You told us: Faster displays are fast becoming the norm

Smartphone screens have tended to have higher refresh rates in recent years. Starting with modest bumps up to 90 Hz, some gaming phones push the limits well beyond 144 Hz. But how many of our readers use such devices? At the same time, how many phones are still running on 60 Hz?

We recently asked ourselves this question in a survey. Here are the results!

What is the maximum refresh rate on your current phone?

Results

This was another hugely popular poll with over 5,000 votes added up since going live on September 3rd. There’s no shortage of users using smartphones with 60 Hz displays either.

According to survey results, 38.4% of respondents use phones with a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz. That is a sizable percentage of the vote, but that means the majority of readers use phones with faster screens. The most popular option was 120 Hz with 39.5% of the vote, while 5.2% of readers’ phones have a screen at 144 Hz or faster. Together, 61.6% of readers use a smartphone with a maximum refresh rate of 90Hz or faster.

See also: Refresh rate explained – what does 60 Hz, 90 Hz or 120 Hz mean?

While many readers pack fast screens, some still choose to use them on 60 Hz. According to the comments, the main reasons are battery life and heating. However, those with 144 Hz displays like the Xiaomi Mi 10T prefer their maximum execution. Read on for additional reader comments.

Your comments

• David Josefsen: I always run my Mi 10T Pro on 144 Hz and, to be honest, I don’t notice the battery consumption! The 144Hz screen refresh rate is amazing and so fluid that even playing games that support high frame rates makes a big difference to getting PC quality refresh rates!
• Cyco: I love the smoothness of 90 Hz on my OnePlus 7 Pro. I don’t get anything less when I buy a new phone.
• Joe Black: It’s 90 Hz on both of my phones, it’s going to be 120/144 soon, and I couldn’t care less about it.
  It’s just a phone, I don’t care, it’s not like playing on it or doing anything serious other than notifications, the occasional browsing, taking photos, etc.
• Sandeep: Well, my S20 + has 120 Hz, but I leave it at 60 because of the heating and the heavy battery discharge.
• TheLastBataillon: 60Hz. I kept my phone as I don’t see any incentive to upgrade. I’m not a fan of the direction many companies are going by asking more for less, and as such, it limits my options. More options are always welcome and I would use a higher refresh rate whenever possible, but this does affect battery life and isn’t a huge factor for a phone.
• thesecondsight: I’m stingy when it comes to the daily battery life. As a power user and gamer, I want all of the SOT that I can get on a full charge. As more mobile games support higher refresh rates, maybe I will change my preference. Until then, 60Hz is my standard.
• DBS: 60Hz and I have no intention of going beyond that. I’ve used phones with higher refresh rates and couldn’t see a difference. So the lack of a high refresh rate on a phone is NOT a deal breaker for me. Contrasted with the lack of expandable memory and a headphone jack.
• Gianluca Di Maggio: I have the ZenFone 8, so 120 Hertz. BUT I’d say 90 Hertz on a phone should be the manufacturer’s goal, there isn’t much of a visual difference, but the battery life is better. If this phone wasn’t struggling so much with low brightness colors in 90 Hertz mode, I’d use it instead.

That’s it for this poll. Thank you for your votes and comments. If you have any other thoughts on the poll results or your phone’s refresh rate, please leave a comment below.