120Hz ProMotion screens are once again rumored for iPhone 13

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Iphone 13 Bronze
Iphone 13 Bronze (Image credit: EverythingApplePro)

What you need to know

  • Apple is said to be using multiple companies to bring its 120Hz ProMotion feature to iPhone 13.
  • Samsung Display and LG Display are lined up to produce the LTPO OLED screens needed.

Apple's iPhone 13 will feature a new 120Hz ProMotion display according to a new report by the reliably unreliable DigiTimes. The supply chain watchers say that both Samsung Display and LG Display are converting their production lines to those ready to produce the LTPO panels needed.

Apple has long been rumored to want to bring a higher refresh rate to iPhone but it was reportedly deemed to be too power-hungry for iPhone 12. That seems to have been fixed this time around, likely thanks to power savings elsewhere – like the upcoming A15 chip.

The use of LTPO panels will allow Apple's iPhones to offer up to a 120Hz refresh rate, likely to be marketed as ProMotion. That should enable a smoother scrolling experience when using the device as owners of high-end Android phones have been discovering in recent years. All of this requires Apple's manufacturing partners to get their production lines ready however, with DigiTimes saying that both Samsung Display and LG Display are set to have the conversion done before the second half of the year rolls around.

ProMotion has been around for a few years now and it makes the current iPad Pro one of the best iPads around right now. It's great for use with the iPad Pro's Apple Pencil, although there's no suggestion Apple Pencil support is coming to iPhone 13.

It also isn't yet clear whether the 120Hz ProMotion feature will come to all iPhone 12 models, or just those carrying the Pro designation. Potential supply bottlenecks caused by extra manufacturing steps could see iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max being the models to go for this year.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.