We’ve heard a lot of rumors about how the iPhone 14 will be inferior to its Pro and Pro Max brothers – more so than last year – and a new leak has told us yet another way Apple can differentiate its phones.
This comes from the Korean site the electronics (opens in new tab), from which we often hear supply chain information about devices. This time, the site has provided information about the screens we can expect on the four iPhone 14 models predicted.
As previous leaks have suggested, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are expected to have 6.1-inch displays, while the 14 Max and 14 Pro Max are expected to have 6.7-inch displays. However, what’s really interesting – and what the title of this article refers to – is the technology used in these screens.
The two lower-tier iPhones – the 14 and 14 Max – are set to use LTPS technology, while the high-end Pro devices are slated to get LTPO.
What is the difference? Well, LTPO is much better for variable refresh rates – that means it’s faster and more efficient when sliding between 1Hz if you’re reading an ebook, to 24Hz if you’re watching a movie, at 60Hz or even 120Hz if you are doing other tasks.
High refresh rate phone screens are known to burn the battery quickly, and the LTPO is much more energy efficient, ensuring your battery life lasts longer. So the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max can last longer without charges than their similarly sized counterparts.
Analysis: cost reduction
While we’ve heard many ways the iPhone 14 will be beaten by its non-Pro sibling, including the front camera design, rear camera resolution, number of camera lenses, and worst chipset, The Elec provides a clear reason why.
It refers to the use of LTPS screens as a means of saving costs on new phones. Apple can spend less money making its devices and therefore make more profit.
Well, that’s not entirely fair – production costs are rising in most industries around the world, so it’s possible that Apple is just looking to avoid losses rather than make more money.
But either way, that means the consumer is getting less from these new phones, which is obviously not a good thing. Perhaps our list of the best phones won’t be challenged by Apple this year.