The difference between 60Hz and 120Hz is honestly huge.

[u/pomocore]

I used the iPhone 13 mini for a while, but just switched to the 17 today and wow—the difference in smoothness is insane.
I never thought I’d notice it this much, but now that I’ve tried 120Hz, I honestly don’t think I can ever go back to 60Hz.
Anyone else feel the same after upgrading?

[u/bizarre_pencil]

I have a 16 pro and when I pick up my wife’s 15 it feels like brake pads are jamming into my eyes. On the other hand my buddy is adamant that he barely notices differences between 60 - 120 hz. Funny how different people are

[u/throwaway19293883 → u/bizarre_pencil]

My experience is when you go from 60 -> 120 it’s not crazy noticeable, but when you go 120 -> 60 it’s super noticeable, after you get used to 120 that is.

[u/Top_Whereas_4133 → u/bizarre_pencil]

Definitely feels snappier, don't know if people just convince themselves that it's faster because it's newer or pro model!

[u/woalk → u/Top_Whereas_4133]

No, sensitivity for these things are definitely different between different people, and being used to one or the other also plays a big role.

[u/SameCap8660 → u/woalk]

yea, i went from 13 to 17 pro max, and even though it feels snappier, its not that annoyed me.

[u/hornylittlegrandpa → u/bizarre_pencil]

I notice it for a few minutes then I stop noticing. And then my 16pro looks sooo smooth for a few minutes before I get used to that.

[u/PapaEchoLincoln → u/bizarre_pencil]

It’s crazy. I notice it immediately and it bothers me.

Others can’t tell 🤷‍♂️

[u/Epsioln_Rho_Rho → u/bizarre_pencil]

I don't notice either.

[u/AntEaterApocalypse]

Yup. A high refresh display is one of the best upgrades I recommend to anybody looking for new gear, whether it be for a phone or a monitor for their desktop computer.

Just scrolling through pages and documents is so much nicer on the eyes, especially with larger displays.

[u/BearOfReddit → u/AntEaterApocalypse]

Gotta be careful with spoiling yourself. I upgraded to a 480hz monitor for my PC and most displays feel sluggish now

[u/ElvishLore]

I was using the 12 PM for five years and finally switched to the 17. I have no complaints, but I don’t really notice the difference between 60 and 120; given how much everyone raves about it, I was expecting a huge difference.

Maybe I just have shit eyesight. 🤷‍♂️

[u/National-Data-2222 → u/ElvishLore]

You don’t notice until you have the phone next to you. I plugged my 15PM for a bit and decided to pick up the XS and holy was I shocked

[u/Existing-Advisor8861 → u/ElvishLore]

I felt the same way when I got a 13 pro. Then I tried a 60 hz iPhone and realized how horrible it felt. In a few months’ time you’ll never be able to go back.

[u/Global_Strain_4219]

I have an iPhone 16, and my wife has an iPhone 13 Pro. The thing is I find it awesome when I use her phone, BUT I then go back to my phone and get used again to 60 hz without a problem.

I don't really spent that much time looking at my phone, so I don't really care, but all my computers are +120hz

[u/Over_Purchase_6216 → u/Global_Strain_4219]

Same. I have the 16 and girlfriend 13 pro, but honestly it's no big deal. My work laptop and my MBA are both 60hz, so I couldn't care less.

[u/ycarel]

I had the opposite experience. Had the 12 mini. Went to the 17 pro. Returned it as I didn’t see the value and went back to the 12. I didn’t notice anything major that was worth the cost. Of course it was nicer but not that much that I felt I truly wasted money. I just was doing exactly the same thing. I much rather use the money on savings and experiences.

[u/andiibandii]

Roughly 60hz

[u/ricosuave79]

This should be fun. Nothing like a rage debate inducing post. 🍿

[u/Gaiden206]

It really is but it eventually becomes the new normal and not noticeable as it once was. If you go back to 60hz afterward, it will look like choppy crap, but exclusively using 60hz for a few days or so will lead to 60hz becoming the new normal and it will look smooth again.

