HIGHLIGHTS

* This year, Apple will launch the iPhone 15 series.
* iPhone 17 will be the non-Pro model to feature a 120Hz display, as per an analyst.
* The iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Ultra are tipped to be launched with under-display Face ID technology.

Tech giant Apple is gearing up to unveil the iPhone 15 series this year. However, ahead of that, analyst Ross Young has come up with some interesting information about the upcoming iPhones.

On the microblogging site Twitter, the analyst, who’s also the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), published a timeline of how the iPhone display will likely evolve in the upcoming years.

iPhone 120Hz Refresh Rate and Under-Display Technology

Since adding the functionality in 2021, Apple has limited high refresh rate screens to iPhone Pro models.

Currently, the base models of iPhones have a 60Hz display, and the future vanilla iPhone 15 is believed to have the Dynamic Island, which is a Pro-exclusive feature currently. However, according to the analyst, the iPhone 17 will include the 120Hz refresh rate and the Dynamic Island.

It is worth noting that premium mid-range Android phones already feature 120Hz displays, which is a huge dent for Apple.

On the other hand, as per the analyst, the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Ultra, expected to be launched in 2025, will come with under-display Face ID technology and will house a punch-hole on the front for selfies.

This design approach is projected to last until 2027’s “Pro” iPhone models, such as the iPhone 19 Pro and the iPhone 19 Ultra, which is expected to have a genuinely “full-screen” look, with the facial recognition sensors and camera buried under the display.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Under-Display Face ID Technology Is A Dynamic Change With Some Concern

Apple is working on under-display Face ID technology, which was expected in Apple 16 pro models, but due to sensor issues, this ambitious project has been taken forward.

In recent days rumours came that Apple iPhone 17 Pro will be loaded with under-display Face ID technology.

Plus, it will have only a 4-megapixel camera, which is remarkably shorter than the 12-megapixel used in Apple iPhone 14 Pro model.

In such a situation, there can be a negative impact on the quality of the selfie camera.
Apple uses a Super Retina display, whose PPI is around 400-500.

On the other hand, under-display front camera technology requires less light, and this also affects the image quality.

The Under display FaceID technology has a circular cutout for the front-facing camera. This design decision will most likely continue until the Apple iPhone 19 Pro/Max models with the facial recognition sensor.

Moreover, the camera is hidden under the display to provide a true “full screen” look.

New 120Hz LTPO Panels Can Come in Use

“Apple will go completely LTPO in 2025, and even base models will finally get 120Hz refresh” These are the words of Ross Young, a display analyst.

According to leaked news, Apple could offer the entire Apple iPhone 17 lineup with 120Hz displays based on Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) technology. Apple first introduced its LTPO screen technology with the Apple 13 Pro & Apple 13 Pro Max.

The mechanism to enable features like ProMotion and Always On Display was previously exclusive to iPhone Pro models.

Apple will put all iPhone models with LTPO display panels beginning in 2025. This finally brings 120Hz ProMotion functionality to the base iPhone device.

The LTPO display offers refresh rates up to 120Hz depending on usage and supports Always-On-Display (AOD). The non-Pro models could feature LTPS displays.

At the same time, the Pro models of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series will have LTPO displays.

Upcoming iPhone 15 Series

The upcoming iPhone 15 series is expected to be launched in the second half of this year, including iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, likely to be renamed iPhone 15 Ultra.

A recent report says the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro will cost more than other “Pro” models. This means that Apple may be thinking about raising the price of the iPhone 15 Pro for the first time since the iPhone X came out.

Additionally, the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra is expected to beat the Xiaomi 13 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 to become the smartphone with the thinnest bezels
ever.

iPhone 17 could see a Huge Change

Young also claims that in 2025, which is when the iPhone 15 will launch, Apple will start hiding the Face ID camera under the display.

Only on the Pro models, according to his roadmap, while the selfie camera will still use a hole-punch design — meaning the Dynamic Island isn’t going anywhere.

That roadmap claims the iPhone 19 Pro’s front camera (due 2027) will be hidden away under the front panel.

The standard iPhone 19 will then reportedly switch to the under panel Face ID and hole-punch combination that debuted two years earlier.

Interestingly, 2027 will mark the 20th anniversary of the first iPhone, and the 10th anniversary of the iPhone Apple 13 Pro & Apple 13 Pro Max .

You may remember that as the first ‘full screen’ iPhone, and the first to include a notch. It’s rather fitting that we may finally get a proper full-screen iPhone model that year. Even if it is only the Pro models.

While we’d rather Apple pick up the pace with ProMotion adoption, under-display cameras are something we’re happy for it to take its time with.

Not only is the Dynamic Island a novel way of tackling the notched-screen idea, and pretty useful in its own way, current under-display camera technology isn’t particularly great.

APPLE IPHONE 15 KEY SPECIFICATIONS

APPLE IPHONE 17 KEY SPECIFICATIONS

General

Performance

Battery

FAQ’s on Apple IPhone Features & Display

1) What does the IPhone Roadmap show ?

Ans) According to Young’s roadmap, next year’s iPhones will have the same display features as this year’s.

In 2025, however, the regular iPhones start to match today’s Pro models–with an LTPO display that enables 120Hz ProMotion and presumably an always-on display as well. That same year, the Pro models are said to get Face ID sensors that are under the display accompanied by a small hole cutout for the front camera.

Then in 2027, Young predicts the standard models will get that arrangement while the Pro models remove the front camera under the display as well for a completely unobstructed front panel.

That all sounds very exciting, but a word of caution with these predictions: While they use the best available information from a respected supply chain analyst, it’s very difficult to predict what Apple will do even next year, let alone two or more years in the future.

The available technologies and their costs can change quite a bit between now and then, and even Apple hasn’t set the features of the 2025 iPhone in stone yet.

2) What has Ross explained about display of iPhone ?

Ans) According to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, ProMotion technology, which was first introduced on the iPhone 13 Pro in 2021, will expand to standard iPhone models in two years.

This will allow the display to ramp up to a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and video content, as well as ramping down to a more power-efficient refresh rate when necessary.

This is expected to be made possible by the introduction of low-power LTPO display technology to standard iPhones in 2025.

While the iPhone 13 Pro models can ramp down to 10Hz, the iphone 14 pro can go as low as 1Hz, allowing for an always-on display that can show the Lock Screen’s clock, widgets, notifications, and wallpaper even when the device is locked.

The roadmap provided by Young suggests that the “iPhone 17” and “iPhone 17 Plus” will feature ProMotion and an always-on display too.

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