The iPhone's screen has come a long way over the last couple of years, gaining enhancements such as the Dynamic Island for better multitasking, lower minimum brightness for improved reading in dim environments and higher peak brightness.
But there are still some ways in which Apple could push its smartphone's screens forward, especially on the base models. Screen quality is one of the biggest factors that distinguishes the Pro models from regular iPhones, although there are plenty of other factors that set them apart. Compared with the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Pro has a dedicated telephoto lens, a titanium design, a more powerful processor, a slightly bigger screen and longer battery life.
That's a lot, and it makes me believe that it's time to bring features like high refresh rates and an always-on display down to the regular models.
It's also worth noting that Apple might shake up its iPhone lineup next year with the addition of an iPhone 17 Slim, which would replace the iPhone Plus, according to Bloomberg, The Information and analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Ross Young.
If Apple is rethinking its approach for the iPhone 17 family, I hope that means we'll see more display upgrades too. After all, your iPhone's screen dictates everything you do on the device, from watching YouTube videos to sending text messages, playing games and taking photos.
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High refresh rate on regular models
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max can increase their refresh rates, but the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus can't.
James Martin/CNETWith its static, standard 60Hz refresh rate, the iPhone 16 feels a little stuck in the past. Many phones in the iPhone 16's price range, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google Pixel 9, are capable of changing their refresh rates between 1 and 120Hz.
So what does that mean for your phone? A higher refresh rate usually results in smoother scrolling and animations because the display is being refreshed more often per second. You might notice it in certain games depending on what the maximum refresh rate that the game supports, but the biggest area where you'll likely notice it is when scrolling through menus and screens throughout the operating system.
Is it a necessity? No. But a higher refresh rate can make your phone feel a little faster and more responsive, and it feels like it should be a default part of the iPhone experience at this point.
While we won't know what's in store for the iPhone 17 until Apple presumably announces it next year, a report from South Korean tech news outlet ETNews suggests all iPhone 17 models will come with low temperature polycrystalline oxide display panels. Those types of displays are currently available only on the Pro models, so their arrival on the standard iPhones could signal they'll support dynamic refresh rates.
Always on display on regular models
The iPhone 14 Pro (pictured) was the first iPhone to come with an always-on display.
Patrick Holland/CNETLike higher refresh rates, an always-on display should be standard across Apple's iPhone lineup. An always-on display is exactly what it sounds like; it enables your iPhone to keep its lock screen on at low brightness even when your phone is idle. It can be useful for seeing elements such as the time, notifications and your widgets at a glance, especially if you don't own an Apple Watch.
If you're like me, picking up my phone to check essential information, like a new notification, often leads me down a rabbit hole of distractions. The always-on display helps prevent that since I can just look over at my phone without waking it up to see the time or who just texted me.
But unfortunately, this feature is available only on Apple's Pro models dating back to 2022 and takes advantage of the screen on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max and newer ability to drop to 1Hz for the always-on display in 2022. It's one of the few features I missed when switching from the iPhone 15 Pro to the iPhone 16, and similar to high refresh rates, always-on displays have been standard across many Android phones for years.
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A nano-texture display option for the Pro
The matte nano-texture coating on the new MacBook Pro does a great job of significantly reducing reflections.
Lori Grunin/CNETOK, I know it's a long shot, but hear me out: A nano-texture display could be great on the iPhone. The technology recently arrived on the M4-powered MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro before that, and I think there's an argument that it belongs on the iPhone too.
The biggest benefit of a nano-texture finish is glare reduction, making it ideal for those who spend a lot of time outdoors. What better device to have a nano-texture screen than the one you carry with you all the time?
Of course, there's the concern that the nano-texture coating could make the display less vivid. But that's why I think nano-texture should be an option for one specific model like the iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max, not an across-the-board change. The nano-texture screen combined with the Pro's durable titanium could make it the ultimate iPhone for outdoorsy types.
To be clear, there's no indication that Apple has any plans to bring a nano-texture display to the iPhone. But if it did, I also wouldn't be surprised if it found a way to preserve the bold colors of the iPhone's screen even with nano-texture, especially considering the company develops custom technologies for its products frequently. CNET's Lori Grunin also found that the 2024 MacBook Pro's nano-texture screen barely had any impact on accuracy, white points or brightness when she tested it.
Apple could also find another way to improve the iPhone's glare reduction. Samsung, for example, uses Corning Gorilla Armor on the Galaxy S24 Ultra's display to tamper down glare, which made a huge difference to my colleague Lexy Savvides when she compared it with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro earlier this year.
Apple partners with Corning on the Ceramic Shield coating for the iPhone's screen, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a new version better optimized to eliminate glare in the future. However, there hasn't been any indication about Apple's upcoming plans for Ceramic Shield.
The screen is critical to the iPhone experience, and Apple clearly knows this. Whether it's hardware changes like the iPhone 16's 1-nit minimum brightness, new software interfaces like iOS 17's Standby mode, or a combination of both hardware and software like the Dynamic Island. Now, I'd like to see Apple pay more attention to the screens on the base iPhone models and think of new ways it can push the Pro's display forward.