A render of what the iPhone 17 could look like
All models of iPhone 17 could use the same high-quality Samsung Display OLED panel as the iPhone 16 Pro models, instead of having a difference in screen tech between the two model tiers.
The Pro models of iPhone tend to have better displays than the non-Pro versions, in part because of the use of different panel types. While this is true for the iPhone 16 generation, the iPhone 17 range will seemingly use the same display panel technology across the board.
According to sources of Setsuna Digital on Weibo, the iPhone 17 series will use Samsung’s M14 OLED panel. This will not just be for the Pro models, as this will be “including the standard version” and the iPhone 17 Air.
The version at play is M14, referring to a materials set consisting of the light-emitting layer, common layers, and prime layers that make up individual pixels in the OLED display. Different material sets offer different properties, and use different compositions.
The M14 panels in the iPhone 16 offered some benefits over the preceding M13 panel, including a 30% boost to brightness and a better lifespan. This was in part instigated by switching blue fluorescence with a blue phosphorescence, which also reduced power consumption.
The non-Pro models often use earlier mixes, such as M12 on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, as well as the iPhone 15.
Setsuna Digital, also known as Instant Digital is a serial leaker, and has covered multiple rumors about Apple products in the past. While they have a considerable following on Weibo, the account hasn’t offered much in the way of definitively accurate rumors in the past.
By shifting over to M14 for the entire collection, Apple offers some of the Pro display benefits to the standard models in the iPhone 17, including higher levels of brightness and reduced power consumption.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the non-Pro models will get all of the Pro display features. For example, ProMotion has been viewed as a Pro-model benefit, and hasn’t been used in the standard models at all in previous generations.
That being said, there have been claims on Weibo that ProMotion will be included across all of the iPhone 17 models.
