Lesser iPhone 14 models will probably not get 120Hz screens

Although Apple was the first to bring a high refresh rate to mobile devices with the 2017’s iPad Pro, Android manufacturers took the lead in introducing 90Hz and 120Hz phones, and these days, it’s not rare to find Android mid-rangers with a high refresh rate. Apple seems to be in no rush to make this a standard feature on its phones and a per a new leak, only the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will have the ProMotion tech.

The refresh rate is the number of times an image on the display is updated per second. Most phones have 60Hz screens and the recent ones with 90Hz and 120Hz displays make content appear smoother and feel more responsive. 

At first, it was believed that only the Pros would get 120Hz screens, and then a rumor started doing rounds that Apple was considering equipping the Max with a 120Hz screen as well. Quite recently, it was reported that all four models would have a 120Hz panel.

Trusted industry insider Ross Young has squashed those rumors. He claims that BOE, the Chinese display manufacturer that will likely provide the screens for the non-Pro models, is not capable of supplying the type of OLED screens that are needed for enabling a dynamic refresh rate at the moment.

The iPhone 14 and 14 Max will allegedly feature a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel. The Pro models, on the other hand, will probably get the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) tech that allows a display to adjust the refresh rate according to the content being displayed to prolong battery life. Samsung – and possibly LG – will supply the LTPO panels, and BOE will manufacture the LTPS screens for the iPhone 14 series.

The Pro models are also expected to let go of the notch and adopt a hole and pill cutouts design instead. These variants may also be equipped with a new 48MP sensor and this could help them outdo the best camera phones of today.