JOIN USApple iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Refined to near-perfection
Last month, Apple unveiled the new iPhone 14 series. The company is offering four variants-- regular 6.1-inch iPhone 14, 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus along with 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and ultra top-end model 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The upgrade we see in the standard iPhones are incremental in nature, and Pro models have undergone changes in both physical exterior looks and internal hardware in addition two potential life-saving features Crash Detection and SOS emergency help via satellite connectivity.
And, for the first time ever, Apple has ensured there is a vast difference between the two classes of the iPhone 14 series. If the consumer wants the best and latest technologies, they have to go for the Pro models.
I have been using the iPhone 14 Pro Max for a little over 10 days and here are my thoughts on Apple's most powerful mobile to date.
Design, build quality and display
The first noticeable visual change we see is in the pill-shaped front camera module, which also houses the signature FaceID security system. The company is calling it the Dynamic Island display design language.
I am loving the new fancy feature. Though it is a hardware limitation, Apple has done a fabulous job of turning it into a useful and visually amazing attribute. The native and some third-party apps' features such as FaceID, Amazon Prime Music, and Phone calls seamless blend around the notch. More app developers are working to offer unique lively features to offer a better user experience.
After the initial mocking, Android phone brands and app developers were quick to replicate Apple's Dynamic Island-like feature on their phones, but the execution is not up to the mark.
On the back, the iPhone 14 Pro Max features a triple-camera module, slightly bigger compared to the predecessor. It has a bigger sensor for a better low-light photography experience (more on that later). The rest is covered by a sturdy Ceramic Shield glass cover with a matte finish and does a fabulous job of resisting fingerprint smudges, but the massive protruding camera module, over time, accumulates dust.
Having said that, the space grey model looks stunning in the sun. Besides this colour, Apple offers the device in three other options—deep purple, gold and silver. The deep purple is exclusive to the 14 Pro models.
On the front, the iPhone 14 Pro Max's display is also protected by the Ceramic Shield, which is touted to be the sturdiest protective gear for mobiles in the industry. The review unit has remained scratch-free so far and I hope to keep it that way until I return it.
It should be noted that the iPhone 14 Pro Max features a surgery-grade stainless steel frame around the edge and the device comes with an IP68 rating. It can survive water splashes and even can sustain up to six metres (approx. 19.6 feet) underwater for close to 30 minutes.
Like the previous iterations, Apple's new iPhone 14 Pro Max is made with environment-friendly manufacturing practices.
Some of the materials used for the phone both for exterior and internal components are recycled or responsibly sourced minerals. 100 per cent of the gold used in the wires for the camera and plating of multiple printed circuit boards is fully recycled. The tin used in the solder of multiple printed circuit boards and tungsten in the haptic engine is 100 per cent recycled.
The company has even used 100 per cent recycled plastics for some of the components including the speaker of the iPhone 14 Pro models. The glass is free from arsenic and there are no mercury, PVC beryllium or BFR in the iPhone.
Also, the company has made some changes in terms of assembling the iPhones. In the new iPhone 14 series models, the glass and metal panels are not fused. God forbid, in the case of accidental damage on the rear side, the device's entire back panel need not be replaced. It used to be the case for older models. Now, consumers can save a lot of money on repair services.
Also, the separation of glass and metal has another benefit -- better thermal dissipation-- when the device is put to heavy tasks such as graphics-rich gaming or while 4K video recording session.
On the front, it features a massive 6.7-inch Super Retina OLED XDR screen with 2556x1179p resolution and a pixel density of 460 ppi (pixels per inch). Keeping true to its premium iPhone status, it has the most vibrant rich display on any smartphone. It can reach a peak brightness of up to 2000 nits. I never faced any issues nor had to squint my eyes to read text, or news on the web or while watching videos on the display outdoors.
Only the Galaxy S22 Ultra with 1,750 nits brightness capability comes close to the iPhone 14 Pro model.
With ProMotion technology, the screen can dynamically refresh between 1Hz to 120Hz. Also, it supports Always-on-Display, a first for an iPhone to date.
Unlike other premium mobiles, which display time and notifications in white fonts with a black background, the iPhone 14 Pro series' AOD feature is colourful. With the new display engine and support for 1Hz refresh rate, there is less power consumption and also with smart light sensors, the iPhone screen turns fully black when it senses the device is in the pocket or the device is not in use for long.
However, I noticed that it does affect the battery life of the device (more on this in the performance section).
