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Is ProMotion actually meaningful in everyday use?

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woolypants

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 24, 2018
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The title says it all. Outside of video editing, is the 120Hz ramping up for scrolling on webpages or docs actually something you notice?

I can tell the difference between 30 and 60FPS videos within a split second of them playing, so I suspect I've the kind of eyes/brain that might notice this. That said, on my iPhone 13 Pro Max I don't really notice the Promotion at all.
 
I've had ProMotion on my 14" MBP and iPhone 13PM for over 6 months now and I can sort of see it on the iPhone if I look really hard for it but I haven't seen any difference on the MacBook compared to 60Hz displays. The most staggering advantage on the MBP displays is the miniLED backlight with better contrast, deeper blacks etc. That's a lot more noticeable imo.
 
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woolypants said:
The title says it all. Outside of video editing, is the 120Hz ramping up for scrolling on webpages or docs actually something you notice?

I can tell the difference between 30 and 60FPS videos within a split second of them playing, so I suspect I've the kind of eyes/brain that might notice this. That said, on my iPhone 13 Pro Max I don't really notice the Promotion at all.
Click to expand...
Yes, I notice it on iPad Pro as well. And you can't forget the impact on battery life - ProMotion goes down to 10 or 24 Hz as well if the content allows for it, saving precious battery there.
 
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uczcret said:
I've had ProMotion on my 14" MBP and iPhone 13PM for over 6 months now and I can sort of see it on the iPhone if I look really hard for it but I haven't seen any difference on the MacBook compared to 60Hz displays.
Click to expand...

Thanks. This is exactly what I suspected.
 
The display pixel response on the Macbook Pros can't keep up so you don't really gain much. It would be a bit more responsive in how moving cursor feels. Variable refresh rate might be more useful for saving battery as the display will need to update less times per second when static.

On an external display where the pixel transitions can actually keep up, 120 Hz just feels a lot more responsive and clearer in motion than 60 Hz. A good common thing would be for example moving between virtual desktops where at higher refresh rate it's silky smooth.

If it was up to me, no new 60 Hz monitors would be made at this point.
 
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woolypants said:
The title says it all. Outside of video editing, is the 120Hz ramping up for scrolling on webpages or docs actually something you notice?

I can tell the difference between 30 and 60FPS videos within a split second of them playing, so I suspect I've the kind of eyes/brain that might notice this. That said, on my iPhone 13 Pro Max I don't really notice the Promotion at all.
Click to expand...
120hz is useless for video editing, no idea where you got that idea. 120hz originally is for gaming purposes, but in the case of a phone just makes the experience smoother.
 
I do not notice the 120Hz screen until I use a 60Hz screen.

So yeah, do I notice it? Not sure. I think you get used to everything.
I do prefer 120Hz screens now of course. Way smoother than 60Hz.
 
dz5b609 said:
120hz is useless for video editing, no idea where you got that idea. 120hz originally is for gaming purposes, but in the case of a phone just makes the experience smoother.
Click to expand...

I referred to promotion and it’s ability to set exact rates for certain video formats.
 
kasakka said:
The display pixel response on the Macbook Pros can't keep up so you don't really gain much. It would be a bit more responsive in how moving cursor feels. Variable refresh rate might be more useful for saving battery as the display will need to update less times per second when static.

On an external display where the pixel transitions can actually keep up, 120 Hz just feels a lot more responsive
Click to expand...

Thanks. Again this is exactly what I suspected. And if I want a genuine 120Hz experience then a decent desktop monitor is the way to go. But really it still feels as if this whole tech area of high refresh rate panels of various kinds is a little nascent and perhaps needs a bit longer to prove itself.
 
To be honest... I cannot tell for the life of me. I have a 16 2021 MBP and an LG 4k 60hz. I just cannot tell.
 
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woolypants said:
Thanks. Again this is exactly what I suspected. And if I want a genuine 120Hz experience then a decent desktop monitor is the way to go. But really it still feels as if this whole tech area of high refresh rate panels of various kinds is a little nascent and perhaps needs a bit longer to prove itself.
Click to expand...
High refresh rate panels have been around for at least 8 years if not even more. There isn't anything that particular in the tech: you just need a controller and panel capable of updating the screen fast enough. Which is harder as the resolution and/or refresh rate goes up.

I bought my first high refresh rate screen in 2014. 1440p, 144 Hz, TN panel. Today you can get that same thing in a 240 Hz IPS panel. Or 4K.

