In the market for a brand-new phone and have no requirement other than it has to be the best of the best? Well, we’re here to help with such a requirement, pinning the new Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max against the Google Pixel 7 Pro to see how they each stack up on the things that matter. It’s the ultimate iPhone vs Pixel showdown.
Apple dropped the iPhone 14 Pro Max in September and Google quickly followed with the Pixel 7 Pro just this month. We’ve still got both review units at our disposal, so we thought we’d force them into a dual, looking at everything from battery life, to software, to camera and anything in between.
Which is better iPhone 14 Pro Max or Google Pixel 7 Pro?
They’re both great phones. If you’re yet to check out our review of the iPhone 14 Pro Max or our Google Pixel 7 Pro review, it might be worth giving them both a skim, but below we’ll tease out some of the main features on both handsets. Starting with price.
iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Pixel 7 Pro: Price
The Google Pixel 7 Pro comes in three different storage configs: 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes in those, but also a 1TB option. The below is pricing as per Apple’s website and the Google Store.
- Pixel 7 Pro 128GB: $1,299
- Pixel 7 Pro 256GB: $1,449
- Pixel 7 Pro 512GB: $1,599
- iPhone 14 Pro Max 128GB: $1,899
- iPhone 14 Pro Max 256GB: $2,099
- iPhone 14 Pro Max 512GB: $2,419
- iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB: $2,769
As you can see, the most expensive Pixel Pro device is $300 cheaper than the cheapest iPhone Pro Max. Worth mentioning, however, that the 14 range also has a smaller Pro device, with pricing a little less high.
- iPhone 14 Pro 128GB: $1,749
- iPhone 14 Pro 256GB: $1,899
- iPhone 14 Pro 512GB $2,249
- iPhone 14 Pro 1TB: $2,599
The 128GB Pro model is still $15o more expensive than its 512GB Pixel friend.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Google is cheaper.
iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Pixel 7 Pro: Look & feel
This year’s iPhone looks a lot like last year’s iPhone; this year’s Pixel also looks a lot like last year’s Pixel. Both are more refined versions, however. The Pixel 7 Pro is glossy, so glossy that without a case it slides out of my hand when holding up to take a pic if I’m not gripping onto it super tightly. But the camera bar is gorgeous and allows the phone to lay flat on the table, unlike the 14 Pro Max. The fact there’s no real ‘edge’ on the Pixel may be an aesthetically pleasing design choice, but it’s a bad one for usability – my small hands with such a big phone see me activating things simply by holding it. Back on the camera for a sec – while the Pixel does sit flush, it’s easier to scratch.
The matte finish on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, meanwhile, hides smudges well. The camera stands out like…you know…but the rounded edges on the iPhone are less Samsung-like and there’s no mistaking it’s an iPhone. The iPhone, while huge, sits in my small hands and allows me to navigate the phone without feeling like it’s going to slip right out beneath me.
Both phones boast a 6.7-inch screen, but the Pixel is a little taller, measuring 162.9 mm x 76.6 mm x 8.9 mm versus Apple’s 160.7 mm x 77.6 mm x 7.85 mm. The Pixel 7 Pro weighs 212 grams and the 14 Pro Max, 240 grams. It’s a very noticeable difference in weight.
Both screens are bright, super responsive, render colours beautifully and offer premium streaming clarity. Colour options drastically differ between the two models (Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple for the iPhone and Lemongrass, Snow, Obsidian black for the Pixel), particularly when you consider the latter’s camera bar adding another colour to the mix.
If we go any deeper into look and feel it will be a battle between Android vs iOS and what I (and you) personally prefer, which isn’t what we’re here for.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: The iPhone wins, by a very small margin.
iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Pixel 7 Pro: The guts
With both phones, you’ll get an OLED screen, 120Hz refresh rate, kickass camera system (more on that soon), 5G connectivity (you’ll get mmWave with the Pixel, though) and incredible software (more on that soon, too).
The Pixel 7 Pro boasts the latest Google Tensor G2 chip which is to blame for the power and smarts of the Pixel 7 Pro (and the Pixel 7, too). For example, the camera system remains mostly unchanged, but the G2 chip means the software is more powerful, delivering a better all-around camera experience. It really can’t be understated how important Google’s Tensor chip is, because not only does it represent Google taking control of chip development for its phones, it also allows the company to ensure the Pixel’s performance will deliver the best results. The powerful neural processing the G2 is capable of makes the Pixel 7 Pro faster and more power-efficient when performing AI and machine learning functions.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has Apple’s A16 Bionic chip. The A16 Bionic, as with the G2, enables all of the power behind the top-tier iPhone. The A16 Bionic is touted by Apple as being “generations ahead of the competition”. We dive into what this bad boi does a little more over here, but honestly, all you need to know is that Apple silicon is doing its thing and its thing is fast and powerful.
The Google Pixel 7 Pro has face unlock like the iPhone, but it still has fingerprint authentication that the company wants you to use for payments. The ease in payments via face unlock is a big tick in the Apple column, but the extra fingerprint security layer is a tick in the Google column.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: It’s a tie, you can’t split top-tier hardware.
iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Pixel 7 Pro: Battery
Every time we review something with a screen and a battery at Gizmodo Australia we put it through the Avengers: Endgame test. This three-hour movie allows us to test how quickly the battery is drained, with the long flick streamed at best quality, screen on full brightness and max volume, starting from 100 per cent.
