Samsung Galaxy S20 Refresh Rate Maybe Made Flexible

Samsung has taken the bold decision of providing the 120Hz screen refresh rate to all the Galaxy S20 series models released earlier this month. This feature brings with it the issue of the battery losing power quicker. On top of that, these latest flagship devices from Samsung also come with the QHD+ display that is another battery drainer. It now transpires the company is working on bringing in a software update that will leave the discretion to the user to moderate the refresh rate and link it to the display. This update may reach the users in the coming months.

Not a Very Serious Issue

One plus point with the new smartphones launched by Samsung is that the battery sizes are sufficiently large. They start at 4,000mAh on the Samsung Galaxy S20 and go up to 5,000mAh on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. With the fast charging support, many users may not face a serious issue of the battery losing power even if they were to stay with the 120Hz refresh rate. The update that Samsung is working on will enable the 120Hz refresh rate to work only with the 1080p display level and not in combination with the QHD+ display. The software update may tweak the feature to bring down battery consumption as well without compromising the display quality.

Two Separate Tweets on the Issue

There are a couple of tweets on this issue for reference. One is by the regular commentator Ice Universe who has produced a screenshot along with the tweet. The image shows a firmware build, possibly still being developed and shows how the display can be selected with the refresh rate.

Samsung is working on optimizing software for WQHD+ 120hz on the S20 series and should release it in the next 1-3 months if all goes well.

— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) February 18, 2020

The other tweet is by Mark Weinbach who has also disclosed the same information but without the screenshot. Both convey that the update is work in progress and may come out soon. Mark Weinbach has gone ahead and suggested it could take 1 to 3 months.

New Technology Could Solve the Issue

Experts point out that there is another technology LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) display technology, which is yet to be fully developed for commercial exploitation. If this technology is included in the display, then it is possible to dynamically control the refresh rate based on the display. Incidentally, the LTPO technology is in use in Apple Watch Series 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2. Samsung may have to opt to include it in its Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series to be launched in the fourth quarter of the year.