Back in 2017, Apple decided to give its display technology a little promotion and introduced the ProMotion display on its iPad Pro. If you have one of the newer high-end Apple devices, it likely uses the ProMotion display tech. But what exactly is ProMotion tech, and what are its benefits? Read on as we check it out in detail.
What is Apple ProMotion?
ProMotion is one of those marketing terms that Apple is known to use to describe the most basic features. Put simply, a ProMotion display is one that can dynamically adjust the refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz depending on the content being displayed on the screen.
While traditional displays are set at 60Hz, meaning they refresh 60 times in a second, a ProMotion display can go up to 120Hz, i.e., it can refresh up to 120 times in a second. The higher refresh rate is most noticeable when you switch from a 60Hz display.
Benefits of Apple ProMotion display
A ProMotion display serves two main benefits.
First, it improves the overall smoothness of the device in everyday usage, as we already mentioned. So, whether you are scrolling through social media, switching between apps, or doing anything interactive with the display, you will find it more responsive.
The second is improved visual experience when playing games and watching content. ProMotion enables games to offer up to 120 frames/second (fps) gameplay. Thanks to this, your overall gaming experience gets a lot better. Similarly, you also get an overall better experience while viewing high-frame-rate or slow-motion videos on ProMotion displays.
You can see the difference between a ProMotion and a non-ProMotion display in the video below.
Does ProMotion impact battery life?
Since ProMotion refreshes the display at twice the frame rate as a standard 60Hz display, you may think it consumes more battery. However, Apple optimizes ProMotion displays to vary the refresh rate according to usage.
For instance, if you are scrolling or swiping through the UI, the refresh rate stays high at 120Hz. Once the screen is static, the refresh rate goes down to 1Hz, 10Hz, or 24Hz, depending on your device. (Some Apple devices support LTPO displays that adapt the refresh rates from 1Hz/10Hz to 120Hz while some support LTPS displays that vary refresh rates from 24Hz to 120Hz).
Hence, the impact of ProMotion on battery life can vary depending on your usage. If you constantly interact with the screen, you are bound to consume more battery. On the other hand, if you use your screen only to view regular content or just read text, you might get better battery life on ProMotion than even a 60Hz display.
Which Apple devices support ProMotion display?
Unfortunately, not every Apple user can enjoy the benefits of ProMotion since only selected devices in the Apple ecosystem support this technology. The table below lists the iPhone, iPad, and Mac models that support ProMotion.
| iPhone | iPad | Mac |
| iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max | iPad Pro 11-inch (all generations and models) | All MacBook Pro models with M series chips |
| iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max | iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) | |
| iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max | iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) | |
| iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max |
How to turn off ProMotion on Apple devices
If you interact with the screen a lot and are afraid that it might increase battery usage, you can turn off ProMotion. Here’s how to do it on different Apple devices.
Turn off ProMotion on iPhone and iPad
- Head to Settings → Accessibility → Motion.
- Find Limit Frame Rate and turn it on.
Now, your iPhone will limit the maximum frame rate to 60 Hz, saving battery life.
Turn off ProMotion on Mac
- Open System Settings and click Displays in the left sidebar.
- Click the Refresh Rate dropdown and choose your preferred refresh rate from the available options.
Signing off…
Higher refresh rate displays have become a standard across devices, especially mobile phones. Almost every phone and tablet except for the ultra-budget ones now support high refresh rate displays.
Likewise, while Apple does provide ProMotion 120Hz on all its Pro model devices, the base models still lack it. There is hope that it might change this year, with rumors suggesting even the base iPhone 17 might receive support for the ProMotion display, which will be a welcome change for Apple buyers.
You might also like:
- What is HDR on iPhone and how to use it?
- What is Apple’s private cloud compute? Explained!
- What is tandem OLED on M4 iPad Pro? Everything you need to know
