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The two biggest phone-makers are both trying to change the way we interact with our phones — but in very different ways. Apple is transforming the iPhone’s software and how it works with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max phones. Samsung, by contrast, is updating the physical shape of the smartphone through its Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip line of foldables.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 Pro line at its „Far Out“ event last week, and one of its standout new features is a redesigned notch area called the Dynamic Island. It’s a pill-shaped cutout for the front camera and Face ID sensors that Apple has also repurposed as a miniature secondary display for showing notifications and other content.
At first glance, Apple’s Dynamic Island and Samsung’s foldable phones have little in common, if anything. But the intention behind both is the same: to improve how our phones display apps and surface information.
The Dynamic Island is essentially Apple’s answer to faster multitasking on the iPhone. While Android phone-makers like Samsung support the ability to open multiple apps at once on screen, Apple instead uses the Dynamic Island to expand and contract to show contextual information. It can expand to show alerts and may change shape depending on the app.
For example, the Dynamic Island can show the song you’re listening to even when you’re on the home screen.
