While Samsung has been rolling out One UI 9 beta updates for various supported Galaxy models in recent weeks, in addition to visual changes in the interface, a small innovation has also emerged that can reduce battery consumption. Reviews of some models in the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25 series show that the refresh rate options available to the screen have been expanded with One UI 9.0. Three new refresh rate levels are supported with the software: 20 Hz, 26.67 Hz and 40 Hz. This change especially allows upper segment Galaxy phones using LTPO displays to switch to a more appropriate refresh rate according to the content displayed. Thus, it becomes possible to reduce energy consumption slightly in cases where a high refresh rate of the screen is not needed.
Although the new options may not seem as remarkable as high refresh rates such as 120 Hz at first glance, they may make sense in terms of battery performance considering the way variable refresh rate displays work. Panels with LTPO technology can dynamically change the refresh rate depending on the content on the screen. While higher values can be increased during fast scrolling, animations or games, lower refresh rates can be preferred in content with little movement. Intermediate values added with One UI 9 also help the system manage these transitions more precisely. The fact that the screen and software switch to the relevant refresh rate under appropriate conditions, rather than the user constantly manually selecting these values, shows that the change can contribute to energy consumption, even if it is not directly noticeable in daily use.
One UI 9 offers more refresh rate options on Galaxy displays
For example, in a situation where there are very few moving elements on the screen, the phone can drop to 20 Hz instead of 24 Hz, allowing the screen to refresh less image in the same period of time. The 4 Hz difference alone may not provide a big battery saving, but considering that the screen is used constantly with different content throughout the day, small gains can add up. Similarly, 26.67 Hz and 40 Hz options can help the device maintain fluidity in certain content without going to an unduly high refresh rate. Thus, it is possible for Samsung to make finer adjustments between image fluency and energy consumption by using more steps in variable refresh rate management. However, how much battery will be saved in real use; It is too early to say that this feature alone will provide a significant increase in battery life, as it depends on many variables such as screen brightness, applications used, content viewed and duration of use of the device.
The new refresh rate levels are reportedly seen on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Ultra models. In addition, other models in the same families such as Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, Galaxy S25+, Galaxy S25 Edge also use LTPO screen technology. Therefore, these devices can also be expected to benefit from new refresh rate options within the scope of One UI 9. However, at this stage, it has not been confirmed that 20 Hz, 26.67 Hz and 40 Hz values are enabled in all of these models. During Samsung’s beta process, features may arrive at different times depending on devices and software versions, which may require waiting for the stable One UI 9 distribution to finalize the support list.
In the Galaxy S26 series, these three refresh rate options are already available under One UI 9.0. However, it is not yet clear whether the Galaxy S26 models support these display modes from the software they first went on sale or whether the options were later enabled with the One UI 9.0 beta update. This detail is noteworthy to understand that the feature is not just dependent on the new display hardware. Seeing the same options on the existing LTPO panels in the Galaxy S24 and S25 families shows that Samsung has been able to make the screen control more detailed with changes on the software side. However, since not every LTPO panel needs to support the same refresh rate ranges, it should not be assumed that all Galaxy devices receiving One UI 9 will have the same options.
This change of One UI 9 is not a major feature that will directly change the way users use their phones. However, considering the share of the screen in total energy consumption in modern smartphones, managing the refresh rate more compatible with the content may contribute to battery efficiency, albeit in a small way. The effect of software optimizations may become more visible, especially in usage scenarios where the screen is kept on for a long time at high brightness. On the other hand, comparative battery tests are needed to determine to what extent the gain from the difference between 20 Hz and 24 Hz will be reflected in daily usage time. For now, the new options in One UI 9 show that Samsung is turning to more detailed use of the existing LTPO display hardware and is also trying to reduce battery consumption with small optimizations rather than major changes.
Join Channel