Apple’s smartphones got a notch as their main feature back in 2017 with the launch of the iPhone X and since then it has been a part of all iPhones and even come to MacBooks. However, when Apple launched the iPhone 14 Series in 2022, this changed. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models came with one big thing called Dynamic Island. After years of the notch, Apple moved the front camera and Face ID module into a large pill-shaped cutout near the top of the display.
With the iPhone 15 Series launched a few days ago, Dynamic Island is now available not only on Pro Models but also on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Last year it was introduced on Pro models only but now it is present on all 4 iPhone 15 models. Although the function of Dynamic Island remains similar this will surely make base models more popular as they will now have a Pro feature.
For now, let us have a look at what this Dynamic Island is and what are its features.
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What is Dynamic Island?
Called Dynamic Island, the new pill-shaped area on the iPhone not only has camera hardware but also serves as a shape-changing hub for key iPhone alerts. It can change shape and size to display alerts and notifications. Apple has used iOS to turn this into an area you can interact with to view notifications, control music, and more.
Why is a Dynamic Island needed in iPhones?
Many people often wonder why do Android phones don’t have this kind of a notch of a dynamic island, but iPhones do. Most of Android phones like the Pixel 7 Series, Galaxy S23 series, and more have a small dot for a front face at the top of the screen. Why do apple devices need a notch or an island then?
This is because Apple has many other sensors in the notch and dynamic island that is used for Face ID, a facial recognition system. The Face ID has a sensor with 3 modules- a dot projector, the food illuminator, and an infrared camera. Although Android phones also come with facial recognition these days it is not as secure as on iPhone because Android uses 2D photo matching for facial recognition. Most Android devices still use finger scanning too.
Apple’s sensors like Face ID, proximity sensor and more are in huge demand, so there has to be a Dynamic Island to adjust it on the display.
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Advantages of Dynamic Island
1. Dynamic Island gives better visibility of ongoing activities and alerts. It has a new layer to the UI that helps users get timely updates without switching the context.
2. Apple showcased some of the best transitions of motion languages.
3. In the full-screen mode, there is an area of the screen hidden behind the notch. So, the dynamic island doesn’t eat space in fullscreen mode.
4. With Dynamic Island, a few select apps can stay on screen while you are doing something else.
5. Apple displayed the ability to track a flight before you board or follow Major League Soccer games which Apple has streaming right for using the Dynamic Island.
Drawbacks of Dynamic Island
1. It is an interactive feature but it is located in the hard-to-reach area of the device. Users will have to stretch their fingers to access the area, so the interaction becomes uncomfortable.
2. Dynamic Island has a front-facing camera and users will keep tapping around the camera which will lead to smudges on the front camera. This might lead to blurred selfies and videos on the front camera.
3. In comparison to the notch, the dynamic island doesn’t look well in full-screen video mode.
4. The Dynamic Island looks like a solid pure black pill in pictures, but in reality, it looks different. The area between spots becomes noticeable in direct sunlight, and it doesn’t look like a solid object.
5. Dynamic Island has a small size and this does not allow designers to play with the size of the elements to create decent content sections.
6. Every time the island activates, it catches the attention of the user. This can become annoying if the app creators overuse this feature.
All in all, Apple’s Dynamic Island doesn’t seem like a feature for which you should upgrade to iPhone 14 Pro Models. You should wait for a few more years to get something more from Apple.
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