Apple’s iPhone 19e could come with an LTPO OLED display that would bring 120Hz ProMotion technology to its most affordable iPhone for the first time, based on a new report out of Asia.
According to ZDNet Korea, the fourth-generation model in Apple’s entry-level e-series – expected to arrive in early 2028 – could adopt a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) panel, making the display technically capable of dynamically adjusting its refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz. It’s the same underlying panel technology used across the current iPhone 17 lineup and the iPhone Air.
The recently launched iPhone 17e uses a 60Hz low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFT panel, and the report suggests next year’s iPhone 18e will use the same technology. That’s despite the fact that you can find 120Hz screens on competing Android phones at similar price points.
The shift in 2028 is said to depend in part on Apple’s development of a next-generation “LTPO+” display technology, which incorporates oxide semiconductors in both switching and drive transistors, and is said to use a lot less battery power.
Apple reportedly plans to reserve LTPO+ for its higher-end models in 2028, including new versions of the iPhone Air and its upcoming foldable iPhone, which would free up standard LTPO panels for the rest of the lineup. But if the new technology isn’t ready in time, it could delay the trickle-down of LPTO panels to the 19e, so nothing’s for certain yet.
Apple first adopted LPTO+ (also known as LPTO3) in the Apple Watch Series 10 in 2024, with panels supplied by LG Display. This likely gave Apple the confidence to scale the technology to iPhone-sized displays, and the company has a track record of testing new display technologies in the Apple Watch before bringing them to the iPhone.
A previous report suggested Apple was considering adopting the new display architecture for at least one model in its 2027 iPhone lineup, but the ZDNet Korea report suggests Apple has moved away from the idea because the technology is not quite ready for mass production.
