Another iPhone 17 rumor suggests 120Hz ProMotion is on the way
Apple's normal iPhones could get a big Pro-level upgrade come September
📱 Another report is saying the entire iPhone 17 series will get ProMotion
👀 That means the iPhone 17 and ultra-thin 17 Air will have 120Hz screens
🧈 This helps everything from scrolling to animations look smoother
🧑🏫 The feature has been exclusive to Pro-grade iPhones since the iPhone 13 Pro
Apple is reportedly giving the entire iPhone 17 lineup a more responsive display. According to a report from industry analyst Ross Young, the company is bringing ProMotion to the regular iPhone 17 and rumored iPhone 17 Air, marking the first time the technology has been offered on an iPhone that isn’t labeled “Pro.”
ProMotion is Apple’s branding for a 120Hz refresh rate, which means your screen refreshes 120 times per second. Right now, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus refresh 60 times per second, while the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max support 120Hz. Over my years of reviewing iPhones, I can say that having a ProMotion display is way better than having a normal screen. Everything from app animations to scrolling social media feels smoother and more responsive. Once you go 120Hz, you can never go back.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that ProMotion is coming to the iPhone 17. Previous reports have suggested the same thing, which adds merit to the rumor. Things could change significantly between now and next September, but at this rate, it seems likely that the entire iPhone 17 lineup will come with 120Hz screens.
I’ll be most curious to see how it works on the iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to be Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever at just 5-6mm thin. It’ll be even thinner than the iPhone 6 from 2014 which was 6.9mm thin. In order to achieve a design like this, Apple will be making a lot of compromises like including a single rear camera, dropping mmWave 5G, and shaving down the size of the battery. A smaller battery coupled with a more power-hungry 120Hz screen might spell trouble for the 17 Air’s endurance.
For the regular iPhone 17, it should be business as normal, although with any more powerful component, it’s easy to assume battery life will take some kind of hit. After the stellar performance of the iPhone 16’s battery, it’s unclear how much it’ll be affected by ProMotion on the iPhone 17, assuming Apple keeps it the same size at 3,561mAh.
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Max Buondonno is a writer at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop.