Android 15 upgrades with battery-saver adaptive refresh rate feature

Android 15 introduces an adaptive refresh rate (ARR) feature, which allows your phone’s screen to automatically adjust its refresh rate based on the content you’re viewing. This means the screen can lower its refresh rate when you don’t need high refresh rates, saving battery and reducing lag.

Previously, Android could only switch between fixed refresh rates like 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz. This switch worked for most situations but it wasn’t as efficient as ARR, which can make the display work at the most appropriate rate without needing to switch between different modes.

Android 15 now lets the display change the refresh rate within a single adaptive mode to make it smoother and more efficient. The ARR feature reduces power consumption and eliminates jank caused by mode switching.

This feature is especially useful for phones with high refresh-rate screens, like those with LTPO displays. These displays could save battery by lowering the refresh rate but Android still relied on switching between fixed modes.

However, not every phone will get this feature. To support ARR, devices must have the latest version of Android’s display software (HWC HAL version 3), which some older phones don’t have. Smartphones like the Google Pixel 7 and those with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip already support this feature, but older models likely won’t.

When it works, ARR could help fix issues like phones sticking to 60Hz even when watching films at 30Hz or 24Hz. Despite smoother video and less power consumption, it won’t give Android the same level of variable refresh rate support that PC-like VRR experience.