iPhone 14 Pro Max

The best iPhone ever, version 2022, size XL – we have the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This year’s list of new features includes a notch that turns into a pill, an always-on display and the introduction of an all-new main camera – and while the 14 Pro has it all, the extra screen and longevity combined with Max’s extreme status mean that it has its niche. The Face ID notch has been with us since the iPhone X was no one’s favourite, and perhaps its reincarnation as a pill is a step toward its eventual removal. But not before the flash becomes a feature—the pill is a dynamic island of information that blurs the line between hardware and software. Similar is the always-on display, a software feature now only possible in Apple’s world, as LTPO displays can slow down to a 1Hz refresh rate. Among the main developments, this year is a huge increase in brightness, especially in the hardware.

After another party, Apple finally joins almost every other manufacturer and presents a camera with a Quad Bayer sensor – the 48-megapixel main unit does not match the specifications of the others, so it must be a unique design. The telephoto remains the same, but the ultra-wide has received a sensor size upgrade, while the front-facing camera now has autofocus (and possibly even OIS).

On the hardware, of course, there’s a mandatory patch update and little else worth mentioning. Well,  the US models have a SIM card slot that only works with eSIMs – does that count as a hardware change? Collision detection and emergency-style satellite connectivity are also on the list of new software and hardware interconnect features.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

A year later, the Note is not returned. As expected, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra brings small updates – there are camera improvements and mostly new chipsets – but how much can you improve on the S22 Ultra in just a year? We’ll try to answer that question and see if the new Ultra can excite in a way that the specs couldn’t.  And this is, of course, a broad technical table. At the heart of the Ultra is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, designed specifically for the Galaxy – clocked higher than the competition. Qualcomm’s latest high-end chip also comes with performance promises, and we’d never say no to the added durability.

The camera introduces a new 200-megapixel sensor, up from the Ultra’s previous 108-megapixel resolution. The pair of telephotos remains a staple of the collection and a distinctive feature in a market where 10x optical zoom is nowhere to be found outside of Samsung’s offerings. The 2023 Ultra is still the only model in the range to have ultra-wide-angle autofocus – more of a permanent statement about its lack of the smaller S23 models than a notable feature on the actual  Galaxy.

Otherwise, the long list of numbers and features below doesn’t bring much change to the previous generation. The battery capacity remains the same as the load rating; the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner didn’t suddenly become optical, proprietary features like DeX and Samsung Pay are still there, and you can trust that the screen is the best in the industry. A slight advantage is the 256GB of base storage – last year’s model started at an unreasonably low 128GB.

Design of iPhone 14 Pro Max

First, the industrial design of the iPhone has been an iterative development process over several years  – depending on how you look at it, since at least the 12,  11, or maybe even the X. Big disruptions aren’t Apple’s thing lately. and you’d be wrong to assume that, we say. And then there’s the fact that there isn’t much to improve on the iPhone’s build or design. There was constant speculation about what year the notch would disappear and what technological developments would need to be made to replace it (cough, under-display fingerprint sensors, cough) or what other unrelated event might trigger its demise. This is the sixth-generation iPhone with Face ID, and it hasn’t happened yet. But improvements have been made. And it is in the tips category that this year’s developments have been filed. The ever-shrinking Face ID bits are even tighter for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max — Apple says the True Depth camera system and#40; Face ID and the front-facing camera will be combined and#41; are 31% lower than before. They also broke free from the border “continent” and became a “dynamic island”, leaving a small strait of pixels in its place. The “dynamic” part comes from the iOS implementation, which is a very static operation. panel – and it’s a brilliant way to turn an inherent flaw into even a sensible feature. Of course, covering a hardware bug that doesn’t necessarily have to be a software fix is ​​the second-best option at first, but baby steps are fine. The hero colour for 2022 comes from Deep Purple, and you can see it on our 14 Pro Max, pictured next to last year’s unique  Sierra Blue. Regardless of colour, the iPhone 14 Pro has the same surfaces that you can touch and see, and they are different from non-Pro iPhones. On the other hand, the satin-covered case of the iPhone 14 leaves almost no fingerprints. They say it’s not as premium because it’s aluminium like those regular Androids. As befits Apple phones, the Series 14 gets an IP68 rating. But if your garden’s IP68 means waterproof for up to 30 minutes at 1.5m, iPhones up to 6m – we like the extra peace of mind. That said, ingress protection degrades with use, and intentionally immersing your phone in water is never a good idea, not to mention that salt water is always harmful to your phone, IP-rated or otherwise. Although there are some differences in dimensions, both new iPhone Pros look essentially identical to last year’s models. The Pro Max has the size and power to match its price tag (well, not necessarily against other phones, but at least compared to the 14 Pro). Weighing in at the same 240 grams as last year’s model, the Max lives up to its name –  we can’t think of anything heavier than the large folding parts.

