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Samsung’s Android beta hints at future smartphones w/ 120Hz displays

We’re seeing smartphones with high refresh rate displays more and more often and now, it seems Samsung is finally jumping on board. A new hidden setting in the latest Android 10 beta on some Samsung devices seemingly confirms that the company is preparing phones with 120Hz displays.

120Hz displays aren’t technically new – Razer delivered the first one a couple of years ago. However, higher refresh rates have only seen minimal adoption so far in smartphones. The OnePlus 7 series uses 90Hz OLED panels as does Google’s Pixel 4, but 120Hz panels have only been used in gaming smartphones so far from Razer and Asus.

Ironically, Samsung has produced most of the high refresh rate displays that have been used on other smartphones, but the company’s own 2019 lineup didn’t include that technology. Apparently, that will change next year.

Hidden in the settings of the latest Android 10 beta on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, there’s an option to toggle between 60Hz and 120Hz. On the current hardware this toggle obviously does nothing, but it strongly implies that Samsung is preparing this functionality for a future device.

Ice Universe details that this section of the settings menu explains that the device can stick to 60Hz, stick to 120Hz whenever possible, or switch back and forth between the two. Another Twitter user also shared a screenshot in English as you can see above which shows a selection option for apps that use the 120Hz refresh rate.

It’s unclear when Samsung plans to start using a 120Hz display on its smartphones, but the Galaxy S11 seems like a good bet.

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