IPhone 18e Sticks With 60Hz Display Until 2028

The iPhone 18e, expected in early 2026, will ship with the same 60Hz display panel as the model it replaces. According to a Weibo post from leaker Digital Chat Station, Apple will carry forward the low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFT screen rather than upgrading to the ProMotion technology expected across the rest of the iPhone 18 lineup.

That gap is harder to ignore when you consider where Android sits. Competing phones at similar price points already offer 120Hz screens, which makes the e-series position increasingly awkward for Apple to defend on specs alone.

The 120Hz Roadmap

A Korean report from earlier this year fills in the timeline. Apple reportedly will not bring a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) panel to the e-series until the fourth-generation model, currently expected in early 2028. LTPO is the technology that enables displays to dynamically shift their refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz, which is how the Pro models manage ProMotion without destroying battery life. That 2028 target is tied to Apple’s development of a next-generation “LTPO+” technology, which uses oxide semiconductors in both switching and drive transistors and is said to consume significantly less power.

The plan, as reported, is for Apple to reserve LTPO+ for higher-end 2028 devices, including a new iPhone Air and its foldable iPhone. Freeing up standard LTPO panels would then allow them to trickle down to the rest of the lineup, including the e-series.

There is a catch. If LTPO+ development runs late, the entire cascade shifts. The 19e could end up on 60Hz panels for another cycle, with no firm fallback plan described in either the leak or the Korean report.

For now, the iPhone 18e looks set to compete on price while trailing on one of the more visible display specs. Whether buyers at that tier notice or care is a different question entirely.