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The iPhone 17 Air could lack a near-essential feature, but I'm not convinced

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A 120Hz screen without a variable refresh rate

Apple iPhone 16 Plus Review
The iPhone 16 Plus (Image credit: Future)
  • The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air are again rumored to have 120Hz refresh rates
  • However, this time we're hearing that they might not have ProMotion screens
  • That would likely mean they don't have a variable refresh rate, which could be bad news for battery life

We’ve long expected that the entire iPhone 17 series will get 120Hz displays, with numerous sources saying the base model will finally leave 60Hz screens in the past. However, a new leak complicates this claim slightly.

According to reputable leaker Fixed Focus Digital (via 9to5Mac), the base iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Air will indeed have 120Hz screens, but unlike on the Pro models, these won’t be ProMotion displays.

You see, Apple equips its Pro models with ProMotion screens, which, as well as being able to reach 120Hz, are also able to dial all the way down to 1Hz. This means the refresh rate is never higher than it needs to be, so battery can be conserved when a high refresh rate isn’t needed.

And with a 1Hz refresh rate, they can also support Apple’s always-on display feature (which would use a lot of battery if the refresh rate were stuck at a high level). But according to this source, the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air won’t have a variable refresh rate.

No always-on, and not enough endurance

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a variable refresh rate (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

So, that would likely mean the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air still won’t support Apple's always-on display feature, but more troublingly, it could also mean a reduction in battery life for both models. That’s especially worrying for the iPhone 17 Air, which by virtue of being slim will probably have quite a small battery to begin with.

But that makes me doubt this rumor a bit. It could make sense for Apple to do this with the base iPhone 17, as it would be a spec upgrade, but one that still keeps it behind the Pro models. The battery hit on the Air, however, would surely be too big a sacrifice.

So, I'm hoping that this rumored upgrade is either totally wrong or will only come to the base iPhone 17, as in the iPhone 17 Air’s case, it might end up being more of a downgrade than just equipping it with a 60Hz screen.

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James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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