ProMotion Technology: What It Is and How It Works?

Have you ever wondered why scrolling on an iPhone feels incredibly smooth, while gaming on an iPad Pro feels more responsive than on other tablets? The secret lies in Apple’s ProMotion technology—a display innovation that’s changing how we interact with our screens. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what ProMotion is, how it works, and why it matters for your digital experience.

What is ProMotion Technology?

ProMotion is Apple’s adaptive refresh rate technology that dynamically adjusts a display’s refresh rate based on what you’re viewing. Standard displays refresh at a fixed rate—usually 60Hz, meaning they refresh the image 60 times per second. ProMotion displays, however, can vary their refresh rate from as low as 10Hz up to 120Hz depending on the content and user interaction.

First introduced with the iPad Pro in 2017 and later brought to iPhone 13 Pro models and MacBook Pro, ProMotion represents a significant leap in display technology. The primary benefits include:

• Smoother scrolling and animations

• Reduced motion blur

• Lower latency for Apple Pencil

• Improved battery efficiency

• Enhanced gaming and video experiences

How Does ProMotion Work? The Technical Breakdown

The Basics of Refresh Rates

To understand ProMotion, you first need to understand refresh rates. A display’s refresh rate measures how many times per second the screen updates with new information. Measured in Hertz (Hz), higher refresh rates mean more frequent updates, resulting in smoother motion and reduced perceived lag.

Traditional fixed refresh rate displays update at a constant frequency regardless of what’s happening on screen. This one-size-fits-all approach has limitations—it can waste power when displaying static content and may not be smooth enough for fast-moving visuals.

The Magic of Adaptive Refresh Rates

ProMotion solves these problems with adaptive refresh rate technology. Here’s how it works:

1. Dynamic Adjustment: The display controller continuously monitors what’s happening on screen. When you’re reading a static webpage or looking at a photo, it can drop the refresh rate to 10Hz, 24Hz, or 30Hz to conserve battery.

2. Content Matching: When watching a movie filmed at 24fps, ProMotion adjusts to 24Hz (or 48Hz) to match the content exactly, eliminating the “judder” effect common when content framerate doesn’t match display refresh rate.

3. Peak Performance: During intense activities like gaming, fast scrolling, or using the Apple Pencil, the display ramps up to 120Hz for maximum smoothness and responsiveness.

4. Touch Sensing Integration: On iPhones and iPads, ProMotion is tied to the touch sensing system. The display can increase its refresh rate in anticipation of your touch, then lower it when interaction ceases.

The Hardware Behind ProMotion

Apple achieves this adaptive capability through several key hardware components:

• Custom Timing Controller: This specialized chip manages the variable refresh rate, communicating with the display panel and graphics processor.

• Advanced Display Panel: ProMotion requires specially engineered LCD or OLED panels capable of supporting variable refresh rates.

• Integrated Graphics System: Apple’s system-on-a-chip (like the A-series or M-series processors) includes graphics architecture optimized for ProMotion.

• Power Management Circuitry: This ensures that switching between refresh rates happens efficiently without wasting energy.

The Benefits of ProMotion Technology

1. Enhanced User Experience

The most noticeable benefit is the buttery-smooth feel of interfaces. Scrolling through long web pages or social media feeds feels noticeably fluid. Animations appear more natural, and overall system responsiveness increases dramatically. This is particularly evident when switching between 60Hz and 120Hz displays—once you experience ProMotion, it’s hard to go back.

2. Improved Apple Pencil Performance

For creative professionals using iPad Pro with Apple Pencil, ProMotion reduces latency to an imperceptible 20 milliseconds. This means the pencil tip appears exactly where you expect it, making digital drawing and writing feel remarkably similar to physical media.

3. Battery Efficiency

Contrary to what you might expect, ProMotion can actually improve battery life despite its high refresh rate capabilities. By lowering refresh rates during static content viewing, the display consumes significantly less power than a fixed 120Hz display would. Apple’s implementation is so efficient that iPhone 13 Pro models with ProMotion often match or exceed the battery life of non-Pro models.

4. Superior Media Playback

ProMotion intelligently matches the refresh rate to video content. Whether you’re watching a 24fps film, 30fps YouTube video, or 60fps sports broadcast, ProMotion adjusts to eliminate stutter and provide the most faithful reproduction of the original content.

5. Gaming Advantages

For mobile gamers, ProMotion offers smoother visuals and potentially lower input lag. While not all games support 120fps, those that do (like Genshin Impact or Asphalt 9) benefit from noticeably more fluid gameplay.

ProMotion vs. Competitors: What Makes Apple’s Implementation Different?

While Apple didn’t invent high refresh rate displays, their approach differs from competitors:

Android’s Approach: Many Android manufacturers offer high refresh rate displays (90Hz or 120Hz), but implementations vary. Some offer fixed high refresh rates, while others offer limited adaptive capabilities. Few match Apple’s wide 10-120Hz range.

LTPO Technology: Starting with iPhone 13 Pro, Apple uses Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) panels that enable broader refresh rate ranges and greater power efficiency than earlier implementations.

System-Wide Integration: Apple’s tight integration between hardware and software allows ProMotion to work seamlessly across the entire operating system and third-party apps, while some Android implementations only work in certain apps or interfaces.

Which Devices Have ProMotion?

As of 2024, ProMotion is available on:

• iPad Pro models (2017 and later)

• iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

• iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

• iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

• MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch (2021 and later)

• Certain Pro Display XDR configurations

Does ProMotion Make a Real-World Difference?

The subjective experience varies by user, but objective tests reveal significant improvements:

• Touch responsiveness improves by up to 50%

• Apple Pencil latency drops from 40ms to 20ms

• Motion clarity increases substantially, with moving text 50% easier to read at 120Hz compared to 60Hz

• Battery impact is minimal or even positive compared to fixed high refresh rate displays

For most users, the difference is immediately noticeable in daily tasks like scrolling, switching apps, and general navigation. The experience feels more immediate and connected.

Future of ProMotion Technology

Apple continues to refine ProMotion with each generation. Future developments might include:

• Even wider refresh rate ranges (potentially 1Hz to 144Hz or higher)

• Broader adoption across more Apple devices

• Improved power efficiency through next-generation display materials

• Enhanced integration with augmented reality applications

• Context-aware adjustments based on more sophisticated content analysis

Conclusion: Is ProMotion Worth It?

ProMotion represents a meaningful advancement in display technology that goes beyond mere specification checking. By intelligently adapting to both content and user interaction, it provides tangible benefits in smoothness, responsiveness, and power efficiency.

For creative professionals, gamers, and anyone who values a premium user experience, ProMotion delivers noticeable improvements that enhance daily device interaction. Even for more casual users, the battery efficiency benefits and smoother overall experience make it a valuable feature.

As display technology continues to evolve, adaptive refresh rate technologies like ProMotion represent the future—smarter displays that don’t just push more pixels, but deliver the right pixels at the right time for optimal performance and efficiency.

Whether you’re considering your next device purchase or simply curious about the technology behind your screen, ProMotion stands as a prime example of how thoughtful engineering can transform our everyday digital experiences.