The (digital) ink has barely dried on our iPhone 16 review, and we’re already into iPhone 17 rumor season – with one reliable source suggesting that there are display upgrades in store when Apple‘s 2025 refresh rolls around.
This comes from well-known industry analyst Ross Young (via 9to5Mac), who says that the two cheaper iPhone 17 models are going to get the same always-on display and ProMotion tech that has previously been exclusive to the Pro and Pro Max handsets.
That means an upgrade to the LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) screen technology required to reduce power consumption and support a variable refresh rate, all the way up to 120Hz (or all the way down to 1Hz) when required.
However, while Young initially predicted Face ID would be embedded in the display on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, he later said that was a misunderstanding – so we’ll have to wait a little while longer for developments in that department.
Pro vs non-Pro
If the less expensive iPhone 17 models do indeed get LTPO display technology next year, there will be less of a distinction between these variants and the Pro and Pro Max – though the latter handsets may well still get better cameras and faster processors.
It also links in with another rumor we’ve heard about next year’s iPhone refresh: that the iPhone 16 Plus will be replaced not by another Plus model, but by an iPhone 17 Air – perhaps with a slimmer, more stylish design at the same price point.
Apple has of course already used the same branding with the iPad Air and the MacBook Air, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the moniker was added to one of the iPhone 17 models as well. However, we’ll need to wait almost another 12 months to be sure.
This isn’t the only iPhone 17 rumor that’s emerged already, either: there has also been talk that the 2025 iPhones are going to get improved selfie cameras and a bump in the RAM, alongside the usual boost in performance.