Android 15 supports true adaptive refresh rate on smartphones and other devices

Android 15 was launched globally in August and since then, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as OnePlus, Oppo and Realme have introduced their iterations of the new operating system (OS) for their smartphones and other devices. The update reportedly brings support for true adaptive refresh rate (ARR) which leverages discrete VSync stages to adapt to the frame rate of on-screen content without changing the current display mode.

Adaptive refresh rate on Android 15

Support for ARR has been around since Android 11, but it used a method known as refresh rate switching which essentially switched the display between different modes depending on the content and its requirements. Devices can switch between 60 Hz, 90 Hz, 120 Hz or 144 Hz, depending on the display type. However, Android 15 brings a true ARR experience by allowing the system to adjust the refresh rate in a single mode instead of using a fixed frame rate.

According to to Android (via Android Authority), displays that support ARR can decouple VSync rate and refresh rate based on the content update rate. ARR on Android 15 brings two benefits: reduced power consumption and less noise.

With this capability, devices typically run at lower refresh rates and only switch to higher rates when necessary. This would lead to a reduction in energy consumption. Additionally, ARR also eliminates the need to switch between modes, thereby reducing unwanted effects, an effect that typically appears when content is out of sync with the device’s refresh rate.

Android says OEMs can implement ARR based on their preferred power tradeoffs. The operating system is expected to support ARR with new Hardware Composer (HWC) HAL APIs and platform changes. To enable it, device makers must support kernel and system changes on devices running Android 15 and later, as well as implement the third version of the android.hardware.graphics.composer3 APIs. However, displays that do not support this technology will still use the active display mode’s fixed frame rate to adjust the refresh rate.