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It’s been a little under half a year since the release of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Full disclosure: we should have reviewed this phone back in October when the phone launched but, with a new house, a new dog and a new job, life got in the way. Instead, we decided to hold off for a mid-term review, to report in on whether the iPhone 14 Pro Max, six months after its launch, is still at the top of the smartphone pile.
When it went on sale, the initial critical reception to the iPhone 14 Pro Max was largely positive: it instantly became the most powerful smartphone on the market, with an incredible 48MP camera packaged into a smart design with more-than-healthy battery life.
Though, some critics bemoaned the iPhone’s lack of flexibility: still no ports or expandable memory available. But then I suspect we might wait forever for those to show up on an iPhone. At such a high price, there were a few grumbles that 14, and the upgrades it offered over its predecessor, were an evolution and not a revolution.
So what’s the situation six months down the line? Is the phone still a worthy upgrade, or should you wait for something better to come along?
The quick answer
If you’re short on time here’s the meat of it. This phone is exceptional at nearly everything it does. Indeed, I’ve become more impressed with the iPhone 14 Pro Max the longer I’ve spent with it.
It’s a multi-tool like no other. It’s been my camera abroad, snapping photos of a wedding late into the night, and editing them morning after. It’s replaced my webcam for all my video calls, thanks to Apple’s new Continuity Camera software.
I’ve even used it to scan my living room, take measurements and build a 3D model, with the help of the Polycam app, to make redecorating and furnishing my home a breeze.
When I moved home it became my TV and even my games console letting me play Diablo Immortalonline with my brother. And for once, the iPhone has done all the above without me having to worry about when I’m next going to be able to plug in. You can use this model intensely and expect it to get to the end of the day.
Ultimately, at the ripe old age of 14, the iPhone’s software and hardware are a marriage made in heaven. You could argue that the hardware, particularly the chipset inside, has outpaced what the software on the phone really needs.
In terms of use, this means the phone feels ultra slick and snappy. The processor sweeps through jobs: high-end games, video editing and multi-tasking apps are all a breeze with little lag and minimal loading. And indeed six months down the line, it feels just as fast as it did out of the box.
What’s new?
If you’re considering moving up from a 13 Pro Max, the new features will feel like refinements.
The most noticeable addition is the dynamic island: a small black lozenge at the top of the display behind which the front-facing camera hides. It’s the replacement for the widely derided “notch” used to make sure screens can span from edge to edge over the top of the camera.
It's a big design upgrade, and it’s also been used in the iPhone’s UI rather smartly. For example, if you set a timer and return to the cooking video you were watching, the timer scoots up to next to the camera. Ditto for music, phone calls, directions and more.
You also can also see a little green dot there whenever your camera is in use. Just in case, you know, you think someone’s spying on you.
As features go, it’s a subtle upgrade on paper, but in use it’s one of those quality-of-life adjustments that make it hard to back to any phone with a notch design.
Another new addition is the always-on display: the screen fades out leaving the clock and notifications screen as the only visible information.
It’s a subtle upgrade, and one I expected I’d turn off. But it’s an OS refinement that means you don’t always need to unlock and access your phone to get information – useful for those who find themselves diving into Twitter or Tik Tok once they’ve opened up their phone.
The Super Retina XDR display is, as usual, crisp and responsive and works particularly well on a bright day.
Crash detection, which notices if you’ve experienced some severe deceleration and calls the emergency services, was also added this year. Luckily this hasn’t been tested, and we didn’t feel like we needed to hop on a rollercoaster to find out if we could set it off.
Lastly is the camera, for me the most significant upgrade. It’s noticeably smarter than previous iterations and other devices we’ve tested.
Colours seem so lifelike on the iPhone display, they’re almost radiant, particularly when you try out some macro-photography and really get in close to your subject.
Night photography is a breeze, capturing remarkable detail – even of dark-coloured objects at dusk. Where other flagship phones produce muddy browned-out images, the 14 Pro Max, produces crisp, detailed photos.
Indeed, head out at the magic hour with your phone, set it to cinematic mode and you’ll capture some mesmerising video that’s a level above what competitors can manage.
Finally, the neatest trick the iPhone 14 Pro Max pulls off is the continuity camera. If you’ve got a Macbook, you can add a clip to your iPhone that attaches it to the lid of your laptop. Sat there, you can tell your Mac to use the phone’s camera and microphone instead of its webcam – a definite upgrade to your next video meeting’s sound and picture.
What’s missing?
The novelty factor. Long gone are the days when a smartphone would really surprise you with an ingenious new design or feature: something you needed to have.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just look at flexible phones – a fantastic idea on paper that struggles to work in the real world. Plus this is also great news for your wallet and the electronics scrapheap. Our phones have a longer life if there’s not the same demand to upgrade every two years or so to get the latest and best features.
The only weakness in the camera is the lack of a zoom greater than 3x, which you can find in other smartphones. If that’s important to you then you might want to reconsider.
Clearly, if you do want something with upgradable memory – an SD card slot in other words, or more ports or other hardware flexibility – the 14 Pro Max (or any future iPhone) won’t be suitable for you. More than ever this phone is at its best nestled into the Apple eco-system – paired with a Macbook for example.
Final verdict
This is one of the most complete devices we’ve ever tested. As a reviewer, it’s becoming harder and harder to fault these things.
Clearly, for consumers who desire adaptability in their software and flexibility in their hardware, the iPhone will never be the phone for them. But for everyone else this is still the best smartphone money can buy.
If you’re inside Apple’s ecosystem already, with iCloud and a Mac, then this phone becomes a no-brainer. The privacy options, the continuity features – like switching cameras or audio between devices – and the ease of setup elevate this phone to a whole other level.
Halfway through the phone’s lifecycle, there’ll be some more attractive deals out there for the iPhone 14 Pro Max which begs the question, should you pick one up or wait for a 15?
My vote would be to wait. Not because I think anyone would be disappointed with this device, but because It’ll be even cheaper when the 15 rears its head.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max’s benchmarks across the board are so impressive that I think it’ll easily feel like a top-of-the-range model for two or three years more, meaning it might be the best value model in Apple’s lineup… in about 6 months.
Apple’s most refined smartphone yet has enough processing power to outlive many of its competitors. Indeed, it’s so good, it begs the question, do we really need a new iPhone every year?
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Best accessories for the iPhone 14 Pro Max
Backbone gaming controller
If you commute for more than half an hour and you like to game, grab one of these and download Diablo Immortal. It’s a blast.
Most smartphone game controllers feel flimsy and clumsy, but the backbone feels sharp and well-built – it isn’t a far cry from a PlayStation or Xbox remote.
Indeed, it’s a must if you want to make use of your Xbox One or PS5’s cloud gaming features that mean you can port your games over to your phone.
Bonus: it adds a 3.5mm headphone slot for those of us still clinging on to wires.
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Belkin iPhone Continuity Camera mount
If you own a Macbook and you find yourself on Teams, Hangouts, Webex or another video calling software every day then this accessory is worth considering. It acts as a mount that can clip to your laptop lid or as a stand.
From there you tell your Mac can to use the superior camera and microphone in the iPhone 14 Pro Max instead. Basically, you’ll look and sound much more like yourself on video calls with this little clip.
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