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points by twostorytower 3 days ago | 0 comments

Seriously, what’s the point if it doesn’t have ProMotion? 60hz feels so sluggish.

you don't need promotion if you're going to use it for movies, but OLED is a huge improvement in this regard.

the price is a bit high, but that's all apple products.

i do think this means a lot of android tablets on this form factor are going to start coming out with OLED screens as well though, which is good, as they will be much cheaper.

[–] bbatha 3 days ago

120hz is nice for movies because you get non fractional frame pull down for 24, 30, and 60 fps which the more common video frame rates.

[–] cyanydeez 3 days ago

I really dont understand the hardon for refresh rates.

This isn't even a "people dont see that fast".

It just, it seems more like a perceptual addiction to a trivial feature. A penis measuring contest more than a useful advancement of technology.

[–] speak_plainly 3 days ago

There is an entire field of study dedicated to this sort of thing called Psychophysics. It’s hardly trivial. Perception isn’t an absolute measure of sensory input as it’s influenced by context, comparison, as well as prior experience. Improvements in one experience can change the standards by which we judge subsequent ones. These principles have had profound implications across entire industries. A good primer is the book Priceless: the hidden psychology of value by Poundstone.

[–] asdff 3 days ago

And what is it being used for though? To better scroll instagram and various message app inboxes? We needed 120hz for this? I mean a lot of people including here on HN are just buying this to scroll x. It is an iphone after all, walled garden means that's about all the sort of things you can do with this thing.

[–] kingstnap 3 days ago

It's not a trivial feature. The Class A surface on an iPad is the screen.

If you plan to look at moving things, like scrolling, which is a central part of using the device, 120fps makes the scrolling less blurry and therefore more pleasant to look at.

This is like asking why people have a hardon for cars with nicer materials for seats and interiors if a normal cheap plastic interior could pass all the same crash tests.

[–] RASBR89 3 days ago

Im usually big on refresh rates but this one doesn’t bother me. I move between 60hz iPads and iPhone to 120hz iPad Pros and my mind doesn’t register a difference between them.

I can see the 120hz nice scroll when I’m paying attention but I’m normal use on these devices I forget about it. Basically it wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me but I agree it should probably be the standard

[–] BenFranklin100 3 days ago

I agree. I have an iPhone 18 Pro. I don’t notice the difference between it and my older, non-ProMotion iPad that I use side by side.

It’s a penis measuring contest for display enthusiasts, much like gold connectors are for audio enthusiasts.

[–] goodmythical 3 days ago

I don't know about for phones/tablets.

The only genuine performance increase I could see is if you're using it for drawing/notes because the Apple Pencil samples at 240/s so you would see a difference in drawing smoothness between 60/120/240hz screens. This would mirror the use case in fast-paced and high action games - more info for your eyes sooner allowing better reaction times.

Also, isn't ProMotion just branded VRR? Allowing for lower battery use in static/low change applications?

[–] throwaway85825 3 days ago

It's not just the maximum refresh rate, the variable refresh rate allows for power saving.

[–] afavour 3 days ago

That's a problem already solved by having a lower refresh rate, though. You can't get extra battery drain from 120hz when your device can only achieve 60hz.

[–] drfloyd51 3 days ago

But can save more by dropping the refresh rate to 1hz and upping to 30, 60, 120 as needed.

[–] poly2it 3 days ago

It's probably very subjective, but I actually feel dizzy using my phone in 60 Hz mode.

[–] dawnerd 3 days ago

It’s weird too I use a 60hz monitor all day and it doesn’t bother me. But if my iPhone switches to 60 it’s really noticeable.

[–] ezconnect 3 days ago

It is a real thing. If you experienced the shift from CRT to the first generation of LCD screens and the CRT bros are not moving to the new technology because it gives them headaches and the majority of people are OK with the refresh rates. The 60fps to 120fps perception is hard to explain.

[–] vallerie 3 days ago

I think the Mini's primary use case that benefits a 120hz screen is art apps, but the artists I know would prefer OLED over 120hz. For entertainment, video is video, and games on tablets often lock to 30 by default to preserve battery life.

For the iPad Air (especially the 13" model!) I agree 100%.