Apple wins patent for an iPhone display capable of up to 240Hz

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Yesterday, The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a new Apple patent which talked about an interesting future iPhone display. As reported by Patently Apple, this display may be capable of refreshing content at two times, three times, or even four times the original refresh rate. For example, an iPhone with a 60Hz display would be able to reach up to a max refresh rate of 240Hz (x4) automatically.

The higher the refresh rate is, the smoother the content on the display is to the human eye. Therefore, the higher refresh rate could be beneficial in various use cases, such as gaming, AR and so on. Automatic refresh rate switching will help with preserving battery life while engaging in low-end tasks such as texting or watching a video. Every iPhone up until now has had a refresh rate of 60Hz, but since 2017, all iPad Pro models have featured ProMotion technology, which allows a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Rumors of the next iPhone featuring ProMotion technology for 120Hz refresh rate have been persisting for quite a long time now. And now, with the news of Apple winning this new patent, this rumor seems even more promising. However, the ability to automatically switch between 60Hz to 120Hz refresh rate isn’t something new, as it’s already available in many different Android phones on the market. However, the ability to switch up to 240Hz or even 180Hz as described in the patent is definitely something noteworthy. The absence of 120Hz on the iPhone thus far could simply be due to the technology not meeting up to Apple’s standards. Many have speculated that 120Hz could be unfriendly for the iPhone’s battery and even overall system performance. Nevertheless, many rumors suggest that Apple will overcome these problems by adopting a low-power Low Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) Technology. LTPO will allow for a 120Hz refresh rate without any major impact on the device's battery life.

Regardless, many rumors have claimed that alongside a 120Hz refresh rate, the new iPhone lineup may also feature an always-on-display, improved cameras and more.

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Published to Apple Scoop on 18th February, 2021.