The iPhone 14 Pro is shaping up to be an impressive update this year with rumors of a number of standout features that we've waited years to see on an iPhone, but things are looking a little less rosy for the iPhone 14.
The latest rumor once again touches on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro displays. A report from The Elec indicates that while both will use Samsung OLED, only the Pro is getting the upgrade to an M12 OLED, a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) TFT OLED display capable of dynamically refreshing from 1Hz up to 120Hz. This is a crucial feature for always-on displays (via BGR).
What will you be missing out on with the iPhone 14?
The report indicates that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will feature older, low-temperature polySilicon (LTPS) OLED screens. Those could, in theory, still support ProMotion with the same 10Hz to 120Hz range you have on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. However, the report indicates that the standard models will once again be running at 60Hz, which would be shocking for flagship phones in 2022. The newer OLED panels also should offer superior color accuracy and energy conservation.
Whether they deliver ProMotion or not, it seems clear that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will not be able to support the always-on display mode that we saw leak again yesterday with an Xcode beta showing how the feature will work on iPhone 14 Pro. Obviously iPhone users have gone this long without always-on displays, so it's not a crucial loss. However, as a longtime Android user who has grown accustomed to always-on displays over the years, I will say it is nice to have. You can easily glance at your notifications, and without powering your phone on, have a sense of anything you might have missed.
That doesn't seem like such a big deal, is there anything else?
Not too worried about the displays? What about the cameras? The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max are likely to use the same 12MP cameras as their predecessors. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, on the other hand, are rumored to get a massive upgrade to a 48MP wide-angle camera that should push low-light performance to even greater heights for the Pro models.
Still not convinced that the Pro is the model to get this year? Check out our iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro breakdown for a detailed look at everything you will be giving up with the iPhone 14 in 2022. With just over a month to go before the expected launch of the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8, we are only expecting the leaks and rumors to keep picking up steam, so make sure to check back regularly for the latest news.
