It seems like the design of the iPhone 17 series has more or less been finalized and Apple is now moving on to the production stage. While the iPhone 16 launch may have been underwhelming, Apple is reportedly (translated source) pulling out all the stops to make sure that the iPhone 17 is the best of the best.All four iPhone 17 models — base, Air, Pro and Pro Max — will feature the latest and greatest OLED displays by Samsung. While LG Display has also supplied a large number of panels for the iPhone in the past, Apple has apparently asked Samsung to provide a lot more panels this time around.
Samsung Display’s M14 panel is not just pretty to look at but also incredibly bright. These displays can reach a brightness of 3,000 nits which would be a first for the iPhone. However it is unlikely that the iPhone 17 will get that bright because this panel has already been seen in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max which did not get that bright.
The most interesting bit of news here is that even the base iPhone 17 will supposedly get this display. This means that Apple is focusing heavily on the visual aspect of its upcoming flagships: both on the screen and around it.
The iPhone 16 only has a refresh rate of 60 Hz. | Video credit — Apple
One of the biggest let-downs for the iPhone 16 was that it still featured a 60 Hz display. Recent reports indicate that this might finally be changing. Apple is bringing ProMotion to base iPhone 17 models this year. In non-marketing terms this means that all iPhone models will at last come with a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
Bringing ProMotion to non-Pro models in addition to the M14 Samsung panel makes me think that Apple wants a much more consistent visual experience across the iPhone 17 lineup. This may also be because the Plus model is getting replaced with the iPhone 17 Air. The Air is expensive and leaves the base iPhone 17 as a unique model with no counterparts: the Plus was essentially a larger base iPhone.
There has been no word on whether BOE will get a chance to supply display panels for the iPhone 17 lineup. The screen upgrades and design changes will give the iPhone a much needed shake-up in a long line of very similar looking phones.
