iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: Big Upgrades

The Apple September event is drawing near, making a comparison of the iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max more important than ever. Apple will most likely unveil its latest iPhones at that event, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max expected to be the top device in the iPhone 14 lineup.

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After all, the iPhone 13 Pro Max currently holds the top spot. It's the best phone you can buy right now. Even with Apple track record of releasing improved devices every fall, topping the iPhone 13 Pro Max appears to be a tall order.

However, based on the iPhone 14 Pro rumours we've heard in the run-up to its release this fall, Apple may be up to the task. The Pro lineup is expected to receive the most significant upgrades among Apple newest handsets, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, as the largest and most expensive model, should benefit the most from that strategy.

Until Apple officially unveils the iPhone 14 lineup, we won't know how the new Pro Max model compares to its predecessor. But, thanks to a steady stream of rumours about Apple upcoming iPhone plans, we have a pretty good idea of the differences between the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max specs

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: Price

Let's start with the bad news: you'll probably pay more for the iPhone 14 Pro Max than you would have for the same-sized iPhone Pro model last year. According to multiple rumours, the price of the iPhone 14 Pro models will rise by $100. That means the iPhone 14 Pro will start at the same price as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, $1,099, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max will cost $1,199. That is the price of Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, the closest competitor to the iPhone Pro Max model.

If you want a large-screen iPhone but don't want to spend more than $1,000, you're not completely out of luck. According to reports, Apple will release a new iPhone 14 Max model this fall. Consider the standard iPhone, but with a Max-sized screen. That phone is expected to cost $899, but as our iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro comparison shows, the Pro model will have more features to justify the higher price.

That's what an iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max comparison boils down to if Apple goes ahead with the $100 price increase. Will this year's model's new features make people forget about the higher price? To find out, let's delve deeper into the rumoured features.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: Design and Display

At first glance, the iPhone 14 Pro Max appears to be similar to its predecessor, with flat edges surrounding a 6.7-inch display that dominates the phone's face. The difference this time is that no notch is expected to protrude from the top of the screen. Instead, the front camera and Face ID sensors on the iPhone 14 Pro Max are said to be housed in dual cutouts, giving you a little more screen space to work with. It remains to be seen whether the cutouts are more distracting than the notch on the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The backs of the phones should be identical, with one notable exception. Because the iPhone 14 Pro Max will have a larger camera sensor, the camera array may be slightly larger. That's notable because the camera array on the iPhone 13 Pro Max isn't exactly svelte.

The graphite, silver, and gold colours from the iPhone 13 Pro Max will almost certainly be retained for the new model. Other rumours about iPhone 14 colours point to a new purple option for the pro models. That would leave the iPhone 13 Pro Max current Sierra Blue and Alpine Green colours out in the cold.

Apple current Pro models have Pro Motion displays, which have dynamic refresh rates ranging from 10Hz to 120Hz depending on the on-screen action. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is almost certain to keep this adaptive refresh rate, and there's a rumour that the refresh rate could drop as low as 1Hz, matching the range of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It would also pave the way for the iPhone 14 Pro models to have an always-on display.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: Cameras

While the iPhone 14 Pro Max will have the same rear camera array with wide, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses, the main camera will be significantly different. Rumors suggest that the iPhone 14 Pro series will feature a 48MP main camera, putting an end to years of 12MP sensors on Apple phones. Along with a larger sensor, the new camera is expected to produce brighter images than previous iPhones, as well as support 8K video.

We haven't heard anything about any rumoured changes to the iPhone 14 Pro Max ultrawide and telephoto lenses. Apple may also introduce new camera software features similar to the Cinematic Mode introduced with the iPhone 13 lineup.

At least one analyst believes the entire iPhone 14 lineup will get a new selfie camera. The updated camera is expected to have a larger aperture and a more complex 6-part lens, as well as autofocus. Given Apple's recent emphasis on video chats, the rumoured changes make sense.

When all of these changes are considered, it appears that the iPhone 14 Pro Max will provide a better camera experience than the iPhone 13 Pro Max — impressive, given that the latter phone already ranks as the best camera phone in our opinion.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: Performance

While some rumours suggest that the standard iPhone 14 will not receive an upgrade from the A15 Bionic processor that powered the iPhone 13 lineup, the iPhone 14 Pro Max will. This year's iPhone Pro models should get a new A16 Bionic chipset, which promises better performance and more efficient power use.

How much better can it get? An A16 Bionic vs. A15 Bionic comparison suggests that the new chipset will be built on the same 5-nanometer process as its predecessor. Because the A16 will be Apple's third 5nm chipset, any overall performance boost will be minor at best. However, there is some speculation that Apple will add another core to the A16's GPU, which would improve graphics performance. We'd expect the iPhone 14 Pro Max to ride the A16 Bionic to the best benchmark numbers we've seen from a phone, given that the A15 already outperforms Android phones.

The RAM in the iPhone 14 Pro Max will most likely be the same as in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but Apple new Pro models may use faster LPDDR5 memory. Another rumour suggests that the Pro models this year will start with 256GB of storage rather than 128GB, possibly to offset the $100 price increase; however, a more recent report dismisses this iPhone 14 Pro Max storage rumour.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max Battery: Life and Charging

Apple increased battery sizes across the board for the iPhone 13 lineup, with the iPhone 13 Pro Max getting a 4,352 mAh cell. This contributed to the phone lasting 12 hours and 16 minutes on our battery test, putting the iPhone 13 Pro Max on our list of the best phones for battery life.

It's unlikely that Apple will include a larger battery in the iPhone 14 Pro Max — in fact, one report suggests that the battery will be slightly smaller than in the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Nonetheless, given the A16 Bionic chipset likely power efficiency improvements as well as the display refresh rate, the iPhone 14 Pro Max should be able to keep up with its predecessor.

iPhones continue to charge at 20W, while rival Android devices seek ever-faster charging speeds. We haven't heard much about the expected charging prowess of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, though a rumour earlier this year suggested that Apple was working on 30W charging. Though the iPhone 13 Pro Max does reach 50% capacity after half an hour, any improvement would be welcome.

There is one change we are fairly certain the iPhone 14 Pro Max will not include: a USB-C port on this year's models. There was some hope for that, as European regulators are pressuring Apple to abandon its proprietary Lightning charging system. However, analysts do not expect that switch to take place until 2023.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: Overall

The iPhone 13 Pro Max was a near-perfect phone that set the standard for every phone that came after it, including the iPhone 14 Pro Max. We'll soon find out if Apple's next phone is up to the task of outdoing last year's model, but the numerous rumoured changes suggest that Apple is leaving nothing to chance.