A leaker with an iffy track record with previous Apple-related rumors claims that while the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air may indeed be equipped a high-refresh rate display, it won’t be a ProMotion display.
ProMotion is the display technology that allows for the screen to refresh at different rates, to accommodate different needs. 120Hz ProMotion support is designed to provide a smoother viewing experience for scrolling through app content, gaming, and more. While using a lower refresh rate to preserve battery power in other instances. For instance, ProMotion has the ability to slow down the refresh of a screen to just 1Hz, making Always On possible, without heavily draining the battery.
The feature first debuted alongside the release of the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, remaining a “Pro” model feature. Since early 2024, several rumors have claimed that ProMotion will be a feature on every model in the iPhone 17 range.
However, leaker Fixed Focus Digital has claimed on Chinese social media site Weibo that these reports are false. “It’s just an ordinary 120Hz screen,” writes the leaker, “not a ProMotion adaptive refresh rate.”
No. other leaker or other sources have supported the claim, so we’ll need to wait and see. However, while Fixed Focus Digital has a mixed track record on rumors like these, it should be noted that the leaker was correct most recently about Apple debuting the iPhone 16e in place of a new iPhone SE.
Without ProMotion, the above listed features won’t be possible. While a 120Hz display would be a signficant improvement over the iPhone 16’s 60Hz display, it will have a noticeable impact on battery life.
As we said above, we’ll just have to wait and see, but this rumor seems a bit unlikely, so don’t hold your breath, as blue is not your color.
