Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Beijing, September 10 (Xinhua) always-on display is not a new feature for Android users, but Apple didn't launch this "round-the-clock display" feature until iPhone 14, but it's a little different, or better.

IPhone 14 Pro is truly everbright.

The screen display technology has been around for a long time. Nokia introduced this feature on its N86 8MP phones as early as 2009. Since then, the technology has been widely used on Android phones. Google, Huawei, Xiaomi and other companies have launched mobile phones that support information screen display.

The real message screen display allows the phone to display basic information, such as date, time and notification, even if the phone is locked and placed on the table. Usually, the phone display does not stay on all the time, but only shows the most important parts. For example, on a Google Pixel phone, you might see a black screen with only the clock and some app icons lit. This feature is particularly useful because you don't need to tap your phone or pick it up to view important information.

Apple is changing that model. The way it works is a little different, maybe better: instead of turning off most of the screens, Apple's information screen technology keeps it on all the time, just a lot of dimming.

Apple's message screen display is not turned off.

The new version of the iOS 16 system will be released next week and will add widgets and other complex features to the lock screen. With the help of information screen display technology, all of these widgets and complex functions can be seen on the screen of iPhone 14, even if the phone is not in use. The biggest difference between Apple and Android is that the iPhone will continue to show your lock screen wallpaper, colors and everything, but it's obviously dimmed, but the whole screen really "stays on".

New technologies are more energy efficient, so why did Apple wait so long to add this feature? At least one reason is that it is waiting for a technology that will make its message screen display screen perform better than its competitors.

First, Apple will have to wait until the iPhone uses the OLED screen. On OLED screens, only illuminated pixels need power (LCD screens need backlights), and they can all be lit to varying degrees. This is what OLED displays of all sizes have in common, whether they are mobile phones, smartwatches or televisions, which makes OLED screens more energy efficient than other types of display devices. The information screen display takes advantage of this unique feature, which puts much less pressure on the battery than in the "full light" state.

New technology helps Apple achieve information screen display

The OLED screen is just a foundation. Although each iPhone 14 comes with an OLED screen, only the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max are equipped with the necessary additional hardware to support information screen technology. Greg Joswiak, Apple's marketing director, said the Pro's message screen display was achieved through "a series of new technologies that make the display incredibly energy efficient", including multiple co-processors in its chipset.

Dynamic refresh rate iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max screens can dynamically adjust the screen refresh rate, from power-intensive 120Hz to low-power 1Hz, which means it refreshes only once per second.

Technically, iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max use low temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) screens to dynamically adjust refresh rates. It also allows "the display screen to intelligently darken the entire lock screen," Joswick said. Similar technologies can be found on Apple Watch Series 5 and newer products (excluding Apple Watch SE), as well as on some Android phones, such as Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra. This is a fairly new technology for mobile phones, and it can't be found on all devices.

Comparison of Apple information screen before and after display

To support the message screen display, the phone does not necessarily need to use a LTPO screen. Mainstream Android phones have been using LTPO screens for nearly a decade, such as the Moto X in 2013, and even Nokia's Lumia 925 Windows phones have a limited version, but one thing these new and old models have in common is that they don't offer the rich screen experience of the iPhone 14 Pro.

It's not clear how much impact Apple's message screen display will have on battery life, but reviews of Apple Watch Series 5 show that its previous LTPO screen and low-power display drivers have led to excellent battery performance. In addition, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra evaluation also shows that it can use LTPO technology to achieve more energy efficiency in the message screen display mode, although the phone's overall battery life expectations are not ideal.

Compared with a few years ago, the iPhone 14 Pro model has taken a bigger leap forward than the basic iPhone. While users are looking forward to better cameras and other exclusive features, the screen display is an obvious and useful change for those who see it with their own eyes.

Foreign media believe that although Android phones introduced the information screen display technology a long time ago, they still need to work hard to catch up and make their screen information more colorful.

Click to visit: Apple's official online store in China

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