Apple reserves its “Max” branding for certain phones and the iPhone 14 Plus is definitely NOT one of those phones…
Prior to the launch of Apple’s iPhone 14 series, nearly all the leaks and rumors claimed the new, bigger iPhone 14 model would be called the iPhone 14 Max. But this didn’t happen. Instead, Apple brought back its “Plus” branding. And the reason for this is actually pretty simple.
It’s so simple, in fact, that I cannot believe I didn’t see it coming myself.
When Apple uses “Max” in the context of its iPhones, it indicates that the phone is BEYOND PRO, meaning it is like the Pro model but even better, hence the Max moniker. And this is why the iPhone 14 Plus did not get Max branding. It basically wasn’t worthy.
Why The iPhone 14 Got A Plus, Not Max
The iPhone 14 Plus is not a big update from what came before; it is essentially an iPhone 13 with a larger Pro Max-sized display, a bigger battery, and… that’s about it. The internal specs, save for the screen and the battery, are identical to the iPhone 14’s.
Not exactly what you’d call a “Max” update, right? And this is why the phone is called the iPhone 14 Plus, not the iPhone 14 Max. Apple didn’t want to dilute its “Max” branding by applying it to a lesser phone, in this case, the milk-curdlingly dull iPhone 14 Plus (which is essentially a bigger iPhone 13 with a few tweaks).
As noted inside our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Plus comparison, there is VERY little difference between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus, and there is an even larger gulf between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus and the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max.
- The iPhone 14 / 14 Plus uses the same display tech as the iPhone 13;
- They use the same CPU, albeit with some minor tweaks;
- They use the same cameras as the iPhone 13, again, with some minor tweaks;
- And the display tech itself, OLED w/ 60Hz refresh rate, is, again, identical to what you get inside the iPhone 13
Given all of the above, it should have been obvious that the iPhone 14 Plus would never get itself a Max branding. But like everybody else in the industry, we missed it – and we now we slightly stupid! And if you’re wondering about whether the iPhone 14 is worth buying, I’d advise you to check out the following post: Is The iPhone 14 Worth It? Yes – But Only For Certain Users…
And check out iPhone 14 Colors: All The New Hues Detailed! And iPhone 14 Plus Battery: How Big, How Long?
