We’re about halfway through the life of the iPhone 14, if Apple’s annual iPhone announcement cycle is anything to go by, with all eyes now focussing on an expected September release date for the iPhone 15. But new leaks suggest a much-hoped-for improvement may skip Apple’s base-level iPhone 15 this year.
According to leaker yeus1122 (citing an industry source as seen on the Korean blog Naver), the standard iPhone 15 will feature neither ProMotion nor always-on display features that were present in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. ProMotion makes for smoother movement across the phone by allowing refresh rates as fast as 120Hz, while the always-on feature is made possible by keeping battery drain to a minimum with a 1Hz refresh rate. Both require an LPTO panel (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) in order to work, and help to make the best iPhones shine.
But according to the leak, via a Google translation, “only the Pro series supports the LTPO 120 refresh rate, and the basic general [and] Plus model does not have that content.”
So what’s coming to iPhone 15?
The source has a decent track record when it comes to Apple rumors, accurately predicting the 2023 MacBook Pro launches, and the display rumor further corroborates information that Apple analyst Ross Young has previously shared.
It’s a damn shame then. It’s not unusual for Apple to bring the high-end features of last year’s Pro models to the standard model the following year, but that’s not apparently the case with iPhone 15.
That stings this year in particular, as, of all the recent standard iPhone launches, the iPhone 14 seemed a particularly conservative upgrade over its predecessor.
So what will be upgraded for iPhone 15? Current rumors say that the Dynamic Island will be coming to all iPhone 15 devices, not just the iPhone 15 Pro, while a 28nm OLED driver chip process should lead to improved battery life. As ever though, we’ll need to wait for Apple’s official unveiling to know for sure. For now, those looking at an iPhone 15 device may end up better served with an iPhone 14 Pro instead, should its price fall.
