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Three of the four cameras on the back and one on the front of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are the same. And even if their functionality and reasoning appear to be very similar to those of the iPhone 13 Pro duo, every aspect of them—aside from the telephoto camera—has been enhanced. The largest update for the iPhone 14 Pro Max is related to its primary camera. It now has a 48MP 1/1.28″ sensor—a first for the iPhone—equipped with a Quad-Bayer color filter. The camera’s pixels are 1.22 µm in size before binning and 2.44 µm after. It has a 24mm f/1.78 lens attached to it. In addition, full-focus pixels and second-generation sensor-shift stabilization are present.
By cropping from the middle and using AI-assisted upscaling, the high-resolution primary sensor allows the camera app to introduce a new intermediate zooming step of 2x. There’s the normal 12MP RAW option as well as high-res 48MP RAW shooting.
The ultrawide camera also has a new 12MP sensor. With its huge 1.4µm pixels, this 1/2.55″ unit should produce more detailed and crisper photos, as well as better macro shots. The lens now has an f/2.2 aperture and an equivalent focal length of 14mm. This camera is capable of dual-pixel PDAF.
The 12MP 1/3.5″ telephoto imager with a 77mm f/2.8 OIS lens that offers 3x optical zoom over the primary camera remains unchanged.
Once again using a 12MP 1/3.6″ sensor, the selfie camera now has an autofocus system and a brighter f/1.9 aperture on its 23mm lens. Additionally, there is OIS, which was not disclosed by Apple during the event but was later made clear by a number of deconstruction videos. One must ask why Apple didn’t make a huge deal out of what may be the first selfie camera, at least for western markets.
All cameras have expanded dynamic range and cinematic stabilization, enabling 4K at 60 frames per second video recording. All cameras can capture Dolby Vision HDR in all modes. The Cinematic Mode now enables up to 4K HDR recording at 30 frames per second and is compatible with the primary, telephoto, and selfie cameras.
Camera app and features
Since iOS 13 and the iPhone 11, the viewfinder has remained mostly unchanged. The accurate calibration of the three cameras allows you to see what will be left outside of the frame in real-time, and you can see outside of the viewfinder.
All of the classic Apple image processing capabilities, such as Smart HDR, Night Mode, and Deep Fusion, are still present, but the Photonic Engine is the main attraction.
With the Apple A16 chip found only in the iPhone 14 Pro pair, the Photonic Engine is a novel addition to the iPhone camera. It claims a twofold improvement in mid- to low-light environments and further refines Deep Fusion.
When the lighting is not optimal but it’s not quite dark yet, Deep Fusion triggers are used instead of Smart HDR and Night Mode. Before pressing the shutter, additional frames are taken, followed by a single long exposure shot in Deep Fusion. The best frames will be chosen by the neural engine, which will then produce an HDR image that is sharp, detailed, and has a more realistic appearance. The machine learning method of the neural processor examines the image being captured and applies different processing based on what’s in the frame, such as the sky, greenery, or skin tones. In the meantime, the Apple CPU’s neural unit uses ratios to determine structure and color tones.
When a situation with low light levels appears, the Night Mode icon appears automatically. The advised seconds are displayed next to the Night Mode icon. You can eliminate the night mode completely or opt for a longer exposure.
Moreover, macro mode is offered. The autofocusing ability of the ultrawide camera makes it possible, and only the most recent Pro versions come with this feature.
1. Camera app
All three cameras—the primary, tele, and selfie—have portrait mode.
All cameras can shoot in RAW format, and the primary camera can shoot at 48MP; in fact, this is the only way to get 48MP photos out of the iPhone 14 Pros.
Photographic Styles is a feature that automatically makes adjustments to a picture, one component at a time (e.g., making separate fixes to the backdrop and subject). Standard, Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, and Cool are the options available to you. Each of these options can be adjusted to your taste, and you can make your favorite the default. It’s similar to filters but lasts longer.
2. Camera options
There is a Cinematic Mode that can now handle 4K HDR at both 24 and 30 frames per second. Although it uses automated rack focus, you can manually adjust the focus point after the fact because the phone captures a depth map concurrently with the video. The Clips and iMovie apps allow you to edit these kinds of videos.
