The iPhone 13 Pro models were the first of Apple’s smartphones to feature 120Hz ProMotion displays. It’s through that the two iPhone 14 Pro models will feature this technology, and that their displays could boast expanded refresh rate variability upon the iPhone 14’s release.
The ProMotion feature is made possible via LTPO panel technology with variable refresh rates, which allow for a more power-efficient backplane, which is the part responsible for turning individual pixels on and off. In this way, ProMotion is capable of dynamically producing fast frame rates when users need them, while preserving battery life when they don’t.
With the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models, the ProMotion displays are limited to dialing screen refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz. This contrasts with LPTO panels used by the likes of Oppo and Samsung that can drop to as low as 1Hz when viewing a static image or when the device is inactive.
Per well-connected display analyst Ross Young, the ProMotion displays used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models are capable of dropping to 1Hz. This technology could also allow Apple to incorporate longer battery life or always-on display elements.
In a recent example, the Apple Watch Series 7 currently incorporates LTPO displays, which allow them to have the same up-to-18-hour battery life as earlier Apple Watch models despite featuring an always-on display. The same technology, applied to an iPhone, could display the time, date, and any notifications on-screen at all times without needing to unlock the handset.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.