Non-Pro iPhones get always-on, 120Hz screens in 2025

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iPhone 14 Pro includes an always-on display.
The always-on display will apparently stay a Pro feature for years.
Photo: Apple

Some of the best features of iPhone 14 Pro screens won’t trickle down to future non-Pro versions until the iPhone 17 series, according to a reliable source for Apple information.

If correct, the prediction means we shouldn’t expect the iPhone 14 Plus or basic iPhone 14 to come with a 120Hz ProMotion display or an always-on screen. Apple will reserve these features for iPhone Pro models until 2025.

iPhone is slowly adopting new LTPO screen technology

A highlight of 2022’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is their always-on displays. Apple brought in 120Hz ProMotion screens in the 2021 Pro models.

But these features reportedly won’t trickle down to cheaper models for several more years. The LTPO screens Apple uses for its iPhone Pro models remain too expensive, according to a report released Monday by Display Supply Chain Consultants.

“In 2025, DSCC expects all Apple’s iPhone 17 models to adopt LTPO panels as LTPO capacity continues to rise and costs fall,” says analyst David Naranjo.

These analysts have sources in the companies that make Apple displays. They have, in the past, enabled the market-analysis firm to make very accurate predictions about Apple’s future products.

Keeping Pro features Pro

For years, the iPhone Pro models were only modestly better than the cheaper alternatives. More recently, however, the separation has become much clearer.

In addition to always-on, 120Hz screens, the Pro models come with better cameras. They also include faster processors — non-Pro iPhones use the same chip the previous year’s Pro used.

The strategy is working. DSCC reports that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is Apple’s most popular model by a wide margin.

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