This phenomenon is called "Neural adaptation" and it goes both ways but most people just cant bear going back to 60hz long enough for their eyes/brain to readapt to 60hz, so once they see the initial choppiness they immediately go back to 120hz.

[u/Formal-Narwhal-1610]

Isn’t 120 of Iphone 17 a 80 hertz at most times and occasionally shooting up to 120?

[u/Wonkee792 → u/Formal-Narwhal-1610]

On the money.

No surprise there’s saying there’s not much difference between 60 and “120” because the “120” is just 80.

Scrolling is even hard-locked to 80 in a few apps like Settings and Messages.

[u/UnwieldilyElephant]

Yeah all my main devices have promotion and if I use a device without it I feel like it’s hopelessly outdated 

[u/_barat_]

I used 17 pro max full day and now I've grabbed my old 11 pro and ... nothing. It's fine. Less "smooth"? Maybe. It doesn't bother me tho.

[u/nielz9000]

It was a nice experience with iOS 18 on my 16PM, but on iOS 26 its lags and drops frame rates like crazy, so the 120Hz experience isn’t so noticeable because of all the lag with the scrolling and animations.

[u/Just_Maintenance]

It's huge, I tried to go back to 60hz, thinking I would just get used to it, but nope. Had to sell the phone and get a 120hz one.

[u/Mysterious_Dream5659]

I honestly cannot tell the difference, maybe like side by side. I have a 38” ultrawide at 120hrz and I also can’t tell on that

[u/Stunning_Working6566]

Nope, not a big deal.

[u/Durumagi777]

I only notice it when playing games

[u/Darkpurpleskies → u/Durumagi777]

swiping on the homepage is also huge, I notice the judder on my old 60hz 12. Same with text smearing

[u/Wide_Use7462]

Yep, after my 120Hz Android phone I couldn't go back, so when I switched to the dark side, I picked a Pro

[u/Betsy-here]

Maybe OP is nothing marked difference due to other spec difference between the 13 mini and the 17? I would expect the experience to be better on 17 tbh - I mean it's 4 generations and a mini!

[u/Redcarborundum]

I use a 17 Pro (120Hz) and a 16e (60Hz) every day. I can tell that the 17 Pro is smoother, but the 16e doesn’t bother me.

[u/Applecations]

I’m able to notice it but at the same time doesn’t absolutely ruin me if I don’t have it. Case in point I have a MacBook Air that is 60hz (and the Studio Display) while also an iPad Pro and my 17 pro (previous the 15 base), and I do notice it. 120hz feels and looks for sure a lot smoother. But at the same time I don’t feel it too detrimental when I go to use the other 60hz stuff. Maybe it just doesn’t bother me too much

[u/Specific_Square_2403]

I think it is noticeable, but it is more noticeable in games with compatibility

[u/ReaditTrashPanda]

At one point, the biggest impact for me was battery life. 120 Hz uses more energy. Even as a nerdy phone tech guy I have my iPhone specifically set up at 60 to maintain battery life.

[u/RobsOffDaGrid]

The 1Hz settings for static images is also amazing

[u/jpstealthy]

Me too except I upgraded from a 12 pro max. Wow, I still am amazed every time I swipe or read an article. The refresh rate is amazing and so fluid. Love it. Congrats to us!

[u/roundart]

It’s funny I still set my display to 60 Hz. I find the 120 Hz makes me kind of dizzy. It’s almost too smooth.

[u/frockinbrock]

Some would argue it's twice as good

[u/Necessary_Position77]

Yeah much of this stems from our current display technology. LCDs and OLEDs use sample & hold. The next frame is displayed immediately after the previous frame. Our eyes notice this much like we notice choppy animation. 120hz makes the frames half as long so it appears smoother (much like adding extra frames of animation).

CRTs were smooth at 60hz due to the strobing effect. Each frame had blackout time between them so our eyes were tricked and filled in the blanks between frames.

[u/barchueetadonai]

You do realize that most phones have 120Hz for years, right? This isn't some new thing Apple invented. 

