> does the iPhone 14 Max beat the iPhone 16 Mini?

Sure, in a hypothetical world where the latest Max phone is two generations older than the latest Mini phone. In which case now you have to evaluate not only screen size but ALSO specs and component age and software support etc. How badly do you need the bigger screen? Etc

If you are comparing the iPhone 16 Max to the iPhone 16 Mini, everything is a lot easier.