With the release of Android 15, Google has introduced a big improvement for Android screens: true variable refresh rate (VRR) support. This new feature, also called adaptive refresh rate (ARR), lets screens change their refresh rate based on the content being displayed. This can help save battery power and improve the viewing experience.
Current Situation with Limited VRR on Android Devices
To understand this better, let’s look at how refresh rates currently work on Android. Many Android devices use LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) displays, which allow some flexibility but don’t offer a fully continuous range of refresh rates. For example, a screen might switch between 1Hz, 10Hz, 30Hz, 60Hz, and 120Hz, but nothing in between.
If you’ve used an 8T LTPO display, like on the iQOO Neo9 Pro, you might have noticed that it only switches between those set refresh rates rather than adjusting continuously. This has been due to the limitations in Android’s display software, which, until Android 15, could only support a few specific refresh rates.
How Android 15’s Adaptive Refresh Rate Works
Android 15 changes this by allowing a more fluid adaptive refresh rate. Google has updated Android’s display system so that the refresh rate can change smoothly within a single display mode. This means screens can adjust better to different types of content without switching between modes as they used to.
To make this possible, Google updated something called the Hardware Composer (HWC) hardware abstraction layer (HAL). The new version (HWC HAL version 3) allows the screen to adjust refresh rates based on what’s happening on the screen, helping avoid “jank,” or visual stuttering, that often happened in older Android versions.
Hardware Compatibility and Limitations
This feature, however, needs compatible hardware to work. Only newer devices that support HWC HAL version 3, like those with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, will likely support this ARR feature. So, even if an older device gets the Android 15 update, it might not get this new refresh rate flexibility.
While this isn’t the same as PC-style real-time sync in gaming, it’s still a big step forward for Android displays. Google’s addition of true VRR is a move toward better power management and a smoother experience, although it may only be available on newer flagship models.