As far as FaceID is concerned, it continues to be the best in the industry. Even if you have the face mask on (Yes, I still use it in public places and while commuting on mass transit vehicles), the iPhone 14 Pro Max recognised the face and unlock the screen in quick time. While setting up the Face ID, the iPhone now makes you register thrice for better face recognition and lives up to its gold standard tag in the biometric security system.
Performance
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max features a powerful A16 Bionic silicon. It houses a 6-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores backed by 5-core GPIU and 16-core Neural Engine.
In total, the chipset houses a whopping 16 billion transistors and is capable of carrying out 17 trillion operations per second. As you can see from the AnTuTu score, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is far ahead of the rival premium phones in the market.
In practical day-to-day activities too, it performs smoothly. However, initially, there were reports of bugs such as a shaky camera on Instagram, iPhone freezing while performing data migration from the old model and other minor issues. But, the subsequent roll-out of iOS 16 software updates ensured a better user experience and the reports of such glitches have died down.
I have to note that I did not face any freezing issues while transferring the apps' data from the old iPhone to the 14 Pro Max. The device worked flawlessly during the review period.
As mentioned at the start, the AOD had some impact on the iPhone 14 Pro Max's battery life. Under normal usage, the device used to have around 20-to-30 per cent battery capacity left at night before I retire to bed around 12:00 am. Last year, the iPhone 13 Pro Max, with similar usage, used to have at least 55-60 per cent left at the end of my day.
The big difference between the two is the new phone's AOD feature. It definitely hogs the battery but thanks to Apple's software optimisation, there was at least 30-40 per cent juice left. Other premium phones with AOD features and brightly coloured wallpaper won't even last till dinner.
And, when tested with AOD off, the iPhone 14 Pro Max was able to manage the day with just 45-50 per cent battery power consumption. As you can see in the battery life screenshot (above), I was able to push the device for two full days with close to 10 hours of screen-on time.
This will come in handy when the iPhone 14 series begin to support 5G. The company is slated to release a software update in the coming weeks to enable users to experience next-generation cellular service in India. I am not sure about the iPhone 14 Pro, but the 14 Pro Max (and even the iPhone 14 Plus and 13 Pro Max) will definitely trump all rival Android phones in terms of battery life with 5G connectivity.
And, by the way, the iPhone 14 series' retail package comes with just the Type-C USB-to-lightning cable and supports a maximum of 20W fast charging. It can power up the iPhone from zero to 50 per cent within 35 minutes.
But, I usually charge the iPhones at the night with Optimised charging feature on, so that it touches 100 per cent, just before the alarm bell rings in the morning. This is also a good way to slow the chemical degradation of the battery cells and have power retaining capability for several years and need not have to replace the battery quite often.
The iPhone 14 series come with two new features-Crash Detection and Emergency SOS help via Satellite.
As I have mentioned in my iPhone 14 review (link below), Crash Detection relies on Apple's advanced dual-core accelerometer (which can detect G-force measurements of up to 256Gs) and this works with a new high dynamic gyroscope, a barometer (to detect cabin pressure changes within the car), the GPS for additional input for speed changes, and the microphone (to recognize loud noises typified by severe car crashes). In addition to advanced hardware components, Apple has developed motion algorithms based on over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data to provide even better accuracy.
Must read | Apple iPhone 14 review: Incremental upgrade
If the iPhone 14 Pro series senses the owner's car has crashed, it will trigger a warning on the screen with a 10-second countdown accompanied by a loud alert warning, and if the owner is wearing Apple Watch, an emergency warning interface appears with a message -- 'It looks like you've been in a crash, the owner just has to slide the SOS call or cancel the false alarm. If there is no response from the owner within 10 seconds, the iPhone will automatically place a call to the pre-listed emergency contacts for help.
I did not dare to check the efficacy of this particular feature, but I will take the company's words for now, given how reliable Apple Watches' has been to detect heart-related ailments and saving hundreds of lives over the last several years.
However, an unintended situation has emerged in the US, that is causing the new Apple phones and watches to trigger crash detection whenever the user rides a roller coaster. But, Apple has said that it is working to optimise the feature and probably come up with an update.
As far as the SOS emergency help via Satellite is concerned, the device relies on custom components deeply integrated with software to allow antennas to establish a direct connection to a satellite, enabling messaging with emergency services when outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.
However, the SOS service will be available to users in the US and Canada in November, and the service will be free for two years. There is no official word on when it will be expanded to other global regions.
Photography
After a long time, Apple has introduced the biggest upgrade for the Pro models. The 14 Pro comes with an all-new main 48MP (f/1.78) wide-angle sensor backed by a 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide-angle sensor and 12MP(f2.8) telephoto lens with adaptive True Tone flash support with an array of nine LEDs.
