Apple

Learn everything related to the refresh rate of your Apple devices


New MacBook Pro 13

One of the things that we pay close attention to when buying a device is its storage capacity and its speed when working with several programs at the same time. Especially on the Mac, that is something very important. It is true that with the new M1 chip the evolution of these computers has been abysmal. Another factor that is talked about a lot thanks to these new Macs, is the ability to refresh the computer screen and the maximum capacity they have. The higher the rate is better? But what is the refreshment rate for? Will it be useful to me?. That is what we are going to try to explain in this article.

What is the screen refresh rate?

When we talk about the refresh rate, we are basically referring to the speed with which the content on the screen is updated. Like everything that can be measured, we have this time that we are analyzing it in images per second. In this way, the unit of measurement used to determine the refresh rate of a panel is Hertz (Hz).

We could already answer one of the questions that we asked ourselves at the beginning of this article, a little above these lines. The higher the refresh rate of a screen, the greater the fluidity with which the images that appear in it are displayed. Basically because in that time that passes between each of those images in that space of time, we will have a major update. Now, it is not all gold that glitters. It must be borne in mind that there are a series of associated disadvantages and which we will now talk about. But as it is often said that an image is worth a thousand words, here we leave you a video where this explanation is displayed.

Right now most televisions, phones, computers, and screen devices, tThey work with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Although it is true that there are computers where these rates reach dizzying figures. Well, we also have smartphones that reach figures up to 144 Hz. It is a good thing because reaching a higher refresh rate, as we have already seen, means smoother images and thus not only does it look better but also reduces visual fatigue much. That is important, in a world where technology and displays are increasingly important and almost essential.

Although it has always been said that these high refresh rates are included in devices for Gamers, it must be borne in mind that the market niche has already expanded a few years ago and many phones and Tablets already have it incorporated. We have the example of the iPad Pro and the iPhone 12 and 13, for example.

Advantages and disadvantages of the refresh rate

It’s a shame but not all are advantages at high refresh rates. You have to assess everything as a whole and now that we know what it means, let’s see what happens to it.

Advantages:

  • Fluidity and smoothness. This is clear. The higher the refresh rate of the screen of a device, we have a greater smoothness and fluidity of the images. This also means that the transitions in the application changes, when we scroll on the iPhone or move the mouse quickly on a website on the Mac, or move from one application to another, will be done much more smoothly and therefore it will be more friendly.
  • A higher refresh rate means less eyestrain and therefore that we can better enjoy the experience with the screens.

Disadvantages

  • The main disadvantage of having a high refresh rate is undoubtedly a higher energy expenditure in that device. This means that we have less autonomy and therefore, in the case of iPhones, it is only incorporated in the Pro models that have a larger battery.
  • Not all content is available with a 120Hz refresh rate. This is like having a television that is capable of playing 8K content. This is fine, but if the content itself is not in 8K, then we don’t care about the capacity of the television.
  • The larger the screen and the higher the refresh rate, the more expensive the device.

Be careful with this. Refresh rate is not the same as sample rate.

In recent months, some of the manufacturers that have presented devices whose screen exceeds the barrier of 60 Hz of screen refreshment, have also made reference to the panel sample rate. We are referring to the case of some Samsung devices. It is advertised that its screen is refreshed at 120 Hz and has a sample rate of 240 Hz.

Sample rate, also measured in Hertz, refers to the number of times the screen tracks touch input. Thus, the higher the frequency value, the lower the touch latency or input lag, and greater the sensation of fluidity and lightness of the movements. But It has nothing to do with who we are talking about here and do not be confused. Logically, the higher both rates, the better.

The refresh rate on Apple devices


MacBook Pro M1

Once we have become “experts” in device screen refresh rate and we even know how to differentiate it from the sampling frequency, let’s see Apple which devices achieve higher rates and how important it is.

iPhone 12 and 13

Both the iPhone 12 and 13 have screens with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. But beware, not all iPhone models have the same rate. In this case, the highest rate comes in the highest models. We will have 120HZ on the Pro models. Basically for a battery issue and duration of use of the terminal. If they had put a screen of that quality in the iPhone mini, it is likely that in half a day we would have to be looking for a plug.

We can summarize the refresh rate of the iPhone like this:

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max They feature Apple’s latest Super Retina XDR with ProMotion, which has a variable refresh rate of 10Hz to 120Hz. iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini use 60Hz.

The same goes for iPhone 12 models

Mac computers

How could it be less, if the iPhone has ProMotion, the Macs, too. But do not think that all Macs. Do not think that because they are computers they must have screens with higher refresh rates. You already know that the higher the rate and the larger screen, the more expensive. In fact Few models have 120 Hz displays associated with them.

One of the great novelties of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros it is precisely this. The mini-LED display supports up to 120 Hz refresh rate thanks to ProMotion. A ProMotion that must be activated by software. Therefore you already intuit that we can vary that rate. Something that is not new, since we could do them in other previous Macs. If you don’t know how, here is a tutorial on how you can vary the refresh rate on 16-inch MacBook Pros. We can go from 60 to 47.95 Hz.

However, this frequency of 120 Hz is not supported by all applications at the moment. In fact, Safari, for example, is not yet adapted. However Safari Technology Preview, the beta version of Safari, yes. It is precisely in the latest version of this browser, 135, that Apple has introduced support for ProMotion.

If you’re wondering, I’ll tell you. No. There is no iMac with ProMotion. But there will be.

Apple watch

I will not be the one who is going to surprise you, but as you may have imagined, the Apple Watch it does not have a ProMotion screen. It is a very good Retina display, yes. But it doesn’t hit 120Hz rates. I don’t think I needed them either.

You already know a little more about these aspects of your favorite devices. From Now I’m sure you pay more attention to the refresh rate when you go to buy a new terminal.

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