Design of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Despite all the talk that the Galaxy S23 Ultra isn’t all that different from the current model,  you might notice some tangible and visible changes in its design. It’s not night and day, and you won’t mistake the S23 Ultra for any other manufacturer’s product, and it’s not a dramatic departure from the general Note aesthetic, but there is some subtle art. So that in the last two generations, only the Ultra had some kind of flex on the screen, and the 2023 model completely removes it. This adjustment is praised by fans of flat-screen TVs, who say that the curved edges are a pain to use. We have to admit that this latest improvement manages to deliver both the firmer grip of flat-screen phones and the premium feel that the gentle curves give your fingertips as you slide in from the sides. Your numbers will appreciate the feeling while your eyes enjoy the excellent OLED display. Adding to the experience are the thinnest bezels on a smartphone, and while the same flat-screen hard drives require better handling of more bezels, this reviewer had no issues with the S23’s misinterpreted touch input. Ultrasound. Plus, it does its magic without 1000 nits of light in the middle of the night because it’s ultrasonic instead of optical. Along with straightening the screen, Samsung also redesigned the rear panel to match the shape of the front, maintaining symmetry. A byproduct of this is the almost flat sides you get this time around, another trend in the recent Galaxy flagship design. The frame is made from an alloy that Samsung calls Armour Aluminium, which is harder than the aluminium you find in your garden. Meanwhile, both the front and back panels are courtesy of Corning, their latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which should be even better than last year’s Victus, especially when dropped on concrete. The camera redesign is a more notable development on the S23 and the S23 is now designed to be family-friendly with the Ultra, which was not the case with last year’s trio. The relatively sharp corners don’t help the pocket situation either, but they also carry the Note’s heritage and add a business-like look to the Ultra compared to the more casually rounded S23 models.

Software and performance of iPhone 14 Pro Max

The new Apple A16 Bionic chip is at the heart of the new iPhone 14 Pro devices. It is manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm process node and contains 16 billion transistors, compared to 15 billion on the A15 chip. It has the familiar hexacore processor configuration – with two performance Everest cores clocked at 3.46GHz and four efficient Saw tooth cores clocked at 2.02GHz. Overall, the processor is 40% higher than the competition, while its two high-performance cores require 20% less energy than the A15 core.  Advanced 5-core Apple GPU offers 50% more memory bandwidth. The A16 contains a 16-core neural engine capable of performing 17 trillion operations per second.  The A16 uses Qualcomm’s X65 5G modem to connect mobile phones.

The ISP also saw some improvements: improved computer photography capabilities and up to 4 million operations per high-resolution photo.  Finally, there is the brand new Display Engine, a special feature that has changed the function of the always-on display by adjusting the display characteristics to reduce battery consumption (1 Hz refresh rate, brightness, colour settings). It also allowed for a higher peak brightness of up to 2000 nits. Dynamic island antialiasing is also an important task for the Display Engine.  All of the above tasks could be done with conventional hardware. But since the engine works independently of everything else, including the GPU, it allows for a much better allocation of resources and saves a lot of battery.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max still use 6GB of RAM, but this has been upgraded to LPDDR5 and now offers 50% more bandwidth than the A15.  There are indeed improvements in processor performance, with 8% in the single-core GeekBench run and 14% in the multi-core test. This is not a revolutionary development, but what you can expect from years of progress.

