iPhone 14 Pro Max The “I returned my iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max” Thread

[eyeseeyou]

I have this every year 😂. Usually it is just I bought the pro/pro max and should I have bought the pro max/pro instead?

I am enjoying my pro, I agree that the island is overrated and on the pro does take up more room than I would like but overall I really like the AOD which is a feature I have been wanting for ages and I like the purple way more than I thought I would, it’s really nice.

I wouldn't say the island is overrated since I still hate the notch and interface wise it's absolutely useless. At the least the island has actual interactive functionality aside from basically a digital key hole.

 

[cardfan]

You are making statements that are not proven as fact trying to attack a poll and then trying to attack me in way by saying I posted this poll to make myself feel better.

The poll is valid, and this is getting off topic. If you find no value in this, why are you spending your time here.

The poll is useless. Hope that helps. Carry on.

 

[sjobsian]

Unless photo quality is a major selling point I think most people would be fine with a iPhone x.

I stayed with the iPhone 13 pro and just upgraded the storage.

I'm not that into photos so ya perhaps you're right.

 

[sjobsian]

The poll is useless. Hope that helps. Carry on.

The poll is not useless. Hope that helps. Carry on.

 

[maldahleh]

I’m torn on whether to keep it or not, I’m coming from a 13 Pro, but sized up for first time to 14 PM. If I bought a 14 pro I’d definitely return it since the differences aren’t great, but the increase in size is why I might keep the phone even though see lots of people complaining about wrist strain, one handed use etc with the PM but so far no issues for me.

 

[T4t3r]

If I was on a 13 PM or even a 12 PM I understand, although for many people the cost of the upgrade is marginal given trade in value promotions which may even get better in the next couple months. We were coming from an Xr and Xs Max so it didn’t make much sense to get a 13 for the same price as a 14.

Keep your phones for more than a few months and it will always feel like a significant upgrade. That is tongue-in-cheek as I know some people like having the latest and greatest so nothing wrong with that, just that the improvements are somewhat marginal for now until some major tech breakthroughs happen.

 

[FlyingTexan]

This is correct. The poll definitely tells us something. Now, we can’t necessarily make inferences about the population of iPhone purchasers because we didn’t draw a randomized sample from that population. But to say it’s useless is an overstatement.

What’s not random about this poll in a crowd where no one knows each other and it’s free to click with zero pressure?

 

[FlyingTexan]

Par for forum behavior, the unhappy people post more, and the rest are enjoying their phones and enjoying life. 13 people so far have posted they have returned their phone. This thread has had 3000+ views. 4% of all people that cared enough to look at this thread chose to vote. That says a lot more about how unreliable this survey is.

You’re assuming every view is someone that bought the phone. I didn’t buy it and I’ve viewed it. Par for the course is how unreliable the average person is trying to read a simple poll.

 

[shr631]

What’s not random about this poll in a crowd where no one knows each other and it’s free to click with zero pressure?

I’m referring to randomized sampling where a representative sample is drawn (often by the researcher) from the target population about which you’re trying to develop the inference. This is not randomized sampling because the respondents are self-selected and there’s no way to know for sure if they represent the profile of the target population.
Edit: fwiw, I commented upthread that this poll is useful and interesting, against claims that it is useless etc.

 

[FlyingTexan]

Yes, they are. Right here in this thread we're already seeing the use of this "10%" number independent of context, as though it's a figure drawn from some real-world data as opposed to a worthless "poll" on a MacRumors thread.

If anything a poll with an apple enthusiast crowd would skew the numbers. More than likely returns will be higher from those already with apple products lol.

 

[FlyingTexan]

I’m referring to randomized sampling where a representative sample is drawn (often by the researcher) from the target population about which you’re trying to develop the inference. This is not randomized sampling because the respondents are self-selected and there’s no way to know for sure if they represent the profile of the target population.
Edit: fwiw, I commented upthread that this poll is useful and interesting, against claims that it is useless etc.

That’s very true, they don’t represent the general public. They represent a side that’d more likely skew the numbers in favor of keeping. My mother isn’t being polled and she’s older and simply likes her old phone because it “just works” and wouldn’t ever consider anything not being given for free. There’s a lot of those people out there. This crowd is more akin to be the ones standing in a line wrapped around the corner to get their hands on the latest and greatest yet it’s at 15.2% return rates. So where’s real world numbers going to be? Would love to see the return rate for the mini and get it back into production for 2023!

 

[Lakersfan74]

So what happens with all these iPhones that are returned? Sold as refurbished?

