OnePlus is among one of the few OEMs around that both, ship a 120Hz high refresh rate display and also allow the same to be set on the maximum QHD+ resolution on the panel. However, even the maximum 120Hz setting is not set across all the apps uniformly -- as OnePlus notes, "the refresh rate will be switched dynamically based on scenarios". OnePlus does not explicitly mention the scenarios when the refresh rate will be scaled back down on the OnePlus 8 Pro, but we know from a past AMA on the OnePlus 7 Pro that the phone uses a variable refresh rate to drop down for scenarios like watching videos, using the camera app, and in phone calls. If you would like to have a finer level of control on the refresh rate on a per-app basis, XDA Recognized Developer arter97‘s AutoHz app lets you set refresh rates for every app on your phone.

Within the stock OnePlus settings, the 60Hz mode option makes the device run at a constant 60Hz like most other smartphones. The 90Hz/120Hz (depending on the max refresh rate) mode option practically acts as an “auto” option which switches the refresh rate back to 60Hz in certain conditions. There is a true 90Hz/120Hz setting hidden which you can enable through ADB commands, but that would increase the power consumption on your device, even if you would not necessarily benefit from a higher refresh rate in that scenario. For 90Hz, Dylan measured the increase in power draw to be about 30mW per hour, or about an additional 0.5% of the OnePlus 7 Pro’s total battery per hour for the display only, and there is likely to be additional power draw from the SoC and the GPU to push those many frames every second.

This is where AutoHz comes in. We've covered AutoHz in the past, back when it was called Auto90. Since then, the app has expanded its support across multiple OnePlus devices, extending it to the 90Hz OnePlus 8 and the 120Hz OnePlus 8 Pro. The app lets you control how and when your OnePlus device switches to 60Hz or 90/120Hz, or let it automatically decide for itself. The app is specifically made for OnePlus devices with high-refresh-rate displays (i.e. OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T, OnePlus 7T Pro, OnePlus 8, and OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz)) and works only on OxygenOS. The app also requires a one-time setup with ADB too.

Within the app, you see a list of installed apps and a toggle beside each app. The 60Hz setting sets the display to 60Hz within that app, the 90/120Hz setting sets the display refresh rate to 90/120Hz within that app, and the Auto setting keeps the system’s default behavior for that particular app. Note that for the OnePlus 8 Pro, there is no 90Hz midway setting -- so you can either choose 60Hz or 120Hz. The app already contains some recommended settings for common apps, but it lets you exercise full control.

Giveaway for AutoHz app

AutoHz is a paid application, so not every user may be willing to shell out the price for finding this right balance between performance and battery. For the same reason, we are giving out 20 promo codes to our readers at random. To get a promo code for this app, simply drop in your XDA forum username in the comments section below. We’ll check back after 24 hours, enter the usernames in a random list picker, and PM you the promo code to your forum profile. No other forms of entry are accepted for this giveaway. The giveaway has ended.


AutoHz Developer: arter97
Price: 1.49
3.9
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