Video Review: Three Months With the iPhone 14 Pro Max

[v0lume4]

I’d rather scratch my screen. Those screen protectors are awful.

It'd been a while since I've used a screen protector so maybe they've gotten better. But, the feeling of the bare glass with its oleophobic coating is lost with protectors.

Not to mention the delicious layer of gook that builds up around the edge of the screen protector over the life of the phone.

 

[TripleYoThreat]

I kinda like the 14 PM.. but the forced e-sim ONLY ( US ) has me holding on to the 13PM...

Was looking to upgrade for additional storage and better camera, but there's no way I'm going e-sim only when I switch devices ( iOS <-> Android ) frequently!

That's interesting - I've thought of device switching but it has never been practical for me.
I carry both, an Android and an iPhone 14 Pro. Best decision I made. P.S. does everyone know you can get unlimited text, calls, and like 10 gb for 25 bucks a month with USmobile?! That really changed it all for me. So I pay 75 a month with my iPhone 14 Pro on the iUP with AppleCare+ and service altogether. bought the android upfront so 100 a month covers the iphone and both lines. it was a very minute find that i'm very happy with which is why I speak of it so highly.

As cool as switching has always sounded to me, having both is unbeatable.

At this point though, there's little the Android can do that the iPhone can't. It used to be great for me when I was making music cause I could download beats that producers sent me and they would instantly be in my library.

I don't make music anymore.
Sideloading apps for some additional features on android is nice...I do use youtube vanced to play audio from youtube. But otherwise, I can't think of anything that the android does that the iPhone can't. essentially providing a second line / number at this point.

 

[TripleYoThreat]

I’d rather scratch my screen. Those screen protectors are awful.

It'd been a while since I've used a screen protector so maybe they've gotten better. But, the feeling of the bare glass with its oleophobic coating is lost with protectors.

Not to mention the delicious layer of gook that builds up around the edge of the screen protector over the life of the phone.

What really got me is the rainbow dots I see. it genuinely detracts from the beauty of the screen. Even the tempered glass show these rainbow dots. I do have a tempered glass on but now thinking of removing it. I think the feeling of the tempered glass is close to the stock phone, but the clarity is significantly dampered.

if anyone knows of a tempered glass that doesnt show those rainbow dots (most visible on white) please recommend it!

 

[Bcn]

I am partly very happy for my 14max. I am using a case with cover, so I can carry some money and cards. Been doing that on my iPhone X too and never seen any scratch in 5 years.
The phone screen is the biggest I ever had and I love it.
But I have a weird issue with my 14max. I have even had a full inspection in the apple shop and they didn’t find any issues. They did all the tests from their machine.
On ios16 there was no issues, but around the time since I had ios16.1, somehow the dynamic island are playing around with me. Whatever music app I am listening to, will open from the island from time to time. Let’s say I pick up the phone the music anpp I anm using opens up. Sometimes I go to another app, the music app opens up (I don’t touch the island). It’s very annoying. It can even go between two apps and suddenly it kind of freeze and I can only close the app, when I make my phone sleep.
Also sometimes I open up a chat in WhatsApp and it scroll back to the first message in that chat history.
The genius made all kind of inspections and told me, it might be a software issue (let’s see if 16.2 will fix it) or possible a full reset could fix it (I will do that soon and download everything back from iCloud).
Anyone else with similar issue or any help?

 

[TripleYoThreat]

I am partly very happy for my 14max. I am using a case with cover, so I can carry some money and cards. Been doing that on my iPhone X too and never seen any scratch in 5 years.
The phone screen is the biggest I ever had and I love it.
But I have a weird issue with my 14max. I have even had a full inspection in the apple shop and they didn’t find any issues. They did all the tests from their machine.
On ios16 there was no issues, but around the time since I had ios16.1 and also now with 16.2, somehow the dynamic island are playing around with me. Whatever music app I am listening to, will open from the island from time to time. Let’s say I pick up the phone the music anpp I anm using opens up. Sometimes I go to another app, the music app opens up (I don’t touch the island). It’s very annoying. It can even go between two apps and suddenly it kind of freeze and I can only close the app, when I make my phone sleep.
Also sometimes I open up a chat in WhatsApp and it scroll back to the first message in that chat history.
The genius made all kind of inspections and told me, it might be a software issue (but 16.2 did not fix it) or possible a full reset could fix it (I will do that soon and download everything back from iCloud).
Anyone else with similar issue or any help?

