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 know-how successfully breaks the ceiling on framerates — assuming your processor is highly effective sufficient to high 60fps.
Like TVs and screens, 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 charge over 60Hz. Actually, that is nonetheless true of non-Professional iPhones — when you lately upgraded to a baseline
iPhone 16
or iPhone 16e, you would not essentially know that you just had been lacking something. It isn’t like Spotify or Google Maps are going to run agonizingly gradual on Apple’s A18 chip.
Today, 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 may 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 a variety of scrolling textual content or photos, akin to an internet browser or an book reader. Whereas a 60Hz cellphone may sometimes appear to be it is “hitching” on issues, a 120Hz cellphone seems to maintain issues intact, if not essentially totally readable, till you cease scrolling.
Movement smoothing is why some folks declare that after you’ve got used a 120Hz cellphone, you will 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.

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2
All the time-on show know-how
No must unlock to verify the time or climate
Strictly talking, 120Hz telephones do not routinely assist always-on know-how, however they normally do lately. Those that do provide it depend on dynamic refresh charges, generally scaling all the way 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 prospects in your lockscreen.
At a minimal, always-on tech is used to show the time and different fundamental knowledge, akin to 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 house management. For this very cause, I hold my iPhone 16 Professional propped up on a stand in the course of the workday. It saves time to know at a look who’s messaging me, and whether or not I ought to anticipate rain once I’m headed out in a while my EUC.
At evening, I reap the benefits of an iOS function referred to as
StandBy
. Principally, it simply lets me verify the time with out selecting 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 just a few moments.

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3
Extra environment friendly energy consumption
No must go full-tilt for each scene
You may assume 60Hz telephones can be extra power-efficient, however for technical causes they’re inherently locked at that refresh charge, no matter what’s taking place onscreen. With dynamic charges, 120Hz telephones can scale down at any time when much less energy is required. A cellphone may dip to 10Hz whenever you’re studying a static webpage, for instance, however then ramp again as much as 120Hz whenever you’re taking part in a sport 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 charge cap whereas nonetheless preserving dynamic scaling. The probabilities are going to rely upon the particular cellphone you personal and its software program choices, so it is price researching tech specs and critiques before you purchase.

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4
Slicker, extra responsive gaming
So long as you’ve got acquired the processor to match
Considered 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 getting older PC, since I’ve misplaced quite a lot of PUBG matches as a result of an opponent was in a position to fireplace a shot a split-second earlier. Poor framerates can also make you miss a leap in a platformer, or a block in a preventing sport.
Granted, the key 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 will by no means see framerates over 60fps, no matter whether or not you’ve got acquired a supercomputer underneath the hood. A 120Hz panel successfully eliminates this sort of bottlenecking.

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5
Faster contact response
Your mileage could differ
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, in reality. However different folks say it is a tangible profit, so I believed it will not less than be price mentioning.
The declare does make some sense, on condition that it is actually simply an extension of the smoother software program expertise I discussed initially. As a result of the interface itself is animating sooner, you may even see marginally shorter delays for contact and faucet gestures. It’s going to most likely matter essentially the most whenever you’re typing — if a key animation flashes for just a few dozen milliseconds much less, you might be much less prone to make a mistake, assuming you are a rapid-fire typist. Should you take your time with typing, you might not discover any distinction in any respect. I would encourage going slower anyway, for the sake of placing extra thought into messages.

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