Apple showed off the iPhone 14 series. The iPhone 14, the iPhone 14 Plus, the iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are all part of the line-up. And for the first time, you do not have to purchase Apple’s most costly phone to obtain a huge display.
Because of this, many people have thought about the differences between the iPhone 14 Plus and the iPhone 14 Pro Max and if the extra features on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, like the Dynamic Island and the always-on display, are worth the higher price. Below, we’ve compared the two devices to help you choose.
Price
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the most costly iPhone 14 model. It is at the top of Apple’s list of phones. Apple hasn’t raised prices in the US, which is good news, but most other nations around the globe will be required to pay more.
The 128GB version of the iPhone 14 Plus begins at $899, while the 128GB version of the iPhone 14 Pro Max begins at $1099. The price difference is only $200, but the question is whether or not you get enough to make up for that. Read on to find out.
Design
The iPhone 14 Plus looks the same as the iPhone 13, and the notch at the top of the screen is still there. Like the old model, it has two lenses, flat edges, and an aluminum frame with a shiny back. The only visual difference is that it is bigger.
On the other hand, Dynamic Island, a new look for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, has been added (more on that below). The model also has a screen that stays on all the time, unprecedented for an iPhone, and three cameras on the back, like the iPhone 13 Pro Max. And, unlike the regular iPhone 14, it has a frame of stainless steel and a back of the matte glass.
There are different colors for each model. Five colors are available for the iPhone 14 Plus: Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, and (Product) Red. On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro Max comes in four colors: Space Black, Gold, Deep Purple, and Silver. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is also heavier than the iPhone 14 Plus, weighing only 203 grams. It weighs 240 grams.
Dynamic Island vs. Notch
Since the iPhone X, all iPhones have had the well-known notch at the top. Compared to phones from Samsung and other businesses, which only had a small cutout for the camera at the top of the screen, the design was a bit old.
The iPhone 14 Plus still has this notch, but the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a pill-shaped cutout in place of the notch to hold the front camera and Face ID sensors. Apple calls this cutout the “Dynamic Island.” Dynamic Island can host animations and show notifications, actions, and other widget information with the help of software. It changes the way it alerts you based on what you are doing.
For instance, if you have another app open while you’re on a phone call, Dynamic Island will grow and show you how long the call will last. In the same way, Dynamic Island will transform into a square if you use Apple Pay. It’s a significant shift in Apple’s iOS design aesthetic and a welcome improvement to the iPhone experience we’ve enjoyed for years.
Display
The iPhone 14 Plus and the iPhone 14 Pro Max have screens that are 6.7 inches. They both feature an OLED screen with HDR, True Tone, and Haptic Touch. But the iPhone 14 Pro Max is better than the iPhone 14 Plus in some important ways.
The iPhone 14 Plus has a standard 60Hz screen, but the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a high refresh rate 120Hz screen that looks great. But Apple’s ProMotion technology makes it better because it automatically changes the refresh rate based on what you are watching. To save power, it can go down to 1Hz.
This makes it possible for the brand-new always-on display, which lets you see the time, alerts, and other things without touching the screen. Another important feature is that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is much brighter, with a peak of 2,000 nits. This creates a big difference when you use your phone outside in the sun. The standard iPhone 14 Plus could only reach 1,200 nits when watching HDR content.
Performance
The iPhone 14 Plus will have the same A15 Bionic chipset as the iPhone 13 Pro Max from 2021, which is bad news for people who want to use it for a long time. On the plus side, unlike the basic iPhone 13, you get the 5-core GPU version of the A15. Apple also says it has changed the iPhone 14 Plus’s thermal design to make it cooler.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max uses Apple’s newest processor, the A16, which is faster than the A15 processor. So, you get better performance along with the extra features. We don’t know why Apple didn’t put the A16 chip in the iPhone 14 Plus.
Camera Hardware
The back of the iPhone 14 Plus has two 12MP cameras, one wide and one ultra-wide. Even though the resolution is the same as the iPhone 13, the standard wide-angle camera is the same as the iPhone 13 Pro. The iPhone 14 Pro Max camera gets the biggest update we’ve seen in years.
It now has a primary quad-pixel sensor with 48MP, an ultra-wide sensor with 12MP, and a telephoto sensor with 12MP. Due to the increase in picture quality, the iPhone 14 Pro Max can zoom up to 15x digitally and 3x optically, while the iPhone 14 Plus can only zoom up to 5x digitally and doesn’t have optical zoom.
Apple ProRAW is also available on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, allowing you to take 48-megapixel raw photos for the clearest possible images. Both models have the same updated 12MP front camera with autofocus and a wider aperture of f/1.9, which makes selfies and video calls better.
Battery Life
Even though they are the same size, the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max have different battery capacities. Apple says the iPhone 14 Plus has the best battery, but you should know that it only works for playing music. Apple says that the iPhone 14 Pro Max can play videos for up to 29 hours, even though it has a smaller battery. This is because it has ProMotion technology. The iPhone 14 Plus will only last up to 26 hours.
Which should you buy, an iPhone 14 Plus or an iPhone 14 Pro Max?
The iPhone 14 Plus and the iPhone 14 Pro Max differ in many ways. In addition, Dynamic Island makes the iPhone 14 Pro appear more modern, but the extra $200 may be worth it for most people because of the always-on screen, 48MP camera, 120Hz screen, and faster CPU.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is for people who want their phone to have all the newest features. But the iPhone 14 Plus could still be a good deal for people on a tighter budget. It has a larger screen than the standard iPhone 14 and uses parts from the iPhone 13 Pro models to reduce costs.