60Hz vs. 120Hz vs. 165Hz: I've tested dozens of TVs, and here's what's best for your home

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Regardless of which astute TV catches your oculus lately, manufacturers look obsessed with pushing refresh rates arsenic the eventual selling point, close alongside the sheet technology. 

Whether you're hunting for a coagulated budget-friendly find oregon acceptable to driblet superior currency connected a flagship location theatre setup, navigating the refresh complaint scenery usually feels similar wading done a messy swamp of method buzzwords and overblown selling hype.

Also: How to disable HDMI-CEC connected your TV

But does a precocious refresh complaint automatically mean you get a amended picture? To assistance you find the close acceptable for your abstraction and amusement needs, I broke down what refresh rates are and however they impact representation quality. 

What does refresh complaint adjacent mean?

A refresh rate, besides known arsenic framework rate, is the fig of times a TV surface displays an representation per second. Measured successful hertz, determination is simply a precise analyzable look that electrical engineers usage to cipher refresh rates, but it's easier to ideate your TV arsenic a precise fancy slideshow projector, with each framework a abstracted inactive image. 

When a television's tech specs database the refresh complaint arsenic 60Hz, that means the surface tin nutrient up to 60 frames per second. And arsenic LED exertion has improved, refresh rates are getting pushed higher and higher, with galore modern astute TVs having rates connected par with high-end gaming and nonrecreational PC monitors. 

Almost each astute TVs tin beryllium lumped into 1 of 3 large groups based connected refresh rates:

1. Is 60Hz capable for you?

Samsung RGB Micro LED TV astatine  CES 2025
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Even the astir basal modern tv volition person a basal refresh complaint of 60Hz, the aforesaid arsenic successful past cathode-ray conduit models. But modern TVs tin nutrient 4K images densely packed with ocular information, whereas older CRT models maxed retired astatine 480p with vastly inferior opposition and colour accuracy. 

If you're looking for a coagulated astute TV that tin grip everything from unrecorded sports to the occasional play video game, a 60Hz refresh complaint volition springiness you decent representation quality. Models similar the Toshiba C350 often see bundle tweaks to boost representation quality, specified arsenic enactment for Dolby Vision HDR for enhanced item and contrast, and car low-latency representation modes for console gaming.

2. The lawsuit for 120Hz

While 60Hz is perfectly serviceable for a batch of customers, you'll privation to put successful a mid-range LED oregon high-end OLED exemplary with a 120Hz refresh complaint if you are a spot much picky. With a higher refresh rate, you tin battalion much frames per 2nd into a video, which results successful overmuch cleaner, smoother motion. 

If you've chopped the cord and moved exclusively to streaming, oregon can't basal the show of question blur during unrecorded sports, a astute TV with a basal refresh complaint of 120Hz tin present crisper images truthful you ne'er miss a azygous item of your favourite shows and movies. 

One of my favourite flagship TVs past year, the LG C5, not lone has a 120Hz refresh complaint but besides delivers exceptionally close colors and near-perfect blacks acknowledgment to its improved OLED panel, enhancing opposition and representation quality.

3. Kicking it up to 165Hz

Manufacturers person started to merchandise astute TVs susceptible of genuinely awesome refresh rates, with immoderate similar the Hisense U8QG topping retired astatine 165Hz. A refresh complaint this precocious means you'll get an ultra-smooth image, adjacent during precise fast-paced scenes successful movies and shows arsenic good arsenic action-packed gameplay connected consoles and PC. 

Also: How to disable question interpolation connected your TV - and wherefore it's a indispensable according to experts

While movie and TV buffs tin get a batch of mileage retired of specified precocious refresh rates, these models truly radiance erstwhile utilized astir exclusively for high-end gaming oregon originative nonrecreational work. These TVs often enactment AMD oregon Nvidia's adaptable refresh complaint technology, which matches your TV's refresh complaint with the framerate output of your PC oregon console to assistance forestall annoying surface tearing and stuttering. 

This makes these kinds of TVs a large prime arsenic a dedicated gaming surface oregon extra-large show for originative professionals moving with video and animation.

Bottom line

There are a batch of factors that spell into creating a large representation connected a TV screen, with refresh complaint being conscionable 1 constituent to consider. While galore customers volition beryllium contented with a basal astute TV with a 60Hz refresh rate, movie buffs whitethorn privation to outpouring for a exemplary susceptible of 120Hz for smoother motion, portion superior gamers should see premium-grade TVs that tin nutrient refresh rates up to 165Hz.

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