iPad Question about refresh rate on iPad Pro

[jm31828]

I picked up an iPad Air 5th gen and a Pro 11" M2 both on sale last week at Costco, with the intention of determining which works best for me (and which is the most comfortable for my sensitive eyes), and I had a question about the refresh rate on the Pro now that I have spent some time using it.

I know it's a variable rate 120Hz, where it adjusts up to 120Hz when needed, but can slow down far below even 60Hz when needed, when there is not much movement on the screen.
If you change the setting for this display to 60Hz, does it then just lock it in at 60Hz similar to what the Air display would be- or is it still variable, but it just maxes out at 60Hz instead of 120Hz in that situation?

Additional note- I may be crazy, but scrolling side by side on these, I just am not seeing a difference between the 120Hz on the Pro and the 60Hz on the Air- text looks exactly the same as a scroll at moderate to fast speeds through web pages or Reddit/Facebook. I really thought that was going to be more of a noticeable improvement with the Pro!

But nevertheless, even without that being noticeable, it seems the Pro may still be a worthy upgrade over the Air for the added storage, FaceID, and slightly better speakers. But I am still comparing the two to see if I feel the Pro is good enough to be worth the $200 more that I paid over what the Air cost.

 

[MapleBeercules]

Make sure your using pages with lots of images or videos to test the refresh rates.
The 11inch isnt much of an upgrade because you dont get the Mini-LED screen, which is only on the 12.9.
The speakers are a considerable difference, Ipad Pros have 4, while regular ipads have 2.
Being able to charge / connect pencil wireless

I find the pro isnt always be best when im mobile, maybe this is where the Air shines, it might be a bit lighter and therefore less intrusive when you are on the go.

I personally went from the 11 inch m1 to the 12.9 inch m2 and couldnt be happier.

Whichever you decided to keep im sure you will be happy with either device.

enjoy

 

[jm31828]

Make sure your using pages with lots of images or videos to test the refresh rates.
The 11inch isnt much of an upgrade because you dont get the Mini-LED screen, which is only on the 12.9.
The speakers are a considerable difference, Ipad Pros have 4, while regular ipads have 2.
Being able to charge / connect pencil wireless

I find the pro isnt always be best when im mobile, maybe this is where the Air shines, it might be a bit lighter and therefore less intrusive when you are on the go.

I personally went from the 11 inch m1 to the 12.9 inch m2 and couldnt be happier.

Whichever you decided to keep im sure you will be happy with either device.

enjoy

Thanks for the discussion!

In putting the Air and Pro side by side, I was surprised to see that the Pro is actually thinner, whereas the Air looks and even feels a bit more substantial in my hands. I was not expecting that!

I like that the Pro has the M2 chip, and more storage, and better speakers- so it seems like a nice upgrade, but I am still trying to determine if it's worth $200 more for those things. The thinness of the Pro makes me wonder if it has a battery with less capacity, so I will test a bit more and see how the Pro holds up compared to the Air battery-wise.

 

[jm31828]

Another question then relating to Promotion- for people who might be somewhat sensitive to screen flicker, is Promotion actually worse than using a display such as the Air that is locked at 60Hz, since the Pro often drops well below 60Hz when there isn't a lot of movement on the screen, which would be a refresh rate low enough to potentially be noticeable to the eyes of some that are sensitive?

Or is refresh rate completely different than PWM flicker, where it's not something that should bother anyone in that regard?

 

[MapleBeercules]

Thanks for the discussion!

In putting the Air and Pro side by side, I was surprised to see that the Pro is actually thinner, whereas the Air looks and even feels a bit more substantial in my hands. I was not expecting that!

I like that the Pro has the M2 chip, and more storage, and better speakers- so it seems like a nice upgrade, but I am still trying to determine if it's worth $200 more for those things. The thinness of the Pro makes me wonder if it has a battery with less capacity, so I will test a bit more and see how the Pro holds up compared to the Air battery-wise.

It will be worth the 200$ more when you resell it.. I sold my 11 inch m1 with keyboard and pencil for 950$ 2 years after I bought the device and pencil for 1100$, the keyboard was 200$ but i consider keyboards and mice consumables and just accept that as a loss.

Your better off with the pro, just because when you upgrade or hand it down it will have more product life, and that is totally worth the extra 200$ in my opinion.

 

[jm31828]

It will be worth the 200$ more when you resell it.. I sold my 11 inch m1 with keyboard and pencil for 950$ 2 years after I bought the device and pencil for 1100$, the keyboard was 200$ but i consider keyboards and mice consumables and just accept that as a loss.

Your better off with the pro, just because when you upgrade or hand it down it will have more product life, and that is totally worth the extra 200$ in my opinion.

Thanks for the comment! Makes sense, and that is something I was considering as I have been leaning towards keeping the Pro and returning the Air. It has more longevity as well, with the M2 chip vs the M1 (even though both of course are absurdly fast).