When it comes to premium smartphone displays, the race still is to see which company will be able to deliver the best bezel-less solution. But in recent years, having a bezel-less display isn’t the only priority for a user when picking an expensive phone. Back in 2017, Razer introduced the very first smartphone with a 120Hz refresh rate. It came as a niche feature, but three years later, it is something mandatory for any company launching a flagship. In fact, this year we’re seeing even mid-range phones popping out with a high-refresh-rate, so there’s no excuse anymore if you’re developing a flagship phone. Since that last year, OnePlus decided to jump in this bandwagon with its OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro featuring 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates. Since then, all devices from the company came with at least a 90Hz refresh rate, except for the OnePlus Nord N100.
The OnePlus Nord N100 is part of the OnePlus brand new lineup of budget smartphones. With the first Nord and Nord N10 are premium mid-range phones offering 5G connectivity, the N100 is a true budget device with average specifications and a competitive price tag. The company unveiled the N100 in October alongside the N10. While the latter has a 90Hz refresh rate panel, the former has been described with a standard 60Hz panel. But this does seem to be the case after further inspection.
The N100 seems to be a tweaked version of the Oppo A53 and A53s. If you’re unaware, Oppo and OnePlus are part of the same conglomerate of BBK Electronics as well as Realme and Vivo. It’s common to see these companies sharing technologies and, in certain occasions, designs. The fact is that both Oppo A53 and A53s come with an HD+ panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Oppo is trying to expand the availability of those panels, even in devices with HD+ resolution and that is a good thing. The question is why the OnePlus N100 that is a close sibling didn’t come with this 90Hz rate?
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The OnePlus Nord N100 actually has a 90Hz display
Well, OnePlus finally bought an answer to this. The company confirmed that, in fact, the OnePlus Nord N100 has a 90Hz display. The Refresh Rate mode is also available in the phone Display Settings, but the default option is set at 60Hz.
AndroidAuthority was the first to spot the 90Hz panel. After sharing the discovery, OnePlus retracted its previous statements about the phone shipping with a standard 60Hz panel. Now the company says that “N100 is equipped with a 90Hz display.” This is pretty strange, right? According to the company, the refresh rate will depend on settings, applications used, and processing limitations.
OnePlus is known for shipping features that aren’t enabled by default. Perhaps, the company wasn’t confident about the processing power of the Snapdragon 460. Maybe this chipset isn’t capable of providing a smooth enough experience all the time if you’re on a 90Hz mode. Even though its sister company, Oppo, is pretty confident that it does a good job.
In the end, it still is a pretty confusing situation and somewhat unexpected. The marketing team would love to tease this feature before the availability of the OnePlus Nord N100.
