This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Named after German physicist Heinrich Hertz, the “Hertz” or “Hz” is a unit of frequency, equivalent to one cycle/event per second. Amongst things measured in Hz are audio frequencies, radio frequencies, CPU clock rate/speeds, and what’s most relevant to this story, display refresh rate - e.g. “how many times per second the screen can display a new image”. One hertz equates to one new image per second.
The reason display refresh rate is relevant to smartphones is simple - the higher the refresh rate, the smoother your smartphone screen feels when you’re interacting with it - swiping around, gaming, etc.
The first phones with a screen refresh rate higher than 60Hz (which was the standard for many years) were the original Razer Phone and the 2018 Asus ROG Phone, which featured 120Hz and 90Hz screens for a smoother gaming experience, respectively. Up to that point, high-refresh-rate screens/monitors were almost strictly associated with gaming.
However, Android phone makers quickly realized 90-120Hz displays aren’t good just for one thing. In fact, they were the secret to fixing a major problem of Android devices when compared to iPhones, and a year later, the OnePlus 7 Pro became the first mainstream phone to feature a 90Hz display.
The OnePlus 7 Pro received deserved praise for reaching a level of smoothness unseen on Android up to that point, and just so, the high-refresh-rate display floodgates were opened…
Samsung and Google followed with the Galaxy S20 (120Hz) and Pixel 5 (90Hz) in 2020, with Huawei, Xiaomi, and more OnePlus flagships joining the high-refresh-rate party the same year, except for one phone-maker… Apple.
It’s 2024 now, and Apple continues to refuse adding a high-refresh-rate screen to all (but Pro model) iPhones. But why? And is this the biggest iPhone drawback in 2024? Do iPhone users really care?
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Just like iPhone 15, iPhone 16 isn’t getting a 120Hz ProMotion display: Apple delays its favorite “pro-grade” feature as long as possible
High-refresh-rate displays make interacting with your phone feel... smoother.
In case you haven’t heard, rumor(s) has it the iPhone 16 is the next vanilla iPhone not expected to ship with a 120Hz display. That’s five years after high-refresh-rate displays became mainstream, and three years after the first iPhone (13 Pro) with a 120Hz display broke cover.
This means the 2023 iPhone 15 and 2024 iPhone 16 are now expected to go up against phones like the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S25, Pixel 8, and Pixel 9 with 60Hz displays - even in the year 2025.
And while, at this point, high-refresh-rate displays on flagship phones are the norm, what stings even more might be the fact that budget phones in the $200-400 price range come with the same display tech found in a $1,200 iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is nowhere to be seen on the $800 iPhone 15.
Clearly, this isn’t a cost-cutting thing for Apple… So, what is it then?
This is the only reason Apple gets away with the "crime" of shipping 60Hz displays on iPhone 15 and iPhone 16
The $130 Motorola Moto G34 (left) and Xiaomi Poco C65 (right) boast 120Hz and 90Hz screens. Sure, they are low-res and LCD but... $130? Come on.
According to Apple’s logic, only Pro iPhones get ProMotion, because Pro iPhone users upgrade to Pro iPhones.
To be very clear, I’m not going to defend Apple’s decision to make users wait as long as possible to get a 120Hz display on all iPhones, because… I can’t. That being said, I’ll try to explain why Apple might be doing this…
And the answer is… You don’t know what you might be missing if you’ve never had it. In other words, Apple treats ProMotion as a “pro” iPhone feature for a reason. Most (if not all) people who already have a “Pro” iPhone model will upgrade to another “Pro” iPhone.
Many Apple users buy Pro iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, because they want the best product in the category (even if they don’t really need it). Having tried the nicer Pro stuff, they tend to stay in the “Pro” lane instead of “downgrading” to a vanilla iPhone, iPad, or MacBook Air.
For example, if I have an iPhone 13 Pro (which already has ProMotion), I’m much more likely to get an iPhone 15 Pro rather than an iPhone 15. This upgrade dynamic is also true for “regular” Apple users who get hooked on the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro even if they don’t need all the power and features of the Pro machine.
On the other hand, an iPhone 13 user (like me) who considers upgrading to the iPhone 15 won’t miss ProMotion, and that’s because… he never had it in the first place. You don’t miss what you never had - at least in tech anyway. Unless, of course, you’re coming from an Android phone with a 120Hz panel but that’s a different story.
You don’t know what you’re missing if you’ve never had it. iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, and 14 users upgrading to the iPhone 15 / iPhone 16 won’t miss the 120Hz display they never had. At the same time, ProMotion is another reason they might choose to spend a bit more and get a Pro model. Having tried the Pro iPhone once, they’ll likely upgrade to another Pro iPhone in the future instead of “downgrading”.
High-refresh rate displays make a difference but Android phones benefit more compared to iPhones
Both the Pixel 6a and iPhone 13 have 60Hz screens but the iPhone feels noticeably smoother.
Before wrapping things up, I must reiterate something I’ve said many times before… iPhones with 60Hz displays never really felt “slow”, “sluggish”, or “laggy” to me. Meanwhile, the same can’t be said about Android phones with 60Hz displays. Again, I’m not justifying Apple’s actions but I’m sharing my personal observations from long, long years of using both systems side by side.
For instance, dropping my Pixel 8 Pro’s refresh rate to 60Hz makes using the phone feel sluggish, and quickly reminds me of the days when all Android phones used to be noticeably more sluggish than the iPhone - when both were running on 60Hz.
On the other hand, going back to my iPhone 13 from my iPhone 15 Pro Max also comes with a noticeable difference in fluidity but I get used to it pretty much immediately. I can only assume that’s because iOS animations and transitions already look super smooth on 60Hz. It’s also worth noting that Android tends to be more “animated” than iOS, which is another reason it benefits more from a HRR screen than the iPhone.
If the iPhone 15 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Pixel 8 Pro were to go back to having 60Hz displays (like the good olds days), the iPhone would still be the smoothest 60Hz phone on the market.
When are all iPhone models getting Apple’s “game-changing” ProMotion? The answer might be... 2026 (iPhone 17)
iPhone 13 Pro marketing page. Apple will take another two years before “changing the game” again.
Ironically, Apple was the company that put high-refresh-rate displays on the map back in 2017. Of course, ProMotion (Apple’s marketing term for high refresh rate) didn’t debut on the iPhone but on the iPad Pro, which was the smoothest tablet on the market for some time before Android tablets started adding high-refresh-rate displays. Quite the opposite of the iPhone vs Android situation.
Now, if you still want a 120Hz display on the vanilla iPhone instead of having to spring for a Pro model, you’re probably wondering when to expect it…
Right now, display analyst Ross Young says iPhone 17 (expected in 2026) should be the first vanilla iPhone with a 120Hz ProMotion display. Remember, Apple’s upgrade cycle is quite unique due to the company’s tendency to “live in its own world”. Take it or leave it.
This means Cupertino might be preparing something more special for the iPhone 17 Pro series - like the rumored under-display Face ID, or a redesign (please), which would allow the “pro-grade” ProMotion feature to (finally) trickle down to the vanilla iPhone 17.
My personal opinion is that Apple is being “way too Apple”, and waiting another two years to add a 120Hz display to the vanilla iPhones is… ridiculous. But then again… Do Apple users who buy vanilla iPhones care?
You could argue that “normal people” don’t care about high-refresh-rate displays at all, or even that they can’t tell the difference, and nerds (like me) do. Although… I’m still using the iPhone 13 mini as my main phone, which means I also don’t (really) care about ProMotion?
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Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.
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