GoKawiilThe iPhone's display has received some minor upgrades over the last five years, such as smaller bezels and a higher peak brightness. A more exciting evolution is ProMotion, which is Apple's name for an adaptive refresh rate. On the iPhone 13 Pro/Max through iPhone 16 Pro/Max, and everything in the iPhone 17 lineup, the screen goes up to 120Hz for high-movement activities like scrolling or gaming. It drops to 1Hz to save battery when not moving. iPhones that lack this stay at 60Hz, which is less smooth. You'll notice the higher refresh rate all over your phone, making it one of the best upgrades in recent years. And it's thankfully now part of the base iPhone.
After the iPhone X introduced the notch in 2017, every subsequent iPhone carried it over without changes until the iPhone 13 line slimmed it down. The following year, the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max replaced the notch with the Dynamic Island, and it's been on every iPhone since (except the "e" devices). Instead of a static bar, the Dynamic Island shows in-progress actions from other apps, like a running timer, Maps navigation, or music playback. Using it, you can keep an eye on your Uber while you scroll social media or skip the current song without leaving the message you're composing.
An always-on display is present on the Pro and Pro Max phones starting with the iPhone 14 Pro, and all iPhone 17 models (including the iPhone Air). This keeps the Lock screen dark while still showing details like the time, widgets, and notifications. It uses some battery, but it can help you avoid picking your phone up as often and getting sucked into a rabbit hole.