With the new Photonic Engine, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max introduce some major improvements in camera technology. We spent the last week working on an in-depth comparison between the new iPhone 14 Pro Max and the previous-generation iPhone 13 Pro Max, to see how much better the new device can be.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.Unless 48-megapixel images are enabled through the ProRAW option, a standard 12-megapixel photo will be created if the iPhone 14 Pro models use the same method. There isn't an immediate difference in quality when you compare a 12-megapixel image from the iPhone 14 Pro Max to a 12-megapixel image from the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The shadows and highlights on the iPhone 14 Pro Max can be better, and the colors can be more vibrant, but it's not a big deal.
There's a big upgrade where you'll notice it is turning on ProRAW. There is more detail in the image than in the one from the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but file size is a problem. You will quickly run out of storage if you have over 60 MB of images. If you choose the ProRAW option, you will see improvements over what you can get from the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
There is a new 2x telephoto option that crops in to the image from the full resolution. The focal length of the iPhone 14 Pro models is now limited to 3x. The 2x telephoto is a great length for portraits or if you just want to zoom in a bit, and because it's the main camera, the quality is better than with the telephoto lens.
According to Apple, the Photonic Engine that is designed to enable Deep Fusion earlier in the Computational Photography process brings at least 2x improvement to all of the camera lens, but it's hard to see that improvement in side by side Night Mode photos from the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max Night Mode photos have less noise and less light reflection but it's not night and day. There are no drastic changes to the photos because the iPhone 13 Pro Max was already good.
There are improvements to Cinematic Mode, as well as Action Mode, which is supposed to mimic the stabilization you get with a Gimbal. The Cinematic Mode on the iPhone 13 Pro Max can now be used in 4K at 24 frames per second, up from the max resolution of the phone.
Action Mode improves stabilization when you're shooting video while moving, so it's useful for filming a pet or a child, or taking action shots. If you need the extra stabilization, you probably won't want to have it enabled at all times since it's a downgrade over 4K, but it's a solid feature if you need it. Action Mode's stabilization boost may not be needed in many cases as the built-in default stabilization is good enough.
The new features in the iPhone 14 Pro Max cameras are better than the ones in the iPhone 13 Pro Max cameras, but most people will only use the new features once or twice a day. Dynamic Island, always-on display technology, Emergency SOS via Satellite, and Crash Detection are some of the other features you can upgrade to if you already have an Apple device.
Do you think the Pro Max camera is better than the Pro Max camera in terms of quality? You can watch the full video to see the two phones in action.
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