- Apple is expected to bring ProMotion Always-on Display technology across its entire iPhone lineup with the iPhone 17 series.
- The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus will feature OLED displays with the LTPO technology.
- Next year, the iPhone 17 and 17 Plus might also feature a taller aspect ratio of 19.6:9.
The long, long wait is finally coming to an end. For the first time ever, Apple is expected to bring ProMotion Always-on Display technology across its entire iPhone lineup with the iPhone 17 series. Scheduled for 2025, the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus will feature OLED displays with the LTPO technology as per the latest report, marking the arrival of ProMotion displays on the vanilla iPhone models.
According to The Elec, a Chinese supplier BOE is expected to supply LTPO panels to Apple for its iPhone 17 models. However, it isn’t clear if the supply can offer the required production capacity while adhering to Apple’s quality control standards. In case BOE isn’t able to meet requirements, Apple might have to switch to other suppliers like LG and Samsung to source LTPO panels. For the LPTS-based OLED panels, Apple can stick to BOE for making other iPhone models and the upcoming iPhone SE4.
The LTPO technology was first introduced in the iPhone 13 Pro models to enable the ProMotion feature. Later on, the lower refresh rate was enabled to feature Always-on displays on the iPhone 14 Pro models.
Currently, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus use low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panels. The more advanced low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) panels are exclusive to the flagship iPhone 15 Pro models. For reference, the LTPO panels support ProMotion which allows a display to achieve a stunning 120Hz refresh rate for butter-smooth scrolling and animations.
Besides, the ProMotion technology also enables a display to move to a refresh rate as low as 1Hz which minimizes power usage. This allows the Pro models to have an Always-on display that shows essential information at a glance, even when the device is locked.
Talking about the upcoming iPhone 16 series, Apple is likely to stick to the less advanced LPTS panels in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models. Again, this is done to draw a clear line of differentiation between the standard and the flagship models.
Fortunately, Apple will ditch this exclusivity formula in 2025. The iPhone 17 series will be the first to feature the more advanced ProMotion technology and Always-on displays across the entire lineup.
The Display analyst Ross Young suggested that the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro models will feature a taller aspect ratio of 19.6:9. Next year, Apple will pass on this change to the standard iPhone 17 models. Also, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will feature bigger displays. The iPhone 16 Pro will show an increase from 6.12 inches to 6.3 inches. Whereas, the iPhone 16 Pro Max could be the largest iPhone ever with a massive 6.9-inch display.
Well, offering ProMotion Always-on Display technology across the entire iPhone lineup is gonna be a BIG change. After years of non-stop requests, Apple finally seems to have heard its users. This much-needed change will definitely impress users who wish to enjoy a top-notch display experience on an iPhone but don’t want to splurge on the Pro models.
