Once again, Apple should put an end to an aberration: 60 Hz on phones costing almost €1,000. Next year, the entire iPhone range will be entitled to Apple’s 120 Hz ProMotion technology, even the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air, the ultra-thin model planned to replace the “Plus” which has never convinced.
Finally a responsive screen
According to a South Korean media report ETNewsall four iPhone 17 models, planned for next year, will be equipped with low-power LTPO displays, which suggests that they will all support variable refresh rate up to 120Hz.
Since ProMotion was introduced on the 2017 iPad Pro and then the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max in 2021, this feature has remained exclusive to the Pro models. Expanding this technology across the entire iPhone 17 lineup, including the “iPhone 17 Air” model, would represent a notable improvement and a huge selling point for gamers and fans. Unsurprisingly, Samsung and LG will still provide OLED screens for all iPhone 17 models.
LTPO (Low Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) technology enables a variable refresh rate with reduced power consumption, allowing ProMotion to operate without significantly affecting battery life. This ensures smoother scrolling, while allowing the screen to reduce its refresh rate to save power. For example, the iPhone 13 Pro can go down to 10 Hz, while the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro can go down to 1 Hz, allowing an always-on display that allows items to be displayed even when the device is in standby. We do not yet know whether the iPhone 17 and “iPhone 17 Air” will be able to go down to 10 Hz or down to 1 Hz.
Ross Young, a specialist in display technologies, had already indicated that the iPhone 17 and “iPhone 17 Air” should probably support 120 Hz, a rumor that has since been revisited several times. Enough to no longer doubt.
In comparison, the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus still feature 60Hz displays, which is often considered shameful by customers. Android phones do better for less than €400. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series in September 2025.
In order not to cannibalize the sales of its Pros, Apple will therefore also have to make them evolve significantly, which does not displease us.
What innovation can you imagine for the iPhone 17 Pro? A Dynamique Island under the screen, a battery that lasts more than two days or even a new design?
