iPhone 16 raises questions about the “biggest” iPhone problem – Apple users don’t care?،
Named after the German physicist Heinrich Hertz, “Hertz” or “Hz” is a unit of frequency equivalent to one cycle/event per second. Things measured in Hz include audio frequencies, radio frequencies, processor clock frequency/speed, and most relevant to this story, display refresh rate – e.g. “how many times per second the screen can display a new image. One hertz equals one new frame per second. The reason why display refresh rate is relevant for smartphones is simple: the higher the refresh rate, the smoother your smartphone screen feels when you interact with it – swiping, gaming, etc. .
The first phones with a screen refresh rate above 60Hz (which was the standard for many years) were the original Razer Phone and the 2018 Asus ROG Phone, which featured 120Hz and 90Hz displays, respectively. Hz for a smoother gaming experience. Until then, high refresh rate screens/monitors were almost strictly associated with gaming.
However, android phone Manufacturers quickly realized that 90-120 Hz displays aren't good for just one thing. In fact, they were the secret to solving a major problem Android devices had compared to iPhones, and a year later the OnePlus 7 Pro became the first mainstream phone to feature a 90Hz display.
THE OnePlus 7Pro has received deserved praise for achieving a level of smoothness never seen on Android until now, and thus the floodgates of the high refresh rate display were opened…
It's now 2024 and Apple continues to refuse to add a high refresh rate display to all iPhones (except the Pro model). But why? And is this the biggest drawback of the iPhone in 2024? Do iPhone users really care?
Just like the iPhone 15, the iPhone 16 doesn't have a 120Hz ProMotion display: Apple is delaying its favorite 'pro-grade' feature as long as possible
High refresh rate screens make interacting with your phone… smoother.
And while, these days, high refresh rate screens on flagship phones are the norm, what stings even more might be the fact that budget phones in the $200-$400 price bracket feature of the same display technology found in a $1,200 iPhone 15. Pro Max, which is nowhere to be seen on the $800 model iPhone15.
Obviously, this isn't a cost-cutting measure for Apple… So what's the deal then?
This is the only reason Apple gets away with the “crime” of shipping 60Hz displays on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16.
The $130 Motorola Moto G34 (left) and Xiaomi Poco C65 (right) have 120Hz and 90Hz displays. Sure, they're low-res and LCD but…$130? Come on.
By Apple's logic, only Pro iPhones benefit from ProMotion, as iPhone Pro users upgrade to Pro iPhones.
And the answer is… You don’t know what you’re missing if you’ve never had it. In other words, Apple considers ProMotion a “pro” iPhone feature for a reason. Most (if not all) people who already own a “Pro” iPhone model will upgrade to another “Pro” iPhone.
Many Apple users buy iPhones, iPads, and MacBook Pros because they want the best product in the category (even if they don't really need it). After trying the most interesting Pro products, they tend to stay in the “Pro” lane instead of “downgrading” to a vanilla iPhone, iPad, or MacBook Air.
For example, if I have an iPhone 13 Pro (which already has ProMotion), I'm much more likely to get an iPhone 15 Pro rather than a iPhone15. This upgrade dynamic is also true for “regular” Apple users who become addicted to the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro even though they don't need all the power and features of the Pro machine.
On the other hand, an iPhone 13 user (like me) who is considering upgrading to iPhone15 won't miss ProMotion, and that's because…he never had it in the first place. You don't miss what you never had – at least in technology. Unless of course you come from a android phone with a 120Hz panel but that's another story.
You don't know what you're missing if you've never had it. iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, and 14 users upgrading to iPhone 15/iPhone 16 won't miss the 120Hz display they never had. At the same time, ProMotion is another reason why they might choose to spend a little more and get a Pro model. After trying the iPhone Pro once, they will probably upgrade to another iPhone Pro in the future instead of “downgrading”.
High refresh rate screens make a difference, but Android phones benefit more than iPhones
Both the Pixel 6a and iPhone 13 have 60Hz displays, but the iPhone is noticeably smoother.
For example, dropping my Pixel 8 The Pro's 60Hz refresh rate makes using the phone slow and quickly reminds me of the days when everything Android Phones was significantly slower than the iPhone – when both were running at 60Hz.
On the other hand, to come back to my iPhone13 demon iPhone 15 Pro Max also comes with a noticeable difference in fluidity but I get used to it pretty immediately. I can only assume this is because iOS animations and transitions already look very smooth at 60Hz. It's also worth noting that Android tends to be more “animated” than iOS, which is another which is why it benefits more from an HRR screen than the iPhone.
If the iPhone 15 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Pixel 8 Pro were to return to 60Hz displays (like the good old days), the iPhone would still be the smoothest 60Hz phone on the market.
When will all iPhone models benefit from Apple's 'revolutionary' ProMotion? The answer could be… 2026 (iPhone 17)
iPhone 13 Pro marketing page. Apple will take another two years before “changing the game again”.
Ironically, Apple is the company that put high refresh rate displays on the map in 2017. Of course, ProMotion (Apple's marketing term for high refresh rate) didn't debut on the iPhone but on the iPad Pro, which was the smoothest tablet on the market for a while before Android tablets started adding high refresh rate screens. Quite the opposite of the iPhone vs Android situation.
Right now, display analyst Ross Young says the iPhone 17 (expected in 2026) should be the first vanilla iPhone with a 120Hz ProMotion display. Remember, the upgrade cycle Apple's level is quite unique due to the company's tendency to “live in its own world.” Take it or leave it.
This means that Cupertino could be preparing something more special for the iPhone 17 Pro series – like the rumored under-screen Face ID, or a redesign (please), which would enable “pro-grade” ProMotion functionality » to be reflected (finally) on the vanilla iPhone 17.
My personal opinion is that Apple is “way too Apple”, and waiting another two years to add a 120Hz display to vanilla iPhones is…ridiculous. But then again… Do Apple users who buy vanilla iPhones care?
