iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max hands-on: Introducing 'Dynamic Island'

In addition to getting rid of the iPhone mini this year, Apple also ditched the notch on the iPhone 14 Pro in favor of a pill-shaped cutout, which the company calls the "Dynamic Island." The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max also feature brighter screens and offer an Always On Display so you can always see your most important information. We got hands-on at Apple's 'Far Out' event at Apple Park the day the phone was announced.

The difference here is that the interface now makes better use of the space by displaying different information on it. For example, when we started a countdown on the timer app or played a song on Apple Music, the island would show an orange dot to indicate something was happening. Then, when we left the app, the island displayed a waveform to show that the voice recorder was still running, or that music was playing. When we long-pressed the island with one of these activities going on, the box expanded to show more controls.

Apple Music, for example, expanded to show the playback progress bar and buttons for rewind, pause and skip below it. For Timer and Voice Memo, controls appeared for stopping the countdowns and recordings, respectively. The software cleverly camouflages the camera hole here, so it never interrupts the content and is hidden with empty black space in that area. So far, of course, we've just used Apple's own first-party apps on the iPhone 14, and third-party options might not adapt to the island as well.

When nothing was going on, long-pressing the dynamic island resulted in a slight stretching animation and light haptic feedback. If you peer hard at the pill, you can also see the 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera off to the right under it. Again, it's not quite an all-screen display, but the camera cutout feels better hidden than before.

Speaking of, the iPhone 14 Pro also got an upgraded camera system, with a new 48-megapixel primary rear sensor backed by Apple's new Photonic engine for better low light performance. That's not something we could test during our brief demo, nor were we able to check out the new Action mode for video stabilization. But there are plenty of improvements to the iPhone 14 Pros on the video and camera front, like Cinematic Mode support for up to 4K resolution and 30fps framerates that we plan to check out in our eventual review.

Another new feature were were able to try is the Always On Display. When left to sit for awhile, the iPhone 14 Pro dims its screen, but remains just bright enough so you can see your lock screen's contents. When we lifted the iPhone 14 Pro slightly, its display quickly reverted to full brightness, just as responsively as older iPhones wake from sleep.

Unlike the approach on Samsung or Pixel phones, Apple's version keeps things like your wallpaper and widgets visible in addition to the clock. This might tax the battery a bit more, but the company is still promising all-day endurance for the iPhone 14 Pro series. That might be thanks to the new A16 Bionic Chip, which is built on a 4nm design process that should be more energy efficient.

[darlinlopez]

Say hello for the new dynamic island for the next 5 year design.

[ben]

As a UX designer, I question whether the dynamic island is actually a solution to the front camera screen issue, or a fantastically elaborate (and rather beautiful) distraction from it.

[erborianrn]

Idk ..it’s even more distracting than the previous notch? But I like the creativity of incorporating the cut out with the software.

[GFourGadget]

The Dynamic Island is such an Apple move, but really glad they have increased the MP counts on the main sensor 👌🏾

[tikiortaka]

I actually love how apple dealt with the dynamic island feature. The details to software is amazing. I'd rather have a notch or pill if it means better security hardware.

[markmoncera]

Questions on the Dynamic Island:
1. How does it function when in landscape?
2. How does it look when you use the reachability feature?

[James__]

Finally time to upgrade my 6S... that 14 Pro is going to feel like a super computer :)

[TJBellamy]

I died laughing when they announced this!😂. Dynamic island??? That’s the most Apple thing ever. I’ll give them good credit for their marketing though😂😂

[dammyayorinde]

The dynamic island reminds me of the touch bar...

[pasi]

Only issue I see with the new cutout is if you touch that area more often, you have to wipe the phone more often especially if you want to take pictures.

[tjwilliams]

I don't think about the notch on my iPhone 12 so I'm keeping it and upgrading the operating system to 10.16. No need to spend thousands on a new phone

[nateshf]

This DI now being positioned slightly lower than the notch makes it look like it takes up even more space.

[hardwired]

Is it just me or is dynamic island MORE distracting than the notch

[TechFlexx]

Seems like you’ll have to clean the front camera lens constantly potential finger smudge

[siyete]

A sweet upgrade from my aging XS Max. Excited for my upgrade!

[wifihotspot]

I'm upgrading from the 10s so it will feel like an upgrade.!

[gerardoanguiano]

Always on display, such a big innovation

[alex-coelho]

apple: how to make the notch smaller?
also apple: let's make it bigger through software!

[aldrichuyliong]

The dynamic island looks hideously massive. Hope they shrink it next year to something more slender and sleek.

On the flipside I'm lusting so hard after the Watch Ultra ngl.

[markoil]

Making front camera and sensors more dirtier from touching. And less viewing space then with notch when watching videos.