What is the most important feature to you when you buy a smartphone? Most people focus on the camera, the display size, and the processor and put in a lot of research about which phone has the best specs that suit their multimedia needs.
But there’s one more important feature that you should also focus on — the phone’s refresh rate.
But wait, what does refresh rate mean, and why should it matter?
Refresh rates are a fairly new concept in smartphones, and the mobile gaming industry has popularised the importance of this spec. Gaming monitors offer a refresh rate of 240Hz.
Mobile phone displays are created through content and motion on your phone’s screen. All the pixels update to display the latest content from your handset’s screen through the phone’s processor, aka the refresh rate.
The refresh rate defines the number of times the display redraws or refreshes itself in one second. The higher the refresh rate, the better the scrolling and smoother the transitions between apps.
Refresh rate is measured in Hertz.
If your mobile has a refresh rate of 60Hz, it means that the mobile display refreshes and redraws itself 60 times in one second.
An average smartphone, even a smartphone under 10000 will have a refresh rate of ’60Hz display.’ A 60Hz phone means that the phone blinks or refreshes its content on the screen 60 times per second, a 90Hz refresh rate means the phone refreshes its content 90 times per second, and 120 Hz means refreshes its content 120 times per second.
When does the refresh rate of a phone come into play?
A higher refresh rate will make moving content look and feel smoother. For example, if you are swiping through your emails on the phone and simultaneously looking at social media, having a phone with a 90Hz refresh rate compared to a 60Hz refresh rate will give you a smoother transition.
An adaptive refresh rate is important when using your phone for gaming because of the demand for high frame rates.
Why is the refresh rate of a phone essential for gaming?
Gamers who use their PC or laptop will have the advantage of having 120Hz or 144Hz displays. With a higher refresh rate on their phone, mobile gamers can benefit too, albeit on a smaller screen.
If you’re a gamer who uses your phone a lot, a high refresh rate will do wonders to your gaming experience.
Gamers who play adventure games or racing games with fast moving objects will see that the gaming experience is smoother, without a lag.
And the best part is, you don’t need to spend an exorbitant amount to buy a smartphone with a high refresh rate if you plan on using it for a lot of mobile gaming or watching a lot of video content.
What are the higher adaptive refresh rates available in the market for gamers?
If you’re a PC gamer, you know you will have the privilege of having 120Hz and 144 Hz displays for a seamless gaming experience. Now you also can have a 90Hz, or sometimes, even 120 Hz refresh rate on your phone screen to have a great gaming experience.
If you’re an avid mobile gamer, here are a few handsets that you can go for:
- OnePlus 9 Pro has a refresh rate of 120Hz
- Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has a refresh rate of 120Hz
- Vivo X60 Pro Plus has a refresh rate of 120Hz
- Vivo X50 has a refresh rate of 90Hz
- Mi 10 has a refresh rate of 90Hz
What should you keep in mind about phones with high refresh rates?
There are two disadvantages of choosing a phone with a high adaptive refresh rate — these phones usually have a reduced battery life because a higher refresh rate requires a processor that can manage the load of keeping up the graphics frame rate with the high display refresh rate. So, if you’re planning on buying a phone with a higher refresh rate, keep in mind the tradeoff.
