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I was shopping for a phone some time ago. iP14 Pro had always-on display while non-Pro version didnt. Apple justified it by non-Pro having lcd, while Pro having

I was shopping for a phone some time ago. iP14 Pro had always-on display while non-Pro version didnt. Apple justified it by non-Pro having lcd, while Pro having Oled. Next year iP15, both non-Pro and Pro have Oled, but again only Pro has always-on display. Honestly that is the reason I am still on my Note9, and looking for another Android. I understand what product segmentation is, and probably I am minority, but damn, it feels like subscription-based heated seats.

fastball 2y ago
The screen on the (non-pro) iPhone 15 still has the 60Hz refresh rate, which is a limiting factor claimed by Apple, not just OLED. Because in always-on mode, the refresh rate on the Pro drops down to a much lower refresh rate, as low as 1Hz. Apple could've shipped an always on display mode with either OLED or a variable refresh-rate screen (or neither), but they only wanted to do it when they have both. OLED so that black pixels are not illuminated and you save a good chunk of battery on that. Variable RR so that you can drastically reduce that to save battery life as well.
planb 2y ago
This is not software segmentation though. The Pro's OLED display is really a different hardware component that supports varible refresh rates down to 1Hz ("Pro Motion")
- ffsm8 2y ago
  I think if that was the real reason, then the feature would be available but default to off on the non-pro version
  - philistine 2y ago
    That is absolutely not how Apple operates, especially on the iPhone. The
    - ffsm8 2y ago
      Uh, yes it's not. Wasn't that the point? Apple loves to use such artificial segmentation to upsell their products
zuhsetaqi 2y ago
> Apple justified it by non-Pro having lcd, while Pro having Oled. Where did Apple justified that?
- MaxikCZ 2y ago
  In the iP14 keynotes it explained how the oled allows for always-on display.
  - zuhsetaqi 2y ago
    Yes, and there they explain, how this is possible with an OLED display which is capable of 1 Hz refresh rate which the OLED display on the non Pro iPhone is not capable of
geon 2y ago
You would NOT want to use always-on with lcd.
- MaxikCZ 2y ago
  Like 10 yo Nokia had it on LCD screen and it was fine, both readability and battery life.
coldtea 2y ago
>Apple justified it by non-Pro having lcd, while Pro having Oled. Did Apple explicitly say something to that effect, or is it just the media or random comments who made this justification on their behalf? In any case, besides concerns for "best performance/more battery" etc and enabling stuff were it's more well supported, Apple also puts different specs to different models for reasons of product differentation / price segmentation.
nitrobear 2y ago
All iPhones since the iPhone 12 (except the SE model) have had OLED screens. Non-Pro iPhones don't use LTPO, which is the tecnology that enabled the screens on the pro models to dial down to 1hz. It's also what they use to enable AOD on their smartwatches. Also, this is completely off-topic to the original comment.

fastball 2y ago

The screen on the (non-pro) iPhone 15 still has the 60Hz refresh rate, which is a limiting factor claimed by Apple, not just OLED. Because in always-on mode, the refresh rate on the Pro drops down to a much lower refresh rate, as low as 1Hz. Apple could've shipped an always on display mode with either OLED or a variable refresh-rate screen (or neither), but they only wanted to do it when they have both. OLED so that black pixels are not illuminated and you save a good chunk of battery on that. Variable RR so that you can drastically reduce that to save battery life as well.

planb 2y ago

This is not software segmentation though. The Pro's OLED display is really a different hardware component that supports varible refresh rates down to 1Hz ("Pro Motion")

ffsm8 2y ago
I think if that was the real reason, then the feature would be available but default to off on the non-pro version
- philistine 2y ago
  That is absolutely not how Apple operates, especially on the iPhone. The
  - ffsm8 2y ago
    Uh, yes it's not. Wasn't that the point? Apple loves to use such artificial segmentation to upsell their products

zuhsetaqi 2y ago

> Apple justified it by non-Pro having lcd, while Pro having Oled. Where did Apple justified that?

MaxikCZ 2y ago
In the iP14 keynotes it explained how the oled allows for always-on display.
- zuhsetaqi 2y ago
  Yes, and there they explain, how this is possible with an OLED display which is capable of 1 Hz refresh rate which the OLED display on the non Pro iPhone is not capable of

geon 2y ago

You would NOT want to use always-on with lcd.

MaxikCZ 2y ago
Like 10 yo Nokia had it on LCD screen and it was fine, both readability and battery life.

coldtea 2y ago

>Apple justified it by non-Pro having lcd, while Pro having Oled. Did Apple explicitly say something to that effect, or is it just the media or random comments who made this justification on their behalf? In any case, besides concerns for "best performance/more battery" etc and enabling stuff were it's more well supported, Apple also puts different specs to different models for reasons of product differentation / price segmentation.

nitrobear 2y ago

All iPhones since the iPhone 12 (except the SE model) have had OLED screens. Non-Pro iPhones don't use LTPO, which is the tecnology that enabled the screens on the pro models to dial down to 1hz. It's also what they use to enable AOD on their smartwatches. Also, this is completely off-topic to the original comment.