Despite the iPhone 15 series being the latest models in Apple's smartphone lineup, the iPhone 14 Pro paved the way for the current series with the introduction of a more versatile AMOLED display with a varied refresh rate, ushering in the Always-On Display (AOD) and also the much discussed Dynamic Island.

While an AOD was nothing new, having been seen before with platforms like Symbian, Meego, Windows Phone, and Android, Apple's take on it was a little different when it was first revealed, taking away the simplicity we'd seen with AODs of the past, and running counter to what we have seen and come to expect, with a display that merely dimmed the current setup, wallpaper, colors, and all.

Of course, with this setup, we saw some problems early on, and while it was exciting to see something new, it wasn't all that efficient. With that said, Apple has made a number of changes since the initial writing of this article, and now has an option in its AOD settings that offers a more simplified look. Furthermore, the brand has also updated its iPhones to iOS 17, bringing even more changes than ever before.

With that said, if you want to take a look at some of the early problems of the AOD system on the iPhone 14 Pro, you can check out some of the details faced below when it launched. But other than that, these issues have now been rectified, and there's a much better experience that's available for the latest iPhone 15 series.

Always-On Display is a mere extension of the iOS 16 Lock Screen, and that's a problem

With Apple, you don’t get a sleek and minimal look with small icons that pop up to show you when you have received a new notification. No, that’s just too simple. Instead, you get a Lock Screen display that looks exactly how it does when your phone display is turned on, rendered in full color, with personalized wallpaper, with notifications popping up on the screen like normal. The only difference is that the phone's display is extremely dim, but this can also auto-adjust depending on the environment.

Much like all other recent Always-On implementations, Apple has been able to accomplish this by relying on its new OLED LTPO display that does most of the heavy lifting, with a refresh rate that can go as low as 1Hz. Just for reference, last year’s model only dropped to 10Hz.

Apple had the potential to create something magical, but the experience falls flat rather spectacularly.

So the foundation is here, and Apple had the potential to create something magical, but the experience falls flat rather spectacularly. The Always-On Display works, it does all that it promises, but its crux is really where Apple has always struggled. Instead of going all in and really exploring, it robs the feature of its potential because of how restrictive Apple is with its implementation. In this scenario, the Always-On Display is only as strong as the information that it can display, and in its current form, it really doesn't display a whole lot.

In its current iteration, with iOS 16.0.2, the Lock Screen offers three areas that can be customized. The top line can feature one of the following: the date, calendar events, an international clock, an alarm, an activity tracker, and various weather information. Below that is the largest space out of the three, and it’s reserved for the time. The last area is the most versatile and can be loaded with up to four small widgets or two medium-sized widgets. However, the information that can be displayed here doesn’t change much from the first section, but it does have additions, like a battery widget.

In short, the lack of third-party support right now really kills the Lock Screen, which also kills the experience of the Always-On Display. It also is rather distracting, taking "Always On" rather literally. Something a bit more subdued and darker would have solved this.

But, there's actually a bigger issue at hand here, as the new Always-On Display on the iPhone 14 Pro has a bigger problem.

Sipping battery like there's no tomorrow

The biggest issue with the Always-On Display is that it compromises battery life. Now, this is something that is to be expected, but for a feature that doesn't do all that much for me, it felt like a huge trade-off. I think since iPhones are known for having great battery life, this battery drain came as a bit of a shock. I went for the iPhone 14 Pro expecting great battery life, but my experience was literally short-lived, struggling to reach the end of the day — what made it surprising was that the phone had cellular connectivity off and I just relied on a Wi-Fi connection.

While this could be an isolated experience, in my use, I found that the phone lost around an additional 20% of battery life when the Always-On Display feature was turned on. The iPhone started its day at 6 in the morning and usually found its way back to a charger at around midnight. Again this could be an isolated finding or have something to do with the current software build, but going through the same schedule for a few days, the results stayed generally the same. Furthermore, there were very few interactions, and notifications were coming in like normal.

I’m not sure how others imagined the Always-On Display and Lock Screen, but for myself, I thought it would be more flexible out of the gate, making use of third-party apps and widgets. I also felt that the Always-On Display would actually be useful and have more of the information that I needed to see. Maybe it was my fault for having expectations, but in my mind, I imagined it would work almost like an Apple Watch and its complications. Although the customization options on an Apple Watch are limited, it still manages to offer a good experience mainly because it can show you all that you need to see at a glance. The Apple Watch offers lots of app integrations as well, with this data being made available through complications on the watch. I think it's important to mention that it never felt limiting.

Of course, it's not fair to compare a new feature with a product that has matured over the course of seven years. The Always-On Display and Lock Screen for the iPhone 14 Pro are still in their infancy. If Apple feels like putting energy into it, a lot can change. So for my current use, the Always-On Display will remain off, mainly due to battery life issues, but also because it isn't all that useful, to begin with, because it relies on a limited Lock Screen. Maybe when Apple adds support for Live Activities, it will be worth a revisit. But for now, I am turning off one of the headlining features of my phone.

  • iPhone 14 pro
    Apple iPhone 14 Pro
    Brand
    Apple
    SoC
    Apple A16 Bionic
    Display
    6.1-inch OLED, 120Hz, HDR 10
    RAM
    6GB
    Storage
    128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
    Ports
    Lightning

    The iPhone 14 Pro brings a new front design, upgraded cameras, and all-powerful Apple silicon for 2022's premium Apple phone.

    $900 at Best Buy
  • iPhone 14 pro
    Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
    Brand
    Apple
    SoC
    A16 Bionic
    Display
    6.7-inch OLED, 120 Hz, Dolby Vision HDR
    RAM
    6GB
    Storage
    128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
    Battery
    4,323mAh

    The iPhone 14 Pro Max is Apple's biggest and best 2022 smartphone. In typical Apple fashion, it is both a powerhouse and an endurance beast, offering the A16 Bionic chip, a 6.7-inch display, and the Dynamic Island.

    $900 at Best Buy
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