I know, I know, the iPhone 16 series just launched. Maybe you’re thinking about picking one up. You can read my iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus review here , and my iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max review here . But a new report claims that what some have seen as the iPhone 16’s Achilles heel — its display — will be radically changed when it comes to iPhone 17 when it launches in September.

When Apple launches the iPhone 17 and its larger cousin, which may not be called Plus but will have the suffix Air, both phones will feature ProMotion for the first time, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants told MacRumors.

ForbesApple iOS 17.7 or iOS 18 New iPhone Software: Should You Upgrade?By means of David Phelan

Here’s why it’s a big deal, if you’ve never tried ProMotion before. While the iPhone 16’s display is excellent, you can tell the difference when you put it side-by-side with the iPhone 16 Pro.

The iPhone 16 has an OLED screen with a fixed refresh rate of 60Hz, the Pro has an OLED with a dynamic refresh rate. This goes up to 120Hz, which means that when you scroll through menus or swipe text across the screen, everything is smooth and stutter-free. The same goes for video playback.

Because it’s dynamic, the iPhone is smart enough to lower the refresh rate when you’re viewing static content, saving battery life.

There’s another advantage: the Pro models’ always-on display. When your iPhone is in standby mode, it can still show the time, widgets on your lock screen, and a muted version of your lock screen wallpaper. No more tapping your iPhone to see what time it is.

This is achieved without sacrificing much battery life by significantly reducing the refresh rate. The Pro models from the iPhone 14 onwards could reduce the refresh rate to as low as 1Hz, while the iPhone 13 Pro before that could only go to 10Hz.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus’ displays don’t offer this, and the problem is that many Android phones cheaper than the iPhone have displays with a 120Hz refresh rate (though none of these displays are as sleek as Apple’s always-on display).

In other words, Apple’s iPhone screen is starting to lag behind a bit. The good news is that, if this report is true (and Young has an excellent track record), next fall’s iPhone will fix this problem, though it’s not yet clear what minimum refresh rate we can expect.

ForbesiPhone 16 New Secret Feature Could Save Time and HeadachesBy means of David Phelan