SpecEagle review · Apple

iPhone 14 Pro Max review: The phone that introduced Dynamic Island and the 48 MP Apple sensor.

SpecEagle Editorial·Sep 2022·$1,099
Overall
84/100
Class rank
#38 of 210
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
At the right price
The verdict, up front

A landmark iPhone — but a Lightning-era one now best bought used.

The 14 Pro Max introduced Dynamic Island, the always-on display and Apple’s first 48 MP sensor. It remains a capable phone, but Lightning, the 240 g weight and the lack of Apple Intelligence mark it as a previous era.

01Display

91/100

91/100 puts it above the 86-point average for flagship phones of 2022.

TypeLTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120 Hz
Size6.7 inches
Resolution2,796 × 1,290 px (460 ppi)
Peak brightness2,000 nits
NotchDynamic Island (debut)

02Camera

87/100

At 87/100 this is one of the strongest camera showings among flagship phones of 2022 — 8 points above the cohort average.

Main48 MP, f/1.78, sensor-shift OIS
Ultrawide12 MP, f/2.2
Telephoto12 MP, f/2.8, 3× optical
Selfie12 MP, f/1.9
Video4K @ 60 fps · ProRes · Cinematic 4K

03Performance

84/100

84/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2022.

ChipsetApple A16 Bionic (4 nm)
CPU6-core
GPUApple 5-core GPU
RAM6 GB
Storage128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

04Battery

84/100

84/100 puts it above the 81-point average for flagship phones of 2022.

Capacity4,323 mAh
Wired~27 W (Lightning)
Wireless15 W MagSafe

05Build

90/100

At 90/100 this is one of the strongest build showings among flagship phones of 2022 — 8 points above the cohort average.

06Value

80/100

80/100 puts it above the 76-point average for flagship phones of 2022.

What works
  • Introduced Dynamic Island and the always-on display.
  • First Apple 48 MP main sensor — a big camera leap.
  • Excellent 120 Hz LTPO display.
  • Strong battery life from the large 4,323 mAh cell.
What doesn't
  • Still uses Lightning, not USB-C.
  • Very heavy at 240 g with the stainless-steel frame.
  • A16 chip misses Apple Intelligence.
  • Discontinued — sold only through third parties now.
Cross-shop it against
Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro
$649 · score 89/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 210-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .