While most of us talk about the screen’s resolution, colors, PPI, and type, we never consider the display refresh rate a priority. Well, that has now changed and high refresh rate screens are now in demand. Before we list phones with 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate displays, let’s talk about what’s refresh rate and how much of a practical impact it makes at the user end.
What is Refresh Rate (Hz)? Is it the same as FPS?
The term refresh rate, in layman terms, is the count of how many times the screen refreshes its image in one second. It is basically measured in Hz. At present, most smartphone displays have a 60Hz refresh rate, or in other words, even if you are viewing a static image, your display is redrawing the same picture or is pushing the same frame 60 times every second. At times people tend to get confused between higher refresh rates and higher frame rates (Hz vs FPS). FPS is the count of how many frames are being pushed to the display every second. FPS is related to the content you run on the screen, which might be a video or a game. So, ideally, if your video has been shot and packaged at 90 frames per second (FPS) and your display has a 90Hz refresh rate, your phone will be able to push all frames. Similarly, you can play games or videos at 90fps on a 90Hz refresh rate panel but not on a display with a lower, say 60Hz, refresh rate. If you feed 60fps content to a 90Hz screen, the display will either switch to 60Hz or duplicate some frames. What does a higher refresh rate screen feel like? The impact is subtle yet noticeable and, we’d say, quite addictive. If you are scrolling in the App drawer, in your browser, settings menu, or your social media feed, your content will flow up and down smoothly with less friction. Kind of like the difference you’d feel between pushing an ice slab and a wooden slab on a marble floor. Similarly, animations are smoother too.
Higher Refresh Rate displays – Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
Noticeably smoother scrolling and animationsLess eye fatigue
Cons
Consume more battery
Limitations Not much content is available to take advantage of 90Hz, so most videos and games push only 60 frames per second. This is also why most high refresh rate phones are programmed to dial down to 60Hz refresh rate when you are watching videos. ALSO READ: Impact of increase in resolution on battery drain in phones with high-refresh-rate displays Difference Between Touch Refresh Rate and Display Refresh Rate Touch Refresh Rate means the speed at which the screen can register your touch and respond by starting to render the next frame in an animation. If the touch refresh rate and the display refresh rate are both clocked at 60Hz, it means the tracking and refreshing coincide, and the animations are rendered one interval later. However, say, if the touch refresh rate is 120Hz and the display refresh rate is 60Hz, animations will still be snappier and smoother, and your screen would still appear to be more responsive, but the overall experience won’t match the fluidity of having a 120Hz refresh rate screen. The iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 series, for instance, have a 120Hz touch refresh rate, and the new iPad Pro has a 120Hz display refresh rate. ALSO CHECK: List of phones with 144Hz refresh rate
Best Phones with higher refresh rates – 90Hz or 120Hz
1. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3
Samsung recently announced its latest foldable devices – the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G in India. Both these phones come with Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED displays which not just fold but also manage to deliver a 120Hz refresh rate. This display called Infinity Flex Display folds in half and you get a 6.2-inch screen on the surface. That cover panel is plenty big to use as a regular phone. Turn on the screen, you would be greeted by the OneUI 3.1 based on Android 11 with tailored software tweaks. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G ships with Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC paired with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage whereas the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G comes with the same processor but only 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage.
2. Samsung Galaxy S21/S20+ & Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first Samsung phone to include 120Hz refresh rate support at 2K resolution. The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ support a 120Hz refresh rate but the display maxes out at Full HD+ resolution. The refresh rate on all of these phones is dynamic, which is to say it can vary between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on the display content. But whatever the specs might be, Samsung flagships have a brilliant display with that wow factor you’d expect for the price. The Exynos 2100 SoC lends a significant performance boost and it’s paired with up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Complete list of Samsung phones with high refresh rate displays
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5GSamsung Galaxy Note 20 UltraSamsung Galaxy S20+Samsung Galaxy S20Samsung Galaxy S20 FESamsung Galaxy S20 FE 5GSamsung Galaxy A72Samsung Galaxy A52Samsung Galaxy A52s 5GSamsung Galaxy M52 5GSamsung Galaxy F42 5GSamsung Galaxy F22Samsung Galaxy A22 5GSamsung Galaxy M32Samsung Galaxy M12
3. Asus ROG Phone 5
Asus ROG Phone 5 is one of the few phones with a 144Hz AMOLED display in the country. The gaming phone from Asus is driven by Qualcomm’s best – the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Speaking of the display, it’s a 6.78-inch Full HD+ AMOLED panel that’s protected by Gorilla Glass 6. It sports an optical under-display fingerprint scanner, DCI-P3 color scale, HDR10, and SDR to HDR upscaling. The phone is powered by a beefy 6000mAh battery with 65W fast charging support. The heavy lifting is backed by up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Complete list of Asus phones with 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate display
Asus ROG Phone 3 (144 Hz)Asus Zenfone 7 Pro (90Hz)Asus Zenfone 7 (90Hz)
4. OnePlus 9 Pro
OnePlus can be credited with making high refresh rate screens on phones mainstream. The OnePlus 9 Pro enjoys a 120Hz fluidity at QHD (2K) resolution. The 6.7-inch AMOLED display is HDR10+ compliant and is shielded by Gorilla Glass 5. It’s powered by Snapdragon 888 octa-core chipset with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.0 storage. With the 9 Pro, OnePlus finally has flagship-worthy cameras and the 4500mAh battery with 65W fast charging support is another highlight to look forward to.
