Samsung Expected to Supply 120Hz Displays for iPhone 13 Pro Models

Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models are widely rumored to feature OLED displays with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in smoother content and scrolling, and additional reports continue to surface.

120 hz 13 joe blue
Korean website The Elec today reported that Samsung will be the exclusive supplier of 120Hz displays for iPhone 13 Pro models:

Meanwhile, the two higher tier iPhones this year that will use RFPCB will have low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) OLED panels.

LTPO OLED is needed for a 120Hz refresh rate screen. These panels will be supplied exclusively by Samsung Display.

Many sources have claimed that iPhone 13 Pro models will finally support a 120Hz refresh rate after years of rumors, including Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, display industry analyst Ross Young, leakers Jon Prosser and Max Weinbach, and others.

120Hz support will be made possible by Apple adopting low-power LTPO display technology, according to reports. LTPO technology would result in a more power efficient backplane, which is responsible for turning individual pixels on and off on the display, allowing for a 120Hz refresh rate without a significant impact on battery life.

Similar to recent Apple Watch models, LTPO could also enable iPhone 13 Pro models to have an always-on display with the clock visible.

iPad Pro models have supported up to a 120Hz refresh rate since 2017 as part of a feature called ProMotion, which automatically adjusts the refresh rate depending on the content. A wide variety of Android smartphones now have 120Hz displays as well, so support for the higher refresh rate on the iPhone is more than due.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...

Top Rated Comments

kingtj1971 Avatar
59 months ago

switched to iPhone 12 this year back from years on Android

Even with the 12 being purely AMOLED based on all models it's baffling that there's no Always On Display yet.

With no notification LED and no always on display, iOS is severely lacking in this functionality. Feels very "smartphone" from 2011ish in regards to notifications and alerting you.

I can only say that while I love the iPhone 12 hardware and most of the time iOS is fine. It's really REALLY not nearly as feature rich or usable as Android's latest versions and needs a tremendous amount of work
.

IMHO, before Apple starts trying to go down the trend of 120hz screens or other things that are going to be less overall noticable to the users. They fix some of the things they've let languish
I agree that a 120hz fresh screen just isn't too high on my "want list" for my phone. Maybe things are changing and I'm just getting old, but I still feel like my phone is primarily there to serve as a mobile communications tool and NOT a full-blown computer substitute? I see why the pursuit of faster processors and more RAM has value, since those are just "raw resources" that allow developers to do more with the device. It's never possible to predict what cool new things someone will come up with to utilize them, so in that sense, you can "never have too much".

But all in all, these phones just keep getting more and more costly to replace - and I'm not sure I'm getting enough value for the dollar anymore? I have an iPhone XS Max I'm still using, and only upgraded it from an iPhone X because the X developed hardware problems (bad earpiece speaker that the Apple store tried to repair and wound up damaging the whole phone in the process!). I feel like I might be due for a phone upgrade with the next cycle, except even the 13 series isn't exciting me much. An "always on display" showing the time/date and so on? That wouldn't be bad, since at least it's a visual confirmation the phone is powered on and working. But how much money is that worth to me, really? Yeah -- not a lot, ultimately.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ael_MR Avatar
59 months ago
How many days till people start whining for 240hz displays?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sir_Macs_A_Lot Avatar
59 months ago

How many days till people start whining for 240hz displays?
Exactly 5 seconds after they experience 120hz. Some people are never satisfied.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalafalas Avatar
59 months ago

120Hz OLED vs XDR MiniLED, who will win?
It’s not even a competition. miniLED is a way to try and bring some of OLED’s benefits to LCD, and in apple’s implementation there’s not even any zone-dimming or extra brightness with SDR content vs their non-XDR lcds. OLED is far superior and will always be, we’re just years away from medium sized OLED panels so miniLED is here to give us some HDR pop until then.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaycrystal626 Avatar
59 months ago
Meh, I rather have the new iPhone with a 10X optical zoom lens.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LordVic Avatar
59 months ago

I'd be ok with some always-on functionality as an option.
switched to iPhone 12 this year back from years on Android

Even with the 12 being purely AMOLED based on all models it's baffling that there's no Always On Display yet.

With no notification LED and no always on display, iOS is severely lacking in this functionality. Feels very "smartphone" from 2011ish in regards to notifications and alerting you.

I can only say that while I love the iPhone 12 hardware and most of the time iOS is fine. It's really REALLY not nearly as feature rich or usable as Android's latest versions and needs a tremendous amount of work
.

IMHO, before Apple starts trying to go down the trend of 120hz screens or other things that are going to be less overall noticable to the users. They fix some of the things they've let languish
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)