Sounds like the first bit is the culprit - the cover case. Try it without a case or without that case. Seems surely something is clicking at the top of the screen, hence scrolling to the top or opening the dynamic island app.
This should fix it.

 

[OasisNYK]

I love mine. But the screen glass is awful. I already have a tiny scratch/crack I can run a nail across and feel. Maybe 1/8 long and just enough to be annoying when I see it. It’s in a case and never dropped so I have no idea where it came from. But very disappointing.

I noticed the screen glass is not as good as the 13 Pro. I got a scratch on mine the first week and kept it pretty pristine so no idea how it happened. My 13 Pro has no scratches after a year (actually my first iPhone in a long time to survive that long with no scratches.

 

[CaptainV]

I am switching from a 13 Pro to 14 Pro Max. Would never have purchased it for this small bump but could get one via work. Curious and anxious to see how the size and weight difference will be in day to day life for me. Otherwise I’ll return it for a 14 Pro.

 

[applesed]

Coming from the 6s plus, even though the ppi is higher feels like the resolution is lower, the apps are more zoomed in rather. It is certainly heavier and takes getting used to, but obviously the trade off is I’m not constantly having it plugged in, which is really nice. My kids tell me Pokémon go has no lag now and Apple Arcade has really neat games.

 

[Ubele]

As a, um, long-term user of the iPhone 14 Pro Max (I got one the week they were released), I'm thrilled with mine. Aside from making phone calls, my primary use is for taking pictures and shooting video, and the 14 PM is a huge upgrade from my XR, especially for low-light shots. The only time I came close to draining the battery was when I spent a day shooting photos, along with making phone calls and checking things on Safari and Maps.

I'm surprised by all the comments about scratches on the display. I've owned the 3G, 4, 5, 6S+, XR, and 14 PM, and I never got a scratch on any of them. I stopped using a screen protector after the 3G. I've been using Urban Armor cases since the 4, which have kept the displays from coming into contact with the ground on occasions when I dropped my phone. I keep my phone in my left pants pocket with nothing else except Kleenex (keys go in my right pocket), in the inside pocket of my jacket when I'm wearing one, or in a pocket of my gym bag when I work out. I'm sure my pockets get as linty as most people's. When I trade in my phones, the sales clerks always remark that they look brand new. I've attributed it to the quality of Apple's products, along with UA cases and my generally being careful. Maybe I've just been lucky.

 

[NachoGrande]

I really dislike my pro max. The dynamic island is awful and the screen scrubbing needs to be a user setting. Worst feature ever put into an iPhone. The larger screen magnifies the awfulness of it.

 

[philcourage]

Would be funny to see anyone in this videos say "you know, I really burned money on this thing, I didn't need it at all, I should had kept the one I had".

 

[bigpoppa]

Horrible battery life compared to the 13 Pro Max which was at 99% capacity when I traded it in. 🤦‍♂️

To everyone disagreeing, be glad it’s not your experience. PS you ****!

 

[SSDGUY]

No doubt, this silver 14pro makes up for all of the missed iPhones I didn’t get for one reason or another…. Usually money (4s, silver 5s, green 5c, jet black 7, X, iPhone 11pro when it was the newest)

Now that I have the pro, I completely understand the angst against the nominal upgrades every year, and the boredom people report, because this is seriously the best iPhone Apple has ever created. (Which is a really obvious and truthful statement.) and there’s no where to go from here except a newer iPhone, and they aren’t making huge changes year to year anymore.

