Expecting a ProMotion display in the iPhone 15? Keep dreaming…

(Image credit: Apple)

We’re about halfway through the life of the iPhone 14, if Apple’s annual iPhone announcement cycle is anything to go by, with all eyes now focussing on an expected September release date for the iPhone 15. But new leaks suggest a much-hoped-for improvement may skip Apple’s base-level iPhone 15 this year.

According to leaker yeus1122 (citing an industry source as seen on the Korean blog Naver), the standard iPhone 15 will feature neither ProMotion nor always-on display features that were present in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. ProMotion makes for smoother movement across the phone by allowing refresh rates as fast as 120Hz, while the always-on feature is made possible by keeping battery drain to a minimum with a 1Hz refresh rate. Both require an LPTO panel (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) in order to work, and help to make the best iPhones shine.

But according to the leak, via a Google translation, “only the Pro series supports the LTPO 120 refresh rate, and the basic general [and] Plus model does not have that content.”

So what’s coming to iPhone 15?

The source has a decent track record when it comes to Apple rumors, accurately predicting the 2023 MacBook Pro launches, and the display rumor further corroborates information that Apple analyst Ross Young has previously shared.

It’s a damn shame then. It’s not unusual for Apple to bring the high-end features of last year’s Pro models to the standard model the following year, but that’s not apparently the case with iPhone 15.

That stings this year in particular, as, of all the recent standard iPhone launches, the iPhone 14 seemed a particularly conservative upgrade over its predecessor.

So what will be upgraded for iPhone 15? Current rumors say that the Dynamic Island will be coming to all iPhone 15 devices, not just the iPhone 15 Pro, while a 28nm OLED driver chip process should lead to improved battery life. As ever though, we’ll need to wait for Apple’s official unveiling to know for sure. For now, those looking at an iPhone 15 device may end up better served with an iPhone 14 Pro instead, should its price fall.

Gerald Lynch is the Editor-in-Chief of iMore, keeping careful watch over the site's editorial output and commercial campaigns, ensuring iMore delivers the in-depth, accurate and timely Apple content its readership deservedly expects. You'll never see him without his iPad Pro, and he loves gaming sessions with his buddies via Apple Arcade on his iPhone 15 Pro, but don't expect him to play with you at home unless your Apple TV is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system.

Living in London in the UK, Gerald was previously Editor of Gizmodo UK, and Executive Editor of TechRadar, and has covered international trade shows including Apple's WWDC, MWC, CES and IFA. If it has an acronym and an app, he's probably been there, on the front lines reporting on the latest tech innovations. Gerald is also a contributing tech pundit for BBC Radio and has written for various other publications, including T3 magazine, GamesRadar, Space.com, Real Homes, MacFormat, music bible DIY, Tech Digest, TopTenReviews, Mirror.co.uk, Brandish, Kotaku, Shiny Shiny and Lifehacker. Gerald is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press, and also holds a Guinness world record on Tetris. For real.