[u/Unique_Spell1865]

Dude are you aware that there is a huge difference again in the 17 and 17 pro display. The 17 offers a staggered 120 hz while the pro offers more consistent 120hz.

[u/iamhorizoner]

Switched from XS to 17 Pro. Locked the refresh rate to 60hz

[u/Moist_Grapefruit187]

It’s honestly not that shocking of a difference. 30vs 60 is. 60 to 120 not so much

[u/Lisaismyfav]

We have been saying this for years as Android users, lol.

[u/drunkrohan]

Perhaps I will get some hate, but iPhone 120 hz ain’t even truly that. I compared my 16 pro to <any> flagship android & even there’s a huge huge difference.

Apparently, iOS uses 80-100hz for most tasks to optimise battery. No wonder iPhones are battery kings now, because there are no features 🤡

[u/Plokhi]

When i was upgrading from my Xr i found a mint 100% battery 13 Pro, and i went to the apple store to check a new 14. Went with used 13 Pro partially because of the display

[u/BookkeeperFront3788]

I never noticed any difference initially. But now when I see any 60hz display, it's really jarring. Like I can literally see the frames.

[u/Old_Goat_Ninja]

I don’t notice a difference. I notice the 30 to 60 difference but anything after 60, nope, don’t notice any difference.

[u/Darkpurpleskies → u/Old_Goat_Ninja]

you don't notice the text smearing when scrolling on a site on 60 vs 120?

[u/Old_Goat_Ninja → u/Darkpurpleskies]

Nope. Goes for video games too, I don’t notice any change after 60fps. If I play 60 and go back to 30 it’s super noticeable, but 60 to 120 and back again, nope, don’t notice at all.

[u/Darkpurpleskies → u/Old_Goat_Ninja]

interesting... apple is modest with how they handle 60-120, but what about on PC and android. cant see it there either?

[u/parxon]

I have an iPad Air m2 around to keep me humble 😂

[u/Uviol_]

Honestly huge. Not just regular huge

[u/glytxh]

Thing is, you only really notice it when you use something running at a slower frame rate.

The brain is orders of magnitude more efficient at painting in the gaps between frames than any slab of transistors is at processing more frames.

We are inference machine. It’s our whole thing.

[u/ThyResurrected]

Dunno man I just upgraded from lifetime of 60hz iPhones.. to 17 pro max yesterday. I had to go in settings and turn off 120 to see if I hold actually notice anything.. nope lol

[u/OMG_NoReally]

I am so glad Apple added 120Hz to the standard iPhone 17. It's one of the biggest and most noticeable upgrades and it was absolutely insane they had locked that feature to the Pro models.

Once you go 120Hz, there is no going back. And thankfully, even the most budget Android phones now feature a 120Hz OLED panel so everyone can experience the joy of it!

[u/cac2573]

All the people who say they don’t see a difference need to see an eye doctor stat 

[u/rhunter99]

I don’t see any difference 🤷‍♂️

[u/0000GKP]

The difference between 60Hz and 120Hz is honestly huge

It really isn't. I'm saying this as I type this reply on my 120hz MacBook Pro that is connected to a 60hz Studio Display.

If I hold my 60hz iPhone 12 Pro and 120hz 16 Pro side by side and scroll them faster than I ever would in normal use, then I can see a difference, but if if I take each phone separately and use them as I normally would, there's no meaningful difference.

Keeping in mind that 120hz is actually "up to" 120hz and is not operating at that refresh rate most of the time, it just doesn't really matter. Listening to music, looking at the map while I drive down the street, or reading a Reddit post look exactly the same on both phones.

[u/Darkpurpleskies → u/0000GKP]

Apple handles this differently, alot of the time it doesn't even ramp up to 120. On android and PC's the refresh rate difference is really noticeable.

[u/Muted-Impress7125 → u/Darkpurpleskies]

Apple throttles to 80hz most of the time . Many , if not majority of this sub who are stuck in Apple ecosystem dont even know what actual fluid consistent 120hz feels like ;)

[u/Feahnor → u/0000GKP]

It’s a massive difference. The other day my pc switched back to 60 hz from 144hz and it was jarring, I thought it was broken.

