Bug 514146

Summary: Option to automatically switch to lower screen refresh rate while on battery power
Product: [Applications] systemsettings Reporter: Eduardo Correia <eduardosareias>
Component: kcm_powerdevilAssignee: Plasma Bugs List <plasma-bugs-null>
Status: CONFIRMED ---    
Severity: wishlist CC: kde, natalie_clarius, nate
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: 6.5.4   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Bazzite   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Eduardo Correia 2026-01-04 14:55:54 UTC 
SUMMARY
Have an option somewhere in KDE energy settings KCM to switch the screen to 60Hz while on battery, and switch it back up to max when connected to AC. This could maybe be a dropdown inside KDE settings > Power management > have a dropdown for each power state to let us choose which refresh rate to change the screen to when that power state gets active. Maybe its also worth to consider the possibility of multiple screens here (when connected to external secondary displays, energy saving is also useful since this affects how many refreshes the GPU processes for external displays aswell) ?

This would be extremely useful on laptops, since gaming laptops have 240Hz screen (sometimes more) and switching to 60Hz on battery gives an actual HUGE boost in battery life compared to 240Hz or higher, sometimes 1-2 extra hours of battery life depending on the laptop.


SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Linux: 6.17.7 - bazzite KDE
KDE Plasma Version: 6.5.4
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.21.0
Qt Version: 6.10.1