Display technology has evolved significantly in recent years, with refresh rates playing a crucial role in delivering smooth visual experiences. Both standard 120Hz screens and Apple’s ProMotion technology offer high refresh rates, but they differ fundamentally in how they operate and the benefits they provide. This article explores the main differences between these two display types.

What Is a Standard 120Hz Screen?

A standard 120Hz screen refreshes the image on the display 120 times per second. This is double the traditional 60Hz refresh rate found on most older smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The higher refresh rate results in smoother animations, less motion blur, and a generally more responsive feel during activities like scrolling, gaming, and video playback. However, a standard 120Hz display typically operates at a fixed refresh rate, meaning it continuously refreshes at 120Hz regardless of the content being displayed or user interaction[2].

What Is Apple’s ProMotion Technology?

ProMotion is Apple’s proprietary display technology that also supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate but with a critical enhancement: it dynamically adjusts the refresh rate based on the content and user activity. Introduced first with the iPad Pro in 2017 and later brought to iPhone Pro models, ProMotion can scale its refresh rate anywhere from as low as 1Hz to the full 120Hz. This dynamic adjustment allows the display to increase refresh rate during fast movements like scrolling or gaming for ultra-smooth visuals, and decrease it during static content such as reading text or viewing still images to conserve battery life[1][2][3].

Main Differences Between Standard 120Hz and ProMotion

1. Dynamic Refresh Rate vs Fixed Refresh Rate

• Standard 120Hz screens maintain a constant refresh rate of 120Hz at all times, which can lead to unnecessary battery drain when high refresh rates are not needed.
• ProMotion dynamically adjusts the refresh rate in real-time, lowering it when high refresh is not required and ramping it up during fast interactions, optimizing both performance and power consumption[1][2].

2. Battery Efficiency

• Because standard 120Hz displays run at a fixed high refresh rate, they tend to consume more battery.
• ProMotion’s ability to scale down refresh rates significantly improves battery life by reducing power usage during static or low-motion scenarios, such as reading or viewing photos[1][2].

3. Visual Smoothness and Responsiveness

• Both technologies offer smoother animations and reduced motion blur compared to 60Hz displays.
• ProMotion enhances this experience further by matching the refresh rate to the content’s frame rate, which improves video playback quality, reduces screen tearing, and provides a more natural viewing experience, especially in fast-action scenes[1][2][3].

4. Enhanced User Interaction

• ProMotion technology improves touch responsiveness, making actions like swiping, scrolling, and drawing with the Apple Pencil feel more fluid and natural due to its low latency and adaptive refresh rate.
• Standard 120Hz screens provide smoother visuals but lack this adaptive responsiveness, which can be particularly noticeable in precision tasks like digital drawing[3].

5. Device Availability and Implementation

• Standard 120Hz screens are common across many Android smartphones, tablets, and some laptops.
• ProMotion is currently exclusive to Apple devices such as the iPad Pro line and iPhone Pro models, where it integrates tightly with Apple’s hardware and software ecosystem to optimize performance and battery life[2].

Conclusion

While both standard 120Hz displays and Apple’s ProMotion technology offer high refresh rates that enhance visual smoothness and responsiveness, ProMotion stands out by intelligently adapting the refresh rate to the content and user activity. This dynamic adjustment not only provides superior visual quality and touch responsiveness but also improves battery efficiency. For users invested in the Apple ecosystem, ProMotion delivers a noticeably smoother and more efficient display experience compared to a fixed 120Hz screen.

In summary, the key difference lies in ProMotion’s smart, content-aware refresh rate scaling versus the static refresh rate of a standard 120Hz display, making ProMotion a more advanced and versatile technology.

[1] https://www.cashify.in/what-is-promotion-display-why-is-it-missing-on-iphone-16
[2] https://www.stuff.tv/features/what-is-apple-promotion-the-display-tech-explained-in-full-120hz/
[3] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/06/ipad-pro-10-5-and-12-9-inch-models-introduces-worlds-most-advanced-display-breakthrough-performance/