Complete list of OnePlus phones with higher refresh rate display
OnePlus 10 Pro 5G (upcoming)OnePlus 9 ProOnePlus 8 ProOnePlus 9OnePlus 9ROnePlus 8TOnePlus 8OnePlus Nord 2OnePlus NordOnePlus Nord CE 5G
5. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
Mi 11 Ultra is the latest flagship from the world of Xiaomi to enter the Indian market. The 2021 Mi flagship adheres to the virtual flagship standard of featuring a 120Hz display on the top. It is powered by an all-powerful Snapdragon 888 octa-core chipset, a beefy 5000mAh battery, and 50MP led triple camera setup at the back. If you are looking for a powerful and dependable phone without spending a lot of money, you can also consider the following Mi phones:
Complete list of Xiaomi high refresh rate display phones:
Xiaomi Mi 11 UltraMi 11X ProMi 11XXiaomi Mi 11 LiteMi 10iXiaomi Mi 10 5GXiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5GXiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro MaxXiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
6. Vivo X70 Pro Plus
Vivo X70 Pro Plus has a dual-curved edge AMOLED screen that’s well-calibrated and refreshes at 120Hz. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ chipset and has a gimbal camera that proved quite effective in improving lowlight photography. The base Vivo X70 Pro and X70 also retain the in-display fingerprint sensor, and a 120fps AMOLED panel but with different chipsets at the heart.
Complete list of Vivo phones with higher refresh rate display:
Vivo X60 Pro PlusVivo X60 ProVivo X60Vivo X50 Pro (90 Hz)Vivo V21 5G
7. Realme GT 5G
Realme GT 5G has got a 6.43-inch sAMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate. The panel is FHD+ resolution as well with 100% DCI-P3 color coverage and 1000nits peak brightness. The bezels surrounding the screen have been kept to the minimum endowing a 91.7% screen-to-body ratio. The left cornered punch-hole cutout also is unobtrusive. Rest, here under the display, you get a fingerprint reader and top Dragontail glass protection. The Realme GT comes powered by Snapdragon 888 chipset coupled with 12GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. It is packed with a 4500mAh battery with a 65W SuperDart charge. Other prominent feature of the GT 5G includes a 64MP sensor-led triple-rear camera, 16MP selfie camera, and 5G connectivity support.
Complete list of Realme Phones With 90Hz or higher refresh rate display
Realme GT 5GRealme GT Master Edition 5GRealme X50 Pro 5GRealme X7 ProRealme X7 MaxRealme 8 5G (90Hz)Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G (120Hz)Realme X3 SuperZoom EditionRealme X3Realme 8 5G Realme 7Realme Narzo 30 5GRealme 6 Pro Realme Narzo 20 ProRealme 6
8. Poco F3 GT
The recent launch of Poco F3 GT spices up the things in the under Rs 30,000 segment. The Poco F3 Pro matches phones like OnePlus Nord 2 and iQOO 7 toe-to-toe. Another thing that will draw specs nerds towards Poco X3 Pro is its 6.67-inch 120Hz display that supports full HD+ resolution. HDR10 support is also present on the device. While the F3 GT 5G display specs look staller, we found overall color chemistry slightly off from our taste.
Complete list of Poco phones with high refresh rate screen:
Poco F3 GTPoco X3 ProPoco X3 NFCPoco X3POCO M3 Pro 5GPoco X2
9. OPPO Find X3 Pro
Oppo Find X3 Pro brandishes a 6.7″ AMOLED display with dual curved edges. The LTPO panel clocks a 120Hz refresh rate support. It is Quad HD+ in resolution, with 525PPI pixel density, up to 1300 nits brightness, end-to-end 10-bit color support, 97% NTSC/100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top. The handset has a Snapdragon 888 under the hood along with ultra-thin VC liquid cooling, up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM+ 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. The phone is running on a 4500mAh battery with 65W fast charging support. Other things in the mix are a 50MP quad-camera system, ColorOS 11.2 based on Android 11, 5G SA/ NSA, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2.
Complete list of Oppo phones with high refresh rate screen:
OPPO Find X2OPPO Reno 6 Pro 5GOppo Reno 5 Pro 5GOPPO Reno 6OPPO A74 5G
10. iQOO 7
iQOO 7 (review) features a 6.62-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with support for a 120Hz refresh rate and 300Hz touch sampling rate. This is also an HDR-certified panel with standards like HDR10/HDR10+. The contrasts are met by a claimed peak brightness of 1300Nits. For media consumption, this display is DRM L1 rated for HD streaming on Netflix, Youtube, and Prime videos. And the presence of DC Dimming should relieve your eyes from the PWM flicker strain. Other specs the iQOO 7 brings are Snapdragon 870 processor, 5G support, 48MP triplet, 4400mAh battery with 66W fast charger, and Android 11 software.
Complete list of the iQOO phone with a high refresh rate screen:
iQOO 7 LegendiQOO 7iQOO Z3 5G
11. Moto G60
The Moto G60 (review) only has an LCD panel, but one that refreshes 120 times a second. It is 6.78 inches in size with FHD+ resolution and HDR10 colors and contrasts. Since G60 is a stock-ish Android phone, there are no heavy animations either. The display can get sufficiently bright too under the sun. The rest of the repertoire includes a Snapdragon 732G silicon, a 6000mAh battery, and a 108MP triple camera setup. You may also check out Moto 40 Fusion (with a 120Hz refresh rate) if you want to save some more bucks.
Best higher refresh rates display phones in 2022
As of today, 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rate has become a mainstream feature. In fact, there are several mainstream phones that offer displays with a 144Hz refresh rate.
Here’s the list of the top 10 phones with a higher refresh rate display
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