Apple has announced its new iPhone 14 models recently, and the ‘Pro’ models are especially interesting. In this article, we’ll compare the larger of the two ‘Pro’ models with the best Google has to offer. The Pixel 7 units are around the corner, as they’re coming in less than a month. The Pixel 6 Pro is still immensely powerful, though, and comparing it to Apple’s offerings makes a lot of sense. So, in this article, we’ll compare the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 6 Pro.
Both of these phones are immensely powerful, while being quite large as well. For those of you who want a flagship phone, and love devices with large displays, these two are probably on your radar. They do look quite different, and their internals are considerably different as well, not to mention their software builds. We’ll first list their specifications, and will then compare the two phones across a number of other categories.
Specs
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Google Pixel 6 Pro | |
| Screen size | 6.7-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display (120Hz refresh rate) | 6.71-inch QHD+ AMOLED curved display (120Hz refresh rate, LTPO) |
| Screen resolution | 2796 x 1290 | 3120 x 1440 |
| SoC | Apple A16 Bionic | Google Tensor |
| RAM | 6GB | 12GB (LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, non-expandable | 128GB/256GB/512GB (UFS 3.1), non-expandable |
| Rear cameras | 48MP (f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, dual pixel PDAF) 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF) 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 77mm lens, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) |
50MP (f/1.9 aperture, 1.2um pixel size, 26mm lens, omnidirectional PDAF, OIS, Laser AF) 12 MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1.25um pixel size, 114-degree FoV) 48MP (f/3.5 aperture, 0.8um pixel size, OIS, PDAF, 114-degree FoV, 4x optical zoom) |
| Front cameras | 12MP (wide-angle, f/1.9 aperture, 23mm lens, PDAF) SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) |
11.1MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, 20mm lens) |
| Battery | 4,323mAh, non-removable, 23W wired charging, 15W MagSafe wireless charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging | 5,003mAh, non-removable, 23W wired charging (max, slows down after 50%), 23W wireless charging |
| Dimensions | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9mm | 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 240 grams | 210 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Lightning port | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | Advanced facial scanning | In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) |
| OS | iOS 16 | Android 12 |
| Price | $1,099 | $899 |
| Buy | Apple |
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Design
These two phones are a lot different in terms of design, actually. What they have in common is the fact that they’re both glass sandwiches, and that they have three cameras on the back. In every other way, they’re different, pretty much. The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with a stainless steel frame, compared to an aluminum frame on the Pixel 6 Pro. Stainless steel is harder, but it’s also noticeably heavier than aluminum.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a flat display, with uniform bezels around it. There is also a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display. The Pixel 6 Pro has a curved display with really thin bezels, though those bezels are not uniform. The bottom bezel is slightly thicker than the rest. The Pixel 6 Pro has a display cutout as well, but it’s a lot smaller than the one on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple did need to stuff in Face ID sensors in there, so… there you go.
Apple’s flagship also comes with flat sides, all around the device, which is not the case with the Pixel 6 Pro. Google’s flagship is a lot more curvy. It has a curved display and a proportionally curved backplate. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is shorter, but also wider than the Pixel 6 Pro, while being a bit thinner as well. It is considerably heavier, though, at 240 grams, compared to 210 grams of the Pixel 6 Pro.
Both devices do feel truly premium in the hand, but the in-hand feel is also a lot different. The iPhone 14 Pro Max will cut into your hand more, due to its design and weight, in combination. Both are quite slippery, so keep that in mind. Also, they’re both IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Display
The iPhone 14 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel has a 120Hz refresh rate, and it’s flat. It does support HDR10 content and Dolby Vision, while it gets extremely bright at 2,000 nits of peak brightness. It is protected by scratch-resistant ceramic glass, and the display aspect ratio here is 19.5:9. We’re looking at a ppi of around 460 here.
