It seems that Apple has abandoned the idea of presenting a display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz in any of the upcoming iPhone 12 versions, with the tech postponed until next year.
If true, that means Samsung's last two flagship phones - the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra - both have 120Hz displays, and the incoming flagship iPhone 12 phone will not.
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This worrying news comes courtesy of DSCC analyst Ross Young, who is familiar with the supply chains of mobile phone displays and has a bullet-proof history in calling future phone screen tech, who states that none of the upcoming Apple phones will feature a refresh rate of 120Hz.
Our sources indicate no 120Hz hardware on new iPhones. You need 120Hz driver ICs.August 4, 2020
This news, if indeed true, will no doubt come as a great disappointment for Apple fans, especially since previous leaks indicated that at least two versions of the upcoming iPhone 12 family, namely the iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, would come with a 120 Hz refresh rate.
From a strictly business point of view, whether or not the lack of a 120Hz will affect iPhone 12 adoption is unknown right now, however on paper it will mean that Apple falls even further behind its main competitors in the market.
Samsung, for example, introduced a 120Hz display screen earlier this year with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and did the same with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which was revealed a few days ago.
OnePlus did the same with the OnePlus 8 Pro, too, which went on to win not just T3's Best Phone of the Year award, but also its hyper prestigious Best Gadget of the Year as well.
Huawei also, based on the latest leaks, will offer a 120Hz screen refresh rate in the upcoming Mate 40 series.
Why has 120Hz apparently been canned then by Apple? To us here at T3 we are guessing that it is to do with battery consumption, with reports of Apple looking to adopt low-power LTPO displays in 2021 likely tied to the decision.
Those worrying recent reports of many members of the iPhone 12 family actually coming with smaller batteries than the iPhone 11 family also feel relevant. Did 120Hz prove too draining for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max's batteries? Were there heating issues? Did Apple have trouble with driver ICs? Nothing is clear right now.
We're about a month away from the official announcement of the iPhone 12 series, so let's wait and see. Here's hoping this leak proves false and iPhone users can look forward to enjoying a flagship phone with a properly flagship display.
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