Apple has put screens capable of 96Hz in its Vision Pro headset

Apple revealed that the new Vision Pro mixed reality headset is equipped with displays with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. New details come on file WWDC online session to developers as Apple shares how 2D video and stereoscopic 3D video work in the headset.

It’s common to see 90 to 120 Hz screens on technology from smartphones to computer game monitors, because they offer faster response and smoother motion than slow screens. Apple has generally used 60Hz displays in everything it makes other than some of its “professional” devices such as the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro which have 120Hz ProMotion displays. For a screen right in front of your eyes, that added speed will make all the difference.

Vision Pro displays can also automatically downconvert to 96Hz, which is designed to play videos running at 24 frames per second, like most movies. There is also support for standard and high dynamic range (HDR) content.

like download pointing to, 24 is evenly multiplied by 96, which keeps the frames of both video playback and monitors at a constant rate. If the monitors are running at 90Hz with 24fps video, the frames will appear to stutter or lag.

The WWDC session video continues to talk about 3D video support and how content providers can use stereoscopic video, where the left and right eye frames are combined instead of having a separate video display for each eye. This matches how 3D movies work in theaters, where if you remove the provided 3D glasses, you’ll see a single 2D image with slightly grainy binoculars.

Another nice detail is that the video can be encoded using either MP4 or HEVC – the default codec used when recording video on iPhones. Specific to the headset, 3D videos can be recorded in HEVC multi-vision format to support stereoscopic frames.

In our hands-on with the Vision Pro, we noticed the device is an instant Retina headphone offering. Part of that is true because of Apple’s inclusion of pixel-dense MicroOLED screens that approach 4K per eye — but now, it’s clear that the higher refresh rates really helped the experience. Another video of the WWDC session shows how developers can maintain smooth interactions by modifying their apps Input response time is less than 8ms.

The Vision Pro is one of the most experimental pieces of Apple hardware to date, and as a result, the company has not published clear technical specifications for it as it usually does for new versions. But with WWDC still until Friday, we may be in for more surprises — or we’ll have to wait until we get closer to the device’s release in early 2024.