A new rumor suggests Apple's iPhone 13 may arrive with an always-on display, something iPhone users will benefit from. Many Android smartphones have had a similar feature for several years and the Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6 come with one as well. The rumor was accompanied by some other interesting predictions for Apple's next major smartphone release.
Most mobile devices have a setting to disable automatic sleeping or timing-out of the screen, in effect, making it always-on, but this isn’t what is implied with the term always-on display. Instead, this is a method of showing some content on the display in a limited fashion in order to conserve battery power. The always-on display appeared at least as far back as 2014 with LG’s G Watch, which dimmed the screen, but left it on by default, raising to full brightness with a wrist movement. Samsung implemented a more advanced form of an always-on display with its Galaxy S7 in 2016, using the top half of its OLED screen to always show the time, date and notifications.
A video from EverythingApplePro references some exclusive information shared by Max Weinberg, including the suggestion that the next flagship iPhone may feature an always-on display option similar to that found in many Android phones. Apple has implemented a simple type of always-on for the Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6, which simply dims the display when the arm is down and brightens it when raised. It is unclear how much more advanced the version will be on the iPhone 13, but the rumor suggests it is likely to show the time, battery level and notifications as icons.
Other Interesting iPhone 13 Rumors
The iPhone 13 is likely to feature the same OLED display technology that the iPhone 12 uses and that is important if there is an option to keep the screen on indefinitely. Since LCD displays require backlighting and most light up the entire display when switched on, it would be a huge battery waste to keep it active even if only a portion was used to display information. With OLED, only the portion of the screen that shows information is using energy. This is what makes the always-on display a useful convenience. It means that a glance at the phone when resting on a desk or table will show the time, battery level and the icons of apps that have notifications. It would be reasonable to assume the same could be provided for the iPhone 12 also, unless Apple has other display changes in store that make it more feasible with the iPhone 13.
Some other rumors shared in the video include the matte texture of the glass on the back of the iPhone 13 may be more pronounced, making it easier to grip. There was also agreement with an earlier leak that the 120Hz refresh rate that was expected in the iPhone 12 may come with the iPhone 13 and that the ultra-wide camera will have a wider aperture and improved sensor for all models. On the software side, there was talk of Apple working on an astrophotography mode for its camera app and portrait mode may be possible when recording video. There was also the suggestion that the magnets used in the Apple iPhone 13 may create a stronger MagSafe bond with accessories.
Source: EverythingApplePro/YouTube