According to rumors, the screen of the iPhone 17 (AIR) becomes better than that of the predecessors, but compared to the pros, there is still no lack.
iPhone 17 (Air) gets a better display
At the end of February there was already a rumor that the iPhone 17 (Air) would get a better screen. A new rumor confirms this on the one hand, but also partially contradicts the previous rumor on the other.
The confirmation means that the iPhone 17 (AIR) gets a screen with promotion. Since the introduction to the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max in 2021, promotion has been limited to the Pro models. The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air that appear this year would therefore be the first non-SPs that get such a screen with a 120 Hz variable refreshing technique.
It’s not what it seems
The new rumor comes from Weibo-Leaker Fixed Focus Digital. He says that the screen in the upcoming iPhone 17 (AIR) is only a standard 120 Hz screen. If this statement is correct, it would mean that Apple still uses LTPS screens (low-temperature polycrystalline silicon) for the cheaper iPhone models, but with a fixed change of change of 120 Hz.
Without promotion, a fixed 120 Hz panel still feels flexible, especially during scrolling and animations. It probably uses more battery, because the image continuously refreshes quickly, even when viewing static content. Promotion, on the other hand, dynamically adjusts the refresh rate between 1 Hz and 120 Hz, depending on the content. This extends the battery life.
No always-on
A fixed 120 Hz screen also means that the iPhone 17 (AIR) does not get always-on, which always displays the clock, widgets, notifications and background of the lock screen. Even when the device is locked. That would be a major disadvantage if it is true.
Nevertheless, the chance remains that promotion will come to the iPhone 17 (AIR). Ross YoungCEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, indicated last year that Apple is increasing the production of LTPO screens for the entire iPhone 17 series. LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) is an energy-efficient technique for OLED screens that enables a variable refresh rate with lower power consumption.
Although Fixed Focus Digital has made accurate predictions in the past that turned out to be correct, it was sometimes also wrong. As far as promotion is concerned, the evidence speaks to his new prediction. We hope that this time it is a wrong prediction.