New leaked photos all but confirm iPhone 14 Max is coming

If you've been following the iPhone 14 rumor pipeline, you know that there could be a brand new model in town: the iPhone 14 Max. And thanks to a new leak we have further evidence that the phone exists - and answers on how it fits into Apple's iPhone 14 lineup.

Most agree that Apple's current iPhone lineup, as represented by the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max, will see a bit of a shakeup in the iPhone 14 series, which we expect Apple to unveil sometime in September.

On the chopping block could be the iPhone 13 mini, which, especially with the new iPhone SE, might look a little less attractive than it did at launch. Sure, the iPhone SE still sports an old-school Touch ID button and a small, 4.7-inch display, but at $429 / £419 / AU$719, it's $170 cheaper than the mini and might be the true champion for budget-conscious buyers. 

For those looking for a 6.7-inch big-screen wonder, though, the only option is the $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,849 iPhone 13 Pro Max.

That's where the iPhone 14 Max comes in. The rumored phone matches the Pro Max on screen size but cuts down the lenses by one (and probably loses LiDAR) to make it a potentially much more affordable big-screen device.

Thanks to Sonny Dickson, a leaker with a long track record of solid Apple scoops, we have what might be a real look at the entire iPhone 14 lineup, thanks to a quad of alleged dummies. 

Dummies are not functioning devices, but fleshed out chassis, possibly illegally pulled off the iPhone manufacturing floor in Shanghai, that can be sent to, say, case manufacturers who might be preparing for the next big iPhone launch.

Dickson has at least two sets (different colors) of four dummies that appear to be an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and something new, a phone that looks exactly like the iPhone 14 (based on the camera array) but is the same size as the iPhone 14 Pro Max. That could be the iPhone 14 Max.

In photos and videos, Dickson shows off all these dummies but offers zero context. We only know that he believes they're iPhone 14 dummies because he says so in his tweet and in the supporting post, which is also just photos and a commentary-free YouTube video.

If these dummies are accurate, they show an iPhone 14 design that hews closely to the iPhone 13 look and feel. The camera arrays might be slightly larger, and there's an interesting indent on the power/sleep Siri button. Besides that, we couldn't detect any notable differences between these dummies and the iPhones we're currently using.

Don't get carried away

Just because these dummies exist and Dickson claims they're iPhone 14 models, there's no guarantee that any of it represents what Apple may deliver later this year. They could be samples of discarded designs or built by someone other than Apple.

We want them to be iPhone 14 devices because we're all desperate for information about the next iPhone and we want that one newbie to be the iPhone 14 Max because, if we're being honest here, it's an excellent idea: A truly big-screen iPhone that offers most of what you want in an iPhone but at a price you can afford. But is it?

Whatever Apple does with the next iPhone will be driven in large part by its OS. Apple's about to unveil iOS 16 at the next WWDC. Here's everything we know.