By admin 
In recent years, Apple has narrowed the gap between Pro and regular iPhones. With the iPhone 16, the difference between the models was the smallest ever, with some impressive upgrades making the $899 entry-level iPhone a very good buy indeed.
Now a new report from South Korea ETNews suggests that next year iPhone 17 could inherit one of the Pro’s few remaining advantages: a ProMotion, 120Hz display. The report claims that all four iPhone versions from 2025 will be energy efficient LTPO panels (low temperature polycrystalline oxide).supplied by Samsung and LG.
Crucially, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this rumor. Back in Septemberdisplay analyst Ross Young wrote a post on X saying that the non-Pro iPhones would get 120Hz panels for the first time with the 17 series.
120Hz displays have only been part of Apple’s smartphone range since 2021 iPhone 13 Pro. Called ‘ProMotion’, the screens refresh up to 120 times per second, instead of the previous 60, not only making them look visibly smoother but also opening the door to 120fps apps. The following year, Apple improved this with LTPO technology that made this possible iPhone 14 Pro drop to 1 Hz for a energy efficient, always visible display.
It is not clear whether this is the basic iPhone 17 and what the rumors are about iPhone 17 Slim (or maybe “Air”) will go so low for the Always On Display, but it’s nonetheless a serious upgrade that makes the base models all the more attractive.
Time for a downgrade?
Tom’s Guide readers with long memories may remember that I switched to the iPhone in 2022 after 13 years on Android. I’m very happy with my iPhone 14 Pro handset and don’t plan on buying a new one until it slows down – which shows no signs of success so far.
But if so, and assuming I haven’t been tempted to return to Android in the intervening months, I’m not sure I’d feel the need to go Pro again. I’m not really a power user as I spend 90% of my phone time on my phone WhatsApp, Safari, Instagram, Reddit and, uh, Coffee Golf.
But the one thing I definitely wouldn’t go back to is a 60Hz screen. No doubt I’d get used to it eventually, but whenever I have a long day without a charger, I do that too always switch my iPhone to power saving modewhich turns off ProMotion and returns to 60Hz – and I really hate it! Everything seems so much less fluid and uncomfortable to watch, and it’s always a relief to get back to full power when I’m safely within range of a charger.
When I bought the Pro model in 2022 I assumed I was doing this for the camera rather than the screen, with the 3x telephoto lens making all the difference (and that’s now up to 5x with the iPhone 16 Pro). Very few of my photos require that kind of distance (the cats don’t go far!), and aesthetically I think phones look much better with fewer lenses than with three to five eyes staring at you when you turn the handset over . about. Plus, since I bought it, Apple has done some clever things with pixel binning on its regular handsets providing a good proxy of a 2x lenswhich should work fine for me.
(Image credit: Front Page Technology)
With this in mind, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the iPhone 17 Slim big screen, skinny iPhone with a 120Hz screen and only one camera lens? It sounds like it’s perfect for me, assuming it is The rumors about a sky-high price are just rumors.
I doubt I’ll be ready to switch phones by September 2025, but if 120Hz displays are here to stay, then I might be ready for that downgrade when the time inevitably comes.