The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022) introduced the 48 MP Fusion sensor and Dynamic Island to iPhone Pro Max. Electronic shutter only — the image counter stored in each ProRAW DNG records total electronic captures.
Check Image Counter →The iPhone 14 Pro Max is powered by the A16 Bionic chip (4 nm, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU) and delivers three landmark changes from the 13 Pro Max: a new 48 MP Fusion main sensor with quad-pixel binning (first 48 MP iPhone, replacing the 12 MP sensor from every prior generation), Dynamic Island (a software-aware pill-shaped cutout replacing the notch), and the first always-on display on any iPhone.
The camera system features a 48 MP main sensor (f/1.78, sensor-shift OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF — quad-pixel natively shoots 12 MP with 2× larger photosites; full 48 MP available in ProRAW), a 12 MP ultrawide with autofocus (f/2.2, macro), and a 12 MP 3× telephoto (f/2.8, OIS). Like all iPhones, the 14 Pro Max uses CMOS electronic readout only with no mechanical focal-plane shutter.
| Model | Release | Main Sensor | Shutter Type | RAW Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | 2022 | 48 MP (f/1.78, quad-pixel) | Electronic only | ProRAW (DNG) |
| iPhone 14 Pro | 2022 | 48 MP (f/1.78, quad-pixel) | Electronic only | ProRAW (DNG) |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | 2021 | 12 MP (f/1.5, sensor-shift OIS) | Electronic only | ProRAW (DNG) |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 2023 | 48 MP (f/1.78, 5× telephoto) | Electronic only | ProRAW (DNG) |
.dng extension.exiftool -ImageNumber yourfile.DNG to read the counter directly.| Spec | iPhone 14 Pro Max | iPhone 13 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | A16 Bionic (4 nm) | A15 Bionic (5 nm) |
| Notch design | Dynamic Island | Traditional notch |
| Always-on display | Yes | No |
| Main sensor | 48 MP f/1.78 quad-pixel | 12 MP f/1.5 sensor-shift OIS |
| Telephoto | 12 MP 3× (f/2.8) | 12 MP 3× (f/2.8) |
| Emergency SOS | Yes (satellite) | No |
| ProRAW / DNG | Yes (12 or 48 MP) | Yes (12 MP) |
For image counter purposes, both models are entirely equivalent — the DNG format, ImageNumber field location, and counter behaviour are identical.
No. All iPhones use CMOS electronic readout. There is no focal-plane shutter mechanism and no rated mechanical lifespan.
Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and enable Apple ProRAW. In the Camera app, tap the RAW badge at the top of the screen. You can select 12 MP or 48 MP ProRAW resolution in the same Formats menu.
No. The image counter is stored in persistent hardware memory and cannot be reset by a factory reset, iOS update, or any user action. This makes it a reliable indicator of total device usage.
The image counter increments once per capture regardless of resolution. A 12 MP ProRAW shot and a 48 MP ProRAW shot both add exactly one to the counter. The counter reflects total number of captures, not total data written.
A casual user accumulates roughly 5,000–20,000 captures per year; an active photographer may exceed 50,000 per year. There is no mechanical wear threshold — a high count indicates heavy use, not proximity to failure.