The Pixel 6 Pro, on the flip side, has a 6.71-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. That panel has a 120Hz refresh rate, and it supports HDR10+ content. It is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus. This display has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, and we’re looking at a very high 512 PPI here. It is also worth noting that this panel is curved, unlike the display on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Both of these displays are amongst the best out there. They’re large, extremely sharp, offer a high refresh rate, and excellent touch response. They also have great viewing angles, deep blacks, and they’re extremely vivid. The iPhone 14 Pro Max’s panel does get brighter, though. Apple’s scratch-resistant ceramic glass was not immune to microscratches in the past, so it remains to be seen how will it handle them this time around. All in all, both of these displays are truly excellent, some of the best in the business.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Performance
When it comes to performance, both of these phones are second to none, basically. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is fueled by the Apple A16 Bionic processor. It also packs in 6GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The Google Pixel 6 Pro features the Google Tensor SoC, along with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage.
The Apple A16 Bionic is a 4nm processor, and one of the most powerful on the market, when it comes to mobile devices. The Google Tensor is a 5nm chip, and it’s inferior to Apple’s offering, but still overkill for basically anything you’ll do on your phone. Regardless of whether you’re browsing the Internet, consuming multimedia, messaging, taking pictures, or playing games, these two phones can handle it.
Both devices do get warm under stress, of course, but nothing you should worry about. Neither gets too hot or anything of the sort. Games run very smoothly on both, and the performance, in general, is very smooth. These are some of the fastest devices you’ll find in the market at the moment.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Battery
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max includes a 4,323mAh battery, which is only slightly smaller than the unit included inside its predecessor. Considering the A16 Bionic and iOS 16 improvements, though, you won’t exactly get worse battery life. More on that later. The Pixel 6 Pro includes a 5,000mAh unit. Even though the Pixel 6 Pro’s battery is a lot larger, do note that iPhones include smaller batteries in general, but that doesn’t mean they offer less battery life. It all depends.
So, is the battery life here any good? Well, yes, actually, it’s excellent on both phones, but it seems like the iPhone 14 Pro Max has the upper hand. We still don’t have all the necessary info regarding Apple’s flagship, but based on initial info, it will offer comparable battery life to its predecessor. In other words, you can expect truly outstanding battery life. In fact, to some of you, this may mean more than a day of battery life. The Pixel 6 Pro is closer to 7 hours of screen-on-time, though it can push beyond that limit, depending on what you’re doing. Your mileage may vary, though, of course.
What about charging? Well, both phones do offer both wired and wireless charging, while the Pixel 6 Pro also has support for reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 14 Pro Max supports 23W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe), and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. The Pixel 6 Pro has support for 23W wired, 23W wireless, and also reverse wireless charging. Neither of the two phones comes with a charger, though.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Cameras
The Pixel 6 Pro is considered to be one of the best camera smartphones in the market, if not the best, at least for stills. The iPhone 13 Pro series was considered the very best for video. So, how does the company’s new flagship compare? Well, it comes with a brand new 48-megapixel main camera sensor, compared to a 12-megapixel one on the iPhone 13 Pro series. Based on initial camera samples, though, the difference is not as big as you may think.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max still can mess up the highlights, it simply allows them to go wild sometimes. It still tends to sharpen things up too much as well. It does deliver more detailed images compared to its predecessor, though, which is obvious when you zoom in. Compared to the stills from the Pixel 6 Pro, though, it still seems to be behind. The Pixel 6 Pro nails its stills, even when it’s a demanding HDR shot in question. It tends to expose everything properly, and highlight those colors in a Pixel way. Don’t get us wrong, though, this does not apply to every picture. The iPhone 14 Pro Max can do a great job.
In low light, both do a great job, though the Pixel 6 Pro still seems to do a better job with balancing out images, and with highlights and colors. Apple could easily balance the scales with an update or two, though, keep that in mind. This is based on the initial software that comes pre-installed on the device, the initial iOS 16 build. For video, however, Apple still holds the number one spot, it simply produces better results. The video turns out sharp, well-balanced, and the stabilization is excellent.
Audio
When it comes to audio, the two phones are quite similar. Neither of them has an audio jack, while they do have stereo speakers. Those speakers are really good, they’re loud, sharp, and well-balanced. There’s really not much to complain about here, though I’m not exactly an audiophile. They sound good, and most people will be happy with either set.
One thing to note is that the iPhone 14 Pro Max does come with Bluetooth 5.3. The Pixel 6 Pro is equipped with Bluetooth 5.2. That won’t represent a major difference for most of you, but in case you do care, there you go.
2022-09-16 15:08:13