That iPhone 14 Pro Max has served you faithfully for the past three years, but with Apple about to start selling the iPhone 17 Pro Max this week, maybe it's time to consider an upgrade. Our iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max face-off details just how much can change with just a few years of phone upgrades.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max introduces some big changes of its own, including a brighter display, improved telephoto lens and a new processor. It's a pretty notable upgrade from last year's phone, let alone one that debuted in 2022.
And that's before we take into account all that's changed with the iPhone Pro Max series in the time since the iPhone 14 Pro Max hit the market. There are buttons on the side of the phone that weren't there previously. The screen is bigger and, unfortunately, so is the starting price.
We may be holding on to our current phones longer than ever, but this iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max comparison can help you decide if the changes over the last few years are enough to justify an upgrade.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max specs
iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
Starting price | $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,199 | $1,099 / £1,199 / AU$1,899 |
Display | 6.9 inches | 6.7 inches |
CPU | A19 Pro | A16 Bionic |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Rear cameras | 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP 4x telephoto | 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP 3x telephoto |
Front camera | 18MP | 12MP |
Colors | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue | Purple, Gold, Silver, Space Black |
Size | 6.4 x 3.0 x 0.34 inches | 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.31 inches |
Weight | 8.22 ounces | 8.47 ounces |
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max price and availability
If you bought an iPhone 14 Pro Max back when it first came out, you paid a princely sum of $1,099 for the base model. And if you're thinking about an upgrade, get ready to pay more.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max debuted a year after the iPhone 14 Pro Max, bringing with it a $100 price hike. That's stuck around through the iPhone 17 Pro Max release, meaning it'll cost you $1,199 to upgrade to the latest model, at least before iPhone 17 preorder deals bring down the cost.
On the bright side, you get more storage for your buck, these days. Apple's included 256GB with the base model Pro Max since the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 Pro Max offered just 128GB, though higher-capacity configurations were available.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max goes on sale this Friday (September 19). As noted, preorders for the phone are already underway.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max design
In the time since you bought your iPhone 14 Pro Max, the titanium era of Apple's Pro phones has come and gone. While Apple used the lighter, more durable material for the two phone releases since the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is back to using aluminum.
But don't think you're getting a less durable phone with this new model. The iPhone 17 Pro Max marks the debut of Ceramic Shield 2, which is three times more scratch resistant than the version of Ceramic Shield that's on older phones like the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple uses the original Ceramic Shield on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro Max for added durability.
Apple has also been in the business of adding buttons to its phones since the iPhone 14 Pro Max's debut. The mute switch now doubles as an Action button to trigger a shortcut of your choosing, while a Camera Control button lets you launch the camera app more quickly.
And of course, you'll notice the difference in back panel designs, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max adopting a stretched out camera array that spans the upper rear of the device.
This is not your year if you've always loved black Pro Max models. The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes in silver, orange and blue, compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max's purple, gold, silver and space black options.
Expect a bigger phone as well, with the 6.4 x 3 x 0.34-inch iPhone 17 Pro Max being both taller and thicker than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The older phone is fractionally wider, and it also weighs more — 8.47 ounces versus 8.22 ounces for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max display
There's a reason for the size increase in the iPhone 17 Pro Max compared to the older model. Apple started using a 6.9-inch display with the iPhone 16 Pro Max last year, and that panel has remained for the new version. You'll enjoy more screen real estate than you would on the iPhone 14 Pro Max's 6.7-inch display, though both screens feature matching 120Hz refresh rates.
Apple also promises a brighter display than the one on its 3-year-old phone. The iPhone 14 Pro Max peaked at 2,000 nits of brightness outdoors, but that's ramped up to 3,000 nits for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max cameras
Much has changed in the world of cameras since the iPhone 14 Pro Max's day. Back then, we were celebrating the arrival of a 48 main camera. These days, if you talk about a 48MP lens, the question you'd be asked about the iPhone 17 Pro Max would be "which one?"
All three rear shooters on the latest Pro Max use a 48MP sensor, including an upgraded telephoto lens that's capable of a 4x optical zoom; that zoom camera can also approximate an 8x zoom using photo processing. The iPhone 14 Pro Max's 12MP telephoto lens topped out at a 3x optical zoom.
Apple also switched out the front camera with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Gone is the 14 Pro Max's 12MP TrueDepth camera replaced by an 18MP Center Stage camera that's capable of changing around the orientation of selfies depending on how many people are in the frame.
It's not just about hardware upgrades. The iPhone 17 Pro Max can record with both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, and it supports a wealth of Pro video features (ProRes RAW, Log 2, and Genlock) that are absent from the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max performance
One obvious difference when you're comparing phones that are several years apart from one another involves the system-on-chip that powers both devices. While the A16 Bionic inside the iPhone 14 Pro Max was Apple's top chip in its day, we're now up to the A19 Pro for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That's a 3nm chip compared to the 4nm A16 Bionic, so you'd expect sizable gains in performance and power efficiency.
We can't say what the iPhone 17 Pro Max's benchmark scores look like until we complete our review of that phone. But the iPhone 16 Pro Max and its A18 Pro chipset posted single- and multicore scores of 3,400 and 8,341, respectively on Geekbench 6. According to the Geekbench website, the iPhone 14 Pro Max turned in 2,600 and 6,667 results on those Geekbench 6 tests. (Back when we tested the iPhone 14 Pro Max in 2022, we were still using Geekbench 5.) We're anticipating a big iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max improvement.
There's another reason to expect better performance from the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple has equipped this year's Pro phones with a vapor chamber which should help prevent overheating, allowing for better sustained performance.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max battery life and charging
Comparing battery life before we've completed testing is a tough ask, but we imagine that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will last longer than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. When we tested that latter device, it held out for more than 13.5 hours on our battery test, which involves surfing the web continuously over a cellular connection while the battery drains.
That was a great result in 2022, but subsequent generations of Pro Max models have gotten even better. The iPhone 16 Pro Max topped the 17-hour mark last year, and given the iPhone 17 Pro Max's likely larger battery and more power-efficient chip, we'd anticipate another gain.
We do know that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will charge faster — up to a 50% charge after 20 minutes. The iPhone 14 Pro Max fell just shy of 50% after 30 minutes in our testing.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max software
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has at least one thing in common with Apple's new iPhones. Those models are all shipping with iOS 26 pre-installed, but iPhone 14 Pro Max owners can upgrade to the new software update now that the full version of this year's iOS version is out.
However, not every iOS 26 feature is going to run on an iPhone 14 Pro Max. Remember, that Apple Intelligence requires an A17 Pro chipset or better — the older iPhone's A16 Bionic silicon doesn't cut it. So while the iPhone 17 Pro Max may offer features like Visual Intelligence, real-time translations in phone calls and image generation tools, the iPhone 14 Pro Max does not.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max outlook
Our iPhone 17 Pro Max first impressions are largely positive, given all the changes Apple has introduced. Compare this model to one released three years ago, and it's really no contest.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has better cameras, a faster processor and a bigger screen than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It's almost certain to have longer battery life, too, and it can run Apple Intelligence features that are out of the 14 Pro Max's reach. If you can swing the higher price tag, you're definitely getting a better phone than the one that debuted three years ago.
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More from Tom's Guide
- iOS 26 guide: All the new features for your iPhone and how to use them
- iPhone 17 Pro models get a vapor chamber — why this is a big deal
- Did Apple ‘downgrade’ the telephoto camera with the iPhone 17 Pro? Here’s what you need to know
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