what is screen refresh rate of Smartphones and how to change screen refresh rate?

Are you a Gamer or just a normal user of your smartphone like iPhone, Android, Google pixel or even PC monitor? So, it is utmost important to understand the Refresh Rate before buying your favourite smartphone or PC monitor. is it 60Hz, 90Hz or 144 Hz? Now a days, every person wants smooth gaming or working experience like fluid on your smartphone or PC screen. So definitely, Refresh Rate of your phone screen have certain effects your gaming or viewing experience on your device screen. Let's understand the refresh rate of your SmartPhone’s screen and understand how refresh rate helps to improve your on overall screen experience.

What is screen refresh rate?

Refresh rate is a frequency of display updates the on-screen image i.e it showing the capability of your smartphone screen to show how many times per second showing new images on screen. Refresh rate of your display is measured in Hertz. For example, if your iPhone screen showing 144 Hz i.e. means your iPhone screen refreshing the image 144 times per second.

As we know any normal movies picture have standard frame rate of 24 fps i.e means 30 or 60 Hz of your smartphone screen is much capable of showing any standard videos. Then what the need of 144 Hz or more of any Smartphone screen or PC display. This question is lie with your gaming or working experience on Smartphone devices or PC monitors.

Highest refresh rate of smartphone means?

A higher Refresh Rate of smartphone screen means more images are updated in per second or in same amount of time, it means any movement of your game or movie scenes become more smoother or responsive.

For example: Refresh rate of Asus ROG phone screen has 165 Hz and iPhone 50 Pro has 120 Hz. It means Asus ROG phone screen has capacity of updating 165 images for second but the iPhone 15 pro screen will update 120 images for second, It means that Asus ROG phone screen are more responsive than iPhone 15 Pro and provide more satisfying gaming or working experience.

Sharp Aquos Zero 2 phone has refresh rate 240 Hz.However, more commonly available Smartphone Refresh Rate is 120 Hz like Apple iPhone 15 Pro, Google pixel 8, OnePlus 12 ,Samsung galaxy 20 etc.

How CPU and GPU work together for higher refresh rate of screen?

Higher refresh rate of screen depends on 2 most important components of your device as follows:

1. CPU of your device must be fast enough to provide all the important gaming or other instructions including game instructions, AI or another important data to complete the critical processes of your games.

2. GPU is also most important component of your device specially for PC, which would be must be fast enough to execute the critical instruction quickly and create the graphics on the screen. It is measured in frame per second (fps), It means how quickly a GPU that is graphic processor can process and deliver images to your display. FPS is different from screen's refresh rate.

Screen of your device can only produce images maximum at the rate of the system produces, that is mean CPU and GPU of your device must be in synchronisation with the refresh rate of screen also. This can also be interpreted in such a way that if your device CPU and GPU are not fast enough to supply sufficient number of frames to your screen or monitor, then your screen or monitor won't be able to produce images at higher refresh rate regardless of screen specs of refresh rate.

For example, if your screen or monitor have refresh rate of 60 hertz but your GPU has only capable of supplying 30 fps then the highest refresh rate of your screen cannot be achieved.

Disadvantages of Higher Refresh Rate

We have seen in this article that higher refresh rate of your smartphone or monitor have many advantages like smooth motion, enhances visual clarity, reduced input lag, eye comfort, edges in gaming etc that enhances the overall viewing experience specially in fast moving pictures.

1. Higher Power Consumption: High refresh rate needs to higher power consumption in your smartphone or laptop. Higher refresh rate requires more frequent update on screen in synchronisation of CPU and GPU, it drive more power from the battery of device. This can impact the battery life of smartphone or laptop and needs more frequent to charge your Smartphones.

2. Expensive hardware requirement: As I said earlier in this article, achieving higher refresh rate can be achieved in synchronisation with processor and graphics card also. It means achieving higher refresh rate requires more powerful and expensive hardware like more powerful GPU and CPU. For upgrading these hardware’s, in order to achieve higher refresh rate can be a costly deal.

3. Less Beneficial return: The difference in visual smoothness of the screen between higher and lower refresh rates become less noticeable, if the refresh rate increased beyond a certain point. let understand by example- the difference in visual smoothness from 60 hertz to 120 hertz may be significant but the same in 120 hertz to 240 hertz may be less noticeable to average user. So, the investment for higher refresh rate is not provide higher beneficial return and it costs on hardware is less compelling.

4. Limited Available Content: As normal user, you observed that less available contain available for higher refresh rate. Gaming and some of available video or multimedia contained may get benefit from higher refresh rates, but the other contain, such as web browsing or other applications may not be seen any noticeable improvement.

5. Compatibility issues in hardware: In PC, not all monitors, graphic cards, processors and applications supports the higher refresh rate. If you are using a refresh rate that are not supported by your system hardware or software can result in compatibility issue such as screen flickering or even system crash.

Adaptive refresh rate:

Adaptive refresh rate technology also known as variable refresh rate (VRR)- this is a feature that dynamically adjust the refresh rate of a screen to match the same rate of the content being viewed in real time, in order to consume less power and improving the visual experience. An adaptive refresh rate technology is particularly beneficial in gaming where frame rates vary widely depending on the complexity of the picture and performance hardware’s.

Samsung new galaxy 21 providing such a great feature for smartphone display with an adaptive refresh technology. So, Samsung new galaxy 21 is able to change the Refresh rate to match your visual scenes on screen. if any users are playing a game which require fast moving pictures, then it will increase the refresh rate up to its maximum limit to provide the best possible experience for your game. But a user looking at a still images than it will down the refresh rate and it consume less power from battery. Changing the refresh rate in real time usually required going into your setting menu of the smartphone or monitor. But it is great to giving your smartphone the ability to recognize intelligently when a high refresh rate is not needed have to keep battery consumption down.

The Samsung galaxy 21 and 21 plus can change its refresh between 48 hertz and 120 hertz while the galaxy 21 ultra and switch between 10 hertz to 120 hertz. Similarly, Google pixel 6 also has an adaptive refresh rate of 6o to 90 hertz. Every high specs smartphone or PC has setting option to limit its refresh rate.

How to change refresh rate on iPhone ?

1. Open settings

2.Go into accessibility

3.Select motion

4.At the bottom, you will find the "limit framed rate" toggle option. You can turn it on or off as per your requirement.

How to change display refresh rate on Samsung smartphone?

1. Go into setting and tap Display.

2. Select motion smoothness

3. Here you will find two option a) your phone will automatically adapt to refresh rate adaptive b) stay at 60 hertz(standard) or constantly update at the top refresh rate (High).

4. Apply.

How to change display refresh rate on Google pixel?

1. Go to the setting and then tap Display.

2. go to the bottom and you will find "Smooth display" toggle option for selecting the options - the phone automatically switch between 60 hertz to 90 Hertz as per user requirement or it leave to the refresh rate fixed at 60 Hertz.

Similarly, every smartphone or monitor have some types of setting for refresh rate.

Conclusion:

After understanding of refresh rate, It can be say that Refresh Rate plays very important role for providing quality of viewing experience, affecting your device and provide everything from motion smoothness to responsiveness. After considering the hardware compatibility with screen refresh rate and also taking into account of other factors like monitor compatibility and personal differences, any user can optimize display setting, which will provide more comfortable and immersive experience, weather you are watching movies, working on any software or playing games.