Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max review

Don't be fooled by Apple's iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max's similarity to the iPhone 13 Pro's back design. The screen of the iPhone 14 Pro has a unique and lovely thing going on. A pill-shaped screen cutout has taken the place of the iPhone's display notch, which has distinguished Face ID iPhones since 2017's iPhone X and houses an improved TrueDepth camera system. Some people will be happier with the cutout alone than they were with the notch. But one of my favourite additions is the area around the cutout, which now displays system notifications and background activities.

Apple refers to it as the Dynamic Island, and it expands and contracts to show the music you're listening to, timers, and other notifications when you get a call. Although it may not have the finest name, the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max genuinely have one of the best features around.

The new Apple phones also come with iOS 16 and additional security features like Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via Satellite. They also include improved cameras, faster processors, always-on displays, and always-on displays.

Both the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro start at $999 (£1,099, AU$1,749), which is the same pricing as the 2019 iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. I believe the phones are priceless after using them for a while.

The new Pros are available in four colours: space black, gold, silver, and deep purple, which, depending on the lighting, may seem as either a dull grey tone or as Grimace purple.

iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max pricing breakdown

Functions of Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro

The iPhone 14 Pro differs from earlier models only slightly on the outside. There is the display cutout described earlier. The camera hump is slightly larger. Additionally, US models employ an eSIM rather than a SIM card slot, similar to the iPhone 14 models.

But what defines the phone is the oddly titled Dynamic Island. The 14 Pro became more enjoyable to use the longer I used it. It is a simple method for keeping an eye on events without entirely diverting your focus from what you are doing and is effective in a variety of settings.

Interactivity exists on the Dynamic Island. A tiny waveform and a thumbnail of the album artwork, for instance, appear on either side of the cutout when music is playing. Spotify displays the song that is playing when you tap either side. You can press and hold on the interface while on a FaceTime call to display controls.

Tap on the TrueDepth cameras directly or off to the sides. During my use of it, I didn't observe any smudges building up on the selfie camera, and Face ID appeared unaffected.

The Dynamic Island splits into two sections like a saw when you have more than one background activity going on, such as when you're listening to music and have a timer on.

iPhone 14 Pro has an always-on display

The iOS 16 operating system, which the iPhone 14 Pro uses, introduces a number of welcome additions, including new methods to customise your lock screen. One lock screen feature, however, is exclusive to the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max models: an always-on display.

When your phone is locked, the always-on display, a low-power variant of your lock screen, can provide crucial information. Although most Android phones already have the functionality, Apple's approach may be the most beautiful thus far.

iPhone 14 Pro camera

Three rear cameras are present on the iPhone 14 Pro: a primary wide-angle camera, an ultrawide camera, and a telephoto camera with a 3x optical zoom. The main camera's lens has a broader field of view and a 24mm equivalent instead of the 26mm it had on earlier iPhone models. Although there aren't many differences, it helps to fill the frame with more of the scene.

A new, bigger 48-megapixel sensor is also added to the primary camera. Apple separates the pixels into groups of four and combines them into one larger pixel, even though having more megapixels doesn't always equate to better images. A 12-megapixel image that is brighter, has less image noise, and has higher detail as a result.

iPhone 14 Pro battery

The regular 14 Pro's battery had no problem making it through a day. I typically got 6 hours of screen-on time. With the 14 Pro Max, I was able to consistently get a day and a half on a single charge.

Charging is OK. I charged the 14 Pro Max for 30 minutes and the battery went from 14% to 59%. The 14 Pro went from 51% to 84%.

iPhone 14 specs vs. iPhone 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max