Their base iPhone models have some catching up to do with Androids, as you may have seen that Apple stubbornly keeps using a 60Hz display with them. That standard passed a long time ago, and people don’t want to see it anymore, especially on a flagship phone.
Rumor has it that Apple wants to use 120Hz LTPO screens with the base iPhone 17, finally. Even the alleged iPhone 17 Air/iPhone 17 Slim might grab that ProMotion tech and get rid of the slow 60Hz panels once and for all.
They were notoriously late to even adopt 120Hz back when the iPhone 13 Pro came out in 2021. 120Hz refresh rate or as they like to call it, a “ProMotion display,” has only been exclusive to Pro and Pro Maxes ever since. This tech has come a long way though.
LTPO x ProMotion gives Apple's latest iPhones variable refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz using something called low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (it’s been in use since the iPhone 14 Pro). LTPO displays have types, and 1-120Hz is its most advanced and expensive form.
There’s still some uncertainty about the kind of LTPO refresh rate iPhone 17, 17 Plus, and 17 Slim might have. Is it the 1-120Hz type or 30-120Hz, or maybe something even inferior to save some costs? Whatever kind it is, it would be a relief to see the iPhone 17 base lineup draw 120Hz animations.