Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max review: big screen, big sensor, big price – big win?

A world-class camera even without a stellar zoom – the iPhone 14 Pro Max is Apple's powerhouse of 2022

A photo of the iPhone 14 Pro Max
(Image: © Basil Kronfli / Digital Camera World)

Digital Camera World Verdict

It shouldn't come as any surprise that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is an excellent phone. Its camera improves quality across both the primary and ultra-wide with larger sensors, and Apple adds a smart new steady shooting video mode to the mix. It can't compete when it comes to optical zoom, and the lack of a pro mode for manual shooting is a miss. If those issues don't phase you, though, almost everything else about it is good to great.

Pros

  • +

    Better cameras than iPhone 13 Pro

  • +

    Excellent portrait mode

  • +

    Rich styling with IP68 certification

  • +

    Across-the-board strong performance

Cons

  • -

    Zoom range isn't competitive

  • -

    Always-on Display needs refining

  • -

    High price, especially in the UK

  • -

    No physical SIM tray in the US

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

Apple is finally bumping up camera resolution for the new iPhone 14 Pro Max after years of 12MP deja vu. Now, there's a 48MP primary camera sensor, as well as a new action mode, for advanced video stabilization. Pixels aren't everything, though, and last year's iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max are two of the very best iPhones we've tested, and excellent in comparison to their Android peers. 

Can the iPhone 14 Pro Max and its camera beat out its predecessor, taking those bigger pixels, and marry them with stellar image processing to turn Apple's latest flagship into the best camera phone of 2022? And how does Apple's latest iPhone stack up against the best of the Android world, like the zoom champion Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the Xiaomi 12s Ultra with its one-inch sensor?

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Basil Kronfli

Basil Kronfli is a freelance technology journalist, consultant, and content creator. He trained in graphic design and started his career at Canon Europe before moving into journalism. Basil is also experienced in video production, independently running the YouTube channel TechEdit, and during his time at Future, he worked alongside the Digital Camera World team as a senior video producer.