iPhone 16 or 16 Plus house owners may not like all these iPhone 17 rumors claiming the bottom iPhone 17 mannequin and the iPhone 17 Air will assist 120Hz refresh fee (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 may assume Apple retains ProMotion unique to the dearer fashions to earn more money. No one would blame them contemplating that many mid-range Android telephones characteristic shows that assist 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 Professionals. It’s additionally about one thing not all iPhone consumers take into consideration: Apple’s advanced 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 models, up from 55 million in 2023 and 70 million models 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 fee doable. 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 in a position to manufacture LTPO OLED panels in keeping with 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 omitted of the iPhone 17 provide.
In consequence, 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 vital element within the report. ETNews says that LG is supplying OLED panels for the iPhone 16 sequence 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 might have needed to transition all its iPhones to LTPO OLED tech that helps ProMotion properly earlier than the iPhone 17 sequence. 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 individuals should still say that Android distributors ship mid-range merchandise with 120Hz panels. However the comparability isn’t precisely honest. Apple sells properly over 200 million iPhones yearly, as much as 40% of that are the latest era fashions. Due to this fact, Apple wants properly over 200 million LTPO OLED panels a 12 months.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will account for tens of hundreds of thousands of bought smartphone models 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 models 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 units that assist 120Hz shows get the very 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 out there to all smartphone distributors.
Apple’s provide ecosystem is extremely large. The corporate has to make sure that components meet its requirements and that suppliers can manufacture them within the massive numbers it wants. That additionally means hitting the associated fee factors Apple must maintain iPhone costs regular and keep revenue margins.
That’s most likely why the most affordable iPhone 16 mannequin lacks ProMotion assist and why the iPhone 17 will get 120Hz screens.
