iPhone 13 Pro and Max, the frequency of the display "follows" the scrolling of the finger

Technical specifications don't sit well with Apple. In Cupertino they prefer to keep things simple, to talk about percentages and improvements without insisting on details that would not be understandable to everyone. This is the case, for example, of the display of the new iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max presented in September, among the elements which, thanks to the introduction of the variable refresh rate up to 120 Hz, have improved the most compared to the previous generation.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max - like all other smartphones with variable refresh - can adjust the display frequency to the activity performed, specifically with a lower peak of 10 Hz (therefore an image that is updated 10 times per second) and one higher than 120 Hz. It is the first variable: when you read a text, therefore with a static image, the frequency is very low so as not to waste battery, when instead the "rhythm " rises - for example with a game - the refresh can reach the "high" peak of 120 Hz.

Good. Apple introduced a second variable that affects refresh rate: how fast your finger swipes across the display. The faster the movement, the faster the screen updates its image: if you scroll through a feed very quickly, the display reaches 120Hz to give the sensation of maximum fluidity and enhance the user experience, while if you does more calmly the management system commands a lower refresh. Apple would therefore have preferred not to have frequencies decided in advance based on the type of app being used, but to vary them instantly.

The Instagram feed, for example, can be viewed at 10Hz while hovering over a photo, at 30 or 60Hz while watching a video, at 90Hz while scrolling at a "moderate" speed, and at 120Hz when you go faster. This precise, punctual management, on the one hand keeps the user experience at the highest possible level moment by moment, on the other it is probably one of the secrets that has allowed the two iPhone 13 Pros to amaze us too in terms of autonomy .