You might imagine that an iPhone found in the Apple Store is the exact same as the one in your pocket, but one keen-eyed fan has spotted a major difference between the two that has stunned many online.
It's understandable the Apple will want to make sure that it's products are in their best shape across the store, and that can range from ensuring that they're clean to always being on the latest software.
It would be pretty bad if you were shopping for an iPhone or a Macbook and the gadgets you were viewing weren't up to spec, but it appears that the tech giant uses a sneaky technique to make its products seem a bit better than they might once you've handed over the cash to purchase it.
As shared by u/Fatieh_ on the r/iphone subreddit, there appears to be a clear and staggering difference in the brightness levels when looking at a demo and regular iPhone side by side.
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"I have my 16 Pro Max which was bought in Turkey but I'm in the UK right now. When I compared my phone with demo a 16 Pro Max the brightness gap is huge," the user explains.
"You can see the brightness and display settings. Also I didn't enable any screen filter. My phone was not hot, but the demo phone is brighter obviously. I asked this to an Apple employee and they said the difference may be caused by screen manufacturer.
"Of course I know iPhones have either Samsung or LG displays (mine is LG GVC). However, the difference cannot be ignored."
It's impossible to deny that the demo unit is noticeably brighter than the user's own phone, and it's easy to speculate that this has been done to make the device seem more appealing and stand out more in an already well-lit store - but many have offered their own thoughts on how this can be the case.
While the employee's claim regarding different screen manufacturers could be correct, the significant difference in brightness is more likely to be caused by a number of different factors, some of which are out of Apple's controls.
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The most common theory appears to surround a setting that is typically automatically disabled on most people's iPhones, and that's a higher peak brightness that only kicks into gear when you're in extremely light areas.
"iPhones have a 'locked away' peak brightness that only activates when the sensor detects bright light. They only allow you to get to peak brightness when the sensor senses bright surroundings to save battery and the screen," one comment explains.
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"It is possible that the demo iPhones always run in that mode. Both phones should have the same brightness once you take them outside on a bright day (and have auto brightness enabled). The difference between 2 panels should not be noticeable, no matter the manufacturer."
This is further backed up by the original posters comment about the demo iPhone being hotter than his own, which is typically a sign of the greater power demands of higher peak brightness, which isn't recommended for most people but is fine for a demo store unit which is always on charge and can be swapped out at any point.
Others have pointed out that the poster's iPhone does have a screen protector on which can contribute to a dimmer display, especially at certain angles. It's likely that this is a factor in combination with the aforementioned peak brightness setting, making the comparison appear even more significant, but it still plays a part.
