Smartphones are getting more and more expensive by the day. With 120Hz displays, it seems like we’re reaching a point where phone manufacturers will be charging close to $2,000 for their smartphones. But what is 120Hz? Why does 120Hz matter? And how can you maximize the benefits of 120HZ refresh rate screens on your mobile phone? In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more as we dive into all things 120 Hz displays!
Take a look at the refresh rates on your smartphone’s display. They weren’t even mentioned in the smartphone industry a few years ago. They’re no longer a secret, and they’ve now become headline features. Most flagships now have displays with at least 120Hz refresh rates, and the iPhone 13 will include Apple’s “ProMotion” 120Hz technology from the iPad Pro.
What does screen refresh rate mean?
120 Hz means the screen refreshes 120 times per second. It’s a measurement used to specify how many times in one second the display draws an image onto the screen of your phone. Mobile screens are typically refreshed at 60 Hz, meaning they draw new images onscreen at that rate. High-end smartphones boast 120Hz refresh rates for smoother animations and scrolling experiences than full HD or Quad HD displays can provide alone, but it’s not just about looking good it actually makes things look better too!
The high-quality 120hz smartphone screens don’t come cheap – Apple iPhone 13 comes with an impressive 120Hz IPS LCD which is more advanced compared to other iPhones like iPhone XR (60HZ) and 11 (90HZ). 120Hz is important, but there are some things you need to know about it before buying a new phone.
You can also watch this video to know the exact difference between the displays while using 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz.
Why is 120Hz better compared to others?
120 Hz smartphone screens matter. 120Hz phone specifications are becoming more common at the top of the premium price range, but what does 120hz mean?
The advantages of high refresh rate phones are sometimes misunderstood, and even how they function is rarely explained. Whether a game or content is smooth enough to justify the additional battery consumption is contingent on the user and software or game that will be used on a 120Hz display. Most users do not see any value in these super-quick devices because they require faster displays to provide fluid motion, therefore most don’t notice any benefit.
What are 120Hz Displays?
A standard 60 Hz display refreshes its image once every 16 milliseconds (ms). This works out as about 50 times per second for smooth animation effects like scrolling, but 30-ish images per second are the bare minimum for a smooth experience. 120 Hz displays, on the other hand, refresh their image about 120 times every 16 milliseconds to deliver fluid motion at up to 120 frames per second (fps).
In addition, OLED screens can have additional benefits. They don’t need as much power as LCDs and thus allow devices with 120Hz displays like phones and tablets to run longer before needing a recharge after several hours of use over days or weeks. This makes them great for gaming and watching movies but isn’t always necessary in order to enjoy the content.
Will the 120Hz refresh rate impact my phone battery?
One of the big questions asked by users considering 120Hz displays is whether or not they impact battery life. The short answer to this question is yes, 120Hz screens do affect your phone’s battery life. However, it varies widely depending on what you are doing and how much content uses high refresh rates (90-120 FPS).
As a general rule of thumb though, 120 Hz smartphone display panels tend to use noticeably more power than their 60 Hz counterparts especially if there’s something “moving” on the screen like scrolling text for example. If you’re worried about having enough juice to get through an entire day with 120fps goodness enabled, don’t be too concerned yet!
That all depends largely on where you live and also who you are as a person. 120Hz screens tend to be the most power-hungry when scrolling through web pages with lots of text, watching video content that isn’t 60fps or 120fps, and playing games that don’t need 120FPS. If your phone is getting low on juice by mid-afternoon, then you might want to consider if those 120 FPS really matter enough for it to have such a significant impact on battery life.
90Hz vs 120Hz refresh rate, which is better?
What 120Hz means is simple: The phone has a higher display refresh rate. It refreshes the entire screen 120 times each second instead of 60 (or 30). This allows for smoother graphics and more fluid-looking content, like games or videos.
90 Hz vs 120 Hz may not sound that different, but it can have quite an impact on how smooth things look on the screen. While there are other factors at play too, this one will make a big difference in graphical performance if you’re playing something intensive – especially with older phones where power isn’t as plentiful! For casual users who don’t care about frame rates all that much though? 120hz doesn’t really matter to them so much since most media won’t be able to take advantage of it. 120fps is 120fps, after all!
So, does this mean that 120hz phone screens are useless? Not exactly – 90Hz vs 120 Hz means a lot more to some users than others and there’s a big gap between the two. If you’re playing something intensive on your phone like an intense racing game or first-person shooter where every millisecond counts then higher refresh rates can make a difference since they will be able to display content at up to 120 frames per second or even more.
Plus, having smoother-looking graphics definitely makes for a better gameplay experience overall so frame rates really do matter in these cases too. On average smartphones though? You won’t see much of a difference if any since most media isn’t 120fps so 120Hz is about improving frame rates which you won’t see much of.
The future of 120 Hz displays
While 120Hz phones are becoming more common, there’s still a good chance that your phone has something like an iPhone XS with only a 90 Hz refresh rate display instead since it seems to be the sweet spot for most smartphone companies.
This could change in the future if 120hz displays become even faster but that hasn’t happened yet (and may not happen any time soon) while battery life issues remain an ongoing problem too due to higher power draw from these high refresh rates. It will depend on how fast things continue to advance in this area and whether or not consumers want 120 fps content because right now they really don’t need it. 120hz is the new 60 or even 120Hz refresh rate? It’s a bit of both, really.
Where does 120 Hz come from anyway and why do we need faster phone screen displays in general? A television refreshes at 60 times per second because it has to display an entire movie frame but this isn’t necessary with phones.
This means that they can keep things simpler by only refreshing when you’re actually looking at something on your phone instead of keeping up with every single movement which is nice…but there are some trade-offs too. Because smartphones don’t have to update as frequently, they aren’t always using their full speed potential unless frame rates get high enough where 120hz becomes more useful for smartphone screens overall.
