February is the month in which we will learn a lot more about this year’s new smartphones. Many manufacturers will announce their models for 2020 this month. One of the expected features for the new phones seems to be the higher refresh rate of the screen. There is already plenty of displaying with 120 and 90Hz smartphones. But what does a 90Hz or 120Hz display actually mean?
Smartphones can normally be distinguished from other models thanks to a faster chipset, better camera or longer battery life. But since last year we see more and more smartphones on the market that have a faster screen refresh rate. 60Hz has been the standard for years, but we have recently seen a development in the field of smartphone displays. With the OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro, for example, OnePlus has a 90Hz phone in its range and Google last year released a 90Hz phone in the form of the Pixel 4 XL.
We also saw more game-oriented smartphones such as the Razer Phone 2 and the Asus ROG Phone 2 with a screen that can display images up to 120Hz. But what does a higher refresh rate actually mean for you?
What is refresh rate?
The refresh rate refers to the pixels in the display. The refresh rate indicates how often the image is completely refreshed. This is measured per second. For a 90Hz screen, this means that all pixels on the display are refreshed 90 times per second. The higher refresh rate ensures that the image looks smoother at 90 or 120Hz than it does at 60Hz. This is especially noticeable when scrolling through web pages, watching a video and when playing video games. With computer monitors, we already saw that the refresh rare started to play an increasingly important role. A smoother image is also a welcome addition to the smartphone landscape.
Not just benefits
There are, however, still some hooks and eyes on the entire spring story. Such a screen has a big impact on the battery life of the device. In some cases it is therefore better to reduce the 90Hz function to 60Hz. In our OnePlus 7T review we already mentioned the fact that the device did not reach the end of the day when the 90 hertz refresh rate was switched on. In addition, many games have not even been made suitable for this feature.
What to expect in the future?
Nevertheless, smartphone manufacturers are putting a lot of effort into the faster screen refresh rate. OnePlus has already announced that it will release a 120Hz smartphone. Xiaomi recently presented the Poco X2, which will have a 120Hz screen. Very soon, Samsung will probably also do something with the new S20 line. The unveiling of the Galaxy S20 series will take place on 11 February. In addition, the Mobile World Congress is taking place in Barcelona at the end of this month. We will probably hear a few things about more smartphones with a higher refresh rate. All signals indicate that all other manufacturers will certainly not be left behind in this area.
We have seen in practice that a 90Hz or even a 120Hz display really makes a smoother smartphone experience. Now that so many parties seem to want to focus on this feature, there is good hope that the current teething problems will disappear. The impact on the battery life is currently the biggest thorn in the eye. If the battery is affected in such a way that you can’t get around with your device all day, I’d rather leave it at a boring traditional 60Hz display. Let’s hope that the announcements of the new 90Hz and 120Hz smartphones are accompanied by an even better battery life.
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