Dynamic Island
This feature of the iPhone 14 Pro shows what Apple has over the competition
On the iPhone 14 Pro, the recess for the camera is flanked by additional information from apps, the so-called Dynamic Island
© Malte Mansholt / star
Smartphone manufacturers have been using so-called punchhole displays for years. Now Apple is also installing one in its new iPhone 14 Pro. And shows the industry once again how to make features more attractive.
It is actually an unspectacular innovation of the iPhone generation that has just been presented: After Samsung, Huawei and Co. have replaced the camera cut-out in the display with a single small hole for years, Apple is now also replacing the iconic “notch” on the iPhone 14 Pro through a hole. And turns necessity into a fascinating feature.
The display hole is of course nothing new. For more than three years, first Samsung and then more and more manufacturers have been using the Galaxy S10 to let the camera look through its own opening, around which normal pixels are still displayed. But while the competitors tried to sell the so-called punchhole itself as a feature, Apple is now doing what it does best: the hole is being converted into a whole new experience.
If you tap on the additional information, the Dynamic Island folds out and shows more information on the iPhone 14 Pro
© Malte Mansholt / star
iPhone 14: How the Dynamic Island works
Under the name “Dynamic Island” (roughly: dynamic island), Apple has redesigned its punchole for the display center. If you start a song, let a timer count down or connect your Airpods, the hole expands to the side – and displays the notifications within the now larger black frame.
This not only looks cool, but actually offers added value. If you tap on the song display, for example, the black area of the island expands even further. Song titles, the option to skip forward or back, and a slider to skip within the song then also appear. An unlock of apps via FaceID, the display when a charger has been connected and much more are now all part of the new display.
Technical trick
All this is made possible by the OLED display. The screen technology used in Apple’s Pro models allows each pixel to be switched on and off individually. If a pixel shows no color, it appears completely black. The Dynamic Island appears as a natural, black surface that seems to fold out of the punchhole. The hole in which the sensors for FaceID are hidden in addition to the camera then seems to disappear in the surface.
This has a fascinating effect on the user: instead of perceiving the hole in the display as a foreign body, it becomes an integral part of the user experience, a kind of anchor from which further functions result. Instead of hoping, as with the notch, that users will not be bothered by it, Apple has even emphasized the punchhole. And made it a defining element of the new devices.
The power of software
The Dynamic Island is thus another example of how Apple makes long-known functions highly attractive with well thought-out approaches. Again and again, the group comes relatively late with products or features on the market in order to make the competition and the products that were actually presented earlier look old.
In addition to Apple’s obsession with detail and good design, this also has a clear advantage: Apple’s concept of offering software and hardware from a single source and of perfectly matching them is unique on this scale. Google and Microsoft also offer hardware solutions. But because they also offer their Android and Windows operating systems for other companies’ hardware, they can’t stray too far from industry standards. Apple, on the other hand, only has to adapt its system to its own devices.
Ultimately, the Dynamic Island is of course a gimmick. Although it actually offers added value that fundamentally changes smartphone use, nobody at Apple is likely to believe it either. But it makes the iPhone 14 Pro feel a little bit classier. This sets it apart from both the basic iPhone and the competition. And that’s exactly what Apple and the customers should ultimately be about.