While the earliest iPhone 14 rumors point to a device that will look markedly different from the freshly announced iPhone 13, it seems that at least one thing could remain consistent with the 2021 handsets.
Korean website The Elec claims that Apple is planning on using Low Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon (LTPS) panels on “at least one of the four models” of iPhone 14 planned for next year. That’s in contrast to the Low Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) panels used on the current Pro handsets, which allows for the smooth 120Hz ‘ProMotion’ refresh rates.
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Reading between the lines, Apple may not make 120Hz refresh rates the default across all of 2022’s iPhone models, and that some will persist with 60Hz. In other words, it looks like we could have both Pro and regular iPhones for another year at least, which makes sense.
Along with an additional rear camera, improved screen tech is one of the key ways that Apple can upsell today's more expensive iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models to consumers. The marketing term for the display is ProMotion, after all.
While Apple is expected to release four iPhone 14 models next year, split evenly between Pro and non-Pro models, it sounds like the company is planning on shaking up the form factors. The underperforming 5.4-inch ‘mini’ model is reportedly set for the axe after two generations, with Apple tipped offer 6.1- and 6.7-inch versions of both the regular iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro instead.
Although the iPhone 13 still isn’t out for another week, this isn’t the first we’ve heard of Apple’s 2022 handsets. According to Jon Prosser, an Apple leaker with a mixed track record, the iPhone 14 will deal with two of the remaining design bugbears of recent Apple handsets, with the notch replaced by a punch hole camera, and the rear camera bump being absorbed into the body of the slightly thicker device.
But that likely won’t be the next iPhone we’ll see. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a revised version of the iPhone SE is set to beat the iPhone 14 to the punch, launching in the first half of 2022. The iPhone SE 3 likely won’t win any prizes for its looks, as it could sport a design that's similar to the now discontinued iPhone XR, but if it packs the latest Apple A15 Bionic chip, then performance wise it should rival the best smartphones around.