Lastly, there is action mode, which can be used with any back camera at any resolution and frame rate but is designed to be used with the ultrawide camera at 2.8K@60fps. The 4K stabilized footage is drastically cropped to resemble the output of an action camera.
3. Daylight photo quality
The iPhone 14 Pro Max stores 12MP photos, as was to be expected, and these are much the same as what iPhones have been taking for the last few years. This translates to flawless contrast, accurate color reproduction, and detail devoid of noise. Apple’s approach to HDR processing, even with Smart HDR enabled, has been to provide a respectable dynamic range without making the images appear blatantly HDR-like, and this is also the case here.
The foliage rendition is one item about which we have reservations because it doesn’t look natural at all. Even though a 12MP image will always be outresolved by the leaves in a tree crown, we’ve seen far less severely processed renditions of such complex textures.
4. Main camera, 12 MP
If you shoot RAW at 48MP and then downscale the photos to 12MP in post-production without doing any more work, you should get better results. Because of the outstanding degree of detail and its natural portrayal, we’d go ahead and declare these outcomes to be class-leading. There is very little noise, gorgeous colors, perfect contrast, and a dynamic range. It begs the question of why Apple chose the default processor when there is obviously a superior one available.
48MP-to-12MP
Okay, but we skipped a step there. The 48MP RAW files are your only option if you want to get photos at the nominal resolution of the sensor; there’s no 48MP JPEG or HEIF mode. Again, without any processing other than a format conversion to JPEG, these 48MP images are the best we’ve seen from a Quad Bayer-type sensor in its ‘native’ resolution.
5. Main camera, 48MP
This exceptional performance is undeniably the reason why the iPhone 14 Pro Max is capable of producing great shots at the 2x zoom level—they are sourced from this main 48MP camera, after all. Detail is excellent—better than some dedicated 2x cameras, we’d say—while global parameters remain the same as in images saved in the native field of view.
6. Main camera, 2x zoom, 12 MP
There is a standalone telephoto camera, of course; that’s what the 3x zoom level in the viewfinder uses. These photos don’t disappoint either; they are detailed and sharp, with a natural look and likable rendition. The colors are accurate, the contrast is high, and the dynamic range is Apple-grade wide.
7. Portrait mode
You could say that Apple made ‘Portrait’ mode the big thing it is today, even if earlier attempts at faux bokeh did exist prior to the iPhone 7 Plus’ debut. Years later, the iPhone 14 Pro can shoot portraits at three zoom levels with two of its rear cameras (plus the front-facing one). This year, the new iPhone Pro generation offers 2x portraits in addition to 1x and 3x, and the 48mm equivalent focal length is perfect for such photos.
And they do! Let’s start with the 1x shots. The subjects are incredibly detailed, colorful, and well-exposed. Meanwhile, the background is blurred proficiently, and HDR is applied when necessary without making it too obvious. The depth map is accurate, and the separation in most cases is great, though complex backgrounds and light conditions pose a challenge.
The detail we observed in regular 2x zoom shots translates nicely to portrait mode, where the subject gets excellent sharpness and definition. Subject separation is proficient, while the background blur looks natural. This is the default zoom level for portraits, and we can see why that is the case: not only is image quality top-notch, but the perspective is flattering on the faces, while you also get decent coverage for some context.
8. Portraits, main camera, 2x zoom
That said, the native 1x zoom level works better for context, or for those cases where you’d like wider framing than just head and shoulders. The perspective from this focal length can distort faces if used at too short subject distances.
9. Portraits, main camera, 1x zoom
Conversely, the 3x zoom level is your best bet for true ‘portrait’ perspective, and it helps that subject separation remains excellent. It’s best used outdoors in ample light, however, because indoor scenes do end up on the noisy side.
10. Selfies
This year, Apple introduced OIS and autofocus for the selfie camera, while the sensor size and the lens field of view remained the same. The camera still offers two FoV settings in the viewfinder: the slightly zoomed-in 7MP crop that is equivalent to a 30mm field of view and the full 12MP mode, which has a 23mm equivalent FoV.
