It’s 2020, the time for specs to break the mold they’ve been in for 2019. Last year saw the beginning of 5G in the masses (though in limited form), and specs improved even further than in 2018. In this era of gaming phones, OEMs are expected to really bring their “A-game” in the spec department, and Nubia won’t disappoint, with a rumored 144Hz display on its upcoming Red Magic gaming phone.
Nubia boasts of its upcoming 144Hz display
Nubia took to Chinese social media site Weibo to spread the rumor about its upcoming panel. “Today is a really good day, the 144Hz of the Red Devils 5G is just debugging,” wrote Nubia President and Co-Founder Ni Fei on his social media page. Keep in mind that the above is a rough English translation of the Chinese announcement.
Fei’s statement tells us that the upcoming Nubia Red Magic 3 will not only have a 144Hz panel (refresh rate) but also 5G cellular connectivity. Outside of that, Fei revealed no additional details.
Why is a 144Hz display such a big deal?
As with all spec improvements, the question is hanging around in every reader’s mind: “Why is a 144Hz display such a big deal?” The reason pertains to the specification improvement and the nature of the phone in question.
144Hz breaks the new 120Hz display standard
First, a 144Hz display looks to break through the current trend of 120Hz displays. “120Hz” or “144Hz” are refresh rates, a term that refers to the refresh of on-screen images.
Every second, your smartphone, as does your TV or even PC monitor, updates the images on-screen to prevent motion blur and lag.
Slow motion is something we crave in a specific video mode on our smartphones, but we don’t like to see motion lag on our smartphones, tablets, and computers, especially in a fast-moving adventure scene from a movie or game.
144Hz rate to improve gaming phones specifically
Most smartphones provided the standard 60Hz refresh rate until manufacturers moved to 90Hz refresh rates.
Gaming phone manufacturers have moved from 90Hz to 120Hz, but Nubia’s 144Hz panel on its upcoming gaming phone, called the Red Magic 3, will surpass the 120Hz gaming phone standard and usher in more powerful gaming phones.
And since these phones are “gaming phones” after all, they’re designed to provide the above-quality gaming experience for hardcore users who crave the fastest graphics, screenplay, gameplay, and movie plot turns and twists. A faster refresh rate provides more thrilling on-screen adventures, whether in games or movies.
144Hz rate has Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 support
What some may not know about the Red Magic 3 or the upcoming slaughterhouse of premium smartphones is that current smartphones can only support up to 120Hz.
This is why smartphones such as the ASUS ROG Phone II, Razer Phone 2, Sharp Aquos R3, and the Sharp Aquos Zero 2 support up to 120Hz and no more. A number of Android OEMs upped their high-end smartphone refresh rates this past year, such as OnePlus with its 90Hz panel in the OnePlus 7/7 Pro/7T Pro.
The upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, however, supports 144Hz refresh rate displays, which will make it possible for Nubia to break the refresh rate mold. However, with 144Hz display support in Qualcomm’s upcoming high-end, octa-core SoC, Nubia won’t be the only one to provide this refresh rate update in 2020.