Apple has recently faced significant challenges with iPhone 17 inventory, leaving CEO Tim Cook feeling “extremely anxious” as the company’s plans for some major upgrades were at risk. 
Fortunately, many of these issues appear to be resolved, with a major upgrade confirmed: all iPhone 17 models will come equipped with displays featuring higher refresh rates.
While the base iPhone 17 and the new iPhone 17 Air may not include the ProMotion feature (Apple’s marketing term for LTPO screens capable of adjusting refresh rates from 120 Hz down to 1 Hz), leaks from a trusted source indicate that these models will still have improved refresh rates compared to the previous iPhone 16 models. This means the base iPhone 17 could come with a 90 Hz display, or even a 120 Hz display, although it might not drop to the lower 1 Hz refresh rate. What’s crucial here is that Apple is moving away from the outdated 60 Hz display, which many users struggle to go back to once they’ve experienced smoother refresh rates.
In addition to display upgrades, a new report reveals the impressive performance scores for the upcoming A19 Pro chip. Early Geekbench 6 results show that the A19 Pro achieves a single-core score of over 4,000 and a multi-core score exceeding 10,000. For context, the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro scores 3,539 in single-core and 8,772 in multi-core tests. By comparison, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip in the Samsung Galaxy S25 series posts scores of 2,887 and 9,525, respectively.
Along with these improvements, Apple plans to add 12 GB of RAM to all iPhone 17 models. While the base iPhone 17 may face some delays due to supply chain issues, this increase will bring the iPhone lineup more in line with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, which also offers 12 GB of RAM. If Apple succeeds in delivering high refresh rates, more RAM, and the performance levels expected from the A19 Pro chip, the iPhone 17 will undoubtedly be a notable upgrade over its predecessor.
Let’s hope Apple can stick to its schedule and also resolve its Apple Intelligence issues, which are also part of the upcoming update.