Of the four new iPhones coming down the pike this all, the high-end iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models should be equipped with displays featuring Apple’s ProMotion screen-refresh technology that made its debut in the iPad Pro tablets back in 2017.
ProMotion iPhone
Corroborating earlier ProMotion rumors, a leaker who goes by the handle Ice Universe said on Twitter today that he was able to obtain solid information from a reliable source that the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max would boost the display refresh rate to 120Hz.
That strongly suggests a ProMotion-style screen upgrade for the next iPhone.
It’s also interesting that several people have noted on social mode that iOS 14 includes an option to disable ProMotion, which is visible even on current iPhones running iOS 14.
If you got to Settings – Accessibility – Motion, you can see an option to limit the maximum frame rate of the display to 60 frames per second (@JunoTecho sent me the screenshot)
But why, if iPhone 11 Pro Max display can’t go higher than that anyway? https://t.co/GmcVjcTFQ3 pic.twitter.com/Otgc8GEkjf
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) June 23, 2020
While this could simply be an error that Apple could fix in the future, we think this is yet another strong indication that at least some models of the next iPhone will make a jump to ProMotion.
ProMotion debuts on iPad Pro
Apple’s ProMotion technology delivers double the refresh rate at 120 Hz, which means the device is redrawing the screen 120 times per second versus sixty times per second. In order to help conserve battery power, ProMotion alternates the iPad Pro’s display refresh rate between 24 Hz, 30 Hz, 48 Hz, 60 Hz and 120 Hz on the fly to match movement of onscreen content.
If reading static texts, the refresh rate may be cut down to 60Hz. As soon as you start scrolling or playing a game, however, ProMotion may boost the refresh rate to 120Hz for smooth graphics. And if you’re watching a movie, ProMotion may bring the refresh rate down to 24 Hz.
TIP: Save power on iPad Pro by by restricting ProMotion
ProMotion also supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision content with iOS 11 or later. On the iPad Pro, the feature can be disabled to optimize battery consumption by going to Settings → Accessibility → Motion → Limit Frame Rate, then toggle off the feature.
The rumor-mill has been calling for four new iPhone models this year, a regular entry-level iPhone 12 model with a 5.4-inch screen and a trio of Pro-branded models, two featuring 6.1-inch displays and the flagship model rocking a 6.7-inch screen.
All four new iPhones are said to use OLED panels.
ProMotion currently uses the iPad Pro’s LCD panels so this could be the first time Apple brings this display technology to OLED-based Retina screens.
Why iPhone needs ProMotion
Doubling the number of full-frame screen redraws per second from sixty to 120 Hertz (or frames per second) has many positive effects on the user experience, such as super smooth scrolling and animations in everything you do, and that’s especially the case for larger-screened iPhones.
ProMotion should be also great for playing high frame rate action games and enjoying content like slow-motion video and high frame rate movies, delivering unmatched realism and fluidity.
Who wants a 120 Hz iPhone?
Are you excited that the next iPhone will feature faster ProMotion 120 Hz displays?
Have you ever used or seen ProMotion in action on an iPad Pro? If so, were you impressed and what did you think of it? If you have an iPad Pro, I suggest turning of ProMotion in Settings, then try scrolling rapidly in Safari to see the difference for yourself.
Chime in with your thoughts in the commenting section down below.
Image: iPhone 12 in Navy Blue, rendering courtesy of Svetapple