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.
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle.
Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines.
According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option.
Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator.
The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce.
In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing."
TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch.
The key announcements include:
New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January.
"Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far.
Size
Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro.
Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
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.
