You told us: Faster displays are fast becoming the norm

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

Well, we posed this question in a recent poll. Here are the results!

What’s the maximum refresh rate on your current phone?

Results

This was another wildly popular poll with over 5,000 votes tallied since it went live on September 3. There is no shortage of users running smartphones with 60Hz displays, either.

According to the poll results, 38.4% of respondents are using phones with a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz. That’s a sizeable share of the vote but that does mean the majority of readers are using phones with faster screens. The most popular option was 120Hz with 39.5% of the vote, while 5.2% of readers’ phones pack a 144Hz or faster screen. Collectively, 61.6% of readers use a smartphone with a maximum refresh rate of 90Hz or faster.

See also: Refresh rate explained — What does 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz mean?

While many readers pack fast screens, several still choose to use them on 60Hz. Per the comments, battery life and heating are core reasons. That said, those with 144Hz displays, like the Xiaomi Mi 10T, favor running theirs at maximum. Read on for more reader comments.

Your comments

• David Josefsen: I always keep my Mi 10T Pro on 144hz and I honestly don’t notice the battery usage! The 144hz screen refresh rate is amazing and so fluid, even gaming on titles that support high framerates it makes a huge difference getting PC quality refresh rates!
• Cyco: I love the smoothness of 90hz on my OnePlus 7 Pro. I will not get anything lower if I buy a new phone.
• Joe Black: It’s 90Hz on both my phones, it will be 120/144 pretty soon, and I could not care less for it.
  It’s just a phone, I don’t care, it’s not like I am gaming on it or doing anything serious but notifications, occasional browsing, photography, etc.
• Sandeep: Well my S20+ has 120 Hz, but I leave it at 60 because of the Heating and Heavy battery drain.
• TheLastBattalion: 60Hz. I’ve kept my phone as I don’t see much incentive to upgrade. I am not a fan of the direction where many companies are going by charging more for less and as such, it limits my options. More options is always welcome and I would use a higher refresh rate when possible but it does impact battery life and is not a huge factor for a phone.
• thesecondsight: I’m stingy when it comes to daily battery life. As a power user and gamer, I want all of the SOT I can possibly get with one full charge. When more mobile games support higher refresh rates, I’ll maybe consider changing my preference. Until then, 60Hz will be my default.
• DBS: 60Hz and I have no intention whatsoever of going beyond that. I’ve used phones with higher refresh rates and I couldn’t tell the difference. So the lack of a high refresh rate on a phone isn’t AT ALL a deal-breaker for me. Unlike the lack of expandable storage 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 goal for manufacturers, there isn’t much visual difference but the battery life is better. If this phone didn’t struggle with low brightness colors so badly in 90 Hertz mode I would use it instead.

That’s it for this poll. Thanks for your votes and comments. If you have any further thoughts on the poll results or what refresh rate your phone is packing, be sure to drop a comment below.