Apple iPhone 12 could follow Android rivals with 120Hz screen

We’ve heard plenty of rumors about the iPhone 12 series already, even though we’re several months away from the supposed launch window. Now, the latest leak may have delivered important display-related details (seen above).

According to XDA‘s Max Weinbach and EverythingApplePro, the iPhone 12 series will offer a 120Hz refresh rate. The sources note that this high refresh rate option will be limited to the Pro devices (presumably Pro and Pro Max). The base iPhone 12 devices will feature the same old 60Hz refresh rate, according to the YouTube channel.

It’s not the first time that Apple has launched a mobile device with a 120Hz display, as it debuted the high refresh rate on the original iPad Pro. The feature has been missing from iPhones though, and top-flight Android phones have sported the option for a while now. This enables smoother animations and performance when scrolling through system menus, the web browser, and while playing games.

What else to expect from iPhone 12?

The 120Hz refresh rate first appeared on 2017’s Razer Phone, with the likes of the ASUS ROG Phone 2 and other devices following in 2019. Fast-forward to 2020, and devices from the likes of Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi all offer 120Hz screens.

Interestingly, EverythingApplePro reports that Apple engineers wanted 120Hz or 60Hz, and refused to settle on a 90Hz refresh rate like the Google Pixel 4 series and OnePlus 7T family. Furthermore, it’s believed that iPhones equipped with the higher refresh rate will be able to dynamically switch between refresh rates depending on the content being displayed. This echoes other Android OEMs too, with videos being played back at 60Hz while system menus and supported games support 120Hz.

Nevertheless, we’d expect other Android OEMs not currently offering a high refresh rate to hop aboard the 120Hz train as well if Apple does it. After all, Apple wasn’t first to ditch the headphone port or offer face unlock, but many Android OEMs followed suit.

Between the high refresh rate and the expectation of 5G, we’d expect Apple to bump the battery size. So we’re glad to hear that Apple is supposedly including a battery bigger than 4,400mAh in the iPhone 12 Pro series. By comparison, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 3,969mAh battery. Hopefully the final battery size is enough to give comparable endurance to the current device.

Other notable iPhone 12 series leaks confirmed by the YouTuber and Weinbach include smaller Face ID sensors (and a wider angle of authentication), much better autofocus due to the Lidar sensor, better low-light performance, improved slow-mo quality in the dark, long exposure improvements, “next-gen” Smart HDR, and 3x telephoto zoom.