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What is dynamic refresh rate DRR? Introduction to Windows 11 dynamic refresh rate function

Author: Huajun Information Date: 2021-07-09

Today Microsoft launched the first preview version of Windows 11 -- Build 22000.51. In addition to many improvements to the Start menu, Settings UI, Microsoft Store, and File Manager, the new preview version also introduces a new feature called Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR). This feature allows you to enjoy a more natural and responsive handwriting experience and smoother scrolling without affecting battery life.

A new feature has appeared in some Insider versions of Windows 11 - Dynamic Refresh Rate, which is expected to be officially launched later this fall. This feature hints that Microsoft will launch a new Surface with a refresh rate higher than 60Hz hardware.Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) is different from Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) in Windows 10, which is mainly aimed at games to prevent screen tearing. Instead, DRR applies to all Windows 11 tasks.

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As the name suggests, dynamic refresh rate lets your device dynamically set the refresh rate. For example, if you have a 120Hz display, the device will switch to 120Hz during handwriting input and scrolling, and switch back to 60Hz during other normal tasks. This helps balance performance and power consumption.

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The apps that currently support Windows 11 dynamic refresh rate include

Smoother handwriting input:

Microsoft Office, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Whiteboard, Microsoft Photos, Snip & Sketch, Drawboard PDF, Microsoft Sticky Notes, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft To Do, Inkodo

Smoother scrolling:

Microsoft Office

To use the dynamic refresh rate feature on Windows 11, you need the following hardware capabilities:

● To use dynamic refresh rate, your laptop screen needs to support variable refresh rate (VRR), and the refresh rate needs to be at least 120Hz

● In addition, dynamic refresh rate requires a graphics driver (WDDM 3.0) that supports it (available through Windows Update). Microsoft said it is working with graphics display partners to bring updated graphics drivers that support dynamic refresh rate functionality to the Windows Insiders program. Therefore, some people may have to wait a while before using DRR.

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Why is dynamic refresh rate important?

Dynamic refresh rate: better battery life

High refresh rates, while they look great, can reduce your laptop's battery life.

Microsoft describes DRR this way in its release notes for Windows 11 Insider builds:

Dynamic refresh rate allows your computer to automatically increase the refresh rate when writing or scrolling (which means you'll get a smoother experience) and lower the refresh rate when you don't need it, so your laptop can conserve power.

Almost all non-gaming laptops these days only support a 60Hz refresh rate, while many gaming laptops can hit 120Hz or up to 300Hz. The problem with a high refresh rate on a gaming laptop is that it's always running at 120 Hz, which doubles the power drain on the display since it refreshes twice as fast as a regular 60Hz laptop. Such refresh rates ruin good battery life, as the screen is one of the biggest battery drainers.

With DRR, that won’t be the case. The operating system will lower the refresh rate when the screen is stationary, but will quickly increase the refresh rate when scrolling or moving around the window. While we don't know how low the refresh rate is, it's certainly better than running at 120 Hz or higher all the time, and it should be a noticeable improvement to battery life, especially for gaming laptops.

Microsoft gives more details about DRR in a new blog post:

Dynamic refresh rate is a new feature available in Windows Insider builds (Development Channel) on supported devices.As the name suggests, DRR lets your device dynamically set refresh rates. This means that Windows 11 will seamlessly switch between lower and higher refresh rates based on what you do on your PC. This helps balance performance and power consumption. For example, in Dynamic (60 Hz or 120 Hz) mode, your monitor will refresh at 60 Hz during everyday productivity tasks to save battery life. It then seamlessly switches to 120 Hz tasks when writing or scrolling to provide a smoother and more responsive experience.

Dynamic refresh rate: New Surface hardware?

Another conclusion that can be drawn is that DRR is not just for gaming laptops. Many users have been clamoring for a 90Hz or higher refresh rate in regular Ultrabook laptops for some time. The problem is that battery life is affected, but now it seems that the DRR technology has solved this problem.

Apple's iPad Pro features a "ProMotion display" that switches the display between 60 to 120FPS (hertz). This is one of the reasons people love iPad Pro and using Apple Pencil.

No Surface products currently support displays above 60 Hz, which makes DRR less useful on current hardware, as at least a 90 Hz refresh (or even 120 Hz) is required to make it worth using. And Microsoft has stated that for DRR to work, you need "a laptop that supports a variable refresh rate (VRR) display with a refresh rate of at least 120 Hz."

When combined with Microsoft's new tactile pen technology, wake-on-touch, and now DRR, there can be some general guesses about the PC hardware Microsoft will launch later in 2021 and 2022, including the new Surface Pro that Microsoft may release in October. 8 It will be interesting to see whether all these new technologies are adopted.

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