In his latest edition of Switch on newsletter, BloombergMark Gurman says that iOS 16 could finally include an always-on screen feature for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max of the future. When the rumors come with the iPhone 13 Pro, it looks like the next flagship phone from Apple may include this long-awaited feature.
Gurman writes in his newsletter:
I’m told that in the future iOS 16 will build support for a lock screen that is always on, something Apple originally planned for last year’s iPhone 13. This would allow the iPhone to significantly slow down the frame rate on the lock screen and display fast information – similar to newer Apple Watches.
The journalist says he was told that “the always-on screen mode is exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models (…), if the feature ever strikes.”
To context, back in December 2020, a report indicated that an always-on condition could arrive thanks to the LTPO screen.
Apple plans to use LTPO TFT for higher-level iPhone models to be launched next year. It has so far used low temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFT process. An oxide TFT process will be added to become the LPTO TFT.
LTPO panels allow variable refresh rates. Lowering the refresh rate to an extremely low speed means that it uses much less power, which is what enables the always-on screen on the Apple Watch Series 5.
With the iPhone 13 Pro, Apple finally added a 120Hz panel with a refresh rate, but it varies between 10Hz and 120Hz, unlike the Apple Watch, which can also update the refresh rate once every minute.
The always-on screen feature would also be a nice addition to the iPhone 14 Pro series once a redesign with a new punch + pellet cut is expected to replace the notch.
In addition to the always-on-screen feature, the rumored iPhone 14 Pro is expected to have the A16 Bionic chip and a 48-megapixel rear camera.
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