Above 4K screens are still bandwidth limited and I expect Displayport 2.0 will be needed before we get 5-6K 120 Hz for example.
 
woolypants said:
The title says it all. Outside of video editing, is the 120Hz ramping up for scrolling on webpages or docs actually something you notice?

I can tell the difference between 30 and 60FPS videos within a split second of them playing, so I suspect I've the kind of eyes/brain that might notice this. That said, on my iPhone 13 Pro Max I don't really notice the Promotion at all.
Click to expand...
Yes. To me the higher refresh rate with motion reduces my eye strain. It’s to the point where I can notice 60Hz just moving my mouse on the desktop. It looks so bad just moving my mouse. So I always go for 120+. I don’t see the need for higher than 144.
 
woolypants said:
The title says it all. Outside of video editing, is the 120Hz ramping up for scrolling on webpages or docs actually something you notice?

I can tell the difference between 30 and 60FPS videos within a split second of them playing, so I suspect I've the kind of eyes/brain that might notice this. That said, on my iPhone 13 Pro Max I don't really notice the Promotion at all.
Click to expand...
I personally can’t tell the difference between ProMotion and non-ProMotion iPhones, but I can definitely feel the difference on the iPad. Using 60Hz iPads feel super slow now. I think the larger screen plays a major part in being able to tell a difference, so I’d imagine the difference is even more pronounced on a Mac.
 
My favorite screen for ProMotion has turned out to be my iPhone. Just makes it seem that much more like a little pad of printed paper or something.

I can’t say that I notice its presence on the Mac that much, but that could be just because I’d already had it on various iPads and now my iPhone for years.
 
woolypants said:
The title says it all. Outside of video editing, is the 120Hz ramping up for scrolling on webpages or docs actually something you notice?

I can tell the difference between 30 and 60FPS videos within a split second of them playing, so I suspect I've the kind of eyes/brain that might notice this. That said, on my iPhone 13 Pro Max I don't really notice the Promotion at all.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately it is immediately noticable if you are using a ProMotion device constantly. When going back to a 60Hz device, something seems wrong, scrolling seems laggy (which isn't really), less fluid.

I have 13 PM, LG 5k and now the 14 Pro. LG 27'' 5k feels outdated when I work with Macbook for a while. I need quite some time on the 60Hz LG to "unsee" it.

I do hope we get new iMacs with ProMotion.
 
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I just don’t see it. I have the iPhone 14 Pro Max. I have had several iPad Pros. I have the MacBook Pro M1 Max 16” and I don’t see anything different.

Now I also have a new iPad mini which I bought for reading. I hate it. I see jelly scrolling on the right side every time I use it. It makes me hate the iPad mini. I feel like I got duped. Apple absolutely ripped us all off on this one. It’s not 60Hz if it’s not evenly scrolling.

Second biggest disappointment ever for me from Apple behind the Apple Watch Series 4 in Stainless with the Saphire crystal. I wanted to trade it in for a Series 5 and Apple offered me $140 when I paid $800 for it less than a year prior. I ended up keeping it until I bought the Apple Watch Series 7 standard 45mm. Never will pay a bunch of money for an Apple Watch again. With the AppleCare+, it just doesn’t matter if the Apple Watch has an expensive sapphire crystal display when it’s likely going to get recycled or replaced within a few years.
 
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kasakka said:
Above 4K screens are still bandwidth limited and I expect Displayport 2.0 will be needed before we get 5-6K 120 Hz for example.
Click to expand...
So if I bought a Mac Studio now, and Apple or someone else came out with a 5K 120Hz monitor in a year or two, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the 120Hz on my Studio?
 
High refresh rates are indeed not that noticeable in everyday usage outside of gaming... until you go back to a regular 60Hz screen. Our perception gets used to upgrades really fast and we quickly stop noticing. It's the same when you move to a sharper display resolution, try a pair of nicer sounding headphones or drive a better car. Try to downgrade after a while, and you will not be able to unsee/unhear/unfeel the difference.

That said, ProMotion is not a deal-breaker feature and perception is subjective, so why not just pay a visit to an Apple store and do a side-by-side comparison?
 
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I have a ProMotion iPad and MacBook Pro. I definitely notice the higher frame rate when there's movement, but it's a very minor feature to me and one that I only really think about when comparing different devices side-by-side. I frequently switch between my iPad Pro and iPad mini and would pick the mini if I only could keep one. So, while I notice the difference, the high frame rate is mostly a gimmick in my opinion.

I have the same feeling about Retina displays. They are nice to look at, but don't make difference in terms of actual usability in my opinion.
 
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