Out of all the upgrades I was hoping for from the iPhone 16, a 120Hz refresh rate display was right at the top of my list. Sure, you can get these game-changing refresh rates on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, but I don’t want to spend an extra $200+ for a feature that other brands, such as Samsung and Google Pixel, offer on their base models. Unfortunately, Apple disappointed me again, but there’s no excuse this time.
For those who don’t know, refresh rates refer to how often the screen refreshes a second. That means gameplay on a 120Hz refresh rate screen is much smoother than a display at 60Hz. It’s a feature you can find on every device included in our guide to the best gaming phones, and given that picks like the OnePlus 12R and Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G are almost half the price of the iPhone 16, it’s even more damning that we’re still waiting for Apple to introduce the feature to its base model flagship.
What’s worse is that there doesn’t seem to be a clear reason why Apple has opted not to upgrade the iPhone 16’s refresh rates. The most likely explanation is that the tech giant wants to use them as a dividing line between the base model and the premium Pro and Pro Max devices, but we can’t know that for sure.
All this isn’t to say that the iPhone 16 isn’t a solid phone for gaming. It’s a performance beast, thanks to Apple’s silicon magic with the A18 chipset, and a massive library of Apple Arcade games beats out anything the Android alternatives offer. Still, this just makes the 60Hz refresh rate cape more frustrating, as without it, the iPhone 16 could compete with gaming-specific phones like the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro or RedMagic 9S Pro, just like the iPhone 16 Pro does.
Fortunately, according to early iPhone 17 rumors, it seems like this could be the last iPhone series to launch without 120Hz refresh rates across the board. Earlier this month we reported on the suggestion that both the iPhone 17 and the new iPhone 17 Air should get the upgrade we mobile gamers have been waiting for; though, we’re not expecting that to be the case with the upcoming iPhone SE 4.
Interestingly, if Apple does boost the iPhone 17’s refresh rates to 120Hz, that’ll be higher than the Steam Deck OLED current 90Hz limit. The current generation of iPhone already outdoes the Valve console in some other areas, with games like Genshin Impact going all the way up to 120ps. If you’re playing on PC, then our site PCGameBenchmark has a free FPS monitor to download and track your framerates.
So, if you were thinking about picking up a new iPhone 16 to play the best iPhone games, it might be best to wait until next year’s iPhone 17. Or, there are options on our list of the best gaming iPhones, including last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, that can hit those golden 120Hz refresh rates.