First OnePlus 17 rumor claims an even higher refresh rate

The OnePlus 16 premiere was as exciting as it was bittersweet for fans of the brand outside of China. The company won’t launch its new phones in the US, but this doesn’t mean they can’t have an impact on the ecosystem. If that’s the case, we may start seeing a whole new type of display if a OnePlus 17 rumors turn out to be true.

OnePlus 17 may get a 240Hz display

After equipping the OnePlus 16 with an already impressive 185Hz OLED screen, OnePlus may go even higher next year. According to a new post (source in Chinese) from Weibo leaker Smart Pikachu, the company is testing a display panel with a 240Hz refresh rate for the OnePlus 17.

As the leaker says in their post, this could break through the current limits, even though the tech is only being tested. This means there’s a possibility that the OnePlus 17 continues using a lower refresh rate.

OnePlus 17 won’t be the first phone with a 240Hz display

This leak raises several questions about the technology OnePlus may use. Hopefully, the company is testing a native 240Hz refresh rate, instead of the so-called interpolated 240Hz display.

The latter is how Sharp phones, such as the flagship Aquos R11, come with a claim for supporting an ultra-fast refresh rate. However, this is achieved through black frame insertion on a 120Hz display. 

In practice you get the same old 120Hz panel, but between each real frame it produces, you also get a black frame, which adds up to 240Hz.

Many users online didn’t seem all that impressed by this rumor, pointing out that a camera upgrade might have a better impact on the OnePlus flagship. Some redditors said going so high is pointless, especially considering how poorly the current refresh rates are supported by apps.

Something mostly gamers would appreciate

OnePlus is already the best choice for anyone who wants a high-refresh-rate phone, as the OnePlus 16 offers a leading 185Hz display and better software support than its peers. It still shows system menus and apps at 165 Hz, but that’s better than the 144Hz or even 120Hz limit seen on other phones.

Where higher refresh rate makes the biggest difference is in gaming, and modern mobile games are the apps that have the best support even for the now-standard 120Hz displays. Outside of gaming, it’s unlikely the jump to 240Hz would bring the same improvement that almost everyone could notice when switching from a 60Hz to a 120Hz panel.

Exciting, but largely useless

I can’t remember ever feeling limited by the refresh rate on any of my devices, and the upgrade to 120Hz quickly faded because smooth animations are nothing more than a nice addition. What’s more important for me are things like the quality of the colors, the brightness, and the power efficiency of my phone’s screen. Whether this comes with a 240Hz refresh rate or not is the least of my concerns.

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