A lot of our favorite TVs and monitors function shows with excessive refresh charges, promising smoother on-screen motion and a sharper image. The identical is true for the best Android phones and all of Apple’s iPhone Pro models (for the reason that 13 Professional and onward). At the moment, every iPhone 17 model can attain a 120-Hz refresh charge. It has grow to be commonplace throughout the board.
Excessive refresh charges are steadily mentioned in gaming, the place quick reactions and prompt on-screen updates can imply the distinction between victory and defeat. That features gaming monitors and even gaming phones, which might often hit 144 Hz, 165 Hz, or larger. However what precisely does display refresh charge imply? We break it down.
Up to date September 2025: We have added point out of the most recent iPhones, updates to display know-how, new hyperlinks, and refreshed copy.
Desk of Contents
What Is a Refresh Charge?
All content material in your show, whether or not it is a cellphone or pc monitor, is made up of particular person nonetheless frames (photographs) proven in sequence at a really excessive velocity. The refresh charge is measured in hertz (Hz), and it dictates how usually the body can change. A refresh charge of 120 Hz permits a brand new body to be displayed as much as 120 occasions each second. A 60-Hz show can solely refresh the display 60 occasions per second. And you’ll guess what number of occasions a 90-Hz display can refresh.
What About Body Charge?
The potential advantage of a excessive screen-refresh charge is restricted by the body charge of what is taking part in on the display. With movies or online game graphics, that is expressed as frames per second (fps). Films usually run at 24 frames per second as a result of it is a theatrical commonplace, whereas many video games can run at 120 fps.
And Contact-Response Charge?
To confuse you extra, producers generally record the touch-response charge (or contact pattern charge) for touchscreen shows, which can also be measured in hertz. This quantity pertains to how usually the touchscreen scans for a contact out of your finger. The upper the touch-response charge, the sooner it responds to your contact.
How Refresh Charges Influence Your Telephone
Google by way of Simon Hill
A better refresh charge permits a cellphone’s show to maintain up with gaming motion and reduces movement blur on video, however it may additionally make navigating across the interface really feel extra responsive than it could on a show with a decrease refresh charge. Video games look much less uneven throughout frenetic motion, video footage of fast-paced sports activities motion seems smoother, and any jerkiness when scrolling an extended internet web page is decreased. To get the complete advantage of a excessive refresh charge, you additionally want a excessive body charge, and ideally, the 2 match.
The price is usually your battery life. Refreshing the picture on a show extra occasions per second requires extra battery energy. Processing energy can also be wanted to run graphics at the next body charge. Processors have improved enormously, however battery life remains to be restricted on smartphones. For that purpose, most telephones with excessive refresh charges don’t run on the highest charge on a regular basis.
Larger refresh charges first got here to smartphones with the gaming-focused Razer Phone in 2017, then producers like Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, and Google adopted them in flagship gadgets just like the iPhone range, Galaxy series, and the Pixel range. Apple calls its model “ProMotion.”
