iPhone 14 Pro Max vs iPhone 13 Pro Max: main differences to expect

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Of course, Apple is bringing its most advanced A16 Bionic chip, as well as a rumored brand new 48MP main camera to up the ante in speed and photo quality.

In this article, we sum up all you need to know about the iPhone 14 Pro Max vs iPhone 13 Pro Max, but don’t forget that we are looking at the leaks and rumors, so none of the information in this comparison is final. For that, we’d have to wait until mid September when Apple traditionally unveils its new iPhones, but right now, let’s start with the…

Design and Display Quality

The new 14 Pro Max will feel a bit less gigantic

The iPhone 14 Pro Max largely keeps the looks from its predecessor with the same screen size, flat sides and same glass and steel materials.

What is changing, however, are the dimensions of the new 14 Pro Max. Thanks to a taller aspect ratio for the display, the phone itself will be narrower and easier to grip with one hand.

Both the 14 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max come in a selection of four colors, three of them nearly identical: Graphite, Silver and Gold. The fourth color option, however, will change from the current Sierra Blue hue to a new shade of purple.

What we do not see changing are the contents of the box: expect to see only a Lightning cable and no charger.

But what about the display? Both phones come with a 6.7-inch OLED screen with a nearly identical resolution.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max, however, has thinner borders around the screen and uses a taller, 20:9 aspect ratio, while the 13 Pro Max has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. We expect Apple to also bump the max brightness even further on the 14 Pro Max, for a more comfortable outdoor viewing experience. And both being Pro series iPhones come with 120Hz ProMotion for smooth scrolling.

And when it comes to biometrics, both phones rely on Face ID. Despite that new i-shape on the 14 Pro Max, it uses the same sensors and technology for face recognition as the 13 Pro Max.

Performance and Software

What does the new Apple A16 chip bring?

So far, we only know that Apple is expected to use the new Apple A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro Max, an upgrade over the A15 processor used in the 13 Pro Max.

Apple is also said to be sticking with 6GB of RAM on the 14 Pro Max, just as it did on its predecessor.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is also expected to debut the newest iOS 16 software. Just like always, the 13 Pro Max is also due to get updated to iOS 16 at the same time.

Apple traditionally keeps its phones up to date for 5 or even 6 years, so both of these devices are perfectly future-proof.

Camera

A new 48MP main camera comes with big expectations

Apple has been a leader in camera quality, especially video, but what new does it bring to the table this year?

First, expect to see a brand new and bigger 48-megapixel sensor for the main, 1X camera, a change from the current 12MP one. This is not just for the sake of 48MP landscape photos with stunning detail (although we do look forward to that), but it’s also about enabling 8K video recording, which might just be the killer feature for the 14 Pro Max.

We also hope for improvements to Cinematic Mode, the signature iPhone 13 Pro Max feature that blurs the background in video much like Portrait Mode for photos. Apple was super proud of it, but there are some kinks to work out and the resolution there is still limited to 1080p.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs 13 Pro Max camera expected differences:

Audio Quality and Haptics

The iPhone 13 series made a huge leap in audio quality with boomier, richer sound on all three models, and while we have not heard anything in the rumor mill about sound quality improvements, we keep our fingers crossed for the 14 series.

Finally, don’t forget that there is no headphone jack on either one (and it’s probably not coming back ever).

We were also very happy with haptic feedback on the iPhone 13 Pro Max thanks to the Taptic Engine. So far, we expect that to work the same way in the 14 series.

Battery Life and Charging

Even if it remains as long-lasting as its predecessor, the 14 Pro Max will be a big win

The iPhone 13 Pro Max brought a big leap in battery life, not least thanks to an increase in the physical capacity of the battery from its predecessor.

So far, we have not heard anything specific about the iPhone 14 Pro Max battery size, but considering the ever growing demands from our smartphones, we would expect the same or larger battery.

On the charging front, we don’t expect changes. The 13 Pro Max supports charging at 27W speeds, which means a full top-up with a compatible charger takes around 2 hours. We expect roughly the same to be the case on the newer 14 Pro Max.

Both the 14 and 13 series of iPhones support MagSafe, the magnetic wireless charging technology providing speeds of up to 15W.

Specs Comparison

*Information in the table above is based on leaks and rumors, and is not final or official.

Summary and Final Verdict

At the end of the day, Apple has managed to keep the iPhone 14 Pro Max an exciting secret so far.

We have seen a few leaks showing the new taller aspect ratio and the i-shaped notch, plus we know about the upcoming more powerful A16 chip and 48-megapixel main camera, but none of the major new iPhone 14 features have made it out just yet. That leaves a lot of excitement in the coming months, or… is it that there won’t be all that much new on the iPhone 14? We have to wait and see.

One particular rumor that we will be keeping an eye on is about the price: will Apple really increase the starting price of the 14 Pro Max by $100? And will it even manage to deliver it on time considering the big delays it is facing in the summer with Covid lockdowns in China?

Whatever the case, what do you think about the iPhone 14 Pro Max: what does Apple need to improve to make you buy one?