Apple’s entire iPhone 17 lineup will use LTPO always-on display technology, claims display industry analyst David Naranjo of Display Supply Chain Consultants.
LTPO displays boast variable refresh rates that offer features like ProMotion and always-on display. So far, those features have been limited to Apple’s “iPhone Pro” models.
According to Naranjo, “LTPO penetration [in smartphones] rose from 10% in 2021 to 23% in 2022.”
“The rise in LTPO is a result of strong demand for higher refresh rates and always on displays at lower power,” he continued. “Apple adopted its first LTPO smartphones in 2021 on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max… In 2025, DSCC expects all Apple’s iPhone 17 models to adopt LTPO panels as LTPO capacity continues to rise and costs fall.”
Low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) is a backplane technology that allows dramatically and dynamically changing a display’s refresh rate, doing so without any extra hardware components between the graphics controller and the GPU. This means there are fewer components powering the display, meaning energy requirements are reduced, extending the battery life of the device.
Apple uses LTPO technology to power its ProMotion display system, which can vary from a low refresh rate of 10Hz to a high of 120Hz when operating, or 1Hz for an always-on display, such as is used on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
LTPO is also used on the Apple Watch Series 5 and later, making the wearable capable of refresh rates as low as 1Hz.
Low refresh rates can come in handy when nothing changes on the display, which minimizes power usage. On the flip side, a 120Hz refresh rate could be more beneficial to users engaging in fast-moving games or when using an Apple Pencil.
LTPO technology debuted on the iPhone 13 Pro to enable the device’s ProMotion feature in iPhone 13 Pro, and then it later enabled the lower refresh rate required to enable the always-on display feature.
While Apple could bring LTPO to non-pro iPhones without enabling ProMotion on those devices, it does indicate that Apple will likely include an always-on display across all models.
There are other advantages for LTPO in addition to the always-on display feature. For example, users watching video shot at 24Hz will be able to view the content at its native frame rate.
The Display Supply Chain Consultants, headed by Ross Young, has a solid reputation for predicting Apple’s display-related plans. Young recently predicted that Apple’s “iPhone 17 Pro,” which is expected to debut in 2025, will be the first to boast under-panel Face ID technology.