Android fans have been mocking the iPhone’s Always-On Display because of its visible wallpaper since it debuted in 2022 — but now Samsung’s new S24 series of phones has blatantly copied the same thing.
At its Unpacked event on January 17, Samsung’s big focus was mainly on AI for its S24 phones — you can tailor responses in conversations to be formal or casual for example, or you can edit a photo using the AI to remove objects, or fill in parts of an image to give it more depth if you so wish. However, it was another feature showcased at the event that was obviously copied from the iPhone 14 Pro which has drawn the ire of commenters on social media.
“iPhone’s AOD is not even a real AOD!”“It’s just a dimmed wallpaper. Not an AOD!” “iPhones have the worst implementation of AOD!”Samsung’s AOD 2 years later: pic.twitter.com/SozUHjlqJSJanuary 17, 2024
Admittedly, Apple was one of the last to bring an Always-On Display (AOD) to its phones, as manufacturers like OPPO and Google have had this feature since at least 2020. This finally arrived with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max — and can be very useful for viewing notifications and widgets for when the iPhone is locked. Granted, Samsung had AOD before, but it didn’t show any wallpaper — now though, it’s a carbon copy of what iPhone 14 Pro and later iPhones bring.
If you’re planning on buying an S24 once they’re made available on January 30, you can try out this inspired feature by going to Settings > Lock Screen AOD > AOD Settings > Enable ‘Show Lock Screen Wallpaper’. It’s worth mentioning though, If you’re in the market for an AOD-capable device, the iPhone 14 Pro has seen some great deals lately. If you want one of Apple’s best iPhones for a much cheaper price compared to what Samsung is offering for its S24 series — and with an Always-On Display to boot, you can get the best of both worlds from Apple instead.
Inspiration can come from anywhere — iMore’s take
Samsung with the savagery in this ad 😂https://t.co/o0RvpCdwkn pic.twitter.com/TPgfh9Qa2ONovember 6, 2017
This isn’t the first time Samsung has taken “inspiration” from an Apple feature that has previously been mocked — the iPhone’s notch is a great example. When the iPhone X came out in 2017 it featured a cutout that housed Face ID and the front camera, Samsung was quick to introduce its own take in March 2018. Its S9 series of phones came with a new design that curiously featured a brand new design with a lip at the top and bottom, along with its own Face ID feature, called Face Recognition. Samsung is probably hoping you’ve forgotten about its advert mocking Apple customers for buying the iPhone X, which included one Apple “fanboy” with a notch haircut.
It’s no surprise that Samsung continues to draw on features previously pioneered by Apple — it’s a regular occurrence, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Samsung’s take on Vision Pro later this year.
Arguably though, with Samsung introducing a bunch of AI features to its S24 phones, the bar has been set much higher for the iPhone 16 and Apple’s wider plans for AI in 2024. As we head towards WWDC, Apple’s yearly developer conference expected to take place in June, we might well hear what the company has planned regarding AI in iOS 18, macOS 15, and beyond.
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