iPhone 16 or 16 Plus homeowners may not like all these iPhone 17 rumors claiming the bottom iPhone 17 mannequin and the iPhone 17 Air will help 120Hz refresh price (ProMotion).
It’s the one characteristic so many individuals need from Apple’s cheaper iPhones, one which consumers have been ready for years. A few of them purchase the iPhone Professional or Professional Max telephones solely for ProMotion.
They could assume Apple retains ProMotion unique to the costlier fashions to make more cash. No one would blame them contemplating that many mid-range Android telephones characteristic shows that help 90Hz refresh charges or the total 120Hz.
However the actual motive Apple hasn’t introduced ProMotion to the non-Professional iPhone 16 fashions however plans to do it with the non-Professional iPhone 17 variations isn’t nearly upselling the Execs. It’s additionally about one thing not all iPhone consumers take into consideration: Apple’s complicated provide chain and the provision of display screen provide that matches its large wants.
A brand new ETNews report says that LG Show elevated its smartphone OLED manufacturing plan for 2025 to mid-to-late 70 million items, up from 55 million in 2023 and 70 million items this 12 months.
LG will provide LTPO OLED panels to Apple, together with the iPhone 17 fashions. These LTPO OLEDs make the iPhone’s dynamic 120Hz refresh price attainable. It’s the display screen tech Apple makes use of inside iPhone Professional fashions to make sure battery life doesn’t take successful.
The report says that solely LG and Samsung Show have been capable of manufacture LTPO OLED panels in response to Apple’s specs for the iPhone. BOE’s LTPO OLED tech isn’t as much as requirements, so the Chinese language display screen maker is overlooked of the iPhone 17 provide.
Because of this, each LG and Samsung will improve the LTPO provide for the 2025 iPhones. That’s why LG determined to extend OLED manufacturing for the 12 months.
There’s one other necessary element within the report. ETNews says that LG is supplying OLED panels for the iPhone 16 collection with out manufacturing points, which is why LG is ready to improve manufacturing to fulfill Apple’s wants.
What I’m getting at is that Apple could have wished to transition all its iPhones to LTPO OLED tech that helps ProMotion nicely earlier than the iPhone 17 collection. It simply didn’t have sufficient provide. Samsung, LG, and BOE are the one OLED panel makers for the iPhone. The latter can’t match the standard of its Korean rivals, and LG has steadily elevated its output over time.
Some folks should say that Android distributors ship mid-range merchandise with 120Hz panels. However the comparability isn’t precisely honest. Apple sells nicely over 200 million iPhones yearly, as much as 40% of that are the latest technology fashions. Due to this fact, Apple wants nicely over 200 million LTPO OLED panels a 12 months.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will account for tens of thousands and thousands of offered smartphone items throughout their lifetime. The identical goes for the iPhone 17 and 17 Air. Flagships just like the Galaxy S24 would possibly promote round 30 million items yearly, however that wouldn’t match the variety of base iPhone fashions Apple sells yearly.
Mid-range Android telephones with 120Hz panels most likely can’t match the yearly gross sales figures for the non-Professional iPhones.
Lastly, not all of the gadgets that help 120Hz shows get the absolute best LTPO OLED panels. Do not forget that Apple’s iPhone screens are all the time praised for his or her high quality. Apple makes use of top-of-the-line costly screens that aren’t accessible to all smartphone distributors.
Apple’s provide ecosystem is extremely large. The corporate has to make sure that elements meet its requirements and that suppliers can manufacture them within the massive numbers it wants. That additionally means hitting the fee factors Apple must maintain iPhone costs regular and preserve revenue margins.
That’s most likely why the most cost effective iPhone 16 mannequin lacks ProMotion help and why the iPhone 17 will get 120Hz screens.
