OPINION: Apple’s latest iPad Air is a fantastic bit of kit that looks to bridge the gap between Apple’s regular iPad collection and its top-end iPad Pro collection. It’s the only non-Pro iPad to get a desktop-class M series chipset, and it matches the 11- and 13-inch screen sizes of its Pro sibling too.
However, the iPad Air can’t quite compete with its pro siblings when it comes to the screen’s refresh rate. Like every non-Pro product in Apple’s phone and tablet lines, the iPad Air refreshes at a maximum of 60Hz compared to the super smooth 120Hz of Apple’s proprietary ProMotion display tech.
The latter essentially allows Pro-level iPhones and iPads to refresh the screen 120 times per second, allowing not only 120fps support in games but a generally smoother, more responsive experience using the products. Scrolling feels smoother with less jitter, and app animations are buttery smooth too.
It’s one of those features that, once you’ve used it for a while, you simply can’t go back to products without it. After using 120Hz (and higher) screens on phones, tablets, laptops and even TVs, I feel the stuttery nature of the iPad Air’s 60Hz screen is noticeable.
However, the latest whispers from the ever-active rumour mill suggest that could change with the next iteration of iPad Air, with Apple allegedly looking to increase the tablet’s refresh rate. Now, we won’t be seeing the full 120Hz ProMotion tech of the top-end iPad Pro models, but it’ll allegedly jump from 60Hz to 90Hz.
This is a big deal, as the jump from 60Hz to 90Hz is arguably the most notable jump, with the difference between 90Hz and 120Hz, and even higher refresh rates, being far more negligible for anything outside of high frame rate gaming. It’s also the first time that Apple has broken away from its ‘120Hz or nothing’ stance when it comes to boosted refresh rates on its products.
That’s great news for future iPad Air owners of course, but I’d argue that it’s even more exciting for future iPhone users as it opens the door for the possibility of the regular iPhones – currently capped at 60Hz and one of my main criticisms of the iPhone 16 – also getting a boost in refresh rate tech to 90Hz.
This would make a lot of sense, as it keeps the ‘true’ 120Hz ProMotion tech exclusive to the Pro-level iPhones while still offering a smoother experience with a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s similar to what we saw in the Android market when high refresh rate screens became a ‘thing’, with a move first to 90Hz before 120Hz became more ubiquitous.
Apple could also differentiate the models by not using the latest LTPO tech on its regular iPhone collection. This LTPO tech in question allows screens to dynamically change refresh rate anywhere from 1-120Hz, and it’s what you’ll find on current ProMotion screens. Apple could opt for an older version of LTPO for its regular screens where it sits at one set refresh rate, or it could ditch it altogether – again, as we see on Android smartphones.
Essentially, a jump from 60Hz to 90Hz wouldn’t necessarily cannibalise the sales of the 120Hz Pro-level iPhones depending on how Apple wants to implement the tech – assuaging the presumptive worry over why we’ve yet to see 120Hz screens on the regular iPhones despite being ubiquitous on Androids of a similar price point.
Interestingly, a separate rumour from display analyst Ross Young also points towards the use of ProMotion displays in the next-gen iPhone 17, due for release in 2025, but it’s worth noting that Young didn’t specifically mention 120Hz ProMotion – just ‘ProMotion’ in general.
It’s entirely possible that the regular iPhone 17 will include ProMotion, but a downgraded version of the current tech capped at 90Hz. That consistency with the alleged 90Hz refresh rate of the iPad Air would make a lot of sense, especially with rumours that there will be an iPhone 17 ‘Air’.
Regardless of how it’s branded, if we do see a 90Hz-enabled iPad Air released in H1 2025 as currently predicted, it could point towards a massive upgrade for next year’s regular iPhone collection.
