I have the iPhone 14 Pro Max - here are some early thoughts
I have the iPhone 14 Pro Max - here are some early thoughts
A special edition of Wiretapped with a few thoughts on the iPhone 14 Pro Max as I continue reviewing it.
I was one of the (presumably) millions of customers who received their iPhone 14 Pro Max on launch day, September 16th. It arrived the same day as my Apple Watch Series 8 (the first new Apple Watch I’ve ever had since my Series 3) and Sony’s WH-1000XM5 over-ear headphones. This past Friday, I also received a pair of second-gen AirPods Pro. It’s Techtember after all, so it’s natural for me to be swimming around in a ton of new gadgets. These put the total number of reviews I have to do for Matridox up to around seven or eight (I’ve lost count at this point, honestly), so stay tuned for lots of content going into the fall and holiday season.
In the meantime, I’ve got some thoughts on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. I’m coming from an iPhone 13 Pro which, admittedly, is a move I don’t think any normal person should make. The 13 Pro and 14 Pro are not that much different beyond aesthetics and camera hardware - batteries are similar, performance is similar, software is almost the same, and the prices are the same: $999 for the 6.1-inch model, $1,099 for the 6.7-inch model.
The big draw is the Dynamic Island, Apple’s new software feature that compliments the “i”-shaped cutout for the Face ID sensors and selfie camera. I’m not afraid to say that I completely laughed it off when it was announced because, at least to me, it seemed that the company was grasping to find a new feature that would drive sales of its phones. Getting to finally use the Dynamic Island, I found that my opinion hasn’t changed very much, but I definitely understand the appeal.
It’s far better to look at, for one. I don’t typically mind static notches at the top of phone screens, but now that the iPhone has one that moves, I’ve started reconsidering whether all notches should move. (The correct response to that idea is no - notches can remain static all they want because static notches are no big deal.) Visuals aside, I’ve found it somewhat useful: when playing music, it’s one tap to get back to the music player you’re using and a long-press to control playback. That’s really convenient, and it works regardless of the app you’re in.
If you launch something in another app that also uses the Island to display information, it’s smart enough to split so you could, for example, see turn-by-turn directions while a podcast plays. This is all very smart and very Apple, but it’s not revolutionary by any means.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it looks great, and it’s cool to see Apple experiment with the notch. But it’s by no means a reason to buy the iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, so don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that’s true.
That being said, this game is incredible and might make buying the iPhone 14 Pro worth it.
There’s also a handful of spec upgrades on the iPhone 14 Pro series. The A16 Bionic processor makes its debut, the screens on both phones go up to 2,000 nits (making them the brightest phone screens on the market), there’s a new 48MP main camera with upgraded ultra-wide and telephoto lenses, every camera is better in low-light, and there’s improved 5G connectivity. You also get Apple’s newest safety features: Emergency SOS and Car Crash Detection.
This generation of iPhone is more a grab-bag of new features and upgrades rather than a substantial leap forward in smartphone technology, and that’s how it feels using the 14 Pro Max. Coming from the 13 Pro, sure, the big screen was new to me, but it otherwise felt like just another iPhone.
Mind you, that’s not really a bad thing. The last few generations of iPhone have been quite good, with very high-end designs, killer specs, and solid battery life. They’re also further defined what it means to be a “Pro” iPhone, and the 14 Pro line takes another step in that direction with an even more powerful camera and the Dynamic Island.
Speaking of the camera, I’ve been pretty impressed with it thus far, but I’ve got a bit more testing to do before I can properly say whether it’s as good as Appel claims it is. Until then, enjoy this amazing shot of the sunset over Lakes Bay in Pleasantville, NJ I captured from the comfort of my kayak.
Like I said, I’m also testing a bunch of other tech as well, like the second-gen AirPods Pro and Apple Watch Series 8. My review of the latter is going up on CNN Underscored soon (stay tuned!), and I’ll have all of my thoughts on the new AirPods on Matridox.com in a couple of weeks. I also have a review cooking on the WH-1000XM5s which, to be perfectly clear, are incredible headphones.
We are officially in the thick of New Gadget Season. We still have a Google event to look forward to in October, new stuff from Amazon at another event, potentially new iPads and MacBooks from Apple, and more as we head into the holiday shopping season. Hope your credit cards are good and ready - there’s gonna be a buying frenzy in a matter of time.
News!
I have some news! On October 1st, Wiretapped will be getting a new name, a reimagining of its format, and a premium tier. I am very excited for this. Here’s a hint: the name can be found wherever I can. ;)