Display analyst Ross Young said back in September that the entire iPhone 17 line-up would be getting ProMotion displays, a feature currently exclusive to the two Pro models. This is now backed by a new supply-chain report over the weekend.

The latest report is a little less specific, referring only to “a high refresh rate,” but it does imply that non-Pro models will get both ProMotion benefits for the first time …

ProMotion displays

The refresh rate of a display measures the number of times per second the screen is redrawn, or refreshed, and is expressed as a Hz reading. Non-Pro iPhone models have 60Hz displays, meaning they are refreshed 60 times per second.

Many of today’s displays offer higher refresh rates, but the more sophisticated approach is variable refresh-rate displays, which can reduce or increase the number of screen updates to suit the content. This is made possible by a type of OLED technology known as LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide).

Apple uses the name ProMotion for its variable refresh-rate displays, which can go as high as 120Hz and as low as 1Hz. This offers three benefits:

• 120Hz doubles the frame-rate of games and similar content, for greater responsiveness
• In-between refresh rates conserve battery power when fewer updates are needed
• 1Hz enables the always-on display, as this rate consumes almost no power

Reportedly coming to all iPhone 17 models

Ross Young reported that LTPO displays are coming to all iPhone 17 models next year, which means both the base model and iPhone 17 Air will get the new feature.

Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station – who previously posted accurate leaks about the telephoto lens coming to the iPhone 16 Pro and the larger sensor size in the main camera this year – has now echoed this, from their own supply-chain sources.

Judging from the supply chain materials, the standard version of the iPhone 17 series is likely to have a high refresh rate.

This would certainly be a timely update, as variable refresh rate is already commonly found on Android smartphones priced below the base model iPhones.

Source: 9to5Mac