Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to press a button, tap your iPhone's screen, or physically lift it up just to check the time? That's the convenience always-on displays have brought to Android phones in recent years, and it's about time the iPhone got this upgrade as well.
An always-on display is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of your smartphone's screen going black whenever it becomes idle, it'll show some basic information like the time, icons for unchecked notifications, and your phone's battery level. Phones from Samsung and Google among others offer this feature.
I've found it to be useful for times when I just want to quickly see the time or which app my most recent notification came from without the temptation to plunge down the rabbit hole of checking email, Facebook, and other apps.
Apple brought always-on display functionality to the Apple Watch last year with the Apple Watch Series 5. The new Series 6 also supports this feature, but the cheaper Apple Watch SE does not.
There's been no indication that Apple plans to bring this feature to the iPhone, but reports do suggest that all of Apple's iPhone 12 models will have OLED displays. Currently, only the pricier iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max have OLED displays, while the iPhone 11 has an LCD panel.