These New iPhone 14 Features Were on Android First

The iPhone 14 is giving me a little deja vu. But to Apple's credit, it's managed to improve some previously Android-only features.

PublishedSeptember 10, 2022

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A photo of the iPhone 13 Pro and the Pixel 6 Pro — The iPhone 13 Pro next to the Pixel 6 Pro.

I’m not saying that Apple’s newest smartphone lifted elements directly from the mass of phones already floating around in the Android space, but I noticed some similarities during the Far Out keynote that I couldn’t ignore. The iPhone 14’s new features, like the always-on display and ProRAW mode, seemed similar to abilities I’ve already been toying with on some Samsung and Google Pixel devices. The Dynamic Island, in particular, reminds me of a feature that used to exist on a long gone LG device. However, Apple is doing something a little different with its implementation in a way that makes clever use of what everyone else is deeming a “hole punch” in the middle of the display.

Here’s a look at some of the “copy-cat” abilities that Apple announced for the iPhone 14 this week. Apple was also first to the table on a few other features we’re hoping Android adopts and adapts in the future.

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Always-on display

Samsung introduced its version of the always-on display back in 2016 when it launched the Galaxy Note 7. It was billed as a lock screen before the actual lock screen that showed you the time, notifications, or a calendar, though it’s since been expanded to include graphics and other indicators. On that initial Note 7 release, you could even pop out the S Pen embedded into the phone and jot down notes without waking up the AMOLED display and eating up the battery.

Samsung, along with Google, OnePlus, and a host of other Android OEMs, continue to utilize the always-on display on its devices and allow customization for the feature. But Android users have a slightly different ability than what Apple is proposing with its version of the always-on display. Apple’s always-on display is a little more dynamic than Samsung’s, and you can flip between different configurations as you set them up with iOS 16’s new customizable lock screens.

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Dynamic refresh rate

A photo of the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro — Photo: Sam Rutherford / Gizmodo

Android’s premium smartphones have had dynamic refresh rates for the last couple of years, especially since more manufacturers started adopting 120Hz right out of the gate. But that high refresh rate murders battery life in most situations, which is why Android OEMs started implementing dynamic refresh rates to help cut down on how much power the screen uses. The OnePlus 9 Pro was one of the first major Android flagships to adopt the ability to dial as far down as 1Hz to save on battery life. Some of Samsung’s latest smartphones, including the Galaxy S22 Ultra, offer this.

Apple introduced its version of the dynamic refresh rate, called ProMotion, in the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, though it was limited to 24Hz. The iPhone 14 Pro can dial down to 1Hz for the always-on display.

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Car crash detection

It doesn’t matter who was first to offer car crash detection capabilities, because the real reason this exists is morbid and sucky. Now that I’ve established that, I’m relieved that Pixel smartphones and Apple iPhones both offer a way for your smartphone to automatically reach out to emergency services when you’re rendered unable to do so yourself because of a car crash. Here’s to hoping you never have to use this feature.

Apple announced that the new iPhone 14 would utilize its improved gyroscopes to help recognize when you’ve had a car crash. But Google was the first to introduce the car crash detection feature a few years ago on select Pixel smartphones. The ability is part of the Personal Safety app, which is still exclusive to Pixel devices. Like Apple’s version, it lets you set up an Emergency SOS feature that can dispatch for safety and share your real-time location when accidents happen. There’s also an option to turn on automatic car crash detection. If you don’t respond within an allotted amount of time, your Pixel smartphone will call 911 automatically.

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ProRAW photos

A photo of the Galaxy S22 Ultra's RAW mode — Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo

I am curious to see how much I can get out of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro’s ProRAW mode. The feature allows you to use the full extent of the 48-MP camera sensor on the new smartphone. Rather than limit it to the software’s AI-infused quad-pixel capabilities, this feature lets you use the primary camera as if it were a DSLR you carry in your back pocket. The only requirement is knowing what to do with a RAW file in a photo editing suite.

Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones started offering this feature earlier this year with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. I noticed that with the Ultra, which boasts a 102-MP camera, I could flip into the full megapixels mode and shoot photos using the sensor as the tech gods intended. However, that doesn’t seem to shoot in pure RAW and instead spits out a JPEG in the backend. You’ll have to manually head into the camera settings to ensure that the RAW option is toggled-on if you want to take fully editable photos with Samsung’s smartphone.

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eSIM

Apple announced the iPhone 14 would be the first of its smartphones to ship without a SIM tray in the U.S. and Canada, instead favoring the eSIM standard. The technology is essentially the virtual version of the physical SIM card.

Google introduced the eSIM with the Pixel 2 in 2017, using it to pitch Google Fi, its own mobile network. Samsung’s latest phones, including the Galaxy S22 series and the foldables, also support the eSIM standard. Samsung even pushed the ability out to some older models via a software update. But Apple’s willingness to go all in on eSIM and not have a SIM slot, which Android smartphones still do, is bold when many users are probably just learning the technology exists. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly U.S.-based carriers will catch on to the trend and whether they’ll make it easy for people to ditch their physical SIM cards. I’m also curious if next year’s Android devices will drop the SIM tray altogether.

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Dynamic Island

A photo of LG's Second Screen — Photo: Darren Orf / Gizmodo

Apple’s Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro is quite a clever innovation. Rather than leave the notch to take away from the screen resolution on the iPhone, Apple turned it into a multitasking tool so that you can easily switch between active apps without immediately leaving the screen you’re on. It’s akin to how Android snoozes apps to the notification shade, except that it exists squarely within and around that little pill-shaped area where the front-facing camera and FaceID sensor are both housed.

When Apple made mention of the feature at its Far Out event, Android fans—myself included—immediately recognized the ability from an old LG smartphone released in 2018. The LG V10 had a second screen at the top of the display that showed the date, time, and phone connection status. It could also be an additional app launcher if you set it up. But Apple’s implementation is a little more fluid than what LG had attempted many years ago. And rather than overwhelm you with options that work within that little area, Dynamic Island is limited to two active iOS apps at a time.

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Lock screen widgets

Lock screen widgets are an iOS 16 feature that will be available on older iPhone models. But while Android was technically the first to offer Lock screen widgets on its mobile operating system, what Apple has done with its current implementation is how Google should have done things from the get-go.

Back in the Android Jelly Bean/KitKat days—when Google still used dessert names—you could choose from a few pre-configured widgets to set up on the Lock screen, but they were limited in functionality. Eventually, Google did away with them entirely. Perhaps they would have stuck around if they were as refined as what Apple managed to put forth a mere ten years later.

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