Apple's ProMotion displays are known for their silky smooth 120Hz refresh rates, but Safari has been holding back. Until now, the browser defaulted to a 60fps rendering, leaving some users feeling like they were missing out on the full potential of their iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The good news? A hidden setting can now unlock the smoother 120Hz experience.

How Much Difference Does 120Hz Really Make?

The jump from 60Hz to 120Hz is more than just a spec bump. At 60Hz, your screen refreshes every 16.7 milliseconds. Bumping that up to 120Hz cuts the refresh interval in half to 8.3 milliseconds. This results in less perceived blur and judder when scrolling through content. According to MacRumors, the difference is most noticeable when scrolling text-heavy pages. The improvement is more dramatic for some people than others, but worth enabling to check.

For those who've felt Safari was slightly sluggish compared to Chrome or Firefox, this is likely the reason. Seeing is believing. Visit Blur Buster's Motion Tests webpage to experience the refresh rate difference in Safari.

Enabling the Magic Setting

The 120Hz option is hidden in Safari's Feature Flags, a developer-focused menu that's easily accessible. The process is slightly different depending on your device, but is straightforward. Note that enabling 120Hz might impact battery life, especially with extensive browsing.

iPhone and iPad:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap Safari.
  3. Tap Advanced, then Feature Flags.
  4. Toggle off "Prefer Page Rendering Updates near 60fps."
  5. Force quit and reopen Safari.

Mac:

  1. Open Safari, then Safari > Settings.
  2. Click the Advanced tab and check "Show features for web developers."
  3. A Feature Flags tab will appear. Click it.
  4. Search for "60fps" and uncheck "Prefer Page Rendering Updates near 60fps."
  5. Quit and reopen Safari.

This setting works on any ProMotion-equipped device, including iPhone 13 Pro and later, iPad Pro models with ProMotion, and the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models from 2021 onwards.

"With this simple tweak, Safari users can finally unlock the full potential of their ProMotion displays."

— Key benefit of the tweak

Developer Matt Birchler first discovered the 120Hz scrolling tip, MacStories reports. So, a big thank you is in order for doing the hard work so we can browse happier!

With this simple tweak, Safari users can finally unlock the full potential of their ProMotion displays. The result is a smoother, more responsive browsing experience that makes scrolling through web pages a genuine pleasure. It's a welcome change that enhances the overall value proposition of Apple's devices. As always, test for yourself and see if the marginal battery hit is worth the improvement in real-world performance.