There's no doubt about that. Using your smartphone in bright sunlight can be difficult. It's nearly impossible to see what's on the screen without turning up the brightness, but not turning up the brightness can quickly drain your battery. It's a no-win situation.
Well, this situation may not last long. Apple appears to be working on technology that will make using your iPhone more comfortable when the sun is shining. According to some leaks, this could be good news for future iPhones.
The first rumor comes from Chinese Weibo leaker Instant Digital (via MacRumors), which claims that the iPhone 17's outer glass will feature an “ultra-hard anti-reflective layer” that is “more scratch resistant than you might think.” .
This is very similar to the Corning Gorilla Armor that Samsung used in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to help the phone withstand harsh scratch tests. According to Corning, this technology reduces reflections by up to 75% compared to standard glass. If that claim and his aforementioned iPhone screen leak are pointing to the same thing, iPhone users could soon be getting a much better experience when using their device outdoors. .
The bad news is that Instant Digital claims the new features are coming too late to make it to the iPhone 16. Still, the iPhone 17 is already rumored to have some powerful display upgrades, and this latest development could make it a tasty device for those looking for the best screen money can buy. .
fighting reflexes
This isn't the only anti-reflection technology Apple is apparently working on. A recently granted patent (patent number 11934063, discovered by Patently Apple) could allow future iPhones to automatically adjust surface properties to cut reflections and make on-screen content more visible in bright light. It is revealed that there is a gender.
For example, this patent outlines how the iPhone uses an ambient light sensor to detect current light levels. If it's too high, an adjustable diffuser or tint layer may be triggered to automatically increase the contrast of the display or change the tint to improve content visibility.
iPhone displays may also feature “ambient light rejection elements” that block as many reflections as possible while delivering as much on-screen content to your eyes as possible. This could absorb as much as 90% of the reflected light, the patent claims.
It's unclear whether this patent will make it into future iPhones – it's just a patent and Apple won't always take the idea to market – but it's possible that Apple is taking the issue of display visibility seriously. It seems clear that they are considering it. Combined with an apparent effort at anti-reflective glass, it suggests future iPhones could be even more fun to use in bright light.
