Here’s why Huawei P40 Pro does not support 120Hz refresh rate

Published On: April 9, 2020

Highlights

Huawei P40 Pro and P40 Pro+ come with a 90Hz refresh rate
Huawei CEO Richard Yu says the phone does not support 120Hz refresh rate due to battery concerns
He added that the 90Hz panel on the P40 Pro is optimised for smoothness

Huawei’s latest flagship smartphones, called the P40 Pro and P40 Pro+, come with high-end hardware and some of the best cameras on a smartphone yet. They even have a one-of-a-kind Overflow display, which offers a four-sided curved display. However, quite a few people are not able to digest the fact that the P40 Pro’s display only supports a 90Hz refresh rate as opposed to 120Hz that is now available on a few flagship smartphones like the Galaxy S20 series and the Find X2 Pro. Now, the reason for a lower refresh rate screen has been provided by Huawei CEO Richard Yu.

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As per a report by the Chinese website ITHome, Huawei has chosen a 90Hz screen over 120Hz due to battery saving concerns. As logic dictates, a higher refresh rate display means higher power consumption. Huawei has said that it has fine-tuned the P40 Pro’s display for smoothness and at the same time consume less battery.

While 120Hz is definitely smoother than a 90Hz panel, the difference is not readily apparent

The P40 Pro is also a 5G-ready phone and this will put additional strain on the phone’s battery life, hence it was not advisable to put in a 120Hz display. Then there is the fact that a 120Hz refresh rate display would put on a significant strain on the chipset, which might also result in jaggy performance.

While 120Hz is definitely smoother than a 90Hz panel, the difference is not readily apparent to the untrained eye. The difference is more noticeable when one goes from a 60Hz panel to a 90Hz display. Then there is the fact that not all content is optimised for more than 60Hz refresh rate. Games, PUBG Mobile in particular, currently cannot have a refresh rate of over 60Hz.