The iPhone 12 series is expected to include upgrades like 5G support and an updated design, but one of those rumored upgrades may not be coming after all.
Apple is not expected to include 120Hz refresh rate support on the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro models. That's according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has been an accurate source of Apple leaks in the past and says that Apple is skipping high refresh rates on the iPhone 12 series because of battery life concerns (via MacRumors).
Kuo says that Apple will now add 120Hz displays to its new iPhones in 2021 with low-power LTPO display tech.
High refresh rate displays offer smoother scrolling and animations. They're becoming common among Android flagships, so some folks may be frustrated that the iPhone will miss out on that feature for another year.
Apple has been offering high refresh rate displays on the iPad Pro for a few years now, known on those devices as ProMotion, and a recent leak suggested that Apple was testing the feature with this year's new iPhones. However, it sounds like the battery life consumption was too high for Apple to bring high refresh rate displays to the iPhone 12 models.
Today's report also says that the smallest iPhone 12 model with a 5.4-inch display will get a slightly smaller notch than the iPhone 11 so that it has enough room to show the time, battery leve, and signal strength in the upper-left and upper-right corners of the screen. On the rest of the iPhone 12 models, the notch will be the same size as the iPhone 11 series.
Finally, Kuo claims that Apple will offer two versions of all four iPhone 12 models: one with sub-6GHz 5G only and one that supports both sub-6GHz and millimeter wave. It's said that the sub-6GHz-only models will ship first.
