ProMotion on affordable iPhones? Yes, but it will be a long wait

With the launch of the iPhone and series, Apple has ventured into a new territory, albeit not entirely new. After an initial chapter with some criticism, the latest arrival seems to have found a balance between features and price — introducing some improvements that come from the main lineup.

However the gap between the series and the current iPhone 17e is noticeable, but things could change in the future. According to a report, the Cupertino-based company would intend to enrich the affordable tier with ProMotion, but unfortunately it won’t be something immediate.

Apple: ProMotion will arrive in the affordable tier, but there will be a wait

Apple’s ProMotion technology allows the display to refresh at an adaptive frequency up to 120 Hz, thus doubling compared to standard 60 Hz displays. It also has smart operation, delivering extreme smoothness when needed and lowering the refresh rate when images are static (to save battery).

Starting from the iPhone 17 series, this technology is no longer exclusive to Pro models, yet one is still missing. Not iPhone 16e and not even the very latest iPhone 17e are equipped with a ProMotion display, leaving the impression that the feature will remain peculiar to the main lineup.

According to a report, it’s not the case, but there will be a wait. Based on what’s reported, Apple would intend to introduce ProMotion starting from the iPhone 19e, meaning across two generations. The launch of the affordable model is set for spring 2028, so if you’re waiting for an iPhone with a high and dynamic refresh rate you’ll have to be patient.

The current iPhone 17e recently debuted with an unchanged design and several under-the-hood improvements: the latest-generation A19 chipset and support for MagSafe charging, now with a starting configuration of 256 GB. Consequently it is reasonable to hypothesize that Apple has in mind incremental updates: perhaps with the next 18e it will touch the camera hardware, while the display will remain the prerogative of the next version.