The iPhone 17 could finally catch up to Android with a high refresh rate display

TL;DR

• A new leak corroborates previous rumors that the standard iPhone 17 could finally get a high refresh rate display.
• We’ve long heard that the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Slim/Air will come with a 120Hz LTPO OLED display with support for an Always On display.
• Android smartphones have long transitioned away from a 60Hz refresh rate to at least 90Hz and, more popularly, 120Hz displays.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a high-refresh-rate display for the iPhone 17, but it confirms previous leaks.

A February 2024 report from The Elec suggests that Apple will likely equip all four models in the iPhone 17 series with LTPO OLED displays.

This would be a shift from the current LTPS tech used in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, while the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max use ProMotion (which is Apple’s marketing term for 120Hz variable refresh rate on an LTPO OLED display). Thanks to this rumored jump to an LTPO OLED, the entire iPhone 17 line could come with an Always-On Display, ending the exclusivity from the Pro models.

Display analyst Ross Young further backed up this rumor by also claiming the non-pro models could offer a 120Hz display.

Overall, it’s looking increasingly likely that the iPhone 17 will finally catch up to Android and give users a high refresh rate display. We hope it’s not a gimped implementation and is on par with the Pro iPhones.