Next OnePlus flagship phone will have a 120Hz display

OnePlus was one of the first manufacturers to launch a smartphone with a 90Hz screen, the OnePlus 7 Pro.

Now, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau told The Verge that the next major phones coming from the company will have 120Hz displays. He also told the outlet that it would be "the best smartphone display of 2020," and shared on Chinese social media site Weibo that OnePlus has completed the research and development of 120Hz display technology.

Higher refresh rate on a display typically means smoother, crisper image, and OnePlus 7 Pro definitely had one of the best displays around. For comparison, Apple's current flagship, the iPhone 11 Pro, as well as Samsung's Note 10+, have 60Hz displays. It's worth noting, though, that smartphones with 120Hz screens already exist on the market; one example is Razer's gaming-oriented Razer Phone 2.

The Verge also reports that OnePlus plans to use a custom MEMC (motion estimation/motion compensation) chip to upscale videos to 120Hz, potentially making them smoother-looking.

OnePlus revealed a few more details about the display: it will have 1000 nits peak brightness for HDR, a touch sampling rate of 240Hz, and support for 10-bit color.

It appears that OnePlus is betting on screen specs to be an important battlefield in the incredibly competitive world of smartphones. The company has never been the best at phone cameras — this is where Apple, Huawei and Samsung shine. But the display is one of the most important aspects of the smartphone, and if OnePlus can make one that is noticeably better than the rest, and market it well, it could become a differentiator.

OnePlus will share more details about the display at an event in Shenzhen, China on Monday.