Promotion looks amazing on the iPhone. But to this day, I cant notice it at all on my 14" MacBook Pro. When I scroll this page in safari, it definitely is not smooth.
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ProMotion, how much of a dealbreaker is it for you?
- Thread starter dan-K
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That’s incorrect since Apple uses variable refresh rate so it’s not constantly at 120hz. A variable refresh rate beats out a display that’s consistently at 60hz. This is why the iPhone 13 Pro models got such a huge increase in battery life.
In my opinion 120Hz mainly pays off when writing on my iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil, as there is close to no input lag.
On my iPhone I usually forget that it is 60Hz and only see the difference compared to a new iPhone 13 Pro.
I notice it even less on MacBook Pro 14" vs MacBook Air M1.
In my opinion it's a nice-to-have feature the 120Hz, but I think I would really only miss it on the iPad.
Edit:
I do have to say the impact on battery life is really cool. Would love to see variable refresh rate in the regular iPhone 14.
On my iPhone I usually forget that it is 60Hz and only see the difference compared to a new iPhone 13 Pro.
I notice it even less on MacBook Pro 14" vs MacBook Air M1.
In my opinion it's a nice-to-have feature the 120Hz, but I think I would really only miss it on the iPad.
Edit:
I do have to say the impact on battery life is really cool. Would love to see variable refresh rate in the regular iPhone 14.
The iPhone 13 just had a larger battery (3095 mAh) than the 12P (2815mAh).
And even when it boosts to 120hz - which it does quite frequently - that still negatively impacts the battery life as the screen is forced to refresh twice as much as normal.
I'd advise getting yourself to an Apple Store or a Best Buy or something and trying it out. I found myself in an Apple Store last week and noodled around on the 14" MBP and found the ProMotion effect pretty cool looking. It's a lot more subtle of an improvement than Retina displays were when they came out, but it definitely felt like a big step up to me. Purely subjective, though, which is why I think you really have to see it for yourself to know if it's worth it to you.
FWIW, my other subjective takeaway from the MPP 14" was that it felt noticably heavier and more bulky than my M1 Air.
Hard disagree. Do you think a couple hundred mah gave the 13 Pro 5hrs more battery life than the 12 Pro and a whopping 8hrs more on the 13 Pro Max vs the 12 Pro Max? Additionally the 13 Pro models got an additional gpu core and 200nits SDR brightness increase. That’s the most efficient 200mah I’ve ever heard of.
Also, why would you think it boosts to 120hz frequently? Are you scrolling at record pace all the time or playing games that support it nonstop? I bet you would be surprised how little you hit 120hz and not the other way around.
I decided to get the 14 M1 MBP personally a few days ago. I have a 16 M1 MBP for work and was wanting a personal Mac. I thought the MBA would be perfect, but what kept me are two things: ProMotion and the speakers on 14/16 are freaking phenomenal.
The MBA M2 will be solid, but with the costs creeping close to a base 14 M1, I snagged the 14 and am loving it.
The MBA M2 will be solid, but with the costs creeping close to a base 14 M1, I snagged the 14 and am loving it.
To start of, the advise wasn't for you. Secondly, the price difference is too small not to take it into account and other features as well.
None of my parents and my grandparents can see the difference between 60hz and 120hz
As much as I crave one of those M2 MacBook Airs, now that I've tried ProMotion I don't think I can go back to a regular display.
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Pro motion I could take it or leave it. But the Mini LED is noticeably nicer than a regular LCD.
That and the tiny bit of extra screen real estate make it worth it for me. I always found 14" laptops to be the sweet spot.
That said, Apple's regular LCD's (manufactured by LG I think?) make some of the best panels in the industry.
That and the tiny bit of extra screen real estate make it worth it for me. I always found 14" laptops to be the sweet spot.
That said, Apple's regular LCD's (manufactured by LG I think?) make some of the best panels in the industry.
ProMotion is really not a big deal - it's nice, but that's it. It's more noticeable on touch devices, because you interact with them "directly".
With that said, the Mini LED screen is a big deal. The contrast is higher, blacks are true blacks, and you have incredible HDR - for movies, games and your own photos/videos. It comes down to whether you'll use your Mac for media consumption or not. If you are - it's quite an upgrade. If you'll mostly use it for productivity - not so much.
There are other benefits to the pro apart from the screen, but it's also a question of your needs. And the Air is lighter, and slightly smaller in volume, so take that into consideration as well.
Both are amazing computers and you'll be happy with either.
Same here. I have it both on my 13PM and MBP and I barely even notice it.
What I do notice on my MBP's screen is how much brighter, sharper and better contrast it has compared to my previous M1 MBA.
while that's true ,it still looks smooth .just blurry and oily.but smooth .
for movies it wasn't THIS bad for me honestly,since it's playing at 24hz and 24fps,u need to divide the response times accordingly (48hz having double the frames ,it need to refresh faster obviously,same for 60,same for 120) .so IN THEORY your movies shouldn't look bad.
