The all-new iPhone 15 Pro Max is now available, which makes it a strange time for the iPhone 14 Pro Max – is the slightly older phone still worth buying in 2023?
We’d argue the iPhone 14 Pro Max is still worth picking up now, especially if you’re more interested in saving money than getting a few new features.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is up to AU$400 cheaper than the latest iPhone 15 Pro Max, but this is due in part to Apple dropping the 128GB model from its latest range. No matter which of the phones you decide to buy, we recommend Vodafone for the best Pro Max plans.
If you don’t want to be tied to a phone contract, your other option is to buy the iPhone 14 Pro Max outright. There will be a high upfront cost if you go this route, however, you could save some cash in the longer term by signing up to one of the best SIM-only plans. We’ve occasionally spotted Amazon offering a small discount on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for a price cut in the coming weeks.
Best iPhone 14 Pro Max plans: our picks
Best overall iPhone 14 Pro Max plan
Cheap iPhone 14 Pro Max plans
There’s no getting around the fact that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is an expensive investment. If you’re looking to lower your monthly bill, you could opt to get the phone on a 36-month contract. This will lower your monthly phone repayments, but you’ll be tied to your chosen telco for longer, which could mean you end up paying more for your data than you would on a SIM-only plan. An alternative is Numobile, which allows you to rent the iPhone 14 Pro Max for a set period.
Compare iPhone 14 Pro Max plans
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is now boasting a 48MP camera (bumped up from 2021’s 12MP) and an interesting take on the notch (it can now shrink and expand to show you notifications and the like). Prices start at AU$1,899 – here’s how much each plan costs from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone:
iPhone 14 Pro Max @ Telstra (24m term)
| Storage | Basic (40GB) | Essential (180GB) | Premium (300GB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 128GB | AU$141.12 | AU$151.12 | AU$174.12 |
| 256GB | AU$149.45 | AU$159.45 | AU$182.45 |
| 512GB | AU$162.79 | AU$172.79 | AU$195.79 |
| 1TB | AU$177.37 | AU$187.37 | AU$210.37 |
iPhone 14 Pro Max @ Optus (24m term)
| Storage | S (30GB) | M (100GB) | L (220GB) | XL (360GB) | Plus (500GB)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 128GB | AU$128.11 | AU$138.11 | AU$148.11 | AU$168.11 | AU$148.11 |
| 256GB | AU$136.45 | AU$146.45 | AU$156.45 | AU$176.45 | AU$156.45 |
| 512GB | AU$149.77 | AU$159.77 | AU$169.77 | AU$189.77 | AU$169.77 |
| 1TB | AU$164.35 | AU$174.35 | AU$184.35 | AU$204.35 | AU$184.35 |
* AU$69p/m price for first 12 months, then reverts to AU$89p/m.
iPhone 14 Pro Max @ Vodafone (24m term)
| Storage | Small (40GB) | Medium (150GB) | Large (300GB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 128GB | AU$119.95 | AU$129.95 | AU$139.95 |
| 256GB | AU$128.29 | AU$138.29 | AU$148.29 |
| 512GB | AU$141.62 | AU$151.62 | AU$161.62 |
| 1TB | AU$156.20 | AU$166.20 | AU$176.20 |
Outright iPhone 14 Pro Max deals
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is available to buy outright from these major retailers:
| Storage | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | AU$1,899 | AU$2,099 | AU$2,419 | AU$2,769 |
| Colours | Black, white, gold, dark purple | Black, white, gold, dark purple | Black, white, gold, dark purple | Black, white, gold, dark purple |
iPhone 14 Pro Max at a glance: what you need to know
OS: iOS 16 | Screen size: 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR (up to 120Hz) | Resolution: 2796 x 1290 | CPU: A16 Bionic | Memory: 6GB RAM | Weight: 240g | Storage: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | Battery: 4,323mAh | Rear camera: 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto | Front camera: 12MP
To put it simply, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the biggest and best of everything in an iPhone. Some of those headline features include incredible cameras, a faster processor and an always-on display that’s got a completely new take on the notch. It all comes at a cost though, with prices starting at AU$1,899.
Of all the advancements the 14 Pro Max has received, we’re most excited about the camera upgrades. After years of outfitting its phones with a 12MP lens (seriously, we’re talking since the iPhone 7), Apple has finally graced the iPhone with a 48MP sensor. It does this by pixel binning, which combines 4 pixels into one – something that Samsung has been doing for a while now. The result is beautiful images with greater colour.
The three-camera array on the back also includes a 12MP ultrawide lens and a 12MP telephoto, which both come with new sensors, improving shots in low-light. The lenses aren’t the only thing making the iPhone’s photos better though, there’s also Apple’s Photonic Engine making improvements behind the scenes. Photonic Engine is software that uses existing computational power and AI to upgrade image quality, even when using the uncompressed RAW format.
Unlike the regular iPhone 14, the 14 Pro Max has a brand-new processor inside – the A16 Bionic chip. It’s this chipset that lends more power to the phone’s photography capabilities, though unfortunately, it doesn’t result in better battery life than the iPhone 13 Pro Max (a little more on that below). Testing has shown that the A16 Bionic is marginally more powerful than the A15, and is still outpacing the CPUs in Samsung and Google devices.
Going back to battery life, our testing has found that the iPhone 14 Pro Max doesn’t give you more hours of juice compared to the 13 Pro Max. While Apple is promising 29 hours of video playback, our own experience found that only 26 hours were possible with limited use indoors. We think the battery drain can be pinned on the new always-on display, with outdoor use in bright sunlight depleting it faster.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max gets you a gorgeous 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display, and a pretty innovative take on the divisive notch. Apple has filled the once dead space surrounding the notch with pixels, which now animate the area with alerts and notifications. The space is called Dynamic Island, and it shrinks and expands when you tap it, showing notifications for Maps, music, calls and more.
