Evidence disputes wild claims of iOS 18 downgrading iPhones to an 80 Hz refresh rate

The releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS have got off to rather rocky starts. For example, iOS 18 was found to reduce performance on older iPhones that have been upgraded from iOS 17. Additionally, Apple was forced to halt the rollout of the latter after reports emerged of iPadOS 18 bricking some Apple M4-based iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 13 units.

Following that, reports surfaced that iOS 18 limits iPhones with ProMotion displays to 80 Hz when scrolling. As far as we can tell, these claims originate from Ice Universe, who posted evidence of their iPhone 16 Pro Max (curr. $1,199.99 on Amazon) being 'always locked at 80Hz' when scrolling through Weibo. Given the leaker's reputation within the tech community, it seemed that their claims have been presented as fact with little to no research around the area.

On the one hand, there is nothing to support @UniverseIce's inference that the app being used to record refresh rate values is accurate. Moreover, others have demonstrated that their 120 Hz-capable iPhones do reach their full refresh rate when scrolling. However, swiping quickly in certain apps does cause the display's variable refresh rate to kick in, thereby reducing it to 80 Hz. 

On the other hand, the '80 Hz' phenomenon on iPhones with 120 Hz capable displays pre-dates the release of iOS 18 and the iPhone 16 series. For instance, a cursory search reveals early iPhone 13 Pro Max owners complaining about the same issues in October 2021. Likewise, YouTuber Golden Reviewer had the same complaint in a video from the same period titled '120Hz ProMotion is Bugged on iPhone'. In short, it has taken an account with a substantial following to bring something to people's attention that may well have been present in iOS since Apple first brought ProMotion panels to the iPhone with the release of the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max over three years ago.