Apple has already developed various screen techniques such as True Tone and Haptic Touch, but there is also a technique called ProMotion. This is the marketing name Apple uses for screens with a high refresh rate. Currently this is available on the iPad Pro and the latest iPhone and MacBook Pro models. But what’s in it for you? What are the benefits of a ProMotion display?
- refresh rate
- Explanation
- Models
- Advantages
- augmented reality
- Battery
What does ‘refresh rate’ mean?
In devices with a display, pixels in the screen are refreshed at a certain frequency. In this way, pixels can show a new image with every refresh. The higher this refresh rate, the calmer it is for your eyes and the smoother the image moves. You notice this, for example, when scrolling, where all animations appear smoothly on screen.
The refresh rate (or refresh rate) is indicated in Hertz (Hz). A standard iPhone with LCD screen has a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This number indicates how often the screen is refreshed within a second. This generally ensures smooth images, but of course there is always room for improvement.
These are the refresh rates that the iPhone 13 Pro models and newer support. Only the values with an asterisk can also be found on the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro:
- 120Hz (8ms)*
- 80Hz (12ms)
- 60Hz (16ms)*
- 48Hz (20ms)
- 40Hz (25ms)*
- 30Hz (33ms)*
- 24Hz (41ms)*
- 20Hz (50ms)
- 16Hz (62ms)
- 15Hz (66ms)
- 12Hz (83ms)
- 10Hz (100ms)
The always-on screen of the iPhone 14 Pro can even go down to 1Hz!
ProMotion on iPhone, iPad and Mac, what is it?
This is where ProMotion comes in. This screen technology ensures a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, so that a ProMotion screen can be refreshed twice as often as a normal 60 Hz screen. ProMotion is the name Apple has given to such a screen with a high refresh rate.
The amount of Hertz is related to the term frames per second (FPS). Hertz indicates how fast the screen can be refreshed, while frames per second is a property of the content itself (for example, a movie). What you see on the image is limited by the ‘weakest’ link. If your screen is 120 Hz, but you’re watching a 24 FPS movie, you’ll watch the movie in 24 FPS. The same applies the other way around: if you work on a 60 Hz screen, you will not be able to watch a 120 Hz film in that way, but it will switch back to the best possible refresh rate.
What’s nice about ProMotion is that the refresh rate is variable. The screen does not run continuously at 120 Hz, because that would mean an attack on the battery. Instead, a ProMotion display can switch between 10 Hz and 120 Hz and everything in between. If you’re reading a book, the screen switches back to 10 Hz. After all, there is no movement on the screen, so it is not necessary for pixels to refresh often. If you play games or scroll enthusiastically through Safari, the screen can scale up to 120 Hz. On the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro, the lowest value is 24 Hz.
Which iPhones, iPads and Macs have ProMotion?
ProMotion is available on the iPad and iPhone, but not on all models. It concerns the following models:
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MacBook Pro 2021 (14-inch and 16-inch) and newer
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iPhone 13 Pro (Max) and newer
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iPad Pro 2017 (10.5-inch and 12.9-inch) and later
We expect that the ProMotion screen will remain reserved for Pro models of Apple’s devices for the time being. It is a more expensive screen technology than a regular 60 Hz screen. In addition, Apple must give customers a reason to purchase more expensive products.
What can I do with ProMotion?
A ProMotion screen is refreshed twice as fast at 120 Hz as a normal LCD screen (60 Hz), but what use is that in practice? As soon as you use such a screen, you notice that animations are smoother. Scrolling is smoother and you can also play games without stuttering on the screen. The ProMotion screen also comes in handy when using the Apple Pencil on an iPad Pro: it responds faster to touch.
The Apple Pencil can transmit images in a very high accuracy. This drawing pen sends data at 240 Hz, but the screen of a standard iPad can only handle a refresh rate of 60 Hz. With the ProMotion screen in suitable models, pen strokes with the Apple Pencil are displayed a lot more accurately. This means that a pen stroke on the screen follows the tip of the Apple Pencil much more precisely and there is therefore much less delay. Drawing with your Apple Pencil is therefore more realistic and looks more like with an ordinary pencil, although it still works fine on a 60 Hz screen. The video below shows the difference between the 120 Hz screen and the 60 Hz screen.
On the iPhone, this screen is especially nice for two reasons: animations and battery life. A lot of content on your iPhone isn’t that graphically intensive. WhatsApp, Twitter and e-mail consists mainly of text. Your screen will then show a lower frequency and that saves battery. If you do perform graphically intensive tasks, you will see that this looks much more pleasant.
ProMotion and augmented reality
The ProMotion screen also comes in handy with augmented reality. Augmented reality is the addition of virtual objects to the real environment, via the screen of your iPhone or iPad, for example. To ensure that augmented reality applications look realistic, the screen must be refreshed often. Apple has also made its own developer tool ARKit available for augmented reality, making it easy for developers to add augmented reality to their apps. A higher refresh rate also comes in handy for virtual reality, so that all images are displayed more smoothly.
Does ProMotion drain your battery?
Although the ProMotion screen is refreshed more often, this has no negative impact on the battery. The screen only jumps to the higher refresh rate if it shows animations and not if the screen shows static content. This ensures that the screen does not consume excessive power.
Sure, your battery will drain faster if you’re playing games all day, but that’s to be expected. For example, under normal use, an iPhone 13 Pro will last longer than an iPhone 12 Pro. The iPad Pro maintains the same battery life as other iPads. As far as MacBooks are concerned, it is difficult to compare. After all, in addition to the new screen, they also have a completely new chip that differs drastically from their predecessors. The Macs last longer on paper, but to what extent that is due to the ProMotion screen is a bit vague.
Read more about other screen techniques in iPhones and iPads:
- True Tone display: this is how Apple’s screen technology works for better colors
- Haptic Touch: possibilities and differences with 3D Touch
- Liquid Retina: everything about the screen technology in the iPhone XR, 11 and iPad Pro
- OLED iPhones: Advantages and Disadvantages of OLED Screens in iPhones
- Mini-LED: what you need to know about this new screen technology
