could be an issue in particularly dim scenes, though the differences can be negligible in better-lit situations. The darker the scene, the deeper the shadows and the lower the detail and sharpness.
Main camera (2x zoom), Night mode off
The phone uses the 3x tele camera at night when it shoots Night Mode photos. And those turned out great, too. The photos offer impressive detail and natural sharpness; the noise is incredibly low for a tele camera, which means it has been cleaned quite proficiently.
The 3x zoomed photos offer high contrast and superb color rendition.
Telephoto camera (3x zoom), Night mode
If you disable Night Mode for your 3x zoom action, you may end up getting your images from the main camera, particularly in very dark scenes. We had a lot of those in our 14 Pro review, while the different selection of scenes here is apparently better suited to the tele because only the third sample below comes from the main camera. But the thing is, you probably wouldn't care because thanks to the 48MP sensor and the AI-assisted zoom, the 3x digitally zoomed photos from the main camera are excellent too. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to tell which camera has captured your 3x zoom photo, and you're likely going to like the result either way.
There are likely differences between the Night mode and no Night mode shots, however, if not overly dramatic. We're seeing higher noise levels without Night mode and generally darker exposures.
Telephoto camera (3x zoom), Night mode off
The ultrawide camera takes good low-light photos with its Night Mode. It typically chooses 2-3s exposure time, which results in good exposure and a nicely wide dynamic range, while also maintaining excellent color saturation. Depending on how well-lit the scene is, you can expect decent to good detail levels.
Ultrawide camera, Night mode
With no Night Mode action, you'd be looking at underexposed and noisier ultrawide photos, and color saturation will often suffer too. We'd refrain from disabling Night mode on the ultrawide and perhaps actively enable it if the phone isn't willing to on its own.
Ultrawide camera, Night mode off
Once you're done with the real-world samples, head over to our Photo compare tool to see how the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max stacks up against the competition.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max against the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Xiaomi 11 Ultra in our Photo compare tool
Video recording
The iPhone 14 Pro Max can record video at up to 4K60 with all of its four cameras. 4K24 is also available across the board if you're after a more cinematic motion look. All videos are digitally stabilized on all four cameras, and optical stabilization on all but the ultrawide is available - Apple calls this cinematic video stabilization. All modes, including the 4K60, feature expanded dynamic range thanks to the Smart HDR. The slow-mo options max out at 1080p at 240fps.
There is a new option called Enhanced stabilization, which is an enhancement over the default EIS and crops a bit more to deliver even more stabilized footage. We shot with and without this new option, and honestly, besides the small promised crop, we did not see any difference.
There is one new mode called Action mode. It crops heavily from the 4K footage (that's why the resolution is 2.8K - 2,816x1,584px) and delivers super smooth and incredibly stabilized video. It is available on all rear cameras and can be shot in any resolution and at any frame rate, but the way we understand it, it is intended to be shot on the ultrawide camera at 60fps.
And the action mode works just as promised, delivering lovely videos with outstanding action camera-grade stabilization and excellent smoothness. Detail, colors, contrast and dynamic range are praise-worthy, too. Here are the samples from the 14 Pro.
We shot an action video with the primary camera, too, and while it yields the same quality of stabilization and picture, the narrower field of view makes it look a bit awkward.
We only shot at 30fps on the 14 Pro Max; here are those samples for an additional, lower-fps angle on Action mode.
With the stabilization behind us, let's talk about regular video capture. You can record HDR videos straight into the Dolby Vision format up to the same maximum of 4K60 (the previous generation was limited to 30fps). You can edit these videos on your phone, upload them on YouTube or any other popular platform, or even send them to your friends. The Dolby Vision information is saved outside of the video stream, so the video will look normal to any non-HDR player/screen and will be color-boosted on any Dolby Vision-compatible player and display.
You also have a choice between H.265 HEVC and H.264 video encoders. The High-Efficiency mode uses H.265 and is mandatory for 4K60 and HDR footage, while the More Compatible mode (H.264) provides easier playback across different devices.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max, just like the previous iPhones, captures wide stereo audio for the videos at about 192kbps.
iPhones have been known for their class-leading video quality, and the 14 Pro Max is no different. The main camera shoots superb 4K30 videos with a ton of resolved detail and natural rendition without any over-sharpening. There is no noise. The dynamic range is great, and so is the contrast. The colors stay lively and true to life. If you decide to shoot in 24fps or 60fps - you will get the same quality, the videos will be just smaller or larger in size because of the video bit rate difference.
The 2x zoomed videos with the main camera are some of the best done this way - by cropping from the center of the main camera and enhancing by machine learning. They have good detail, which is rendered mostly well, with only the occasional artifact. Colors and contrast remain as great as you'd get at 1x.
The telephoto camera turns in a respectable performance as well. Global parameters like colors and contrast are a solid match for the main camera's output and detail is very good as well.
The ultrawide camera won't let you down either, and it will get you the flagship-level footage you'd expect. Detailed and noise-free, the clips have spot-on colors and a wide dynamic range.