I do recall (cuz I had a 14 and 16) that some fast paced scenes did look bad indeed but can't remember to what extent .
Response times dont bother me in movies, its the blooming. Especially in dark scenes with dark colors.
Somehow in my Studio Display 120 Hz would be very nice - but it's okay for me without it.
What is much more annoying: I have tried out the iPad minis and Airs in the Apple Stores. I really really don't like the 60Hz there anymore.
In my MBP 14 I really like 120 Hz - it looks just very nice on this display. Shame that it's not included in the Air.
But: go to the store, take 30 minutes and check the different devices. Only then you will be able to see if it is worth the money and decide which laptop category you would like to go with.
What is much more annoying: I have tried out the iPad minis and Airs in the Apple Stores. I really really don't like the 60Hz there anymore.
In my MBP 14 I really like 120 Hz - it looks just very nice on this display. Shame that it's not included in the Air.
But: go to the store, take 30 minutes and check the different devices. Only then you will be able to see if it is worth the money and decide which laptop category you would like to go with.
my bad i hadn't gotcha that way
blooming is fine too ,idk ? what movies did u watch that were bad ?
Have noticed it in all movies (SDR & HDR). For example when you have a darker background and a person in front. The Person looks totally weird. I need to get my hands on another Macbook M1 Pro to check if my display is ok before warranty runs out. 95% of the time it looks great, but these blooming scenes really destroy the experience for me. I have the XH95 FALD with 60 Zones and while blooming is much bigger around bright objects, it never looks bad. However its an unfair comparison because VA vs IPS Panel.
Here is an example where i have noticed it too:
Another problem is watching movies with raised blacks like the walking dead. In dark scenes some zones are off and others on, looks horrible. This is a good example:
Agreed. It’s the type of feature that’s super noticeable at first but eventually fades into the background. I have had 120hz on my iPad since 2017 but don’t think about it when reading my gmail inbox first thing in the morning. I also have an LG C1 which was breathtaking and stunning at first but hasn’t made me hate all my other devices.
Given the OP’s usage, I wouldn’t say that £300 extra for a 14 MPB would be money will spent.
Not a total dealbreaker, but I really do enjoy Promotion on all of my devices.
My work computer is a M1 Air, it is the only device I have without Promotion, and I can’t say it hurts using it at all. For my line of work, I don’t need variable refresh rates as much as I do/want on my personal machines.
My work computer is a M1 Air, it is the only device I have without Promotion, and I can’t say it hurts using it at all. For my line of work, I don’t need variable refresh rates as much as I do/want on my personal machines.
I personally will never go back to non-pro-motion. It's a must for me. The screen and speakers are why I went for the MBP. In fact, I liked it so much I went and upgraded my iPhone 12 Pro to 13 pro for pro-motion. Sounds exaggerated, but once you've experienced it, you notice the lack of on other devices.
I feel your pain. Hard to go back. Just feels sluggish otherwise.
I too was in the same position; I wanted the new m2 air, but by the time you add additional storage + ram, it was only a few hundred cheaper than the 14" m1 pro, I couldn't wait so I decided to buy the m1 pro 14" and I can say I made the right choice for the following reasons.
1. Power; I mainly use my 14" for tasks like note taking, PowerPoints and many excel tasks, as well as some infrequent photoshop, and such, the additional power this computer makes given it has a fan is exceeding my expectations.
2. Display; the new MiniLED display is stunning, for this reason alone I would choose 14" over new air, promotion is nice but not 100% necessary, that being said I would prefer to have it than not have it.
3. (most important for me, speakers); I had read online that the speakers on the MBP were good, but I didn't realise how good they were until I got home and started playing music, they are insane for a laptop, they're loud enough without any distortion, great implementation of dolby atmos (if you care), and decently bassy. I just don't see how a MacBook Air speaker system could come close to this.
Given the price difference of a evenly specced out MBA m2 (close level to base m1 14" MBP) you get many additional benefits (Display, fans, promotion, speakers), if you have the money it is not a bad idea to get something that is more future proofed.
1. Power; I mainly use my 14" for tasks like note taking, PowerPoints and many excel tasks, as well as some infrequent photoshop, and such, the additional power this computer makes given it has a fan is exceeding my expectations.
2. Display; the new MiniLED display is stunning, for this reason alone I would choose 14" over new air, promotion is nice but not 100% necessary, that being said I would prefer to have it than not have it.
3. (most important for me, speakers); I had read online that the speakers on the MBP were good, but I didn't realise how good they were until I got home and started playing music, they are insane for a laptop, they're loud enough without any distortion, great implementation of dolby atmos (if you care), and decently bassy. I just don't see how a MacBook Air speaker system could come close to this.
Given the price difference of a evenly specced out MBA m2 (close level to base m1 14" MBP) you get many additional benefits (Display, fans, promotion, speakers), if you have the money it is not a bad idea to get something that is more future proofed.