But isn’t that stuff just for gamers?
ProMotion is a huge deal for the Mac.
It makes everything smoother, saves battery power, and even makes old movies look better.
Apple
In this case, the new MacBook Pro will decrease the refresh rate.
ProMotion Pros
Most regular computer displays refresh themselves at 60 times per second.
Whats different aboutApples ProMotion technologyis that the refresh rate can be varied.
Adeolu Eletu / Unsplash
This lets you run it at full speed to get smoother scrolling and a generally more responsive interface.
The iPad Pro feels great at 120Hz because the screen animations are better able to track your finger movements.
Its even more critical with the Apple Pencil because it feels more responsive.
But you dont always want to refresh the screen at the full rate.
If nothing is moving, its a waste of energy.
So, Macs ProMotion screen can vary the rate from 120Hz, right down to 24Hz.
And, importantly for video professionals, you could also opt to lock in a preferred refresh rate.
Battery Life
Every screen refresh uses energy.
So on a battery-powered machine, ProMotion can make a significant difference to battery life.
We saw this most clearly on the iPhones 13.
That’s quite a difference.
The Anti Soap-Opera Mode
Why does Macs ProMotion bottom out at such an odd rate as 24Hz?
Why not 10 or 20?
Movies, thats whymost likely.
In battery-life terms, slower is better.
Film movies run at 24 frames per second, which means that the screen refresh perfectly matches it.
Or the screen could run at 120Hz for maximum responsiveness while running a window containing video at just 24fps.
And ProMotion is also better for accessibility.
“Mini LED displays are amazing for VoiceOver users,” writes blind computer science studentMikolaj Holysz on Twitter.
“They use significantly less power when the screen curtain is on.
