The yearly iPhone release, and indeed most smartphone releases, have gotten kind of boring: The latest model is a little faster, the camera’s better, and maybe there’s some stand-out gimmick that will feature in all the ads but won’t really improve the way you use your phone. In general, there’s not a lot to talk about.
This year, with the iPhone 14 Pro, I’m happy to report that there is something interesting to talk about. Naturally, the iPhone 14 is a little faster, and yes, the camera is indeed better. But there are two other new features this year, exclusive to the Pro models, that actually change the way you use your iPhone for the better: the always-on display and Dynamic Island.
Apple is late to deliver an always-on display, but its implementation is excellent and, combined with software features of iOS 16, allows you to “use” your iPhone without even picking it up far more often than you might think. When you do pick it up, the Dynamic Island (Apple’s name for a new interface built around the camera cut-out at the top of the display) is an absolute revelation. It is Apple’s interface design at its best and the company’s rivals are sure to copy it. It’s such a great idea, executed so well, that it may come to define the iPhone user experience for years to come.
THAT DELIGHTFUL DYNAMIC ISLAND
We like to drag Apple when it makes bad interface mistakes, like the disastrous macOS Ventura settings (see page 18) or that whole iOS 7 thing. But when Apple brings its A-game, it can bring to market interface experiences that set the trend for years. The Dynamic Island is perhaps Apple’s best interface in years.
To make the Dynamic Island, Apple took the notch that holds all the Face ID sensors and front-facing camera, shrunk it, and moved it down into a little pill-shaped cutout (technically two cutouts, with the OLED display set black in-between to join them). That alone is not a new idea, but what Apple has done with it is. This cutout will grow and change in lively ways to show you alerts and data. Connect your AirPods and the little island extends for a few
