The display panel is your primary window into every smartphone interaction, from flicking through social media feeds and reading web articles to navigating games and watching videos. While legacy smartphone screens refreshed their image 60 times per second (60Hz), modern Android handsets feature high refresh rate panels operating at 90Hz or 120Hz. Enabling high refresh rate dramatically reduces motion blur, eliminates stutter when rapidly scrolling through long documents, and makes touch interactions feel immediate and fluid.
Understanding Screen Refresh Rates: 60Hz vs. 120Hz
A display’s refresh rate represents how frequently the panel redraws its visual buffer each second:
- 60Hz (Standard): The traditional baseline display standard. Perfectly functional for static reading and streaming standard 30fps/60fps video, but fast scrolling exhibits noticeable motion smearing.
- 120Hz (High Refresh Rate): Redraws twice as fast as a standard panel. Text remains sharp and legible even while vigorously scrolling feeds, animations feel silky smooth, and touch latency drops substantially.
- Adaptive / LTPO Technology: Modern flagship displays dynamically scale between 1Hz (for static photos and Always-On Displays) and 120Hz (during user swipes), delivering buttery-smooth scrolling without needlessly exhausting battery capacity.
How to Enable High Refresh Rate on Google Pixel and Stock Android
On devices running stock Android (such as Google Pixel, Motorola, and Sony handsets):
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Scroll down and tap Display.
- Scroll down to find Smooth Display.
- Toggle the switch to the On position.
- Android will now dynamically raise the display refresh rate from 60Hz up to 120Hz whenever you touch the screen or scroll through content.
How to Enable 120Hz on Samsung Galaxy Devices (One UI)
Samsung designates high refresh rate settings under its proprietary Motion Smoothness panel:
- Open Settings on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
- Tap Display.
- Select Motion smoothness.
- Choose Adaptive (or High on certain models) to unlock up to 120Hz fluid motion.
- Tap Apply to commit your selection immediately.
Balancing High Refresh Rates with Battery Endurance
While 120Hz delivers an unmatched visual experience, continuously rendering animations at double the framerate consumes additional battery power. To maximise efficiency:
- Use Adaptive Mode: Always select Adaptive over forced peak refresh rates so the display throttles down to 60Hz or lower while watching movies or reading static eBooks.
- Battery Saver Integration: When Android’s native Battery Saver activates, the system automatically drops the panel to 60Hz to stretch remaining battery reserve.