The two largest phone manufacturers are both trying to change the way we interact with our phones, but in very different ways. Apple transforms the iPhone’s software and how it works with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max Phones. Samsungon the other hand, updates the physical form of the smartphone through its Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip line of foldable devices.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 Pro line on its “Far Out” event last week, and one of the 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 used as a miniature secondary display for displaying notifications and other content.
At first glance, Apple’s Dynamic Island and Samsung’s foldable phones have little or nothing in common. But the intent behind both is the same: to improve the way our phones display apps and surface information.
The Dynamic Island of the iPhone 14 Pro explained
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 on the screen at once, Apple instead uses Dynamic Island to expand and contract to display contextual information. It can be expanded to show alerts and can 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. Running a timer at the same time will split the timer into its own bubble next to music playback information, so you can view both without having to switch between apps. Likewise, you can see turn-by-turn directions on the Dynamic Island without having to jump from one app to another. The same goes for sports scores.
Apple says the goal behind Dynamic Island is to display information clearly without distracting from the app you’re in. “With this change, we’ve rethought how you interact with your iPhone,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of global marketing. during the company’s keynote address last Wednesday.
How Samsung’s foldables and the Dynamic Island are similar
Samsung’s foldable phones and the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island are inherently different. But they both aim to change the way we interact with apps on our phones.
Samsung promotes the Z Flip 4s Flex mode, for example, which splits compatible apps between the top and bottom of the screen when folded halfway. When the camera is opened in Flex mode, the top half of the screen serves as the camera viewfinder, while the bottom half displays controls such as the shutter button. You can also take photos and send canned replies in certain messaging apps on the Z Flip 4 without opening the phone by using the cover screen.
The Galaxy Z-fold 4, Samsung’s book-shaped foldable, is designed to provide more screen space in a device that still fits in your pocket. You can also open multiple apps at once on the Z Fold 4’s tablet-sized screen.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
The common thread between the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island, the Galaxy Z Flip, and the Galaxy Z Fold is that they’re all changing the way apps are displayed on our phones’ screens — with the ultimate goal of making apps more useful. Dynamic Island and Samsung foldable models are designed to make our phones more flexible based on the situation. Apple’s new notch replacement places information from certain apps to the top of your screen and changes according to what you’re doing. Samsung’s foldable devices allow you to adjust the size and position of your phone — and the apps that run on it — for different scenarios.
It’s too early to know if either approach will have a meaningful impact on the way we use our phones in the long run. Apple announced the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max last week, and those phones doesn’t start until September 16. Foldables have been widely available for about three years now, but they still make up a small fraction of total smartphone sales.
What’s clear, though, is that Apple and Samsung are both trying to improve the way we absorb and manage the massive amount of information that flows through our phones every day. Now that phones have matured to the point where most updates feel incremental, it’s refreshing to see changes that actually feel different.
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