The primary camera boast 2nd generation sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 3X optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 6x optical zoom range, 15X digital zoom, macro mode, Photogenic Engine for low-light imaging, Smart HDR 4 for photos, Night mode, Night portrait mode, photography styles, Apple ProRAW, Night mode Time-lapse and more.
As advertised, it takes exceptional photos in the sunlight and there is definitely a noticeable improvement with low-light pictures even indoors with controlled light conditions. With the new advanced image processor and software-based Photonic engine, the iPhone 14 Pro Max delivers a really good photography experience in all light conditions.
Even the macro photos come with minute details captured in the frame. In the night mode too, the camera manages to capture photos as close as human eyes perceive in the night.
And, in pitch darkness, the phone takes in more light photons in an optimum way, so that it does not make the photo look like it was taken in the evening.
As far as the portrait mode is concerned, it supports five options-- Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High‑Key Mono. The camera captures really good pictures with the bokeh blur effect.
The wide-angle and ultra-wide photos too, come good with the wide expanse of the area covered in the frame. As you can see the majestic cloud-capped Nandi Hills look amazing in the wide-angle shot. Also, with the 3X Optical Zoom, there is barely any loss of photo quality. We can make the dark green vegetation have near-natural colours at the foot of the hill.
It also supports Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (4K HDR up to 30 fps), ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity), Macro video recording, including slow motion and time-lapse, 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, Action mode, Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps.
The ProRes videos continue to be the best in their class but come with a price. Just one minute of HD recording can eat up 1.7GB and for 4K it can hog 6GB of storage.
The Cinematic mode too is a class-leading phone video recording feature. It allows users to even adjust the focus of multiple subjects with ease. And, there is Action mode which is on by default on the native camera app. It ensures the best stable video with Dolby Vision HDR quality.
With the iPhone 14 Pro Max, there is an option to improve the action video quality for the low-light scenes, but the stability may get decreased.
On the front, Apple has incorporated a new 12MP TrueDepth camera (f/1.9) with Retina Flash, Retina Flash, and supports most of the primary triple camera's features including portrait mode and ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity).
It takes pretty fine selfies in all light conditions and the HD quality during the video calls is just top-notch.
Final thoughts
Except for the creative Dynamic Island display design, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, in terms of hardware, is an incremental upgrade.
But, having said that, Apple has almost perfected the premium iPhone variant compared to the previous two Pro iterations. Now, there is clear-cut differentiation between the regular iPhone 14 and the 14 Pro series.
With the newly designed pill-shaped notch, a hardware limitation, Apple has managed to make the iPhone 14 Pro Max stand out among the competition. The smooth fluid animation around the front camera module is flawless. Though this is limited to a few apps now, it offers a great visual user interface. And, already thousands of third-party app developers are working to make the best use of the smart interactive Dynamic Island feature. This is one of the finest examples of how a company can benefit from having full control over the hardware and software.
Even the colour-rich Always-on-Display feature is very different from other brands. The latter offer just the time and notification icons in white/grey colour with a black background. While some love the latter and others including me, like the former. Apple has made it a smart feature by relying on sensors to activate AOD whenever the device is near the user. And, turn-of AOD when the device is far away from the owner or in the pocket, to save battery life.
Yes, there is an impact on the new iPhone's battery compared to the predecessor. It can last through the whole day with ease, much better than most of the rival premium Android phones launched in 2022. And, the iPhone 14 Pro Max can easily last two days under normal usage without AOD. Guess what? the new iPhone 14 Plus is said to be even better!
The camera has really improved in terms of low light image quality, the video recording feature is getting better with each new iteration and the Cinematic continues to be a great value addition for amateur photography professionals to shoot short docu-series.
Except for the few stray bugs at the start, Apple managed to clear them with back-to-back software updates and now the performance is smooth and only gets better over time.
And, the new potential life-saving features-- Crash Detection and Emergency SOS help via Satellite-- are a great value addition to the iPhone 14 series.
Who should buy the iPhone 14 Pro Max?
Those with iPhone 11 or older iPhone models will definitely see great value in upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Others with iPhone 12 and 13 series, stick with them for another year or two. Of course, if you have the money to splurge, you can go for it. Some have already bought one, and probably reading this review on it.
And those of you, who are in two minds of making the jump from the Android to the iOS ecosystem. You can go for any of the three models-- iPhone 12 (review), 13 or the latest iPhone 14.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max— 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB— cost Rs 1,39,900, Rs 1,49,900, Rs 1,69,900 and Rs 1,89,900, respectively.
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