A new leak out of China and DCS, claims that Honor is playing around with a phone that runs its screen at 185Hz. Yes, 185. It sounds like a spec someone scribbled on a board just to see who reacts first, but apparently the prototype is real enough for internal testing. The display allegedly has a 1.5K resolution, too, though that part isn’t especially shocking anymore.
Smoother screens need proper software support
Now, here’s the thing: phones have been stuck in a kind of “refresh-rate plateau” for a while. Most models hover at 120Hz and honestly, that’s already more than enough for regular use. Some brands, usually the gaming-focused ones like RedMagic, stretch things to 165Hz. OnePlus recently touched that mark with the OnePlus 15, though in practice the phone rarely stays there.
And that’s the real issue. You can advertise whatever number you want, but the software decides what you actually see. The OnePlus 15 can technically run at 165Hz, sure, but open a random app — even a popular one — and the phone immediately drops back down to 120Hz because the app isn’t built for anything higher. Only a handful of games tap into its full potential, and you’d probably need to go digging in settings to check if they really do.
So when people hear “185Hz,” they think the phone will look dramatically smoother. It won’t. Not unless developers suddenly decide to support that exact number. It’s like buying a sports car for a city that only has 40 km/h zones.
The battery trade-off
There’s also the battery angle, which always ends up being the party spoiler. Higher refresh rates simply burn more power. The panel works harder, warms up faster, and the phone then needs to throttle or adapt to keep everything in check. This is why most companies don’t go crazy with refresh-rate experiments: the added smoothness doesn’t offset the compromises.
If Honor does ship this device, it’ll mostly be for bragging rights — a “we did it first” badge. It’ll sound good in promotional material, it’ll look impressive in a comparison chart, and that’s probably where the story ends. The average user won’t notice much, if anything at all, beyond the number printed in the specs.
Still, Honor has been pushing unusual hardware ideas lately, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if we see this thing show up at some event and steal a few headlines. Whether it improves anyone’s daily phone experience… that’s another story.
Key points
- Honor is reportedly testing a phone with a 185Hz display, which would push refresh rates beyond today’s 120–165Hz range.
- Real-world benefits would likely be limited, since most apps and games aren’t optimized for anything above 120Hz.
- Even current 165Hz phones rarely stay at their highest rate, dropping to lower speeds the moment an app doesn’t support it.
- Higher refresh rates drain more battery and generate more heat, which is why most brands avoid going beyond what users can actually notice.
- If Honor releases this device, it would mainly serve as a “look what we can do” spec achievement, rather than a feature that changes everyday phone use.
Source from Gizchina
Disclaimer: The information set forth above is provided by gizchina.com independently of Alibaba.com. Alibaba.com makes no representation and warranties as to the quality and reliability of the seller and products. Alibaba.com expressly disclaims any liability for breaches pertaining to the copyright of content.
