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Apple undersold the iPhone 14 Pro Max display specs

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Sep 28, 2022, 9:38 AM

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Apple undersold the iPhone 14 Pro Max display specs

During the iPhone 14 series keynote presentation, Apple bragged that the 6.7" display of the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 14 Pro are the brightest panels ever put in a phone. Such claims are a dime a dozen these days, especially when it comes to the oft-abused by the marketing departments peak brightness metric.

The 2022 Pro models, however, reportedly carry Samsung's newest 12th-gen OLED technology panels that made a cameo on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4, which indeed sport much higher brightness than their predecessors.

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iPhone 14 Pro Max display measurements

While we measured 1033 nits of brightness on the 14 Pro Max, that is in the typical everyday scenario where Apple advertises a 1000 nit threshold in the display specs. This goes up to 1600 peak nits when displaying HDR content, and can allegedly go up to 2000 nits when in automatic brightness mode outdoors under direct sunlight.

	Brightness max(100%APL)Higher is better	Brightness minLower is better	Color temperature(Kelvins)	Gamma	Delta E rgbcmyLower is better	Delta E grayscaleLower is better
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max	1033 (Good)	1.9 (Good)	6716 (Excellent)	2.2	1.98 (Excellent)	5.56 (Average)
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max	1051 (Good)	1.9 (Good)	6445 (Excellent)	2.23	1.02 (Excellent)	1.56 (Excellent)
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra	688 (Average)	1.6 (Good)	6418 (Excellent)	1.93	1.31 (Excellent)	2.53 (Good)

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The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.

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The peak brightness number is the absolute maximum that the panel is physically able to achieve when just a tiny fraction of it (about a percentage point) has its light-emitting diodes powered to the maximum while showing all white, and that is exactly the 2000 number that Apple advertises.

Lo and behold, independent tests have confirmed that Apple wasn't kidding when it said its iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro handsets have the brightest phone displays ever. Those measured 2307 nits of peak standard gamut brightness and 2108 nits in a wide gamut mode.

Bear in mind that this is the "brightness for a screen that has only a tiny 1% Average Picture Level in high ambient light," or the maximum a small section of the screen's diodes can reach when fully powered and displaying white under what the two ambient light sensor of the 14 Pro Max perceive as direct sunlight falling on the screen like when you try to read on the beach.

This is the worst scenario in terms of power draw and battery capacity consumption by that small portion of the panel. Those can go sky high while the phone hits its advertised record brightness in test setups, but it is a fairly useful metric for comparing outdoor visibility, coupled with the screen reflectance and contrast numbers.

Since the iPhone 14 Pro Max also showed very low screen reflectance ratio of 4.5% as well, it can be considered one of the best phone displays for outdoor visibility in independent testing. Moreover, Apple's record peak brightness brag held water in the end.

AT&T iPhone 14 Pro Max can be had for just $99, or $1000 off

Get the iPhone 14 Pro Max on AT&T for $1000 off when trading in an eligible smartphone, on a qualifying installment and a qualifying Unlimited plan (basically every unlimited plan other than the Unlimited Value Plus plan).

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Save with Verizon's iPhone 14 Pro Max One Unlimited iPhone plan offer

Verizon has a new and exclusive One Unlimited for iPhone plan bundle with the 14 Pro Max and will give you $1000 towards its purchase for any iPhone 11 Pro and up, even with cracked screen damage. Get Apple One (Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+) in one plan, with Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband to boot. Switchers get $200 extra in the form of a Verizon gift card.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.