5 issues that make 120Hz smartphones an enormous deal

Abstract

The obvious advantage of 120Hz smartphones is smoother movement in apps, and in a cellphone’s interface as a complete.
Many 120Hz telephones additionally assist dynamic refresh charges, enabling always-on show capabilities, to not point out higher energy consumption.
In video games with real-time motion, 120Hz expertise successfully breaks the ceiling on framerates — assuming your processor is highly effective sufficient to prime 60fps.

Like TVs and displays, all cellphone shows sport a selected

refresh rate
, referring to how usually they will replace what’s onscreen. For a very long time, most smartphones weren’t able to a refresh price over 60Hz. In actual fact, that is nonetheless true of non-Professional iPhones — in the event you not too long ago upgraded to a baseline

iPhone 16
or iPhone 16e, you would not essentially know that you just had been lacking something. It is not like Spotify or Google Maps are going to run agonizingly sluggish on Apple’s A18 chip.

As of late, nevertheless, Execs and lots of

Android phones
now function 120Hz shows. What does that imply in apply, past the display screen updating twice as quick? There’s extra worth to a 120Hz panel than you would possibly understand, which might clarify why Apple is lastly set to convey all its gadgets into the trendy age with the

iPhone 17
lineup.

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1

Smoother movement throughout

The obvious benefit

The very first thing anybody notices in the event that they’re used to 60Hz telephones is how a lot smoother a 120Hz system’s interface appears. It is a troublesome factor to clarify in writing, naturally, however every part feels snappier, with much less lag or blur. The impact is especially noticeable in apps with numerous scrolling textual content or photographs, resembling an online browser or an e-book reader. Whereas a 60Hz cellphone would possibly sometimes appear like it is “hitching” on issues, a 120Hz cellphone seems to maintain issues intact, if not essentially absolutely readable, till you cease scrolling.

Movement smoothing is why some folks declare that when you’ve got used a 120Hz cellphone, you may by no means wish to return. Personally, I do not thoughts 60Hz panels that a lot, however I can perceive why others would really feel they are a main downgrade. It is actually unusual that Apple has refused to place 120Hz panels into $800 smartphones till now.

A white iPhone 16e getting charged over USB-C on a red gradient background.

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2

All the time-on show expertise

No must unlock to examine the time or climate

Strictly talking, 120Hz telephones do not robotically assist always-on expertise, however they often do nowadays. Those that do provide it depend on dynamic refresh charges, generally scaling right down to as little as 1Hz — one body per second. A cellphone working at each 1Hz and dimmed brightness consumes a trivial quantity of energy, opening up new potentialities on your lockscreen.

At a minimal, always-on tech is used to show the time and different primary knowledge, resembling battery ranges, saving you the inconvenience of getting to unlock your cellphone or faucet the display screen to wake it. Extra superior implementations can present your notifications, and/or customizable widgets for options like climate forecasts, media playback, and sensible dwelling management. For this very cause, I preserve my iPhone 16 Professional propped up on a stand through the workday. It saves time to know at a look who’s messaging me, and whether or not I ought to anticipate rain after I’m headed out in a while my EUC.

At night time, I benefit from an iOS function known as

StandBy
. Principally, it simply lets me examine the time with out choosing up my cellphone and blinding myself, however that in itself is effective for maximizing my sleep. It is a small pleasure to know it is 2:40AM and I can fall again asleep in a number of moments.

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3

Extra environment friendly energy consumption

No must go full-tilt for each scene

Galaxy S25 Ultra with Pocket-lint's website pulled up on a desk with plants.

You would possibly suppose 60Hz telephones can be extra power-efficient, however for technical causes they’re inherently locked at that refresh price, no matter what’s taking place onscreen. With dynamic charges, 120Hz telephones can scale down each time much less energy is required. A cellphone would possibly dip to 10Hz if you’re studying a static webpage, for instance, however then ramp again as much as 120Hz if you’re enjoying a recreation like Limbo or Fortnite.

There’s extra to say about that within the subsequent part.

Even higher consumption could also be attainable by disabling always-on options, and/or selecting a decrease price cap whereas nonetheless preserving dynamic scaling. The chances are going to depend upon the particular cellphone you personal and its software program choices, so it is value researching tech specs and opinions before you purchase.

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4

Slicker, extra responsive gaming

So long as you’ve got obtained the processor to match

Resident Evil Village running on an iPhone.

Certainly one of Nvidia’s better-known advertising slogans is “frames win video games,” and that is not completely hype. Sooner framerates allow faster reactions — one thing I do know first-hand from my growing old PC, since I’ve misplaced quite a lot of PUBG matches as a result of an opponent was in a position to hearth a shot a split-second earlier. Poor framerates may make you miss a bounce in a platformer, or a block in a combating recreation.

Granted, the foremost limitation on framerates is your cellphone’s processor — you are going to get higher efficiency out of the Tensor G4 in a Pixel 9 than the Tensor G3 in a Pixel 8. But when your cellphone’s show is caught at 60Hz, you may by no means see framerates over 60fps, no matter whether or not you’ve got obtained a supercomputer underneath the hood. A 120Hz panel successfully eliminates this type of bottlenecking.

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5

Faster contact response

Your mileage could range

Typing on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's cover screen.

Personally, I do not discover 120Hz telephones to be that rather more responsive than 60Hz ones. I used to be contemplating leaving this level out of the article, the truth is. However different folks say it is a tangible profit, so I assumed it could a minimum of be value mentioning.

The declare does make some sense, on condition that it is actually simply an extension of the smoother software program expertise I discussed in the beginning. As a result of the interface itself is animating quicker, you might even see marginally shorter delays for contact and faucet gestures. It’s going to most likely matter probably the most if you’re typing — if a key animation flashes for a number of dozen milliseconds much less, it’s possible you’ll be much less more likely to make a mistake, assuming you are a rapid-fire typist. Should you take your time with typing, it’s possible you’ll not discover any distinction in any respect. I might encourage going slower anyway, for the sake of placing extra thought into messages.