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iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air ProMotion Rumors Disputed by Leaker
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It's great that Apple will be offering a *lower cost* 17 Air for people who don't need/want promotion. A smart move.
I doubt this is true, as the Air would then have truly horrendous battery life. It’s more likely that the Air and base 17 still have 60Hz. Apple likes to have names for things too. How are they going to introduce this in the video? “The iPhone Air, now with MidMotion. It’s like ProMotion, but not as good.”
Typical Apple. Tim Cook's and finance’s house of cards at hand. As someone that is has great use out of the AOD, it just means the Air is of no interest to me at all. If they would innovate on new ideas for the “pro” models, they wouldn’t have to rely on withholding features for their investors. Setting expectations lower than ever is the best strategy if you are an Apple fan these days. Not expecting anything wow for WWDC or this year’s hardware releases leads to less disappointment. My hardware choices and upgrades are longer in the tooth as a result of modern Apple. The benefit comes with money saved and less in Apple’s coiffures.
What’s going on with Apple? Last week they said the iPhone 17 would use the same A18 chip as the 16 and have 8GB of RAM. Now it turns out there’s no LTPO and no Always-On Display. So like… what’s even the upgrade?
A Chinese leaker with a mixed track record for accurate predictions has today disputed claims that the regular iPhone 17 and all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air will feature ProMotion displays.
ProMotion has been limited to the Pro models since it debuted on the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max in 2021, but several sources have suggested that Apple will this year fit the 120Hz variable refresh technology into the base iPhone 17 model, as well as the new iPhone 17 Air that replaces the Plus model in the lineup.
However, Weibo-based leaker Fixed Focus Digital's sources apparently tell them that the panel being used in the upcoming non-Pro models is "just a standard 120Hz screen, not ProMotion with adaptive refresh rate." If the claim is true, it would indicate that Apple is still using low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panels for its lower-end iPhone models, albeit fixed at 120Hz, whereas the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are fitted with 60Hz LTPS panels.
Without ProMotion, a fixed 120Hz panel will still feel smooth, particularly during scrolling, animations, and UI transitions. However, it would likely drain more battery, since it's refreshing rapidly all the time, even when viewing static content. In contrast, ProMotion dynamically adjusts the refresh rate anywhere between 1Hz and 120Hz, depending on content and user interaction, which preserves battery life.
A fixed 120Hz panel also means the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air would lack Apple's always-on display capability that shows the Lock Screen's clock, widgets, notifications, and wallpaper even when the device is locked and idle.
Fortunately, the case for ProMotion coming to the non-Pro iPhone 17 remains strong. Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young last year indicated that Apple's suppliers are ramping up production of LTPO panels for the entire iPhone 17 lineup, further supporting the possibility of ProMotion displays across all models. LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) is a low-power backplane technology for OLED displays that allows for a variable refresh rate with reduced power consumption. Young's claim has since been corroborated by South Korea's ETNews and The Elec.
Fixed Focus Digital has shared accurate predictions in the past, including correctly naming the iPhone 16E before its official confirmation. The account also accurately claimed the iPhone 16 Pro models would be available in a new bronze finish, which ended up being Desert Titanium. On the other hand, the account was wrong about the number of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus color options that would be available. As for ProMotion, the weight of evidence is against them on this rumor, and we're personally hoping it's a bad call. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17 lineup around September.
Article Link: iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air ProMotion Rumors Disputed by Leaker
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OK fair enough, I stand corrected.
I still think that there's a world where Apple could have a panel that stays at 90hz as a sort of a middle ground between what is uses for the standard iPhone and the Pros i.e. like the Pixel 9a does.
Yeah, you totally got me & fair enough - I'm a little bit distracted today.
I replied to someone else who pointed out my mistake and said that I'd like to see Apple take the same approach that pixel does in the 9/9a.
I.e. where it goes up to 120hz (again, I made a mistake I thought it went up to 90hz, doh) without a variable refresh rate, but with an AoD.
Seems like that's what we will get then & that's great.
Fair enough that you don't see Apple doing this - I think that they will, as they just can't not in 2025.
I think it's perfectly possible that they will have a similar panel to the 9a, where - I believe - it defaults to 60hz AoD but you can manually change it to 120hz, if you want to sacrifice some battery for a smoother display.
The smoothness of the ProMotion helps professionals stay focused on tasks, and so is great for productivity.
That's a bit of a stretch. I'm just as productive on my work-provided SE 2022 as I am on my personal 16 Pro.
My company (hospital) has never offered a 120hz phone, only the SE models, and now the 16e.
Really hoping variable, high refresh rate comes to the rest of the line. Even the new Switch has VRR up to 120hz.
So… never?
People seriously have this insane view of Apple years ago, it makes no sense.
If anything back in the day, there used to be even more Macs.
Hell between October 2010 and July 2011, there were two sizes of MacBook Air, three sizes of MacBook Pro in addition to a regular MacBook. Literally 6 different MacBooks.
Was really looking forward to the Air, but if it’s not got Promotion I think I’ll have to get the Pro. Real shame as I’d love a thinner, well specced phone
120 hz is far and away better than 60, however I am concerned about battery life on the Air. I wonder if Apple is intentionally trying to hamstring it.
Agreed. But you (and many others) paying extra for the Pro is why they are keeping it this way though...
Same. I’m 16 max and turned off 120. I want as much battery as posssible and I actually like the trippy trail effects versus smooth scrolling ☮️✌🏽💚❤️🪴🎇
As far as refresh rate goes yeah…I’m good with getting MORE images flashed in my grill piece, thank you very much.
Oh yeah and always on sometimes I have on sometimes I have it off. It does look good I just make sure show wall paper is on and show notifications is off.
Very clean.
I can't fathom not having it on the watch and now I've gotten used to it on the phone too. they look dead without it
This one doesn’t pass the sniff test. There’s no way Apple would shoot themselves in the foot by compromising the battery life of the phone like that, especially with the Air. 120Hz fixed surely uses a helluva lot more power than 60Hz fixed.
I’m not very familiar with the screens used in Android phones, are any of them 120Hz fixed or are they all variable like ProMotion?
I’m not very familiar with the screens used in Android phones, are any of them 120Hz fixed or are they all variable like ProMotion?
And that little leaky nugget, if borne out to be true, will kill off any chance of existing Pro users “upgrading” to the 17 Air. You can’t go back.
Leaving the 15/16 users who generally made that choice based purely on price.
Talk about shooting yourselves in the foot.
Leaving the 15/16 users who generally made that choice based purely on price.
Talk about shooting yourselves in the foot.
AOD uses more battery than ProMotion...To maximize battery, disable both features. While you're at it, might as well trade in your 16 Pro Max for a 16 Plus.
It's insane that they use this feature to differentiate their Pro. vs. Non-Pro models. In the Android ecosystem, 120 Hz displays are found on much cheaper devices, so it's baffling that Apple gates this to the more expensive models. Unfortunately this strategy works - so many people buy the Pro/Pro Max for ProMotion (myself included)