Impressive! Apple turned what would've been a drawback for Google and Samsung into an absolute selling point (iPhone 14 Pro)

So here we are in early September, and the iPhone 14 series event just recently came and went. As expected, Apple announced new smartwatches, and most notably, the new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Now, the base iPhone 14 and that new iPhone 14 Plus models are not exactly huge leaps forward from last year – still rocking a very familiar notch, and sharing specs between one another. The Plus is just a bigger version of the base iPhone 14.

But what stole the show is a feature the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max have – a pill-shaped cutout for the Face ID array, as opposed to a notch. And yes – it's apparently a feature, not an eyesore and a drawback. Apple presented it as such, and having watched the presentation, it was easy for me to buy into it too, since the Cupertino giant didn't just change the notch into a cutout and call it a day…

There's a reason this is a trillion-dollar company, and it's not just its absolutely genius marketing and ability to generate hype through it.

This new iPhone 14 Pro design element isn't just a static cutout, like you've seen on other smartphones – no, Apple blended hardware and software to make it special… And I have to admit – it's quite impressive, love 'em or hate 'em…

Blending hardware and software: When design limitations become software features

Under-display selfie cameras are not ready yet, still lacking in picture and video quality behind conventional ones. Check out my Galaxy Z Fold 4 review to see how its under-display selfie camera performed.

And besides, Apple has that whole Face ID array of sensors to somehow hide too – not just one selfie camera, so… For now, this horizontal pill-shaped cutout it is.

However, knowing that this new iPhone cutout will probably stick around for a while, Apple has decided to do something fun with it that it did not do with the notch previously.

The pill-shaped cutout on the "Pro" iPhone 14 models has, of course, been given a name – the Dynamic Island. And was, in fact, made dynamic.

But how could a static hardware design element be dynamic? Well, with the help of some slick, clever software.

See, since these iPhones have OLED displays, it's pretty easy to horizontally "expand" that black cutout with a nice animation; just add a virtual, pitch-black, matching "cutout" over this one, and animate it, and it'll look like the hardware cutout is moving! Simple, yet clever!

With this basic premise, the iPhone 14 Pro's cutout is now not just a cutout. It's a unique feature, it gives the iPhone 14 Pro models a distinct character…

The iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island, and what it does

With the upcoming iOS 16 update, phones with the "Dynamic Island" (which are currently only the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max) are getting a new way to display notifications. Those will now pop up from the cutout itself, making it seem as if it's expanding and turning into a notification bubble! Pretty cool!

In addition, similarly to a MacBook's Touch Bar, this new Dynamic Island will expand horizontally and hold shortcuts for your favorite apps, once developers start implementing this potential new feature.

For example, Apple showcased the Dynamic Island fluidly expanding to reveal your music playback buttons. Or expanding to show you who's calling (and giving you options to answer or deny the call). Or display basic GPS navigation directions. Or, in a text editing app – hold shortcuts for changing your font style or font size… So many possibilities.