- IPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air are again stepped to have 120Hz update speeds
- But this time we hear that they may not have promotional screens
- It would probably mean they don’t have a variable update frequency that could be bad news for battery life
We have long expected the entire iPhone 17 series to get 120Hz screens, with several sources that say the base model will finally leave 60Hz screens in the past. However, a new leak complicates this claim a little.
According to the reputable Leaker Fast Focus Digital (via 9TO5MAC), the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will actually have 120Hz screens, but unlike on the Pro models, these will not be promotional screens.
You can see Apple equips its pro -models with promotional screens, as well as being able to reach 120Hz is also able to call all the way down to 1Hz. This means that the update speed is never higher than it should be, so battery can be preserved when a high update speed is not needed.
And with a 1Hz update speed, they can also support Apple’s always-on display feature (which would use a lot of battery if the update speed was stuck to a high level). But according to this source, the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air do not have a variable update speed.
No always-on and not enough stamina
So that would probably mean that the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air still don’t support Apple’s always-on-display feature, but more worrying can also mean a reduction in battery life for both models. It is especially worrying about the iPhone 17 Air, which, by virtue of being slim, is likely to have a very small battery to begin with.
But it makes me doubt this rumor a little. It might make sense for Apple to do this with the base iPhone 17 as it would be a spec -upgrade, but one that still keeps it behind the Pro models. However, the battery hit on the air would definitely be too big a victim.
So I hope this rumor upgrade is either completely wrong or only comes to the base iPhone 17, as in the iPhone 17 Air’s case, it could end up being more a downgrade than just equip it with a 60Hz screen.