If you hold the phone in portrait orientation, selfies are cropped to 7MP to provide a tighter framing, but you rotate the phone horizontally, and you get more of the scene with the phone automatically switching to the wider 12MP mode. You can also switch between those two modes manually by tapping on the arrows near the shutter button.
We’ve always been fans of iPhone selfies, and the new hardware doesn’t change that. The 14 Pro Max captures nicely detailed photos, if a little too high on the micro-contrast, with well-contained noise. The dynamic range is wide, and the colors are pleasingly accurate.
Selfies, 12MP
Selfie photos can only be taken at a 7MP zoomed-in level; full-res, full-coverage is not an option. However, because of the 3D face-scanning gear, there are also excellent ones, with some of the best subject separation you can achieve in a selfie photo.
The Always On Display feature, which is new for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, lets you customize your own Always On Display to look especially nice by adding your wallpaper and widgets to it.
The TrueDepth camera, proximity sensor, and remaining Face ID components are located on the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s Dynamic Island, which is located up front. Users can quickly make Apple Pay payments with Face ID.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max’s camera, with a 48MP quad-pixel sensor with 100% focus pixels, picture stabilization, and a new Photonic Engine, may be another major selling point. Additionally, there is a 2X digital zoom photography mode that crops the primary camera sensor, as well as a 3X optical zoom camera. Additionally supported is portrait mode with portrait lighting.
Similar to utilizing a gimbal, the ultra-wide-angle camera enables even better image stabilization when capturing videos in Action Mode. Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s cinematic mode, which was limited to 1080p@30 frames per second, the upgraded cinematic mode now allows 4K@30 frames per second video recording. A larger aperture and scored autofocus are features of the selfie camera.
The phone supports AAC, FLAC, Apple lossless, and spatial audio. It features two stereo speakers.
Along with a wider F1.9 aperture that allows more light to reach the sensor, the front-facing FaceTime camera now includes autofocusing capabilities, which should improve overall image clarity and detail.
Because of its big 4,323 mAh battery, the Apple iPhone has excellent battery life. Up to 30W of charging power can be supported via rapid charging. There is also wireless charging via Qi and MagSafe on deck.
Choose from Deep Purple, Space Black, Silver, or Gold for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It features a front ceramic shield, a flat-edged stainless steel frame, and textured matte glass.
Crash detection and emergency SOS via satellite are features shared by all new iPhone models, including the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
iOS 16 is included with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, offering upgrades to Face ID, the lock screen, and Apple Pay.
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iPhone 14 Pro Max review
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best phone money can buy because of its innovative Dynamic Island, strong cameras, always-on display, and exceptionally extended battery life.
More than just the most powerful phone available, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is. Because of the ingenious new Dynamic Island for showing notifications and live activities, it’s a pleasure to use. Along with amazing cameras, including a new 48MP primary camera, Apple’s biggest Pro model also boasts an always-on display, an engaging Action mode for videos, and great battery life. Although it is costly, this phone is the best value for the money.
iPhone 14 Pro Max review: Cameras
With the iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple has completely changed the game in terms of cameras by introducing a 48MP wide sensor for the first time. The sensor will automatically cluster every four pixels into a quad-pixel and adjust for optimal light capture in 12MP images. If you want the highest level of information possible, you can choose for 48MP in Pro RAW mode, which is perfect for cropping in.
Along with the 12MP 3x telephoto zoom lens, the 48MP camera also offers a new 2x zoom option. However, the 10x dual optical arrangement of the Galaxy S22 Ultra offers a higher zoom.
A new, nearly twice-as-larger 12MP ultrawide camera and a 12MP TrueDepth camera with autofocus and a faster f/1.9 aperture for enhanced low-light photography are also included in the iPhone Pro Max. Better low-light performance is actually a recurrent trend with this phone, since each camera is equipped with a Photonic Engine driven by the A16 Bionic chip, which produces brighter, more colorful images.
To capture 48MP images, you must first enable Apple ProRaw and adjust the Settings app’s ProRaw resolution to 48MP. Although it would be simpler to enable this through the camera app at first, you can switch between RAW and regular photos there.