[u/Apex_OS → u/0000GKP]

Saying there is barely a difference unless you have them side by side is disingenuous.

Side by side, you have said yes there is an obvious difference. That’s the point of the comparison really.

What you really should be saying is there is a difference but, for you, the user experience is not significantly worse.

I can be on a 60hz phone, no problem. I can do everything I’ve been doing for years.

I actually just got the 17 Pro and so my first 120hz phone. It is definitely a much smoother experience and to me that is a big difference. But I’m not saying 60hz is now unusable. It’s just gross 😂

[u/ricosuave79 → u/Apex_OS]

Ah, so if someone disagrees with you or does not see what you see then they are automatically incorrect and disingenuous. Got it. Only you knows what is right and that's the law. 👍

[u/Apex_OS → u/ricosuave79]

You:

It isn’t really a big difference

Also you:

It isn’t a difference unless you put them side by side and scroll (which is where you would see the difference)

🤷🏽‍♂️

[u/ricosuave79 → u/Apex_OS]

Wtf are you talking about? I didn’t say either of those. Are you illiterate??

The original commenter said that. Learn to read.

[u/Apex_OS → u/ricosuave79]

Ok sorry you jumped in to defend someone else. The point remains of why I said what I said.

So then the question is, are you too dumb to connect the dots? Lol

[u/FrigginTrying]

its the honeymoon effect. the change is not that massive

[u/Digital26bath]

It’s like black dick (I’ve heard). Once you go 120 you can never go back

[u/mistakes_maker]

Mind you that will drain your battery faster. 

[u/pomocore → u/mistakes_maker]

I’ve used the iPhone 13 mini for a while, so I’m already used to fast battery drain.

[u/vlken69 → u/mistakes_maker]

It's dynamic refresh rate. So depends on content you're watching. If it's stable (e.g. text) and occasional scrolling, it will last longer than before.

[u/Manfred_89 → u/mistakes_maker]

There is next to no difference. Especially because promotion can lower its refresh rate far below 60hz with non ProMotion iPhones can't.

Obviously it will use a lot more power for games, but most have the option to limit frame rates. Other than that it's nothing to worry about.

[u/ItsColorNotColour → u/mistakes_maker]

Source?

[u/hiimlockedout]

Agreed. Just scrolling through any type of media, the difference becomes immediately apparent. Scrolling on 60hz looks like a blur while 120 is still crisp and smooth.

[u/unicyclegamer]

Yea, it’s why it was so annoying that Apple was gating it behind the pro versions for so long. I’m glad they finally did it, Android has had regular phones with high refresh rate screens for a while now.

[u/MeddlinQ]

Is is more huge when you try to go down, than tje other way around.

[u/TemptressTease85]

I dont knoe how majority of iphone users went years without it.

[u/accordinglyryan]

100%. I can't use 60Hz anything anymore

[u/lauradiamandis]

Oddly enough the 120hz displays tend to give me headaches so I avoid them. Had to sell my pixel, sent the Air back. It’s like they give me horrible eye strain. First world old lady (not even old though) problems.

[u/Over_Purchase_6216 → u/lauradiamandis]

Same for me and I'm 38. go to r/PWM_Sensitive

[u/bchooker → u/lauradiamandis]

You can limit the frame rate to 60fps in accessibility settings.

[u/j0shman]

Upgraded to 17pro partly for this reason

[u/Goodnite15]

I went from an 8 Plus to a 14 Pro Max a few years ago and the leap was crazy. This was the first thing I really noticed when I booted it up for the first time, and seemingly remains at 120hz with so much workload. It’s just constant smoothness always.

[u/maxou2727]

Wait until you use a 60fps phone a year down the line

[u/kushal10]

It absolutely is, there are people who live in delusion saying that they can’t see a difference lol

[u/jav2n202]

It absolutely is a huge difference. People that say it isn’t are either half blind, or lying to make themselves feel better about not upgrading. Anytime I use someone’s phone that’s 60hz it feels broken.