iPhone 16 or 16 Plus owners may not like the iPhone 17 rumors that claim the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air models will support 120Hz refresh rate (ProMotion).
This is one of the features that many people want from Apple’s cheaper iPhones, which they have been waiting for years. Some people buy iPhone Pro or Pro Max phones just for ProMotion.
They probably think Apple is keeping ProMotion exclusive to the more expensive models to get more bang for their buck. No one would blame them as many mid-range Android phone displays support a full 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate.
But the real reason Apple didn’t bring ProMotion to the non-Pro iPhone 16 model but plans to do it with the non-Pro version of the iPhone 17 isn’t just about selling Pros. It’s also something that not all iPhone buyers think about: Apple’s complex supply chain and the availability of a large supply of screens to suit their needs.
A new ETNews reports say that LG Display has increased its smartphone OLED production plan for 2025 to 70 million units by the end, from 55 million in 2023 and 70 million units this year.
LG will supply LTPO OLED panels to Apple, including the iPhone 17 model. The LTPO OLED makes the iPhone’s dynamic 120Hz refresh rate possible. This is the screen technology that Apple uses in the iPhone Pro models to ensure battery life is not affected.
The report says that only LG and Samsung Display can manufacture LTPO OLED panels according to Apple’s specifications for the iPhone. BOE’s LTPO OLED technology does not meet the standard, so the Chinese screen manufacturer was left out of the supply of the iPhone 17.
As a result, LG and Samsung will increase the supply of LTPO for iPhone 2025. That’s why LG decided to increase OLED production for that year.
There are other important details in the report. ETNews said that LG supplies OLED panels for the iPhone 16 series without production problems, so LG can increase production to meet Apple’s needs.
My guess is that Apple might want to move all iPhones to LTPO OLED technology that supports ProMotion before the iPhone 17 series. It just doesn’t have enough supply. Samsung, LG, and BOE are iPhone-only OLED panel makers. The latter could not match the quality of its Korean rivals, and LG continued to increase its output over the years.
Some people might say that Android vendors ship mid-range products with 120Hz panels. But the comparison is unfair. Apple sells more than 200 million iPhones each year, up to 40% of which are the latest generation models. Therefore, Apple needs more than 200 million LTPO OLED panels per year.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will record tens of millions of smartphone units sold during their lifetime. Same with iPhone 17 and 17 Air. A flagship like the Galaxy S24 might sell around 30 million units a year, but that doesn’t match the number of basic iPhone models Apple sells each year.
A mid-range Android phone with a 120Hz panel may not match the year-to-year sales figures for non-Pro iPhones.
Finally, not all devices that support 120Hz displays get the best LTPO OLED panels. Remember that Apple iPhone screens are always praised for their quality. Apple uses a top-of-the-line expensive screen that is not available to all smartphone vendors.
Apple’s supply ecosystem is vast. The company must ensure that the parts meet the standards and that the supplier can produce them in the required quantity. It also means reaching the cost point Apple needs to keep iPhone prices stable and maintain profit margins.
Of course the cheapest iPhone 16 model does not have ProMotion support and why the iPhone 17 will get a 120Hz screen.
