iPhones finally get Always On Display, but don't get too excited just yet

Apple just announced the all-new iPhone 14. And with its latest generation of iPhones, the company also introduces one feature that Android phones have had for quite some time now. Yes, we are talking about the brand new — at least for iPhones — Always On Display functionality.

As Apple showcased during its announcement of the feature, with Always On Display the lock screen display dims “intelligently” while preserving your lock screen wallpaper skin tones. But with Apple's Always On Display, you won't just be able to see the time; you will also be able to view widgets displaying information, like weather, various activities, and the level of your phone's battery. And since Always On Display works in a new low power mode at low brightness and frame rate, it won’t drain much of your battery.

Although having an Always On Display function on an iPhone is very exciting, the next things we will tell you might, unfortunately, tone down that excitement. Apple's new Always On Display feature is only available on the iPhone 14 Pro models. This is because the Pro models come with an upgraded version of Apple's OLED LTPO display, allowing them to lower their refresh rate to 1Hz. At the moment, Apple's Always On Display technology only works on these types of screens.

One such display, for example, is the one found in the Apple Watch Series 7. When the Always On Display is turned on, the refresh rate of the Apple Watch lowers to 1Hz.

Because of this requirement, we also can't expect the Always On Display to come to older iPhones. Probably, Apple doesn't think that the Always On Display feature will be as efficient if it works at higher refresh rates. For example, the iPhone 13's LTPO display can crank down its refresh rate to 10Hz, which is pretty low indeed, however, 10Hz is probably still too high for Apple's liking.

So the only way to use Apple's Always On Display feature is to upgrade to an iPhone 14 Pro model. And if you are thinking about upgrading, you should know that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will hit the shelves on September 16, 2022, and will cost $999 for the regular Pro model and $1099 for the Pro Max.