Not giving the iPhone 17e a ProMotion 120Hz display was a missed opportunity. You can bet that the planning for the next iPhone “e” has already started at Apple’s headquarters. A Korean news outlet has predicted that the iPhone 19e, two years from now, will grab its first 120Hz ProMotion screen.
They discontinued the iPhone SE last year and released the very first iPhone 16e, sort of a replacement/modern overhaul for budget iPhones. The iPhone 17e is the updated model, which was released less than two weeks ago. And both times, the display was capped at 60Hz.
ZDNet Korea has found information that Apple may be developing a new LTPO+ display technology. It apparently uses oxide materials for switching and driving transistors. And the design is found to be more efficient. The tech also makes the response rate a little quicker.
We’ll probably see this LTPO+ tech on the iPhone 18 series or even the new folding iPhone. That leaves open a window of opportunity for budget iPhones. When all the flagship iPhones are promoted to LTPO+, the older LTPO display could trickle down to the iPhone 19e. By the way, here you can check the Apple iPhone Price list dominated by the new 17 series and the thin iPhone Air.
They expect it to happen in 2028. There’s still some ambiguity in the leak because it doesn’t say which kind of ProMotion would be used on the iPhone 19e. There are levels to this feature. Case in point, the iPhone 13 Pro lineup. It was the first to score 120Hz ProMotion.
The iPhone 13 Pro had a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. iPhone 14 Pro could go all the way down to 1Hz. We definitely have to wait a bit before we can confirm the type of LTPO OLED used on the iPhone 19e. This is obviously an early sighting, one of the first leaks for this device. We’ll have more to share with you as time goes on. Keep watching the news for updates.
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