As Apple’s latest and greatest smartphone offering of the year, the iPhone 14 Pro Max provides a solid all-around experience. Aside from the high price, which is unsurprising, the device excels in almost every aspect of smartphone usage, including display, performance, and camera.

This is how Apple describes Dynamic Island, the new feature added to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max’s pill-shaped notch. The new feature does sound life-changing at Apple’s peak. Let us assure you that this is not the case. It’s also not game-changing, but the rest of the description is accurate. 

Then there’s a new processor, a redesigned photography setup with upgraded sensors, and new features like an action camera mode, an always-on display, and more. There’s even a new crash detection feature that detects car accidents and automatically alerts emergency services. 

Design 

The iPhone 14 Pro Max retains the same IP68-rated glass and steel chassis as its predecessor, and from a distance, there are few differences between the two models. The buttons and port placement are the same, and the Lighting port remains. The Max variant is relatively large and heavy. 

One of the most noticeable changes this time is the absence of the signature wide notch, which has been replaced by a smaller, pill-shaped notch that conceals the sensors that enable Face ID and a punch-hole notch that houses the selfie shooter. Many people, including yourself, have been calling for a smaller notch, and this pill is Apple’s response. It may be a bitter pill to swallow, but Apple cannot reduce the notch size further without compromising the security promised by Face ID unless it can figure out a way to miniaturize the hardware inside. Whatever the case, the new notch is a welcome improvement over the previous one, and the addition of Dynamic Island improves the overall experience.

Dynamic Island 

Dynamic Island is the most exciting place to be, thanks to the buzz Apple has created. Apps that try to imitate its look and features are popular on Android, and enthusiastic iOS developers have even developed a few simple games that excitingly use Dynamic Island. Dynamic Island is a smart way to cover up the pill notch with notification alerts and ongoing activity details. The long-press action gives you some level of interactivity on top. For instance, after listening to music using a supported app like Apple Music and returning to the home screen, a black bar with a waveform and tiny album art appears. If you long-press on this bar, it expands into a larger window with playback controls. Other alerts and notifications, such as those from Face ID authentication apps, are merely static animations. It’s excellent and enjoyable, but it feels isolated from the rest of the user interface. Thus, the name includes “Island.” 

Display 

Here, you’ll get 6.7 inches of AMOLED goodness with an LTPO that can go up to 120Hz. The brightness has been increased this time by around 1,600 nits. Its delectable visuals make using it enjoyable. This time, Apple has even added the eagerly anticipated always-on feature. It is a darker version of the lock screen. 

Cameras 

When it comes to snappers, there is a lot to discuss. Finally, the iPhone 14 Pro Max and it is smaller Pro sibling have upgraded to a high-resolution 48MP camera sensor. The 12MP photos you receive are still pixel binned. Full 48MP images can also be captured, but to do so, you must go into the settings and choose the ProRaw format. A new 2x zoom option uses the 48MP sensor’s power to give you a zoomed shot without losing quality in addition to the previous 3x optical zoom. The Photonic Engine, a new imaging pipeline, also promises improved color and detail.

Overall, the results are good, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max can consistently produce finely detailed, realistic images regardless of the lighting situation. It’s important to note that cameras like the Google Pixel 7 Pro and the Galaxy S22 Ultra are better at handling nighttime photography and digital zoom. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is among the best camera smartphones of this year, though, aside from that. Adding the new action mode, which essentially transforms it into a GoPro by smoothing out and eliminating shakes from video footage, helps the video quality, which is excellent as usual. Autofocus is a great addition for selfies as well.

Software 

There is a new iOS 16 platform on the software end of things. Although it looks exactly like the previous version, many changes and new features exist. One of the most notable is the ability to customize the lock screen, which lets you set up multiple lock screens and map them to various focus profiles. Other noteworthy features include Live Text for video, the ability to lift the subject from photos and share it directly over other apps, improvements to health and fitness, Mail, iMessage, and other apps.

Performance 

It wouldn’t be a new flagship iPhone without a new chip, and the A16 Bionic SoC debuts with the iPhone 14 Pro siblings. This new SoC employs 4nm fabrication and is more powerful and power efficient than previous generations. The A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13 Pro was already quite powerful and capable of handling the most intensive tasks. While the A16 Bionic appears to offer marginal improvements over it in terms of pure numbers, there’s no doubt that it’s an extremely capable chipset that won’t leave you wanting more in terms of performance.

Battery 

The phone can last about a day with moderate usage, so the battery life is still quite good. However, charging speeds could be faster, which is a disappointment. No charger is included, but with the supported 27W charging speeds and a compatible charger, the iPhone 14 Pro Max should charge 100 percent in just over 2 hours. Of course, the device can be charged wirelessly, and as previously stated, it also supports MagSafe charging.

Final Thoughts 

On the surface, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is not a significant upgrade. And for those who already own one of the iPhone 13 Pro models, it’s not a good buy. However, the iPhone 14 Pro Max brings a lot to the table for others. 
But, as the saying goes, an iPhone is an iPhone, and as Apple’s latest and greatest, the iPhone 14 Pro Max should not leave you wanting more. Between the Pro Max and the smaller Pro, the larger model makes more sense for those looking to get the most out of their daily driver in terms of productivity and entertainment, while the smaller model is unquestionable the more practical of the two. However, it is essential to analyze the pros and cons of purchasing an iPhone 14 Pro Max before buying.