Refresh rate is how many times per second the screen redraws the picture, measured in hertz (Hz). A 60 Hz screen updates 60 times a second; a 120 Hz screen, 120 times.
What you notice
A higher refresh rate makes motion look smoother: scrolling social feeds and web pages, swiping between home screens, and fast games. Once people get used to 120 Hz, 60 Hz often feels "choppy".
It does not make photos sharper or colours better — that's resolution, pixel density and panel quality.
Common numbers
| Refresh rate | Where you see it | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| 60 Hz | Older and budget phones | Fine for video and reading |
| 90 Hz | Mid-range phones | Noticeably smoother scrolling |
| 120 Hz | Most flagships and many mid-range phones | Very smooth; the sweet spot today |
| 144 Hz+ | Some gaming phones and monitors | Mainly helps in fast games that support it |
Adaptive refresh rate (LTPO)
Many flagships use adaptive screens (often called LTPO) that drop to a low rate — sometimes 1 Hz — when nothing moves, and jump to 120 Hz when you scroll. You get smoothness without wasting battery.
Battery trade-off
Redrawing the screen more often uses more power. If battery life matters more than smoothness, most phones let you choose a "standard" (60 Hz) mode in display settings.
Touch sampling rate is different
Gaming phones also list a touch sampling rate (for example 240 Hz or more). That's how often the screen checks for your finger — it affects responsiveness in games, not smoothness.
On Zynverse, refresh rate is part of the Display score in the Zynverse Score (60 Hz = 0, 144 Hz = full marks).
Sources
- www.rtings.com /info/what-is-the-refresh-rate
- rog.asus.com /in/articles/gaming/refresh-rate-for-gaming/