Hidden menu hints at 120Hz refresh rate for the Samsung Galaxy S11

Twitter tipster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) disseminated several tweets this morning about a hidden menu discovered in the Samsung Galaxy Note 9's One UI 2.0 beta. The menu gives the user of a Samsung phone three options related to the screen's refresh rate. The choices include turning on the high refresh rate mode and keeping the rate at 120Hz; turning off the high refresh mode and keeping the rate at 60Hz; and turning on the high refresh mode and switching automatically between 60Hz and 120Hz depending on the content.

The higher the refresh rate, the faster the screen refreshes allowing for smoother animations (great for video gameplay) and buttery smooth scrolling. Most traditional phones (like the 2019 iPhone models) have a 60Hz refresh rate and the ASUS ROG Phone 2 gaming handset features a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen on the OnePlus 7 Pro has a 90Hz refresh rate as do the displays on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.

When first released, the refresh rate on the new Pixel models would drop down to 60Hz once the screen brightness was set under 75%. That was done to prevent users from seeing the display flicker, which would be caused by the shifting of the rate between 60Hz and 90Hz (depending on the content being viewed); the human eyes are more sensitive to seeing the flickering on a darker screen. But after hearing criticism from consumers, Google sent out an update that eliminated the low-brightness threshold for the Pixel 4 XL and lowered it on the Pixel 4 to 42%. While many who have used a high refresh rate say that it is hard to go back to 60Hz after experiencing 90Hz or 120Hz, battery life must be taken into consideration. Higher refresh rates are going to drain a phone's battery faster. We may see the Galaxy S11 and Galaxy S11+ feature this high refresh rate mode. Speaking of Samsung's next flagship line, Ice Universe discovered that the phone has been certified in China with a 25W fast-charger. Those who want 45W charging will need to purchase the faster charging brick from Samsung.

 In the U.S., the Galaxy S11 family will be powered by the yet to be announced Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform and could be made official on February 23rd. That is the Sunday before the 2020 Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade show kicks off in Barcelona. Traditionally, the manufacturer holds one of its Unpacked events to unveil the latest Galaxy S models.

We expect to see some big changes to the camera system on the phones including the use of a second 108MP sensor developed by Samsung. The first such sensor was developed for Xiaomi's handsets and the new component will reportedly deliver images worthy of the camera on a flagship device. We should see the Galaxy S11 and S11+ equipped with a wide-angle camera, an ultra-wide-angle camera, and a telephoto camera with an optical 5x zoom. There also should be a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor for enhanced depth readings and a

better-looking bokeh effect for portraits. The Galaxy S11e could sport the wide and ultra-wide cameras on the back.

The Galaxy S11 series could also include an improved Night Mode. This is the feature that allows users to snap viewable photos in dark and low-light environments. And there is talk that Samsung will greatly enhance the photos snapped with the Galaxy S11 cameras by adding software that rivals Apple's Deep Fusion. The latter captures eight various exposures of a scene before the shutter is tapped. Using AI, in one second the exposures are analyzed at pixel-by-pixel to help create the most detailed photograph with less noise.

With over three months remaining before we should see the Galaxy S11 line officially announced, we can expect to see many more leaks ahead. Stay tuned!