Rumors that this year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will come with an always-on display have circled for some time. We’ve seen similar displays on Android phones, but this will be the first time Apple has embraced the new tech. While Apple hasn’t confirmed the iPhone 14 rumors, a new video on social media shows the iPhone 14’s always-on display in detail.
New video showcases iPhone 14’s always-on display
Here’s how the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display will work… ??
Rather than being completely black with just the date/time like on Android, your wallpaper will fade out and still be visible.
— AppleTrack (@appltrack) July 29, 2022
The new video hit Twitter thanks to user @appltrack. The user credited the original video to 9to5Mac. Based on the video, the iPhone 14’s always-on display will differ from the variations we’ve seen on Android devices. Instead of blacking out the entire screen and only showcasing the phone’s clock, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will also show a dimmed version of the wallpaper.
The display will dim drastically, but any widgets and lock screen entities you’ve set up appear to show still even when dimmed. 9to5Mac also found evidence supporting system wallpapers utilizing always-on display in iOS 16’s code. The iPhone 14 lineup will launch with the new iOS version later this year.
Eagle-eyed folks spotted the new wallpaper sleep function in the latest iOS 16 beta. Based on code seen in Beta 4, the system wallpapers now offer a “Sleep” functionality. That function appears to be tied to the iPhone 14’s always-on display mode. Despite the code being in iOS 16, it won’t be available on every iPhone device.
Only on iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max
The method of always-on display is very similar to how Apple already does things on the Apple Watch. One of the big points of contention around an always-on display is offering one that doesn’t drain your battery unnecessarily. This appears to be one of Apple’s biggest concerns, too, and based on everything we’re seeing, it may have found a way to do that.
Having the iPhone 14’s always-on display dim and showing the entire wallpaper might not seem efficient for the battery. However, it also appears that the device’s display may offer a refresh rate as low as 1Hz. As a result, Apple could offer an always-on display that doesn’t require a lot of power to keep it running smoothly.
That would allow the tech giant to deliver a unique always-on display system that doesn’t drain your battery. Of course, that would also explain why we aren’t expecting the always-on display to be available on anything other than the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Those devices will offer higher-end displays that can reach that low of a refresh rate.
More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.
