A trend has been going on for some time now. Not more cameras, not even thinner phones or exotic colors. No, a smoother screen is what it's all about at the moment. First only for the most expensive phones, but nowadays we even see it on mid-range phones. Not Apple.
Because not one iPhone 12 model, even the Pro and Max, gets a display with high 120Hz refresh rate. Despite earlier rumors. The result is both embarrassing and surprising; Apple's 2020 iPhone is stuck at an old-fashioned 60Hz.
Our sources indicate no 120Hz hardware on new iPhones. You need 120Hz driver ICs.
- Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) August 4, 2020
How is this possible you wonder? Would there be technical problems? That doesn't seem logical. Apple already has products for sale with higher refresh rates. Some iPads are already equipped with a ProMotion screen with higher 120Hz refresh rates. So Apple can do it. So it looks more like Apple doesn't want it. Maybe it's to save battery power, but we suspect the marketing department has prevented the feature. The iPhone 13 (or whatever it's going to be called) is the big upgrade and 'deserves' all the big upgrades. Forever a shame, however there will still be a lot of iPhone 12 copies sold despite of this.
Why higher refresh rates?
Higher refresh rates of 90Hz or even 120Hz getting a lot of attention is justified. Compare it to when Retina screens where introduced. The result is so much sharper images that you'll never want to go back. It didn't bother us before, but once you've tasted the difference, you can't and won't go back. The same goes for higher refresh rates. Animations look so much smoother that your phone immediately feels much faster. It's like pressing a turbo button. Once you get used to it, you don't turn it off.
