‘ High Refresh rates’ is the new buzz word in the world of tech. But is it worth the hype or is it just a smart marketing trick? Let’s find out!
What exactly is refresh rate?
In simple terms, it’s the ability of the display panel to ‘refresh’ with a new image. The Refresh Rate is measured in hertz and is denoted by a number preceding it, for example, 60hz. The 60 here means the ability of the panel to show a new image 60 times in a second and so on. As this number increases, the number of images shown per second also increases thus resulting in a smoother picture. Modern-day smartphones have adopted higher refresh rates such as 90hz and 120hz for a smoother experience.
What does this translate too?
A smoother picture gives an effect of a faster device as the display is responding a tad bit faster. Videos look smoother and so does scrolling and swiping, but this also means higher battery consumption and not everything looks good at a higher refresh rate, for example, movies and tv shows are usually shot at 24fps and if you watch it on a 90hz or a 120hz panel, it will look really bad and would resemble a soap opera and hence this issue its called the ’soap opera effect’.
To tackle this, smartphones have variable refresh rates which means it can change the refresh rate based on content and power consumption. Another thing that higher refresh rates are good at countering is motion blur. The higher refresh rate makes the movement in pictures look sharper without blurring.
Whom does this benefit?
Mostly everyone as it makes the user experience smoother but it’s a godsend for mobile gamers. Tests have shown that a higher refresh rate might lead to a better response time which can be crucial in a first-person-shooter. As the images appear ‘quicker’, the gamer can respond faster on a higher refresh rate display compared to one with a lower refresh rate. A special mention must go to the newer iPhones as they might not be equipped with a high refresh rate display, but what they do have is a 120hz touch sampling display rate, which means it can track your Interaction with the display faster giving you the upper hand in gaming.
