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iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air ProMotion Rumors Disputed by Leaker
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I upgraded from an iPhone 14 Pro to an iPhone 16, and don’t miss the higher refresh rate or the always-on display. I do greatly appreciate the lighter weight.
Refresh rate: not sure if I don’t notice in my usage pattern or just don’t care, but either way it’s not something I think about. Maybe I just got used to it.
Always-on display: is something I actually find annoying. For some reason, I never got used to it. When I’m not using my phone, I want the screen to be off. I check the time on my watch. Nightstand mode was not very compelling to me - maybe I never found a screen customization I liked. But I don’t need an ambient monthly calendar or time display. And when I get a notification on my iPhone 16, the screen turns on and I see it… then a little bit later, the screen turns off.
So at least for me, the 1-120Hz screen refresh is an altogether unwelcome feature, particularly if it adds weight or expense.
Refresh rate: not sure if I don’t notice in my usage pattern or just don’t care, but either way it’s not something I think about. Maybe I just got used to it.
Always-on display: is something I actually find annoying. For some reason, I never got used to it. When I’m not using my phone, I want the screen to be off. I check the time on my watch. Nightstand mode was not very compelling to me - maybe I never found a screen customization I liked. But I don’t need an ambient monthly calendar or time display. And when I get a notification on my iPhone 16, the screen turns on and I see it… then a little bit later, the screen turns off.
So at least for me, the 1-120Hz screen refresh is an altogether unwelcome feature, particularly if it adds weight or expense.
Let's hope that this rumour is not true.
I get that the 16e doesn't have promotion - just about, see directly below.
When even sub $300 android phones have 90hz displays would be Apple money grabbing at its worst.
They need to face up to the fact that you can get a lot more bang for your buck nowadays in Android land and the gap is closing each year.
So pretending that certain features are 'premium' is getting ridiculous.
EDIT: It's been pointed out that I totally didn't read the article properly, which is totally right. Would like to see Apple take the same approach as Pixel does with the 9 and 9a (phone can be 60hz or 120hz, defaults to 60hz and has a AoD).
I get that the 16e doesn't have promotion - just about, see directly below.
When even sub $300 android phones have 90hz displays would be Apple money grabbing at its worst.
They need to face up to the fact that you can get a lot more bang for your buck nowadays in Android land and the gap is closing each year.
So pretending that certain features are 'premium' is getting ridiculous.
EDIT: It's been pointed out that I totally didn't read the article properly, which is totally right. Would like to see Apple take the same approach as Pixel does with the 9 and 9a (phone can be 60hz or 120hz, defaults to 60hz and has a AoD).
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Pffft. Rumours Bloomers.
Let's just wait and see. It seems every Tom Dick and Harry wants to jump on the rumour bandwagon.
Ere - guess what I've heard!
Let's just wait and see. It seems every Tom Dick and Harry wants to jump on the rumour bandwagon.
Ere - guess what I've heard!
Zero percent chance they would go with such an inefficient screen technology on a product with such a small battery, especially considering how comfortable they clearly are shipping 60hz screens. Not enough people care about screen refresh rate for Apple to make any compromises for it. It'll either be 1-120hz adaptive or flat 60hz.
'pretending that certain features are 'premium' is getting ridiculous'
It's a tiresome old trop that Apple have been churning out for a few years now. This BS really has had it's day. People are not stupid. They can see what's out there for half the money.
My guess is it’s not exactly the same as what they’ve used in the pro displays and therefore a bit cheaper and there’s still some differentiation, but especially for the 17 Air it’s hard to picture them giving up the power savings variable refresh rate would give it.
Promotion is a net-positive for battery since it means it can go down to a lower number when not needed, all the way to 1hz
I like how you can tell who read the article by their comment, and who just read the headline.
Absolutely nowhere in the article does it say that the base iPhones will be 60 Hz or 90Hz.
Even this report says the base phones will have 120 Hz. But of course you wouldn’t know that cause you didn’t read it.
All this article is saying is that the refresh rate won’t dynamically adapt from 1 Hz up to 120, it will simply stay at 120 at all times. By the way, most of those $300 android phones that you’re talking about, cheap out in this exact same way. They don’t dynamically adjust their refresh rate, they are just fixed at 120 Hz. That’s part of the reason they can get high refresh rate displays so cheap.
I personally don’t think Apple will do this, though, it doesn’t sound like them.
It’s time Apple found a better way to differentiate their Pro devices from the rest. Having a 120 Hz phone/tablet screen in 2025 is no longer a Pro feature.
Promotion itself saves battery. However, the extra features that Promotion brings (always on display etc.) does reduce battery.
The rumors are that all Apple phones will have >60 Hz refresh rates for screens. This is solely about whether ProMotion will be standard on the 17 and 27 Air.
As far as I'm aware, there are no sub-$300 Android phones (price when new) that have LTPO screens technology with a true variable refresh rate that can drop as low as 1Hz, like Apple's ProMotion feature.
There are Android phones that do that (Galaxy S24 Ultra, Pixel 8 or 9 Pro, etc.), but they are all flagship phones with generally comparable prices to Apple's iPhone Pro.
is "always 120hz" even more smooth scrolling than ProMotion? I assume with ProMotion, that it needs to constantly activate/deactivate 120hz, that right before activating it maybe scrolling is not so smooth? But if its always 120hz, then even right when starting scrolling it should be super smooth
Honest question: can you guys tell me why you like the always-on display and what you use it for? What am I missing?
I couldn’t care the slightest about always on. I only use it for my watch. I do care a lot about 120hz scrolling though
Excatly same for me went from 14 pro to normal 16. Apple Watch has AOD where it makes more sense. Not missing 120 hz as every other screen I have has 60 Watch, MB Air, iphone. I downgraded all my products from pro to non pro, fine for me as a normal user. Iphone 16 is very light, great battery, great camera and screen. Fine for everybody. Pro is in my opinion just for real pros which are a minority and for Apple upselling ppl to pro products They should easin up all the lineup and remove the pro alltogether just offer the best in every normal product. Air name also doesnt make sense if you look at the ipad. Does it mean lighter and thinner or just having less features? Even the airpods 4 ANC are great and you dont need the Pros 2!
Considering so many people say "The only reason I have the pro version is because there is no 120hz on the base version", it seems like Apple's plan to upsell the pro version is working, so no surprises here.
exactly. I miss the times when there was just one iphone, one ipad and maybe two macbooks