Video: iPhone 14 Pro Max Thoughts One Year After Launch

With the launch of the iPhone 15 lineup fast approaching, MacRumors video editor Dan Barbera thought he'd take a look back at his last year (almost) using the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max before it's time to move on to the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max.


The ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max introduced the Dynamic Island for the first time, and it's been a feature that Apple doesn't seem to have taken full advantage of yet. It also brought the higher-end 48-megapixel camera sensor and the Always-On display.

Dan goes into depth on how the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max (used caseless!) has held up over the course of the last 11 months, what battery life is like, and how the latest feature set has worked out for him. The video provides an thoughtful retrospective on a year with Apple's flagship ‌iPhone‌ as we head into ‌iPhone‌ launch season.

We're expecting the ‌iPhone‌ 15 models to come out in September as usual. The standard models won't get much in the way of an upgrade aside from a transition to the ‌Dynamic Island‌ and a USB-C port, but we can expect slimmer bezels, faster chips, and a periscope telephoto lens for the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max that will replace the 14 Pro Max. More details on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models can be found in our roundups.

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Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
33 months ago

Can we all agree saying dynamic island is cringe as #%}^?
I thought Dynamic Island was cool. ?️

iphone 14 pro max one year retrospective image
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mykbibby Avatar
33 months ago
I had instant regret buying the Max. It's way too freaking heavy. Definitely going smaller next time, even if the camera is lesser, but even that's not a perfect fix. I'm fine compromising on thinness these days, but I'm tired of compromising on lightness. There has to be a better way...
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tonie walker Avatar
33 months ago
its a heavy brick - fell in the bathroom and bounce (tile floor), survived without scratch!

but dynamic island will be the twin of 3D Touch/ forced touch, under utilised and one day Apple will just kill it.

If my iPhone 11 Pro Max wasn’t crippled by software updates, i would stick to it.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mlrproducts Avatar
33 months ago
“Dynamic Island” is just marketing spin for a notification UI that could have always existed but was brought forward to account for holes in the middle of a display lol.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tom_uk Avatar
33 months ago
14 Pro Max user. I bought it for the cameras - I ditched my DSLR and use the 14 PM instead. I almost always shoot ProRAW, export from Photos into Lightroom, edit there, and then - delete the ProRAW originals from Photos and re-import high-quality JPEGs back into Photos! - to save on storage. (I have so much more storage available on the iMac, both internal and external.) I have been delighted with this phone, and I can’t see myself upgrading to the 15 Pro Max, even with the periscope lens. Maybe the 16, when it appears.

I specifically chose the Pro Max over the Pro because, being bigger, it was easier to hold for photography, and I don’t regret doing so.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
33 months ago
My iPhone 13 Pro Max battery life has been incredible. I heard 12 was poor, and now several people talking about 14. 13 FTW ?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)