On the iPhone, after 1.5 hours, the battery was down to 83 per cent, which is the exact percentage the Pixel 7 Pro was at, too. By the end of the third hour, the 14 Pro Max was down to 63 per cent, and the Pixel was basically the same, at 62 per cent. By the end of dedicating a day to each phone, using it more than I usually would and testing everything I could, I went to bed with 48 per cent on the iPhone 14 Pro Max and 39 per cent on the Pixel (just clarifying these were two separate days, a few weeks apart).
Google boasts the Pixel 7 Pro as offering beyond 24-hour battery life and reckons you’ll get up to 72-hour battery life with Extreme Battery Saver. Apple, meanwhile, says to expect up to 29 hours of video playback (but up to 25 hours streamed).
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: It’s a tie, yet again.
iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Pixel 7 Pro: Software
Apple first announced iOS 16 back in June at its annual WWDC developer conference. Some features of the new software shipping with the iPhone 14 range include the ability to unsend or edit texts sent via iMessage, (almost) complete Lock Screen customisation, Family sharing (think parental controls), the ability to share photo galleries with family and friends and makeovers to a few existing apps/features/settings.
Meanwhile, Android 13 AND the combination of the Pixel smarts/Google assistant gives you an absolute bucketload of new features, such as the ability to unblur photos, erase stuff from pictures, translate languages right before your eyes, customise apps to your wallpaper and the list goes on. Pixel to Pixel communication is also great.
Both are distinctly Apple and Google, respectively.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: For looks, the iPhone wins, but only because I find iOS nicer, and for smarts, Google takes the crown.
iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Pixel 7 Pro: The camera
The Pixel 7 Pro’s camera system comprises a 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto and 10.8MP selfie cam, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP Telephoto and 12MP selfie camera. The telephoto lens is the biggest difference here.
The telephoto lens allows the Pixel to do what Google has called Super Res Zoom. Basically, it promises crisp detail from far away. Here it is in action.
The above shot was me whipping the camera out and taking a snap, so there was no (officially known as 1x) zoom. Side note, the Pixel looks better here, it’s handling the light a lot better.
The above is now shots taken with 2x zoom on both cameras. As you can see, the detail is still clear and crisp, and the Pixel is capturing the brick wall/concrete path in a more realistic colour, again, the iPhone isn’t handling the sun as well as the Pixel.
At the risk of boring you with this street in Surry Hills, 3x zoom on the iPhone is still clear enough, despite the washed-out colour, but the Pixel, while now on 5x zoom, appears to be oversaturating the scene with brown. Now, the next photo is where Google’s magic is.
These shots are the same as the prior pic, just zoomed in more. Keep in mind, these pictures have been through Canva to get to this stage, but the quality in the Pixel 7 Pro is exceptional. I zoomed in once more just because I can.
The photo on the right was taken 170 metres away from that sign. It boggles the mind.
Meanwhile, colours render beautifully on both phones, but the iPhone is more vibrant.
Next up, night mode.
The iPhone shot has better composition, but the Pixel lights up more area. These photos were taken at 8.15 pm, I can’t reiterate how dark the scene actually was.
The photo on the left was taken on the iPhone 14 Pro Max via Snapchat, allowing me to convey just how dark the scene actually was. The rest is purely the cameras on both devices. In this scene, the Pixel is a lot crisper.
Macro shots are great on both phones, but the colour is more vibrant on the iPhone.
Portrait mode gives more zoom on the iPhone, while the Pixel blurs more of the background. You can also add a blur to a non-portrait mode shot on the Pixel, FYI. My personal preference is the iPhone as it doesn’t over blur the background, but the Pixel makes Boston’s features a little easier to see.
Sorry, no selfie mode.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: For zooming, the Pixel wins, for vibrance and contrast, the iPhone wins. I consider this a tie, once again.
Anything else?
You’ll get five years of security updates through Google for the Pixel, and while Apple doesn’t explicitly say when its support runs out, the latest iOS 16 supports iPhone 8 handsets (the 8 came out in 2017). You can’t use the new Pixel Watch on iOS, but you can pair the Apple Watch to the Pixel (you will lose a lot of features). Both handsets work with each other’s earbuds, but again, you miss out on the great features. No Airdrop capability for the Pixel, but you can upload content from your phone to your Google Drive and retrieve it on a desktop that way.
Everything else points us back to the difference between Android and iOS.
The verdict
I know you came here for me to convince you which phone to get, but I simply can’t. Both are kick ass phones that boast the best software, best camera system and best refinement of their style the respective phone-makers have ever put out. If it were down to cost alone, Google would win. If you don’t care which phone you get, you’d be silly to not save $500-$1,000. But if you’re an iPhone stan, familiarity might be worth that extra cash.
If you use a lot of Google apps and you’ve previously used Android phones, get the Pixel 7 Pro. If you use Apple AirPods/MacBook, get the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
It’s a lot of words in this article for me to say, ‘Get what you prefer’, but the point is there is nothing that sends one out in front of the other, except for price.
Where to buy the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
We’ve rounded up all of the iPhone 14 Pro Max preorder plans available through Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, but below you’ll find the cheapest 24-month plans.
Cheapest 24-month iPhone 14 Pro Max (128GB) plans:
Where to buy the Google Pixel 7 Pro
Here’s a complete list of all the cheapest Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro plans, but below you’ll find the cheapest 24-month plans for the 128GB model.
Cheapest 24-month Pixel 7 Pro (128GB) plans:
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