iPhone 16/Plus Always On Display -- Worth the price?

[GIZBUG]

Wife want to upgrade her phone (iPhone SE 3rd Gen)
Feels the phone is too small, poor battery life and no magsafe

As far as best option, she isn’t impressed that the 16e doesn’t have magsafe or always on display (which she would like)

So it comes down to iPhone 16 or iPhone 16pro. Is the always on display the extra cost to go to the 16pro over 16? Or is that feature not high in people’s lists ?

 

[xxFoxtail]

I like the feature on my 14 Pro. It's nice just having it set up on the table or desk. It's certainly not a needed feature, but one I like to keep on.

 

[Iwavvns]

Being that the screen is one of the biggest power draws on a phone, I wouldn't want an always-on display. Even if the screen is dim the pixels are still being powered vs a screen that isn't on at all. I would think an always-on display would have a negative impact on battery life.

 

[Devyn89]

I like the feature on my 14 Pro. It's nice just having it set up on the table or desk. It's certainly not a needed feature, but one I like to keep on.

Exactly this, I wouldn’t buy the phone strictly because it has the feature, but given I buy the Pro models for ProMotion and the cameras, the always on display is a nice bonus.

 

[nburwell]

I like AOD on my 15 Pro and that’s one of the reasons why I went with the Pro model— along with pro motion and the cameras. It’s certainly not a must need feature for me, but it’s a nice to have, especially now that I’m used to it.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I like AOD on my personal phone. I don't use it on my work phone.

 

[Sirious]

Once you use it, there is no turning back. Its good to have if you get it, but like others have said, I wouldn't buy it as a deciding factor

 

[bbates123]

For me it's a critical feature, so I don't miss important notifications. It's the main reason I got the 16 Pro over the regular 16. I leave my phone on a MagSafe stand on my desk so I can see the screen at all times and that way I don't need to worry about battery drain either. If the regular 17 finally comes with always-on I'll be getting that.

 

[ThatsMeRight]

For me, it's a "kinda nice to have". Not really crucial. In a sense, it's also more distracting. I actually have turned it off for now. Not worried about the power draw, though. Battery life has increased pretty well in the past few years.

It does work pretty well in combination with Maps, which normally is a pretty power consuming functionality when used for navigation. Now, the display only lights up when approaching exits, traffic lights, etc... and in between, it just shows some elements using the always on functionality.