A factor to consider is the 5x lens and its effects. This is often called a 'zoom' lens. But, it isn't. It's a telephoto lens. The zooming, if used, is done in software. The 14 pro max has 3 lenses, 0.5x-12megapixels(mp), 1x-48mp, 3x-12mp. This allows at least 12mp resolution at 0.5x, 1x-2x and 3x. At 1x, the main lens uses all 48mp, with 'binning' or pixel combination to give you a 12mp file, but sharper. At 2x, the main lens is cropped and the central 12mp is used to simulate a 12 megapixel 2x lens, which it does with no loss of resolution compared to a separate 12mp 2x lens. From 2x-3x zoom, further cropping takes place and you lose resolution, till you hit 3x, when the third lens is used and we go back to 12mp. At 2.9x, the resolution used would be 8.27mp. You would be better off using 3x and ignoring that you'll be 0.1x more zoomed.
Now in the 15 pro max, we have a 0.x-12mp, a 1x-48mp and a 5x-12mp. Zooming between 1x and 5x will be done by software, and resolution will drop from 12mp at 2x, 8mp at 3x, to 4.8mp at 4.99x, jumping back to 12mp at 5x.
If your use case is that you like to take a lot of photos at 3x, you'll get higher res photos with a 14 pro max.
At some point there was thought that they might use two cameras in conjunction and blend the photos, to give for example a sharper image in the center portion but I don't know if anything came of that.
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