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Pay extra for a faster-refresh-rate phone if smoother scrolling matters to you or you play games that can run above 60 frames per second. If your apps and games are mostly capped at 60 fps—or you rarely notice the difference—the feature is usually a lower priority than battery life, camera quality, software support, or the price gap.
A higher refresh rate is a display capability, not a guarantee that every app will look or run faster. Compare how the exact phone handles refresh rates, the content you use, and battery performance before paying more.
What a phone refresh rate changes
Refresh rate is how many times per second a screen can update its image. A 60Hz display refreshes up to 60 times a second; 90Hz and 120Hz displays can update more often. The higher rate can make motion—such as scrolling through a page or moving between screens—look smoother. Android Developers notes that higher refresh rates can improve the feel of scrolling, while increasing display-panel power use: Android’s power-efficiency guidance.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchRefresh rate and frame rate are related but not interchangeable. Refresh rate is the screen’s capacity; frame rate is how many new images an app or game actually produces each second. A 120Hz screen does not make a game designed to run at 60 fps produce 120 fps. Android’s developer guidance says a display rate above a game’s target frame rate provides no benefit for that game and uses more power.
#1 Best Overall
- Carrier: This phone is locked to Tracfone, which means this device can only be used on the Tracfone wireless network. Tracfone plan required, activating is easy, just 3 steps.
- DISPLAY: Immersive viewing on a 6.7-inch super-bright 120Hz display with powerful stereo speakers and Bass Boost for cinematic entertainment.
- CAMERA SYSTEM: Advanced 50MP Quad Pixel camera captures sharp, detailed photos and videos in any lighting condition
- PERFORMANCE: Lightning-fast 5G connectivity paired with a powerful processor and RAM Boost for smooth multitasking.
- BATTERY LIFE: Long-lasting 5000mAh battery with TurboPower charging technology delivers hours of power in minutes.
When paying extra makes sense
You notice smoother motion
If you spend a lot of time scrolling or using apps with frequent animation, a faster display may make everyday interactions feel smoother. Whether that difference matters is personal: it depends on your perception and the way you use the phone. A 2025 study, “Higher refresh rate does not necessarily improve scrolling experience on mobile phones,” involved 76 participants performing text and/or image scrolling tasks at 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. Its accessible summary does not provide detailed outcomes, so it does not establish a universal preference or a refresh-rate threshold that will suit everyone: study record.
You play games that support higher frame rates
A faster screen can show more frames when a game supports them and the phone can sustain them. Check the games you actually play: support varies, and some games remain capped at 60 fps. In those cases, paying for a higher display ceiling alone will not make gameplay smoother.
The premium fits your priorities
There is no universal price premium that makes a faster display worthwhile. Compare the actual difference between the phones you are considering with features you value more, such as battery life, camera quality, storage, or length of software support. The value is strongest when you both notice the smoother motion and will use content that can take advantage of it.
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Rank #2
- Carrier: This phone is locked to Tracfone, which means this device can only be used on the Tracfone Wireless network. A Tracfone plan is required to activate this device. Activating is easy, upon receipt go to the Tracfone Website and select “Activate” and follow the prompts.
- Immersive 120Hz Display: Watch, browse, and game on a stunning 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display. The 120Hz refresh rate provides an incredibly smooth, fluid scrolling experience, while Vision Booster ensures your screen stays clear and bright, even in direct sunlight.
- Pro-Grade 50MP OIS Camera: Capture life in stunning detail with the 50MP main camera featuring OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) for crisp, blur-free photos and steady videos. The system also includes an 8MP ultrawide and 13MP front camera, so you get the perfect shot every time.
- Massive Battery & Fast Charging: Power through your entire day and then some with a massive 5,000mAh battery. When you finally need a boost, 25W Super Fast Charging gets you back to 100% in a hurry, so you’re never tethered to an outlet for long.
- Durable by Design, Ample Storage: Built to handle life's moments, the Galaxy A26 features an IP67 water and dust-resistant rating. With 128GB of internal storage and the option to add up to 2TB more with a microSD card, you'll have all the space you need for your apps, photos, and files.
When it may not be worth it
- You mostly read static pages, view photos, or use apps where motion is limited.
- Your games and video apps are capped at 60 fps, so they cannot use the display’s higher refresh capability.
- You prioritize battery life and would rather avoid extra display power use.
- The faster-refresh model costs enough more that another feature matters more to you.
These are trade-offs, not guarantees: battery impact and perceived smoothness vary by phone, settings, and use.
Why the advertised maximum does not tell the whole story
Adaptive refresh can reduce unnecessary high-rate operation
Some phones adjust the refresh rate rather than keeping the display at its maximum. Android 15’s adaptive refresh-rate guidance describes adjusting display refresh to match content frame rate, which can reduce power use by operating below the maximum when it is not needed and reduce jank associated with switching modes. Support and implementation depend on the device: Android Open Source Project guidance.
For a device-specific example, Samsung says the Galaxy S22’s Adaptive mode adjusts up to 120Hz, while Standard mode uses 60Hz for ordinary situations and battery conservation. Samsung also warns that using 120Hz on those phones may drain the battery faster than 60Hz: Samsung Ireland’s Galaxy S22 guidance. This describes that model, not every phone with an adaptive display.
Rank #3
- 2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 5G bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6
- Dimensions 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm (5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 in) Weight 162 g (5.71 oz) Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame SIM Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)
- Display Type Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 480Hz PWM, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) Size 6.2 inches, 94.4 cm2 (~91.1% screen-to-body ratio) Resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~416 ppi density) Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- OS Android 15, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 7 Chipset Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm) CPU Octa-core (2x4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M) GPU Adreno 830
- Main Camera Triple 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video Features Best Face, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama Video 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
Heat, battery, workload, and app support can limit refresh rate
A phone may not sustain its advertised maximum in every situation. Xiaomi says its phones may drop from 90Hz to 60Hz during games if the device detects high temperature or low battery, if CPU load is high, or if the game does not support more than 60Hz: Xiaomi’s support explanation. This is an example of device behavior, not a rule that applies identically to all manufacturers.
How to compare two phones before buying
- Check the content you use. Look up whether your regular games support frame rates above 60 fps. For general apps, decide whether smoother scrolling and animations matter to you.
- Check the phone’s refresh-rate modes. Confirm whether it offers adaptive refresh, what its modes do, and whether you can choose a lower-rate setting if you prefer battery conservation.
- Look for device-specific battery evidence. Manufacturer support pages can clarify how a model’s modes work, but do not treat a display-power claim as a whole-phone battery-life figure.
- Compare the real price difference. Weigh the premium against the phone’s other features and your own priorities; there is no generally established amount that every buyer should pay.
- If possible, try the display yourself. Scroll through the kinds of pages you use. Your own perception is more useful than assuming every buyer will value the same change.
What battery claims do—and do not—tell you
Higher refresh rates can increase display-panel power consumption, but that does not translate into one fixed percentage of shorter battery life for every phone. The panel, software, adaptive behavior, brightness, workload, and other device differences matter. Android’s guidance describes a power trade-off; Samsung’s Galaxy S22 support page gives a model-specific warning. Neither establishes a universal battery penalty.
Samsung Display’s 2020 announcement claimed that its then-commercialized adaptive-frequency technology could reduce operating power by as much as 22% compared with smartphones then in general use, and reported a 60% operating-power saving for still images in its stated comparison. Those are historical manufacturer claims about display operation and a particular technology—not estimates of whole-phone battery-life gains or a current comparison across phones: Samsung Display’s announcement.
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