An Impressive Flagship with Enhanced Features
iPhone 14 Pro Max is a phone that has lived up to the high standards of Apple’s reputation for quality. Although it has a high price tag, the device impresses in various aspects of smartphone usage, such as its display, performance, and camera.
Apple’s marketing team has dubbed the new Dynamic Island feature a game-changer, but it’s insignificant. Nevertheless, the phone’s latest processor and upgraded photography setup, including an action camera mode, always-on display, and crash detection feature, make it a versatile and exciting addition to the iPhone lineup.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is a shape-shifting, multitasking, and head-turning smartphone that combines form and function like never before.
Design
The iPhone 14 Pro Max looks similar to its previous model, with the same waterproof steel chassis and glass. The buttons and port locations remain unchanged, with the exception of the Lightning port that remains. Although some people expected a Type-C port this year, it did not happen. The larger size and weight of the Max variant might be noticeable for those who are used to the smaller 13 Pro.
One of the most significant differences in the new model is the notch size, which has shrunk from a wide notch to a smaller pill-shaped one. It hides the sensors for Face ID and features a punch-hole aperture for the selfie shooter. Many people wanted a smaller incision, and this is Apple’s response. However, Apple can only shrink the gap further by affecting the security promised by Face ID if they can find a way to make the hardware even smaller.
Dynamic Island
Dynamic Island is a popular iPhone 14 Pro Max feature that has received much attention from Apple. Dynamic Island’s unique look and features have inspired Android developers to create similar apps, and iOS developers have even created games that interestingly utilize the part.
Dynamic Island is a clever way to cover the pill notch with notification alerts and activity details, with some interactivity available through long-press actions. For instance, playing music through supported apps like Apple Music displays a small album art and waveform on the black bar, which can be expanded into a larger window for playback controls.
However, some notifications and alerts are just non-interactive animations, making Dynamic Island feel disconnected from the rest of the user interface, hence the “Island” in the name.
Display
The iPhone 14 Pro Max boasts a stunning 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate reaching up to 120Hz, thanks to the LTPO technology. The screen is a visual treat, with improved brightness of up to 1,600 nits, providing a delightful user experience.
Apple has included the much-awaited always-on feature this time, but it needs to meet expectations. The feature presents a dimmer version of the lock screen, which impacts battery life and is not as impressive as expected.
Camera
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 48MP camera sensor, 2x zoom without losing quality, and a Photonic Engine for better color and detail. It captures natural-looking photos in lighting conditions but has some light flare issues. Video quality is excellent with shake elimination, and selfies have autofocus.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a great camera, capturing high-quality photos and videos with its 48MP sensor and new zoom options. The Photonic Engine promises better color and detail, but there are some issues with light flare control. The phone’s video quality is impressive, and the new action mode eliminates shakes from video footage. Selfies have also improved with autofocus.
Software
The iPhone 14 Pro Max runs on the new iOS 16 platform, which, while visually similar to its predecessor, comes packed with several new features and changes. One of the most notable is the ability to customize the lock screen by setting up multiple lock screens and mapping them to different focus profiles. This allows users to quickly switch between further work or personal modes, for example.
Another significant addition is Live Text for video, which allows users to extract text from videos and copy, paste, or share it directly over other apps. Additionally, there are several improvements to health and fitness, Mail, iMessage, and other apps. Overall, the iOS 16 platform enhances the user experience on the iPhone 14 Pro Max by offering more customization options and added functionality.
Performance
The iPhone 14 Pro models are equipped with the new A16 Bionic SoC, which uses 4nm fabrication and provides better performance and power efficiency than its predecessor. Although the A16 Bionic offers only slight improvements in pure numbers compared to the A15 Bionic, it is undoubtedly a highly capable chipset that can easily handle the most demanding tasks. You can watch a performance comparison video to compare it to Qualcomm’s flagship chipset and its predecessor.
In short, the A16 Bionic SoC is an essential feature of the new iPhone 14 Pro models, ensuring top-notch performance for any task. Despite minor improvements over its predecessor, the A16 Bionic is an incredibly capable chipset that is well worth the upgrade.
Battery
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has decent battery life, lasting for about a day with moderate usage. However, the charging speeds could be faster, and the phone has no charger in the box. The phone can be charged to 100% with a compatible charger in a little over 2 hours.
The phone can also be charged wirelessly and supports MagSafe charging. Belkin’s Boost Charge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank is a handy accessory. However, it offers slow charging speeds, is compact and lightweight, attaches magnetically to the back of the iPhone, and supports passthrough charging.
Cost
Regarding the iPhone 14 Pro Max, it could be more budget-friendly. It’s one of the most expensive smartphones on the market. The base model with 128GB of storage starts at $1,099.In Bangladesh, the starting price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max is around BDT 145,000. However,iPhone prices in Bangladesh may vary depending on the retailer and your chosen storage configuration.