We’ve already been hearing rumours about the next iPhone and the most prominent rumour is that the next iPhone might come with a higher refresh rate display. Other rumours have included a smaller notch and an in-display fingerprint scanner. However, a new patent that was awarded to Apple suggests that the next iPhone may get a display with a variable refresh rate of up to 240Hz. 

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Apple currently uses something called ProMotion on the iPad Pro which can adjust the refresh rate up to 120Hz depending on what a user is doing. It seems like this technology is now being expanded to support higher refresh rates which could be a game-changer in itself. The new patent that is available for viewing in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows that an iPhone display could have a high refresh rate mode where the display will be able to update content two, three and even four times the native refresh rate. 

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The patent also says that the display will be able to update the refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz with other options such as 120Hz and 180Hz also on offer. Currently, there’s no Android smartphone that offers 240Hz refresh rate or even the option to bump it up to 120Hz and 180Hz. Currently, only the ASUS ROG 3 phone is capable of pushing 144Hz refresh rate in certain games while companies like Samsung and Xiaomi have implemented something similar to Apple’s ProMotion adaptive refresh rate feature. 

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Having said that, since the patent has just been granted, it doesn’t mean the next iPhone or iPad Pro may get the feature this year. As with many other patents, this feature might be planned for the future and may not be realised on the iPhone 13. Having said that, there are rumours of the next iPhone supporting up to 120Hz refresh rate. 

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Apple’s high refresh rate mode has been spotted in iOS prior to the launch of the iPhone 12 Series, however the feature was never implemented on the latest iPhone. It would be interesting to see how the next iPhone might handle the higher refresh rate since browsing, scrolling and gaming is already a smooth experience on iOS 14. Apple is rumoured to use two types of displays for the iPhone 13 Series where the iPhone 13 is expected to have an LTPS 60Hz display. The Pro models on the other hand are expected to use 120HZ LTPO displays according to reports. 

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