Don’t be sure of 120Hz screens for iPhone 12 series, says industry insider

Apple has managed to get 120Hz Pro panels but that’s where the happiness of an Apple fan ends. That’s because the firm has not yet managed to get 120Hz driver ICs.

Apple's iPhone

There have been mixed reports on Apple introducing 120Hz refresh rate panel on the new iPhones this year. While the recent iOS 14 beta hinted its arrival, industry insider Ross Young says that he still doesn't have high hopes yet. Apple might just launch its upcoming iPhone 12 models with regular, 16Hz refresh rate panels itself. The Twitter post by Ross even suggests that reports indicating the iPhone 12 Pro models to feature 120Hz refresh rate might also be wrong.

According to Ross, Apple has managed to get 120Hz Pro panels but that's where the happiness of an Apple fan ends. That's because the firm has not yet managed to get 120Hz driver ICs. So, this leaves Apple with three options. 

Hearing that Apple can get 120Hz Pro panels, but not 120Hz driver ICs. So they will either have to come up with a fix which will be difficult, wait for 120Hz driver ICs and delay the launch possibly significantly or launch with 60Hz. We are hearing they will launch with 60Hz.

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) August 24, 2020

First is that the firm should come up with a fix for the missing ICs, something that will be difficult considering the time constraint. Second option is to wait to get 120Hz driver ICs and delay the launch of iPhone 12 considerably. Third option is to launch the iPhones on time with 60Hz refresh rate panels.

Some other leaks and rumours have suggested the iPhone 12 models to feature a notch. However, the notch can be more compact this time with same features, leaving more screen space. The company's 2020 lineup is said to include a 5.4-inch model (iPhone 12), two 6.1-inch models (iPhone 12 Max and iPhone 12 Pro) and a 6.7-inch model (iPhone 12 Pro Max). All the four iPhone models are tipped to be powered by the company A14 Bionic chipset and come with OLED displays.