The launch of the iPhone 16 series has been a mixed bag for me and several others in the tech community. Though Apple has touted that the latest iPhone series is “built from the ground up” for Apple Intelligence, the launched iPhones don’t come with any AI features in iOS 18, which will arrive in a later update, iOS 18.1.
Nevertheless, demand for the iPhone 16 series, especially the Pro smartphones, appears to be strong, with Apple’s online store offering expected deliveries up to late October in some countries.
But all is not well with the latest and greatest iPhone.
Some reports have suggested that iPhone 16 Pro users are experiencing significant issues with their devices, with a prominent leaker claiming that the display’s refresh rate is being limited to 80Hz despite the smooth 120Hz performance expected from Apple’s “ProMotion” displays. This follows complaints about dead spots on the iPhone 16 Pro’s touchscreen.
Leaker Ice Universe shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing the refresh rate issues. The demo featured a visible refresh rate counter, and the footage shows the device not consistently running at the promised 120Hz.
If you still don’t get it, check out this video: As you scroll through the list, iOS 18 is always locked at 80Hz, and 120Hz is almost never seen.
Source: Weibo Sun Bin 1990 pic.twitter.com/lAJ10vBRad
โ ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 23, 2024
Ice Universe commented on the situation, saying that while iOS 18 maintains its elegant design and animated interface, it seems to run slower than expected. “iOS 18 animations are still elegant, but not as smooth. Most users will notice that iOS 18 limits the refresh rate to 80Hz for most scenes,” the leaker noted.
Don’t confuse animation grace with smoothness. For example, animations in iOS 18 are still graceful, but not smooth. Anyone can tell that iOS 18 still limits the refresh rate to 80Hz in most scenes. For Android users who are used to 120Hz, iOS 18 is reallyโฆ pic.twitter.com/5RHeTWzHf8
โ ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 22, 2024
Because a high refresh rate is so important to the overall usability of the device, many users argue that adjusting the refresh rate should be an option rather than a default setting.
This isn’t the first time Ice Universe has voiced issues with the iPhone 16 Pro Max: in a September 22nd X post, it claimed that the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s bezels were asymmetrical, or at least gave that impression, but couldn’t actually find any issues with them.
The gap between the front panel and the middle frame of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is asymmetrical, which makes the bezel look asymmetrical and uncomfortable. As far as I know, this problem seems to be common. pic.twitter.com/yhEFA6EeF7
โ ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 22, 2024
This is just one reported case, and as the “BatteryGate” incident showed, Apple usually has good reasons for implementing soft locks, so even if Ice Universe’s claims are true, they should be taken with a grain of salt.
Also read: iPhone 16 first impressions: Bold colors, new action buttons, and more