While things look similar inside to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, this teardown answers two key questions: how does the Dynamic Island work, and has the battery taken a hit to make room for the new tech?
Taking an L?
The biggest takeaway from this teardown is that L-shaped battery, which shares the same outline as last year’s iPhone 13 Pro Max, but as MacRumors previously reported, the capacity is slightly smaller. Not by much though, as the 13 Pro Max packed a 4,352 mAh battery and the 14 Pro Max takes it down to 4,323 mAh. But when the rest of the lineup sees a small increase in capacity, it’s a little disappointing to see the biggest, most expensive model in the lineup take a hit.
What’s new on Dynamic Island?
This early teardown shows an eerily similar setup to the 13 Pro Max, but there are some important internal design chances that you can note in here. Namely, the tech behind the Dynamic Island. Previously, the proximity sensor was placed next to the TrueDepth camera and other sensors to form the notch. Now, for the first time in an iPhone, the proximity sensor is placed beneath the display, which enables this smaller pill-shaped cut-out. Other small changes we’ve seen are some better heat dissipation methods including a graphite film on the back of the display and a metal plate that shields the main motherboard. All of this should help with sustained performance.
Outlook
The difference of 29 mAh is barely noticeable when it comes to battery life, so there should be no concerns about the longevity of the beasty iPhone 14 Pro Max. But while we wait for the inevitable iFixit teardown, it is interesting to see how little Apple had to change under the hood, to make some of its more new fascinating features work. If you’re keen to buy one, go check out the best iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max deals.
