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iPad I’m worried about needing ProMotion
- Thread starter Techsmash
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"Promotion" isn't just yet-another silly Apple name for a fixed 120hz display, it is a variable refresh rate system, allowing refresh to match content—for example, a 24 fps movie, or slowing refresh considerably for static content. While the effect on battery life isn't huge, it is cumulative, and can improve battery life relative to a 60hz display when all other aspects are equal.
As others have said, there's no way any of us can tell you whether Promotion will matter to you or not. Some people notice it, some don't. I have a 2017 10.5" iPad Pro and if I switch Promotion off, I absolutely notice it and its absence drives me nuts, putting me into the same position as the OP: Do I pay a lot more for an iPad with way more power than I need for how I use an iPad (computer replacement? lol... no) just to get Promotion? Yet, I notice it less on my M1 Pro MBP, or my 13 Pro.
Such is the zen of Apple: I buy Pro-level phones because I want the telephoto camera, and couldn't care less about the rest of Apple's gatekeep-ed "Pro" features. I bought a MacBook Pro because I needed more than 16 or 24GB of memory, not because I needed a more powerful computer. We don't get the ability to pick and choose individual features. It's like buying a car: It's not options, it's packages. Want a sunroof? Be prepared to buy $2000 of additional s--- along with it. Annoying.
The nice thing about the Apple Store is the ability to do side-by-side comparisons. Last time I was browsing iPads, the store closest to my home even had a little area where there was one of each model of iPad all right next to one another specifically for comparison shopping. Really helpful.
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Similarly, I only bought the iPhone 13 Pro Max because I wanted a bigger display, and back then you had to buy the Pro model to get it. I didn’t need any of the other features and at the time of purchase I didn’t know what ProMotion was.
For what it’s worth, I found that I could shut ProMotion off on my phone and I just tried it. It’s terrible. Just a few seconds of scrolling through this thread has confirmed that. I have to stop even from a slow scroll when I want to read some thing because it’s a blur.
Yeah, that's kind of the rub right there: If I turn it off my my 2017 iPad Pro, the "smear" of scrolling is where it really gets me. I can deal with animations feeling less fluid, but there's something about how scrolling becomes stuttered that makes it artificially hard for my eyes to follow the point where I was reading. It's such a little thing, but makes such a difference to how I use my iPad: lots of reading/information lookup on the web, lots of reviewing long documents, etc. If the iPad 10 had Promotion, it'd be a great device for my use cases and a fair bit cheaper than a Pro. Alas.
I completely agree. I currently use my iPhone both for personal uses and to run my business. I was planning on getting an iPad to give me a bigger display to use for both of those purposes. Whether I’m just surfing the web or scrolling through documents for work I think promotion is a great advantage.
I have ProMotion on my 2017 iPad Pro but not my iPhone 12 Pro Max. I don't really care about ProMotion. I'm fine with 60 Hz devices, if they have the other features I want. FWIW, my wife's iPhone 14 Pro Max has ProMotion and it is smoother than my 12 Pro Max, but that's not a big concern to me. I don't read webpages while scrolling because it's still too hard to read while scrolling even with ProMotion. I stop scrolling then read. Similarly, I've tried 144 Hz and 60 Hz displays on my Mac and I like 60 Hz just fine.
But of course, YMMV. If you really like ProMotion, then buy an iPad with ProMotion.
But of course, YMMV. If you really like ProMotion, then buy an iPad with ProMotion.
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I'm not going to spend a bunch of hard earned cash on ProMotion-capable machines only to have it disabled for some minor battery savings, especially since all of them have variable refresh rate. I use as much features as I can and I'll enjoy every last bit of every device I own, and if I ever have to disable anything in order to increase the longevity of the device, that's a sign that a battery replacement or an upgrade is in order.
Enjoy what you have, life's too short to deal with subpar scrolling now that we've got ProMotion.
Enjoy what you have, life's too short to deal with subpar scrolling now that we've got ProMotion.
But you ARE a power user… just a different kind. You’ll be using the iPad a lot (it's my main device for everything). And if pro motion is easier on the eyes for being on something for possibly hours on end, then get what’s best for your eyes. Besides. That extra processing power is just insurance for future proofing too.
It really depends OP - if you're planning on using a device for gaming (like I do, I buy them for that specific purpose), buggy ProMotion has completely obliterated the experience as of iOS 16 with no sign of fixes in sight.
It has been extensively documented here, Reddit and elsewhere ad nauseam, but Apple's newer devices like the M2 and M1 (own both) are hot garbage for gaming because ProMotion interferes with app refresh rates and creates a consistently insanely laggy experience in any game opened - whether it's a new and demanding one, or something from 50 years ago like Clash of Clans, it's all the same lag/stutter everywhere.
So just to say, ProMotion can actually be extremely detrimental for some device uses i.e. gaming.
It has been extensively documented here, Reddit and elsewhere ad nauseam, but Apple's newer devices like the M2 and M1 (own both) are hot garbage for gaming because ProMotion interferes with app refresh rates and creates a consistently insanely laggy experience in any game opened - whether it's a new and demanding one, or something from 50 years ago like Clash of Clans, it's all the same lag/stutter everywhere.
So just to say, ProMotion can actually be extremely detrimental for some device uses i.e. gaming.
To me Pro Motion / 120hz is a world of difference when compared to 60hz. You can also look for a 2018 iPad Pro. You should be able to find one that's around the same price or cheaper than the current regular iPad.
I realize there’s not much to add beyond my own anecdote… but here we go:
I like ProMotion, it makes a noticeable upgrade to display quality. But I don’t think it’s anywhere near good enough for what it purports to do… I still get a very visible screen-tearing-like effect when scrolling text, for example. And it bugs me. But that’s me. I have another friend with similar pickiness to displays and he thinks it’s perfect. He’s both more susceptible (he shudders on all 60Hz or lower displays, I use them just fine) and less (he’s in heaven with 120Hz and I see an insufficient improvement).
Have yourself the obligatory hands-on
I like ProMotion, it makes a noticeable upgrade to display quality. But I don’t think it’s anywhere near good enough for what it purports to do… I still get a very visible screen-tearing-like effect when scrolling text, for example. And it bugs me. But that’s me. I have another friend with similar pickiness to displays and he thinks it’s perfect. He’s both more susceptible (he shudders on all 60Hz or lower displays, I use them just fine) and less (he’s in heaven with 120Hz and I see an insufficient improvement).
Have yourself the obligatory hands-on
I bought a iPad Pro from the refurbished store in 2018. It has cost me £100 a year so far, and it’s still working fine apart from a small pixel discolouration in one corner.
For the pro rata cost year on year of this iPad vs what it would have been with the base model, there’s no way I’d ever think this wasn’t the right choice to have made.
After using Pro Motion on my iPhone for the first time this year on my 14 Pro Max, I cannot stand using a device without the fast refresh display. On my Air I don't mind so much. But for the iPad and iPhone it's a must for me. It's really a personal thing. Some people don't mind the slower refresh display at all. But on devices without it, it seems very jarring.
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