Low-light footage from the main camera is great with low noise and plenty of resolved detail, rendered in a reasonably natural way. Exposure and dynamic range are good, while color reproduction doesn't suffer from darkness.
The 2x footage is softer, with a lot of the fine detail falling victim to the noise reduction. We'd still call it quite usable, thanks to the good overall look in terms of colors, dynamic range, and contrast.
At 3x zoom, things start to fall apart. More often than not, nighttime videos shot at this zoom level are captured on the main camera, and there's simply not enough time for all the clever processing that might get you solid stills when you have to capture 30 of them each second. The otherwise likable colors and contrast can only get you so far.
On the opposite end of the zoom range is the ultrawide camera, and it delivers an overall solid performance. Sharpness is good, as is resolved detail, particularly in better-lit areas. Colors maintain an excellent saturation level, and exposure and dynamic range leave little to be desired too.
Here's a glimpse of how the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max compares to rivals in our Video compare tool. Head over there for the complete picture.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max against the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Xiaomi 11 Ultra in our Video compare tool
Competition
There are two ways to look at the possible competitors to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. On the one hand, you have the people looking for an iPhone, and those can be subdivided into those looking for a large-screen iPhone and others looking for a Pro iPhone. On the other hand, you have the undecided folk with less of an ecosystem allegiance and more of a 'what's the best I can get regardless of price' attitude.
Then there's another matter complicating things further - iPhone prices vary greatly from region to region this year, more so than usual. While the US numbers have remained unchanged, the Euro prices have gotten a steep hike - €200 is not insignificant, even at this level. The INR 10K increase in India isn't as severe, but it's still an increase.
That price development can make a strong case for the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which fits neatly into both subsets of prospective iPhone buyers - it's got a large screen, and it's a Pro model. Sure, Apple may have discontinued it, but retailers appear fully stocked still. You'll be missing out on some improved cameras, but the last generation is still a competent cameraphone, while the pill vs. notch argument is, well, hardly an argument.
If, on the other hand, it's specifically the new cameras and/or the pill that you're after, but you don't quite fancy the Max's bulk and heft, then there's the 14 Pro. The same as the Max, but more compact and with slightly shorter battery life, the 14 Pro will also save you some cash - $100/€150/INR 10K.
The 14 Plus, too, can appeal to those looking to spend a little less and still have a large-sized iPhone. It's not quite the best deal in the US, where it goes for 14 Pro money ($200 less than the 14 Pro Max), but in Europe and even more so in India, you'd be looking at some serious savings - €300/INR 50K. You'd need to wait a couple of extra weeks and settle for last year's internals, but it's still a big iPhone at a sort of bargain price.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max • Apple iPhone 14 Pro • Apple iPhone 14 Plus
For the brand agnostics out there, the obvious choice is the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Samsung's ultimate non-foldable is Max-sized too, has a great set of cameras and packs a stylus (or a remote shutter release, depending on how you look at it). There's also the Galaxy Z Fold4 - a phone and a tablet in the same device that's only barely heavier than the 14 Pro Max. A Pixel 7 Pro is also on the way if you're more into Google's way of doing cameras and software. Somewhat of a niche alternative (judging by market share, at least) can be found in the Xperia 1 IV too.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 • Google Pixel 6 Pro • Sony Xperia 1 IV
Verdict
The best iPhone ever comes with a wide range of advancements, and even if you don't consider any of them groundbreaking or relevant to your usage, they're there and add up. The brightest screen by a country mile, now with AoD, a pill for the notch-ache, a camera system with all-around improvements and great full-res images, and emergency hardware/software features - that's the new stuff.
These come on top of Pro Max staples like great battery life, superb speakers, and premium and durable build quality. The most potent chipset in the business and at least 5 years of support for the software you've known for ages (and likely love and hate at the same time) are other classic arguments for the iPhone, Pro Max included.
The price increase in RoW markets (that is, outside of the US) is a tough pill to swallow on at least two levels. There's the absolute monetary dimension of the extra cash leaving your pocket, and then there's the sense that you're paying for part of the US customers' iPhones - we're not sure which is the more bitter sentiment.
But in any case, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is undoubtedly a wonderful handset with few faults. And where you can see possible negatives, those come with the territory and aren't exclusive to this specific generation or size. So, ultimately, if it's your time to upgrade and the price is right for you, you can't go wrong with this one.
Pros
- Class-leading design, water resistance and durability.
- Class-leading OLED screen, 120Hz, AOD, Dolby Vision, 2000nits.
- Class-leading performance, very good stability.
- Class-leading battery life.
- Outstanding photo and video quality across all four cameras.
- Best video stabilization available on a smartphone, high-quality action mode.
- Superb stereo speakers.
- Face ID, Satellite SOS support, Crash Detection, LiDAR scanner.
- Every iPhone comes with at least five years of iOS updates.
Cons
- Dynamic Island is a love-it or hate-it affair.
- Bigger and heavier than most.
- No charger in the box, somewhat slow charging.
- Apple's iOS restrictions can be off-putting to newcomers to the ecosystem.
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