The iPhone finally has an always-on display. However, in typical Apple fashion, it’s very different from what we’ve seen on Android smartphones so far. Besides, it’s on the two iPhone 14 Pro Models are limited, which is why you have to buy the more expensive devices for them.
If you have an iPhone 14 preordered you’ll notice that the always-on display isn’t an exact copy of the Galaxy S22 or the Pixel 6. Apple has given its always-on design a few clever, unique features. And maybe that will make one or the other manufacturer of Android smartphones rethink.
We’ve completely neglected our lock screens for the past 15 years. We did our best to choose a nice photo for it, just to look at it that split second before our iPhone unlocks. That changes with the iPhone 14 Pro with its always-on display: the photo on the lock screen remains visible, even if the iPhone is sent to “sleep”. No Android smartphone can do that. There are models that can display icons and graphics, but none can display a full photo once the screen is turned off.
Most Android smartphones show a handful of widgets on their always-on displays that let you see the time, date, weather, or whether an app has sent you a notification. At first glance they appear useful, but in reality they are not. To get real value out of your information, you need to activate the display or unlock the device completely to access notifications.
The iPhone 14 Pro is different. Widgets and notification banners remain visible, allowing you to read more than just the time and date, while some notifications, such as timers, continue to update in the background. Like the Apple Watch, the always-on display is an extension of the lock screen, not a separate entity, which makes it feel more personal, dynamic, and useful.
Android smartphone always-on displays have changed little over the past five years. They show the date and time on a black background, offer a few customization options, and most of them consume electricity. Apple’s version doesn’t.
For one, the iPhone 14 Pro uses the same LTPO technology as the Apple Watch, which can drop the refresh rate down to 1Hz to use as little power as possible. The technology also began to spread to Android smartphones at the beginning of the year. However, apart from the Vivo X Fold and the Oneplus 10 Pro, we’re not aware of any notable examples – even Samsung’s flagship, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, can’t clock to 1Hz – and even then, the displays on those devices can’t handle the wealth of content that does Show iPhone 14 Pro.
The always-on display isn’t just for looking at. Some Apple apps work when the iPhone is locked, including the Apple TV Remote, Maps, Phone, and Voice Memos. That means these apps will show control options instead of the time and widgets, making the always-on display even more useful.
This article was first published by colleagues from the Macworld and was translated from English. (macworld)
Tag: iphone design, iphone 14, apple iphone, iphone release