iPhone 17 and 17 Plus tipped for major display boost

While the current crop of iPhones are already pretty stellar devices, there is certainly still room for improvement. Just take a look at the swarms of comments which appear on forums and blogs in the days and weeks surrounding any new announcement.

One of the most frequently requested features on the current crop is a 120Hz display on the base models. The current iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models have been resigned to using 60Hz panels – as the base variants have for a while.

Now, rumours suggest a change in this area – though not quite as soon as some may hope. According to the Korean outlet, The Elec, the base models are set to take on a 120Hz LTPO panel – but not until the iPhone 17.

That is the range which we'd expect to launch around September 2025, meaning we could still be around 18 months away from seeing it. The report also suggests that such changes being made on the iPhone 16 range is unlikely.

It quotes an unnamed industry official as having said, "Because the product change between last year's iPhone 15 and this year's iPhone 16 series is small, the iPhone 17 series needs to differentiate itself by applying LTPO to the lower lineup."

That's a mixed bag really. While it's an exciting – and arguably long-overdue – addition to the model family, users do look set to have to wait even longer to find it on their handsets.

Still, it's something to look forward to. The upgrade will be significant for iPhone users, bringing them into parity with almost every other Android phone on the market. 

With around 18 months before the release of those handsets, there is still plenty of time for things to change. For now, then, we'll just have to wait and see what rumours emerge over the next few months.