Software and Performance of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Galaxy S23 family will launch with Samsung’s Android 13 and One UI v.5.1 on top. .1-bit is initially exclusive to the latest trios, but it’s coming to older models as well. As expected, 5.1 isn’t much different from 5.0, and we’ve already received 5.0 updates for several galaxies. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, like the rest of the family, has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with a twist, an exclusive Samsung version with an overclocked CPU and GPU compared to the flagship SD8G2. We think this version will be available as a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 version later this year. There’s also no more regional division when a country gets the Exynos version – all Galaxy S23 models use Qualcomm’s SoC. The Adreno 740 GPU, on the other hand, is clocked at 719 MHz on the Galaxy S23, compared to 680 MHz on the other SD8G2 models.

All Galaxy S23 phones use LPDDR5X RAM and all but the base  Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with 12GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. The entry-level  Ultra, if you can call it that, has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Our review unit is 12GB/512 GB. In the multi-core test, the Galaxy’s advantage over other SD8G2 phones is barely noticeable. A clearer difference remains when comparing this year’s silicon models with the 2022 models.

Camera features of iPhone 14 Pro Max

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max offer four identical cameras – three on the back and one on the front. And although their logic and operation seem the same as the iPhone 13 Pro duo, all the TV cameras have been improved in different ways.

The main camera of the iPhone 14 Pro Max has seen the biggest update. It now uses a 48-megapixel 1/1.28-inch sensor with a Quad-Bayer colour filter, a first for an iPhone. The camera has a  pixel size of 1.22 µm before binning – 2.44 µm with binning. It is paired with a 24mm f/1.78 lens. It also comes with second-generation sensor-shift stabilization and full-focus pixels.  The high-resolution main sensor enables a new  2x medium zoom in the camera app, with centre cropping and additional AI-assisted scaling. In addition to the standard 12-megapixel RAW mode, high-resolution 48-megapixel RAW shooting is also available.

The ultra-wide camera also has a new 12-megapixel sensor. It’s a 1/2.55-inch device with large 1.4µm pixels, which should also produce sharper images, more detail and better macro photos. The lens now has a 14mm equivalent focal length and  f/2.2 aperture. Dual-pixel PDAF is available with this camera. There are no improvements to the telephoto camera  – it’s still the same 12MP 1/3.5-inch camera with a 77mm f/2.8 OIS lens that offers 3x optical zoom compared to the main camera.  The selfie camera again uses a 12-megapixel 1/3.6-inch sensor, but its 23mm lens now has a brighter f/1.9  and supports autofocus. There’s also OIS, which Apple didn’t mention at the event, but which was later revealed in various teardown videos. This has to be a first for a selfie camera, at least in the Western market, so one has to wonder why Apple didn’t make a big deal out of it.  All cameras support up to 4K @ 60fps video recording with cinematic stabilization and extended dynamic range. Dolby Vision HDR capture is possible with all cameras in all modes. Cinema Mode works with the main, telephoto and selfie cameras, and now supports up to 4K HDR recording at 30fps.  There are two new stabilization options – one is a setting called Enhanced Stabilization and the other is Action mode.

Advanced Stabilization slightly limits and further stabilizes the material. Apple has always pushed electronic stabilization into its cameras and still does. This new option seems like a slight improvement over the default EIS if you need it. Activity Mode is a pretty familiar feature on many Android phones, but it’s finally come to the iPhone — only on the 14 Pro series, of course. It uses heavy-duty cropping to achieve action camera-like stabilization and records video at 2.8K, or 2816 x 1584 pixels. It is best used with a 60fps ultra-wide camera, but it is also available for the main and telephoto cameras.

Camera features of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung’s camera announcement was all about how everyone wants you to send them photos of your Galaxy — like Samsung just started making the best camera phones. It’s quite the opposite, of course – the S23 Ultra builds on a long-standing legacy of great imaging devices, bringing with it an all-new (and exclusive) head unit and further improvements. The main camera uses a Samsung HP2 sensor – a monster of 200MP, which somehow managed to fit into the optical format 1/1.3 “thanks to its small pixels (0.6 um). Somewhat curiously, this ratio is smaller than the HP1 (200MP, 1/1.22”,  but we have no doubts).