 

[Dominican]

After apple update iOS 16 most problems will be fix

 

[shr631]

That’s very true, they don’t represent the general public. They represent a side that’d more likely skew the numbers in favor of keeping. My mother isn’t being polled and she’s older and simply likes her old phone because it “just works” and wouldn’t ever consider anything not being given for free. There’s a lot of those people out there. This crowd is more akin to be the ones standing in a line wrapped around the corner to get their hands on the latest and greatest yet it’s at 15.2% return rates. So where’s real world numbers going to be? Would love to see the return rate for the mini and get it back into production for 2023!

Yep, exactly. This forum is skewed towards enthusiasts, techies, Apple shareholders, etc. That’s the big question - what’s the satisfaction/dissatisfaction among the general population? Tough to say. Apple won’t release that info so all we can do is discuss it here, include some real world anecdotes, and Monday-morning quarterback their next product lineup 😂😅

 

[ivan86]

Ended up returning the 14 Pro and sticking with 12 Pro Max.

My iPhone background:
- 6 Plus (terrible user experience due to lack of RAM and constant refreshes)
- 7 Plus (favourite design - smoothest in hand... still have it as a backup device)
- 8 Plus
- 11 Pro Max
- 12 Pro Max

Original reasons for upgrade:
-> to get best cameras out there
-> 120 Hz screen
-> even bigger storage (from 512Gb to 1TB)
-> thinking that if all next iPhones will only have eSims even in Europe... than better get 14 now and just stick with it...
-> after watching the presentation it became clear that a lot of development focus will shift to dynamic island, thus iOS would sort of "force you" to use it more. Since I'd rather avoid extra amounts of time that I have to reach to the top of the display on a 6,7" iPhone, decided that regular Pro model would be a better fit

Main reasons for return:
- dynamic island is positioned "lower into" the display than notches on both 12 Pro and 13 Pro, thus, as shown on attached screenshots - on all videos in youtube which are shot in wide aspect ratio - the notch is visible
- I hardly notice the notch on 12 Pro Max (and 13 Pro Max that father has), however somehow the island just "sticks out" more when I horizontally scroll websites or even a photo library.
- I figured that going from 12 Pro Max to 14 Pro would not be a big upgrade, but rather a mix of small upgrades and downgrades
- Realised that for my use 12 Pro Max is pretty much a perfect phone. I even thought about getting 13 Pro Max at hand, but than after using it side by side with my 12 Pro Max... I felt that such move would also be "a change for a sake of change".

Other thoughts and observations:
- in TV app on iOS, videos are scaled in such way that dynamic island is not visible, however this results in few lines of pixels on 14 Pro above and below the image just staying black (since Apple keeps the frame of the video exactly rectangle, on iPhone 12 Pro and 13 Pro there if you look closely there are couple of lines of unused pixels too, but less than on 14 Pro... just a geeky observation)
- Speaking of cameras and low light improvements... I just understand that after getting a baby - I am pretty much in bed at 9 p.m. most of the time, thus I hardly make any night shots
- I am satisfied with photos and videos from 12 Pro Max for sure (hey, even those that were taken on 8 Plus and 11 Pro Max still look great on it)
- I have realised that I just got too used watching videos at 6,7" screens. I also do prefer going through photos on it as well.
- 14 Pro display is brighter, but I am fully satisfied with 12 Pro Max brightness and it was fine even during hot summer in Cyprus. Granted though - phone must stay in the shadow for sure to prevent overheating.
- Changing from 12 Pro Max 512 GB to 14 Pro 1TB would cost me around 1000-1200 Euro. For such amount of money I would like to see more improvements, such as:
-> USB C or at least Lightning with USB 3.0 speeds (5 Gbps)
-> 8GB of RAM (I still had some refreshes on 12 Pro Max with 6 Gb of RAM when copying info into contacts app and having few apps open in the background)
- I have never returned an iPhone before. I am IT admin, a tech enthusiast and do have some addiction to "latest and greatest". For sure it is a revelation to feel that I am able to make a thoughtful choice, rather than following emotions. A bit sad that the iPhone I have tried will have to be repackaged, but hopefully my long review here will help somebody to end up with "the right" phone.
- Dynamic island is less visible if phone is in dark mode and darker wallpaper is used, thus if you are a 100% dark mode user - you should not have an issue with it being "into the face" when scrolling (I was not bothered with the notch on 11 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max at all, but on 14 Pro it just feels like the island is there in cases when you just don't want to see it)

Thoughts about 14 Pro:
- It's a great phone for sure. Running buttery smooth.
- Dynamic Island is a cool feature. It works great with regular operation, nice with maps, music... But, as I mentioned - not the best thing when it comes to wide-format videos (no issues with 16:9 videos).
- Having big hands - it is possible to use 14 Pro the phone just with one hand without changing the grip and having the phone resting on the small finger. Feels like handling improvement compared to 12 Pro Max for sure.

