That the iPhone 12 Pro did not incorporate a screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz was a jug of cold water for many and more when they had seen prototypes that did incorporate it. The excessive battery consumption of this technology added to that of 5G connectivity would have been the main culprits that Apple decided to back down. But now with an eye to next year’s models, we have been able to learn details about the panels.
Samsung and LG among manufacturers
This is not really a novelty and is that the apple company has been relying on these two South Korean brands for several years to supply OLED panels for their iPhone. Thanks to a report by the Korean medium The Elec, it has been confirmed that for the next iPhone issue, Apple will continue to rely on these companies, as well as BOE, a Chinese manufacturer that has already begun to receive orders from Californians. Therefore, it is confirmed who will make the iPhone or at least a part of them.
With LTPO technology and Always On Display?
LTPO technology allows the pixels to be turned on and off faster, which favors two possible functionalities: a higher refresh rate or, on the contrary, to have a minimum refresh rate that allows a part of the screen to be illuminated with a low battery consumption. Precisely the latter is what makes the Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6 have the option of having the screen always on, since they have this LTPO technology on their screens. Of course, this technology would only be applied to the ‘Pro’ models of 2021.
The fact of being able to have the same option in iOS as in watchOS regarding the always-on screen opens the possibility for Apple to add new possibilities in order to have certain information on the lock screen such as the time, temperature or notifications through icons of apps. This would not be new in the sector, since Samsung itself has already incorporated these functions for years and other brands have been adding. However, it would be a new possibility to explore in the iPhone and that would surely be welcomed.
The battery will have to be better
And iPhone 12 Pro Max is the device that, according to numerous tests, is the one with the longest autonomy on the market. This is surprising if we take into account that it reduced the battery capacity compared to its predecessor. However, the good management of the A14 Bionic processor and the operating system itself allow this to be possible. However, the iPhone 13 may already need an increase in capacity to support everything.
As good as the hypothetical A15 chip is and that iOS 15 is also optimized, Apple would be forced to expand its batteries to be able to support the consumption of functions such as those described in reference to the refresh rate of its screens. If we also take into account that 5G will continue to be present, consumption will be even higher. Here is an important challenge for the company to be able to balance all these factors without damaging the user experience.