The sensor includes what the company calls a Tetra2pixel RGB Bayer Pattern colour filter, which means it groups 16 pixels into one, effectively producing 12MP images by default. You think  200/16 is 12.5, and you’d be right, but the reality is that your photos are 4000×3000 pixels instead of 4080×3060 pixels – with some cropping. Of course, there’s a 200-megapixel full-resolution mode (16,320 x 12,240 pixels), as well as an 8160 x 6120-pixel 50-megapixel medium option,  which we also explored. This 200MP HP2 front lens has a  focal length of 23mm – Samsung’s flagship cameras have grown, but it seems to be stuck at 23mm. The lens has an aperture of f/1.7  and is also stabilized. There’s another new sensor on the Ultra – it’s not just the main 200MP  unit – all S23s get a new selfie camera. It has a resolution of 12 megapixels (1.12µm, probably 1/3.24in) from the S5K3LU imager, an equivalent lens focal length of 26mm (at Samsung’s specified 80-degree coverage) and an aperture of f/2.2. As has been the case with premium cameras and autofocus cameras, the Galaxy has been focusing on autofocus for years. The Ultrawide replaces the old IMX563 with the  IMX564, and it’s still a 1/2.55-inch sensor with 1.4µm pixels and dual-pixel autofocus – a new generation, the second year only the Ultrawide gets autofocus from the entire Galaxy. The lens aperture is f/2.2 and covers a 120-degree field of view.

Battery Features of iPhone 14 Pro max

The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 4,323 mAh battery, which is 29 mAh lower than last year’s model – essentially the same. It’s also the same power as the 14 Plus and about 35% more than the 14 Pro, the non-Max. Comparing power to competing Android phones is mostly pointless, but somehow, the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s cell capacity is  5,000mAh.

In our testing, the iPhone 14 Pro Max was generally better than its predecessor with the screen on.  Wi-Fi browsing time was 23:39 hours (up three and a half hours from 13 hours on the Max Pro), and offline gaming was 24:38 hours (a less significant 30-minute increase). This year we had an almost identical talk time of 27:23 (27:26h on the 13 Pro Max), while standby time decreased slightly. They all run on the same 121-hour endurance rating.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max does not come with a charger in the retail box, although some carriers have one of Apple’s 20W devices. It seems like the right choice if you don’t have another USB PowerDelivery adapter to power your iPhone, so we put it to the test.

Battery Features of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The non-Ultra S23 models have improved battery capacity compared to the previous generation, but the S23 Ultra retains the same 5,000mAh capacity as last year’s model. With a more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside and some obvious changes, we expected better longevity than the 2022 model could muster.

And that’s what we got. In our testing, the S23 Ultra was good for over 39 hours of voice calls, which is pretty great. Even more impressive were the display test results, where we lasted over 21 hours of Wi-Fi browsing and over 23 hours of offline gaming. Use very reasonable standby performance and the Ultra had a total battery life of 126 hours.

The charging speed of Samsung’s flagships has been a hot topic of discussion around the office. While we’d like to point out that Galaxies typically charge significantly faster than their Pixel or iPhone counterparts, it’s also true that there are much faster charging solutions available for high-end phones from  Chinese brands, including those sold internationally.

In previous years, there were also some issues with the 45W charging capability of some Samsung models – the 45W adapter was barely different from the 25W we tested. Because of all this, we approached the download test with a strong dose of scepticism.

Price of iPhone 14 Pro Max

iPhone 14 Pro Max is the most expensive iPhone model in the iPhone 14 collection. It starts at ₹ 127,999 for the 128GB model and goes up to ₹ 189,900 for the 1TB model. The price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max varies according to the storage capacity and the selected colour. If you’re looking for a more affordable iPhone, you should consider the iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14 Pro is slightly cheaper than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, starting at ₹ 129,900 for the 128GB model. The iPhone 14 Pro also has a smaller screen (6.1 inches vs. 6.7 inches) and a less powerful battery. The price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max is in line with the prices of previous Pro Max models. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has been priced at ₹129,999 in India and $1,099 in the US.

Price of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The price of the Galaxy S23 Ultra varies by region and retailer. For example, in the United States, the starting price for the 8GB RAM 128GB storage model is $1,199. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a high-end smartphone and its price reflects that. It is one of the most expensive smartphones on the market, but it also offers some of the best features and performance. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is also available in a limited edition Graphite colour for ₹154,999 (India) / $1,799 (US).