What I am doing right now:
- returning iPhone 14 Pro in pristine condition
- exchanging battery and display on my 12 Pro Max. I am still on Apple Care+ and when it was just couple of month old my daughter put to the test the display against polished wooden floor that looked to be clean and it failed the test. It was pretty much the first time I had any scratches on the display of the phone (use it caseless, but carry it in the alcantara sleeve). It felt like a disaster for the first few months but... I really got used to it after a while. Feel like getting a brand new 12 Pro Max however, thus decided to use the Care+ warranty...

To upgrade or not?
1) If you are coming from 6/6S/7/8:
-> I would really recommend to look into good price offers for 13 Pro / 13 Pro Max. It would be a great upgrade and hardly a compromise in anything at all. 120Hz, great cameras, solid battery life and the notch... that in real life hardly anyone has any complaints about.
-> If you live in US -> the above recommendation is even more valid, since 13 Pro have both physical SIM and eSIM, and for sure there are times when physical SIM is not just good to have... but the only way to go.

2) If you are on 12 Pro or 13 Pro:
-> You might feel that 14 Pro is a very minor upgrade
-> If you know that there are good reasons to upgrade for your personally and you you really feel like playing around with the island and getting the most varied notification system and control from an iPhone - go for it.

3) If you are tight on the budget:
-> Relax, you are not missing anything important by not getting yourself an iPhone 14 Pro.

 

[ILoveCalvinCool]

That’s very true, they don’t represent the general public. They represent a side that’d more likely skew the numbers in favor of keeping.

You can't possibly know that. If anything, the population of MR consists of people who are far, far more critical of Apple products than the general public is and are much more likely to return something based on some minor nitpick.

 

[sjobsian]

That’s very true, they don’t represent the general public. They represent a side that’d more likely skew the numbers in favor of keeping. My mother isn’t being polled and she’s older and simply likes her old phone because it “just works” and wouldn’t ever consider anything not being given for free. There’s a lot of those people out there. This crowd is more akin to be the ones standing in a line wrapped around the corner to get their hands on the latest and greatest yet it’s at 15.2% return rates. So where’s real world numbers going to be? Would love to see the return rate for the mini and get it back into production for 2023!

This nails it and is exactly what I’ve been saying.

If anything, the results here represent a part of the population who are bias to Apple and therefore the return rates may actually be polled as higher outside here.

 

[sjobsian]

You can't possibly know that. If anything, the population of MR consists of people who are far, far more critical of Apple products than the general public is and are much more likely to return something based on some minor nitpick.

The population here are likely bias to Apple and want and need the latest tech, therefore the return rates here could be understated.

 

[ILoveCalvinCool]

The population here are likely bias to Apple and want and need the latest tech, therefore the return rates here could be understated.

You can't possibly know that, either, which is among the reasons that real-world conclusions cannot be drawn from this type of online poll.

 

[sjobsian]

You can't possibly know that, either, which is among the reasons that real-world conclusions cannot be drawn from this type of online poll.

Nobody knows either way. Nobody knows about anybody on any poll because it’s impossible to get inside people’s minds.

We will draw “real world” conclusions like other polls do.

Time will tell how accurate this is.

 

[noobinator]

People here are biased towards Apple for sure, but they are also many times more critical of minor flaws in their Apple devices than the general public. I've never had someone I know return a phone for customer satisfaction who isn't an Apple enthusiast. If it flat out doesn't work, then sure they'll exchange, but very rarely return for a full refund.

 

[compwiz1202]

The top left corner sometimes slightly sticks out, but it's not an issue for me. Most of my pants are Uniqlo (Japanese brand). I don't know if they maybe have bigger pockets, but I've really never had a problem.

Yea on some with smaller pockets the corner peeks out a little. I like the pocket on the pair i have no because they are wide enough to put the 13PM in horizontally

 

[MsRandall]

I have officially reactivated my 13 PM and the 14 PM has been reset for the return. I will return the 14 PM on Saturday.

 

[bobjonesco]

The poll is not useless. Hope that helps. Carry on.

I just lied with my vote.

 

[sjobsian]

I just lied with my vote.

No you didn't. And even if you did, the potential for anyone to lie on any poll is exactly the same. Next.