Reviews for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have been published, offering a more detailed look at Apple's new high-end phones and all they have to offer, including an always-on display.
One detail confirmed today by the reviews is that the always-on display features no customization features, as it only displays a tinted version of a user's iOS 16 Lock Screen wallpaper, widgets, and Live Activities, if any are actively running. Users can't customize the always-on display, such as what information it chooses or whether it shows a darkened wallpaper or a black background.
Users can, however, disable the always-on display entirely from within the Display and Brightness section of Settings. Reviewers noted that it's too early to tell whether or not the always-on display has a material impact on battery life, so we'll have to wait a few weeks before we know its effect.
The new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature more power-efficient OLED displays with a variable refresh rate as low as 1Hz. This is just one of several power-saving features that the iPhone 14 Pro has for the always-on display. Today we learned from Engadget that in order to limit the impact of the always-on display on battery life, the iPhone 14 Pro prerenders individual frames for elements that predictably change, such as the time, and feeds them to the always-on display when appropriate.
As reported earlier this week, the iPhone 14 Pro intelligently detects if a user who's wearing an Apple Watch paired with the iPhone leaves the room, and when they do, it will disable the always-on display.
By disabling the always-on display when a user leaves the room, the iPhone 14 Pro saves battery life and helps safeguard privacy as the display doesn't show a user's wallpaper and widgets when they're not present.
Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by Juli Clover
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week.
Past Launch Dates
Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC.
Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple.
Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs.
On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop.
Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch.
According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by Tim Hardwick
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020.
If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 3:30 pm PST by Juli Clover
OpenAI is deprioritizing work on advertising as it focuses on improving the quality of ChatGPT, reports The Information. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a "code red" on Monday, and told employees that the company needs to improve ChatGPT so it doesn't fall behind competitors like Google and Anthropic.
Altman said that OpenAI needs to work on personalization for each user, image generation,...
The very first review I watched (MKBHD) says he turned off always on display specifically because he noticed an impact on battery life. So I don't think it is "too early to tell".
This is not the right way to do always on display. It is too bright and includes too much.
I would love a very dim view of clock + widgets + some kind of notification indicator on a BLACK BACKGROUND.
Android has done this right forever. There is no excuse for Apple to be messing this up when it took so long to come to the iPhone in the first place.
The very first review I watched (MKBHD) says he turned off always on display specifically because he noticed an impact on battery life. So I don't think it is "too early to tell".
This is not the right way to do always on display. It is too bright and includes too much.
I would love a very dim view of clock + widgets + some kind of notification indicator on a BLACK BACKGROUND.
Android has done this right forever. There is no excuse for Apple to be messing this up when it took so long to come to the iPhone in the first place.
But Sara Dietschy says that she left it on for 12 hours untouched and the battery remained at 100%. Then again for another 12 hours and with a bunch of notifications coming in during the day hours and it went to 95%.
So indeed it's not too early to tell. We can possibly conclude that it does not negatively affect battery life. MKBHD probably used the phone as usual so he could not isolate how AOD affected the battery life.
