Apple's intentions for the iPhone 14 Pro are bold, but the true surprise is the company's unwillingness to make any substantial improvements to the normal iPhone 14 models. And it's only getting worse...
Following up on eye-opening claims in February that both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will be missing Apple's 120Hz ProMotion display technology, the industry's most reliable insider has now confirmed this.
Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), tweeted that "Only Pro models" would include ProMotion to amend an incorrect report. Given Young's track record, this appears to be the icing on the cake for a technology that has been both popular and ubiquitous in mid- to high-end Android handsets in recent years.
And I believe Apple has cornered itself in this situation. Apple is adamant about increasing the gap between its Pro and non-Pro iPhones this year, but it can't do it while providing basic iPhone models a feature termed 'ProMotion.' Despite the fact that there is nothing particularly Pro about ProMotion in 2022, this is the case. It's a rare instance of Apple's marketing lingo backfiring, and it couldn't have happened at a worse moment.
ProMotion would have been a simple and popular update for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max under a different name. High refresh rate displays provide smoothness and responsiveness that a 60Hz panel just cannot match, while also minimizing eye strain. Promotion is marketed by Apple as the "display that transforms the game."
However, without it, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max has very nothing to recommend them. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will, in an unusual move, utilize the design, display technology, camera modules, and CPU from the iPhone 13. The iPhone Pro models will receive all of the major enhancements.
Furthermore, this comes at a time when Apple will very certainly be compelled to raise prices across the board. So Apple needed a quick victory, and ProMotion could have provided one. Market analysts are currently voicing concerns about the range's potential performance, and they may have a point.