For example, if you’re using your phone in split screen mode, playing a YouTube video on one half and reading a web article on the other, the device would be able to automatically apply a higher refresh rate to the half where the video is playing. The other half of the display would refresh at a lower frequency as it would be more static. This is just a one-off usage scenario, of course. The new variable display refresh rate technology from Samsung could also be useful without entering the split screen mode. If the content on one portion of the display requires a higher refresh rate while that on the other doesn’t, your device would be able to adjust accordingly. Illustrations that Samsung submitted as part of the patent documents show a screen rendering content at three different refresh rates (30Hz, 60Hz, and 120Hz) simultaneously. Of course, there will be technical limitations regarding the combination of screen windows and refresh rates. The varying refresh rate won’t apply to any arbitrary combination. But the company’s idea is clear. It wants to preserve energy by intelligently applying different refresh rates across the screen.
The new display refresh rate tech may not be ready for the Galaxy S23 series
Samsung filed the patent applications for “A method of driving display with multiple refresh rate and an electronic device performing the same” and “Electronic device that drives a plurality of display areas of a display with different driving frequencies” back in January 2021. The applications were published this week. While the Galaxy S23 series would be a great fit for the new tech, patents seldom work that way. More often than not, companies file patents to just preserve an idea for future exploration. We suspect this is one of those. Samsung may have yet to make significant progress with the development of this tech. It may not be ready for the next-gen Galaxy flagships, which are now just a few months away. They may still feature the 120Hz variable refresh rate tech that Samsung has applied since the Galaxy S21 days. Meanwhile, if you want to check out the technical tidbits of the new display refresh rate technology, you can find the two Samsung patents here and here (via).
