Apple is the only smartphone maker that still uses outdated 60Hz displays in the flagship category. All the base iPhones up until the iPhone 16 have had the same lousy 60Hz refresh rate for a long time. Meanwhile, 120Hz has become the new norm for every other smartphone brand in the world. That might change soon. Rumors suggest the iPhone 17 and 17 Air will join the high-refresh-rate club this year, and fans are loving the headline.
Apple bars the 120Hz refresh rate from its cheaper device and calls it a ProMotion feature that’s only accessible by iPhones Pro and Pro Max. It’s been at it since the iPhone 13 series. However, the company plans to flip the script this year with the base iPhones getting the same 120Hz treatment for the first time.
A new report on Weibo by Fixed Focus Digital confirms that the iPhone 17 series, which may or may not include the iPhone 17 Air, will come with a 120Hz non-adaptive refresh rate. Technically, the ProMotion (adaptive 120Hz) feature still belongs to the Pro iPhones.
Apple introduced a 120Hz LTPO refresh rate right out of the gate with the iPhone 13 series, and the company gave it the name, ProMotion display. Current iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have support for variable 1-120Hz ProMotion, and it will be carried on by the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max as well.
The base Apple iPhone new models will be upgraded to a high-speed 120Hz refresh rate for the first time, but it will be constant and might drain the battery a lot faster than their Pro counterparts. Even if these devices don’t support LTPO, we are still glad that the 60Hz era is finally coming to an end.
Fixed Focus Digital has a proven track record and mostly gives away reliable insights into Apple plans. You can be sure that this leak will also come to pass unless suggested otherwise by the company or a more reliable source. Nonetheless, the internet agrees that iPhone 17 and 17 Air are likely to bring 120Hz displays this year.
Apple has been slowly losing customers to rival Android companies because it clung to the 60Hz refresh rate on its base iPhones. Well, this change might bring some of those customers back into the fold. For more news on the iPhone 17 lineup, stay tuned to our news portal where we upload articles like this daily to keep our readers appraised of all the latest insights into the smartphone industry.