I can’t imagine anything that would really make me have FOMO on future iPhone. That may change in two or three years, but so far the rumors for the 15 are already underwhelming (especially because you’ll need the Max to get the periscope lens… which I won’t ever get a Max phone: too big.)

I don't recall Apple ever making huge changes year to year. Yeah maybe a tad bigger, a bit better camera with each iteration, touch ID, etc … never anything massively ground breaking IMO. Even some set backs like the antenna that you could "hold wrong". Perhaps the 14 pros w/ the larger sensor and 48 megapixel option is more than we've seen in a while? Dynamic island has yet to be very useful, at least for me. I jumped from 11Pro to 14 Pro and it's a nice boost in some ways, but day to day use of the device is basically the same, aside from the added weight and lens bulk … ugh!

 

[coffeemilktea]

There is a deep scratch on the display, but that tends to happen with no case

I've been using my iPhone 11 Pro Max for three years with no screen protector (and sometimes with no case, because there's nothing like living with danger to make someone feel alive) and the display still looks flawless

 

[_Spinn_]

Great video summary!

 

[Abstract]

Serious question, how do pro max users carry the their phones? Even just around the house but also outside. For me even the 14 regular just doesn’t fit in many pockets, or if it fits for a moment, it falls out suuuuper easily.

Also would be very interested if any pro max (or even 14 or 14 pro) users bicycle or use public transit? I spend just about a week using the 14 regular model and while I enjoyed the larger screen size for several uses like work emails and writing and grading, I am just more prone to drop or fumble the phone since I just can’t transport it easily, and again that applies to being outside home, as much as just being at home from one room to another, in sweats or similar.

Serious answer: Easier than it looks! The 14PM is my first Max/Plus-sized phone, and was afraid of the same thing.

I’m 5’9” (176cm) tall and wear slim work pants, skinny jeans, and (somewhat short) shorts. No issues so far. One reason may be due to the prevalence of large smartphones over the last 6-7 years, and the deeper pockets now included on pants ever since.

It has fit in all the pant pockets I’ve tried so far, and slides in and out quite easily. However, this is without a case, so phone is thin and slippery. With a case on, it may not be as easy because it’s more grippy?

My only concern is that when I wear shorts with loose pockets, the phone may drop out when I sit down. However, I suppose that’s true for anything I put in there. 😂

 

[JazzyGB1]

I know this is a website that thrives because of Apple and I expect it to be positive toward Apple products, but I do wish they'd be more critical of Apple sometimes. It would make me respect them more and it might make Apple sit up and take notice and actually make improvements to their products.
I don't have an iPhone 14 Pro, but I'd be extremely miffed if after spending £1100 buying one that it didn't get me through a working day - wow! If that's the case (as is mentioned in the video) they should be far more critical of it. It's Apple's 'Pro' model after all, not their entry level handset.
I've used Apple stuff for decades and I'm a HUGE Apple fan, but there's still some shortcomings on iPhone that haven't been addressed for years that really should have been improved by now.
The two that spring to mind are...
1: The keyboard. Having to swap keyboard layouts just to access numbers...🤬. It makes inputting passwords a real pain in the arse. There's plenty of space on the display for Apple to be able to add the numbers above the keyboard just as they do on Android phones.
2:User Ringtones...I mean ffs! I'd imagine the revenue from Apple selling 'ringtones' is microscopic in the grand scheme of things, so this imposed limitation is petty. The faff of trying to personalise a ringtone and the hoops you have to jump through to make it happen are just ridiculous. It's especially vexing as even early phones from Nokia and Sony in the early 00's offered you this. Having to format to M4r for a ringtone and not be over 30 seconds long etc etc...really (sigh).
Now I know these aren't unassailable flaws, but websites like Mac Rumors should be highlighting things like this IMO, because it's only by people with a large Apple fan base like them doing so that these things change.
Anyway...