A screen’s refresh rate refers to how often the image is being “refreshed” or updated every second. It happens so fast that it becomes difficult for the human eye to detect it. The devices that come with the screen keep changing the pixels for the users to understand the motion. It is measured in hertz and is available in all displays including your TV, smartphone, laptop or PC monitor. To put it simply, a 60Hz display can refresh the screen 60 times in a second. In contrast, 120Hz can refresh the screen 120 times a second. With higher refresh rates the screen refreshes its pixels more every second. here we will discuss adaptive refresh rateWhat does it mean, how does it work and how does it affect the user’s interaction with the smartphone.
What is the adaptive refresh rate feature?
As the term adaptive suggests, the refresh rate adapts or changes with the content being played. This means that a static website will be opening at 10Hz refresh rates and while playing a game it will change to 120Hz. Therefore, there may be a possibility of incorrect distribution of refresh rates.
Apple introduced this feature for the first time with its iPhone 13 Pro series. The Cupertino-based tech giant named the Adaptive Refresh feature Promotion. This feature has already been found in Samsung’s flagship Android smartphones for some time now.
In Android phones, users can set 120Hz refresh rate option as default, but Apple is not allowing users to do so. However, Promotion will see more adoption in the industry as Apple has made it easier for developers to profit from it. App developers will be able to code in such a way that specific refresh rates will be set for different aspects of their app.
Importance of adaptive refresh rates
Higher refresh rates are better at handling motion and this helps in various activities like – playing games, scrolling through your social media feed or even watching an action movie. It makes a big difference if you are into hardcore mobile gaming. Casual games like Subway Surfers don’t require high refresh rates, but games like BGMI are better suited to playing on a 120Hz display. Higher refresh rates help in better responsiveness and improve motion resolution.
Disadvantages of high refresh rates
A display with a high refresh rate like 120Hz can have an impact on battery life. The latest smartphones like the iPhone 13 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra are designed to conserve battery life by increasing the display’s refresh rates only when needed.
How is refresh rate different from frame rate?
The rate at which frames appear on a display and in video form is called the frame rate. It means the speed of a video at which it is played and is measured by the number of frames displayed in a second. Experts believe that the human eye can see between 30-60 frames per second (fps). The standard frame rate for a video is 24 frames per second. That is, 24 frames in 1 second, even movies are shot in this format.
30 fps is a standard for shooting video in most modern smartphones, but some premium phones support 60 fps as well. In contrast, games are developed with frame rates of up to 120fps. Refresh rates vary by frame rate, but both have to work together for the best visual experience.
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