When ZDNET’s Jason Hiner and I reviewed the iPhone 14 Pro last year, we agreed that the new Always-On Display was sipping battery like it had been stranded in a desert for the longest time.
Apple’s patched up the feature over the coming months, including updating it so that the screen completely dims out when inactive, but the question still stands with the new smart display setting and how it affects battery life.
Also: iPhone 14 Pro packs a lot more innovation for the same price as last year
With the iPhone passively displaying more information than ever (and updating it in the background), I wouldn’t be surprised if the device takes a hit to its endurance. Perhaps there will be an ambient setting that only turns on the screen when it detects a person nearby, but even that would put a toll on the device’s battery.
However, there is a simple fix to this, which leads me to my second question.