Apple’s iPhone 16 series has been in stores for three months, yet rumours about next year’s iPhone 17 lineup are brewing. A new leak from China suggests that all models in the 2025 iPhone lineup will feature high refresh rate displays. If this turns out to be true, the iPhone 17 family will be the first to pack advanced ProMotion technology across the entire lineup. Apple equipped the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus with 60Hz refresh rate displays with only the Pro models featuring 120Hz refresh rate displays.
Prominent tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) on Weibo claimed that the standard version of the iPhone 17 series is likely to have a high refresh rate display. This indicates that Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Slim (or Air) with a 120Hz screen for the first time next year.
Rumours of 120Hz ProMotion for all iPhone 17 models are not new. Earlier this year, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants stated that all Pro and non-Pro models in the lineup will boast 120Hz ProMotion displays. A report by ETNews, citing industry sources, in November reported that the entire iPhone 17 lineup will feature LTPO screens sourced from Samsung and LG.
The Cupertino-based company introduces hardware updates in the Pro models and then adds them to the regular versions in subsequent years. Meanwhile, most Android OEMs have been selling smartphones with 120Hz displays for years.
Apple has used 120Hz screens, branded as ProMotion displays, on its Pro iPhone models since 2021. This automatically adjusts the screen refresh rate and offers responsive app animations and scrolling, improving user experience. Adaption of the ProMotion display on the iPhone 17 and the rumoured iPhone 17 Slim is expected to narrow the gap between the standard and the Pro iPhone models.
Currently, the refresh rate on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are capped at 60Hz, while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max support 120Hz refresh rate (ProMotion).
