I am not going to get into the thick of it for this review, as I am assuming most of you who are getting an iPhone 14 Pro Max already know why Apple makes great phones. So for this I will give you my perspective on what sticks out and how it has gone for me so far upgrading from the iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 14 Pro Max:
THINGS I LIKED:
- The new “eSim” technology means no more SIM cards needed! I think that is going to be very convenient for a lot of people out there who only ever use 1 phone and do not need the hassle of messing with those little SIM cards. Seriously it was very easy to set up via Verizon and I was able to do the whole setup at home.
- The screen is gorgeous! I love how big the screen is, along with the great clarity/colors it produces, and the 120hz refresh rate made everything feel sooo smooth and fast. Very happy with his aspect!
- The new “Dynamic Island” (aka the pill notch instead of the notch they use in the past) is a clever idea. It adds more space to the screen and they do a great job of incorporating apps into the dynamic island. Whether I am taking phone calls, using Spotify, or navigating with maps, its a nice animation to have everything housed there.
- The always on display is a nice new feature to have so you can see everything at a glance without having to unlock the screen.
- The camera is BIG on the back but it takes excellent pictures and videos. Seriously the pictures look wonderful with a lot of detail and the new video modes are nice to have and capture everything really smoothly.
- Also the speakers are much louder and clearer than before, the processor in this thing is super fast, and my WiFi / 5G connections are very strong so far as well!
- Finally, I am really excited for the battery life on this! I have not used it long enough to provide a better perspective, but from what I have read this thing should be long lasting on those big heavy using phone days.
SIZE DIFFERENCE (12 Pro —> 14 Pro Max):
- This is of course a much larger phone than the 12 Pro, but instantly the 14 Pro Max felt great in my hands. I like having more of the real estate for reading articles, typing emails, and more space for watching videos.
- The phone is of course bigger to handle and heavier too. Initially is feels like a lot but I have gotten more use to it the more I use it for sure.
- Overall, I am glad I made the jump to the bigger screen size and I think that I will enjoy having the larger screen more than I will miss having a smaller more portable phone.
THINGS I WISH WERE DIFFERENT:
- As I said before, I wish this phone was thinner and lighter. It’s not like its a deal breaker for me, but it is a big phone.
- Still charges via lightening, I wish it was USB-C
- Lastly, the Always on Display is a nice option to have but I likely will not use it much. It would be nice if you could have always on display only turned on during certain times or when you have a certain focus mode turned on. But that could be a software update later on.
BOTTOM LINE:
- I was coming from the iPhone 12 Pro and upgrading to the 14 Pro Max is definitely a worthy upgrade! The screen is beautiful, everything is very fast and responsive, the camera is a major upgrade, and overall I feel like I am getting a new phone with noticeable improvements, which is all any of us really want! We want to feel like we bought something that is better than we had before, and I think the 14 Pro Max really nails it!