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Does the Samsung Galaxy S25 have a 120Hz display?

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S25 (left), Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Galaxy S25 is Samsung’s newest compact flagship. It sports a more refined design and focuses on enhancing the experience with better AI features. Now Galaxy AI has had time to mature, you get plenty of useful features on the device that are touted to make your day-to-day experience better. The new Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra don’t feature game-changing hardware upgrades and one such spec on the sheet is its display. You get the same “Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display” panel as the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra. Here’s what it means in terms of refresh rate and quality.

Does the Samsung Galaxy S25 range have a 120Hz screen?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with the Galaxy AI screen.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Samsung Galaxy S25 features a 6.2-inch screen, while you get 6.7-inch and 6.9-inch displays on the bigger Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra flagship phones. While screen sizes vary in size, all of them have a Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with a “Super Smooth refresh rate.”

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This is Samsung’s marketing term to denote a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate on its smartphones. The answer is, yes, the Galaxy S25 trio has a 120Hz screen. It can go from 1Hz to 120Hz depending on the content on the screen. For instance, it can go down to 1Hz on Always’on display to save battery, and up to 120Hz when scrolling and gaming for a smooth experience.

This 120Hz refresh rate means, at its fastest, the Galaxy S25 range has twice the refresh rate of traditional 60Hz displays on older smartphones. But what does that really mean, and should you actually care? You absolutely should, and here’s why.

How does the 120Hz refresh rate benefit the Galaxy S25 range?

A timer running on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

In short, the refresh rate measures how many times the static image on a screen changes each second (how many frames it shows) in Hertz (Hz). As mentioned, having a screen that switches between 1Hz and 120Hz refresh rate based on the on-screen content means you get a more efficient setup, since it’ll be able to turn down the refresh rate when viewing static images, or reading webpages. If you switch over to a game, or scroll down the page, no problem, it’ll ratchet up the refresh rate to match. A lower refresh rate means a lower power drain, so the screen being able to swap dynamically means your battery will end up lasting longer.

What does a higher refresh rate do in practice? The 120Hz refresh rate on the Galaxy S25 series means you get smoother scrolling, transitions, animations, and enhanced responsiveness on all three phones. It also contributes to less tearing and stuttering when watching videos. Plus, if you play games on your smartphone, you’ll notice less motion blur, more precise controls, and more responsive gameplay with a higher refresh rate display.

The Galaxy S25 still costs the same $799 as the Galaxy S24. Despite minimal upgrades, it holds its ground at that price against the Googe Pixel 9.

Prakhar Khanna
Prakhar writes news, reviews and features for Digital Trends. He is an independent tech journalist who has been a part of the…
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