iPhone 14 Pro Max. He is the new super top of the range from Apple. A device destined to push the competition and the entire sector towards excellence, capable of seamlessly combining Apple’s continuity and innovation.
But before going into ours iPhone 14 Pro Max review, it is appropriate to start with the main sore point of this model, namely the price. It starts from 1,489 euros for the 128GB version, passing through 1,619 and 1,879 for the 256GB and 512GB versions up to the 2,139 euros required for the purchase of the version with 1TB of memory. A challenging price and not suitable for all budgets but, in our opinion, adequate for the excellent quality guaranteed by this smartphone.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max review
iPhone in comparison. In order, from left to right, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro Max
At the beginning we mentioned continuity and innovation. Let’s start right from the continuity, since for this release Apple has not made any particular changes from the point of view of design, thus ensuring comfort and familiarity to those arriving from the iPhone 13 Pro Max or previous models. The dimensions of the new top-of-the-range smartphone from Apple are comparable to those of the predecessor: just 0.1 mm less in height (160.7 mm in total) and 0.5 mm less (for a total of 77.6 mm). wide level. Differences practically indistinguishable to the naked eye. Instead, it stands out the greater thickness of this model: 7.85 mm against 7.65 of the previous one. A difference made necessary by one of the strengths of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, namely the new 48 megapixel main camera, which we will return to later.
The colors to choose from are instead 4: space black, silver, gold, dark purple. Refined colors that are well suited to the body, enriched by a solid ceramic shield frontale (which ensures resistance to less severe impacts), the rear opaque glass and the lateral stainless steel. No distortion for the positions and dimensions of the physical keys: the lightning connector for charging is located on the base, while on the left side we have the selector for the audio, the two volume controls and the housing for the SIM, with the only key for switching on and off located on the right side of the device.
A parenthesis on the SIM is due: in the United States, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has definitively abandoned the physical SIM. In the rest of the world, Apple distributes a device with a SIM card slot. You can still access the features of dual-sim by registering a e.gmade available by most operators also in Italy.
The display: welcome Dynamic Island!
Holding the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the first thing we touch is its weight, that is 240 grams. An important weight, but perfectly in line with the previous model, amply compensated by the features guaranteed by this smartphone.
Our gaze therefore inevitably focuses on the display. Once again, Apple went big by providing its users with a screen Super Retina XDR OLED all‑screen da 6,7″, simply amazing in sharpness and brightness. Precisely on the brightness we were able to verify what was declared by Apple, that is 1600 nits of luminance in normal conditions that can rise up to 2000 nits outdoors, with inevitable repercussions on battery life. On the other hand, the refresh rate remains unchanged, a 120 Hz as on the previous version thanks to ProMotion technology.
One of the main innovations of the iPhone 14 Pro Max is concentrated on the screen, namely the Dynamic Island, which takes the place of the loved / hated notch at the top of the screen. The Face ID sensors make it unavoidable at the moment to sacrifice a more or less small portion of the display; However, Apple has tried to turn this limitation into an opportunity, creating a black area of variable dimensions that covers the double cut-out. After an initial feeling of displacement, we realized the goodness of the choice: some precious information passes from the Dynamic Island, such as incoming or outgoing phone calls, our route on Maps, the activation or deactivation of the audio and even the music we’re listening to.
But the features of this area are not limited to iOS. The only limit in this regard is the imagination of the developers, who are already studying solutions to take advantage of this small portion of the display, which also does not limit the use of videos and animations.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max review: finally the always-on display
Another of the most talked about innovations of the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the introduction of the display always-on, already present on several models of the competition but at the absolute debut at Apple. This software novelty allows you to have the device screen always on, albeit at very low brightness, and to see some information such as the date, time and content of the Dynamic Island. A feature made possible by the dynamic refresh rate, which in this case reaches the 1Hz threshold. However, the always-on can always be deactivated: temporarily, by simply placing the screen facing the support surface, or permanently from the iPhone Settings menu. The latter choice leads to an obvious benefit in terms of battery life. However, Apple is working to further reduce the impact of the always-on on consumption.
Autonomy and performance
Speaking of battery, we are pleased to report the further progress in terms of duration of the iPhone 14 Pro Max compared to the already good autonomy of the previous models. Even with particularly intense use, given the need to thoroughly test the device, we never had any problems ending a day without recharging. Indeed, we have reached over 7 hours of screen on, far beyond the normal use made by a user.
The main credit for this result goes to the efficiency of the new A16 Bionic chip, which also brings undoubted advantages in terms of heat dispersion (you will touch the lower overheating of the device compared to previous models), and to another of the flagships of the iPhone 14 Pro Max: the two cameras.
The cameras of the iPhone 14 Pro Max: photos and videos at the top
The photographic sector of the iPhone 14 Pro Max relies on a 48 megapixel main sensor with F / 1.78 aperture, 12 megapixel ultra-wide angle lens and 12 megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. In addition we have the 12 megapixel front camera, now with autofocus.
All sensors can count on the fundamental contribution of Photonic Enginewhich works on image processing ensuring shots that are simply amazing in terms of sharpness and detail, even in low light conditions.
The mode ProRAW it also allows even greater detail, while ensuring a wide range of image processing possibilities in post production. During our test days, we were repeatedly amazed by the quality of our shots, evident in the photos taken with the main camera but also with the front one: paradoxically, in this case the risk is to have too detailed selfies, to work in post-production to hide the imperfections of our face!
In any case, we reserve the right to test the photographic capabilities of the device again to show you in an ad hoc article.
The improvements of the cameras are obviously also reflected in the videos. In this regard, we point out the modality Actionwhich focuses on image stability and is particularly useful for moving video, the return of the Cinematic Mode, capable of giving a cinematic cut to our videos, and the newborn setting ProRes (can be activated or deactivated from the camera settings), which allows you to create even higher quality videos in ProRes 422 HQ format. In this case, however, it should be noted that the image quality has repercussions on the amount of space occupied, which can even reach several GB for less than a minute of footage. For this reason, ProRes in 4K is only available for models with at least 256GB of capacity.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max review: conclusions
In conclusion, we can say that iPhone 14 Pro Max stands on the market as a difficult bar to overcome for all the competition. The A16 Bionic chip with Neural Engine leads to further improvements in application speed and multitasking, guaranteeing a level of efficiency and reliability that is unparalleled.
Those who are not comfortable in the Apple ecosystem will hardly change their minds with the iPhone 14 Pro Max. For everyone else, this new model is the natural continuation of a path which leads to a continuous improvement in performance and functionality without ever depriving the user of the feeling of familiarity with an increasingly rich and refined environment.