The second half of 2019 saw the rise of Android smartphones with high refresh rate displays. Manufacturers like Google, OnePlus, Realme, and more launched flagships with 90Hz displays putting older smartphones with 60Hz displays to shame. However, the supremacy of 90Hz displays was quite shortlived as ASUS launched the ROG Phone II last year featuring a 120Hz OLED panel. Later in the year, an episode of the Android Developers Backstage podcast revealed that even Google had plans of including a 120Hz display on the Pixel 3. Even though manufacturers like OnePlus and Realme are now bringing 120Hz displays to the mainstream, it seems like they'll soon be outclassed by smartphones with 144Hz displays and that too from a rather unlikely manufacturer — Nubia.

As per a recent Weibo post from Nubia's President and co-founder Ni Fei, the company is testing a 144Hz display for its next Red Magic smartphones. For those of you who are unaware, Nubia's Red Magic is a series of gaming smartphones that offer top-of-the-line specifications at an affordable price. The smartphones feature a gamery aesthetic, with an angular design and RGB lights. The last smartphone in the series, the Nubia Red Magic 3 (review), featured Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset, coupled with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. The device also featured a 90Hz high refresh rate AMOLED display with support for DC dimming and HDR. And with all these features, the device was made available for well under $500.

Nubia Red Magic 144Hz

If Nubia manages to successfully complete tests for the 144Hz display, the upcoming Red Magic 4 might be the first smartphone to feature a 144Hz panel. It's worth noting that if Nubia plans on including a 144Hz display on the next Red Magic device, we can safely assume that it will feature Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 865 chipset which includes support for 144Hz displays. As of now, we have no additional information from the company regarding the specifications or the tentative launch date of the upcoming Red Magic smartphone.


Source: Weibo

Featured image: Nubia Red Magic 3