Last year, Apple debuted 120Hz ProMotion displays on the iPhone 13 Pro models. This year’s two iPhone 14 Pro models will continue to boast the displays, but could also feature expanded refresh rate variability.
The iPhone 13 Pro models used LTPO panel technology with variable refresh rates, allowing for a more power-efficient backplane, which is the part that turns individual pixels on and off. This means ProMotion is capable of dynamically producing fast frame rates when users need them and preserving battery life when they don’t.
Apple’s ProMotion displays are limited to screen refresh rates of between 10Hz and 120Hz. Meanwhile, LPTO panels used by the likes of Oppo and Samsung can drop to as low as 1Hz when viewing a static image or when the device is not being used.
Now display analyst Ross Young says he is “expecting” the ProMotion displays used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to be capable of dropping to the same 1Hz low. The technology could pave the way for longer battery life or always-on display elements.
The LTPO displays used on Apple Watch Series 7 models allow them to offer an always-on display while offering the same up-to-18-hour battery life as offered by earlier Apple Watch models. Using the same display technology on the iPhone could allow the handset to always display the time, date, and notifications without needing to unlock the handset.