In our recently published iPhone 16 review, we observed that Apple has significantly closed the gap between its Pro and regular smartphone models. With all four handsets getting both the Action and new Camera Control buttons, and barely any difference between the chipsets for the first time since the iPhone 13 family, people can buy the cheaper models with confidence.
Still, there are a couple of areas where the regular iPhone suffers in comparison to its Pro siblings, and the main one is the screen’s refresh rate. While the iPhone 16 is still stuck at 60Hz, since the iPhone 13 Pro, Apple has given its top-end handsets 120Hz “ProMotion” screens, which appear much smoother in use due to their ability to refresh the image up to 120 times per second.
That dividing line may finally be removed next year, according to the display analyst Ross Young. In now-deleted X posts spotted by 9to5Mac, Young stated that both the regular iPhone 17 and hotly tipped iPhone 17 Slim are set to feature an LTPO display with 120Hz refresh rate. That suggests that not only will the phones be marketed as ProMotion devices, but that they may also benefit from the Always-on display first introduced to Apple’s handsets with the iPhone 14 Pro.
Although the original posts have now been deleted, Young has reiterated the point elsewhere, and there’s little reason to doubt the prediction. After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard talk of ProMotion finally arriving on the regular Apple handsets, with others suggesting the upgrade was on the cards months ago.
One thing not to expect, however, is the introduction of under-screen Face ID. A mix-up of X replies led some to think that Young was predicting this for 2025’s Pro models, but he has since clarified that was crossed wires. In other words, you can still expect a Dynamic Island on the next batch of iPhones.
Of course, this does raise the question of how Apple will upsell the iPhone 17 Pro. There’s talk of 12GB RAM and larger screen sizes, and you would imagine Apple will retain some camera advantages, but this doesn’t add up to the big gulf between handsets we’ve seen in recent years. But then, with the iPhone 17 Slim rumored to be Apple’s most expensive handset to date, perhaps this blurring between handsets specs is entirely intentional…
