Samsung Expected to Supply 120Hz Displays for iPhone 13 Pro Models

Monday May 3, 2021 7:38 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models are widely rumored to feature OLED displays with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in smoother content and scrolling, and additional reports continue to surface.

120 hz 13 joe blue
Korean website The Elec today reported that Samsung will be the exclusive supplier of 120Hz displays for iPhone 13 Pro models:

Meanwhile, the two higher tier iPhones this year that will use RFPCB will have low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) OLED panels.

LTPO OLED is needed for a 120Hz refresh rate screen. These panels will be supplied exclusively by Samsung Display.

Many sources have claimed that iPhone 13 Pro models will finally support a 120Hz refresh rate after years of rumors, including Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, display industry analyst Ross Young, leakers Jon Prosser and Max Weinbach, and others.

120Hz support will be made possible by Apple adopting low-power LTPO display technology, according to reports. LTPO technology would result in a more power efficient backplane, which is responsible for turning individual pixels on and off on the display, allowing for a 120Hz refresh rate without a significant impact on battery life.

Similar to recent Apple Watch models, LTPO could also enable iPhone 13 Pro models to have an always-on display with the clock visible.

iPad Pro models have supported up to a 120Hz refresh rate since 2017 as part of a feature called ProMotion, which automatically adjusts the refresh rate depending on the content. A wide variety of Android smartphones now have 120Hz displays as well, so support for the higher refresh rate on the iPhone is more than due.

Tags: ProMotion, Samsung, The Elec

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Top Rated Comments

kingtj1971

71 months ago

switched to iPhone 12 this year back from years on Android

Even with the 12 being purely AMOLED based on all models it's baffling that there's no Always On Display yet.

With no notification LED and no always on display, iOS is severely lacking in this functionality. Feels very "smartphone" from 2011ish in regards to notifications and alerting you.

I can only say that while I love the iPhone 12 hardware and most of the time iOS is fine. It's really REALLY not nearly as feature rich or usable as Android's latest versions and needs a tremendous amount of work
.

IMHO, before Apple starts trying to go down the trend of 120hz screens or other things that are going to be less overall noticable to the users. They fix some of the things they've let languish

I agree that a 120hz fresh screen just isn't too high on my "want list" for my phone. Maybe things are changing and I'm just getting old, but I still feel like my phone is primarily there to serve as a mobile communications tool and NOT a full-blown computer substitute? I see why the pursuit of faster processors and more RAM has value, since those are just "raw resources" that allow developers to do more with the device. It's never possible to predict what cool new things someone will come up with to utilize them, so in that sense, you can "never have too much".

But all in all, these phones just keep getting more and more costly to replace - and I'm not sure I'm getting enough value for the dollar anymore? I have an iPhone XS Max I'm still using, and only upgraded it from an iPhone X because the X developed hardware problems (bad earpiece speaker that the Apple store tried to repair and wound up damaging the whole phone in the process!). I feel like I might be due for a phone upgrade with the next cycle, except even the 13 series isn't exciting me much. An "always on display" showing the time/date and so on? That wouldn't be bad, since at least it's a visual confirmation the phone is powered on and working. But how much money is that worth to me, really? Yeah -- not a lot, ultimately.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Ael_MR

71 months ago

How many days till people start whining for 240hz displays?

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Sir_Macs_A_Lot

71 months ago

How many days till people start whining for 240hz displays?

Exactly 5 seconds after they experience 120hz. Some people are never satisfied.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

LordVic

71 months ago

I'd be ok with some always-on functionality as an option.

switched to iPhone 12 this year back from years on Android

Even with the 12 being purely AMOLED based on all models it's baffling that there's no Always On Display yet.

With no notification LED and no always on display, iOS is severely lacking in this functionality. Feels very "smartphone" from 2011ish in regards to notifications and alerting you.

I can only say that while I love the iPhone 12 hardware and most of the time iOS is fine. It's really REALLY not nearly as feature rich or usable as Android's latest versions and needs a tremendous amount of work
.

IMHO, before Apple starts trying to go down the trend of 120hz screens or other things that are going to be less overall noticable to the users. They fix some of the things they've let languish

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

kaycrystal626

71 months ago

Meh, I rather have the new iPhone with a 10X optical zoom lens.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

kalafalas

71 months ago

120Hz OLED vs XDR MiniLED, who will win?

It’s not even a competition. miniLED is a way to try and bring some of OLED’s benefits to LCD, and in apple’s implementation there’s not even any zone-dimming or extra brightness with SDR content vs their non-XDR lcds. OLED is far superior and will always be, we’re just years away from medium sized OLED panels so miniLED is here to give us some HDR pop until then.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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Samsung Expected to Supply 120Hz Displays for iPhone 13 Pro Models

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