The possibility that Samsung might bring 120Hz displays to its smartphones first emerged when the Exynos 990 processor was announced. The chip has support for high refresh rate displays and it's going to power the Galaxy S20. There was also a secret menu in the One UI 2.0 beta for a 120Hz display mode.
None of Samsung's existing smartphones have a 120Hz panel so enabling the mode didn't accomplish anything. What it meant was that Samsung would likely give its next flagship phone a higher refresh rate display. We can now confirm that's indeed the case for the Galaxy S20.
Galaxy S20 will be Samsung's first 120Hz display phone
In case you're wondering where the Galaxy S20 came from when everyone seemed to be talking about the Galaxy S11 until a few days ago, that's because the Galaxy S11 is likely going to be launched as the Galaxy S20 instead.
There have only been a few rumors so far about the Galaxy S20 having a 120Hz display. We have now heard from highly reliable sources that Samsung's upcoming flagship does indeed feature a 120Hz refresh rate display. A higher refresh rate allows the screen to refresh content more dynamically. That would mean the users experience much smoother animations and scrolling. Fast-paced games would also look much better on the display.
We've already had a glimpse of what the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz will look like on a Samsung phone. The Galaxy S20 will let users switch between 60Hz and 120Hz display modes, with the former better suited for those who'd like to get the most mileage out of their battery.
Samsung is actually quite familiar with high refresh rate displays. Some of the phones on the market that have high refresh rate displays feature panels sourced from Samsung. The company has finally made up its mind about using them for its own flagships. That's a decision which is bound to please many of its fans.
The Galaxy S20 is going to be announced at the February 11 event that Samsung confirmed over the weekend. We'll be in San Francisco to bring you all of the latest news from the next Galaxy Unpacked event.
