How to see the refresh rate of the screen on the Xiaomi phone: all the ways

Screen refresh rates (measured in hertz, Hz) are a key factor in the smoothness of animation, interface responsiveness, and even smartphone autonomy. On Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO phones, this can range from the standard 60Hz to the gaming 144Hz, but it’s not always clear what frequency is activated at the moment, especially if the device supports adaptive frequency or you bought a used device with unknown settings.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways Xiaomi can test hertz, from built-in MIUI tools to hidden commands for power users, how to distinguish the actual frequency from the manufacturer’s stated frequency, why the phone can “cheat” in settings, and what to do if the frequency does not meet expectations, and how to force the maximum hertz to be turned on if the system hides them.

Why it is important to know the actual screen frequency

Many users mistakenly believe that the screen frequency only affects gaming, but it actually affects:

• 🔄 Smoothness of scrolling - at 90+ Hz scrolling web pages and social media feeds becomes noticeably more comfortable.
• ⚡ Autonomy – high frequency consumes the battery faster, for example, 120 Hz can reduce the operating time by 15-20% compared to 60 Hz.
• 🎮 Playing Experience in Dynamic Games (PUBG, Call of Duty: High frequency gives an advantage due to a clearer picture.
• 💰 Cost of the device - models with 120/144 Hz is usually more expensive than analogues on 60 Hz, so it’s important to make sure you pay for real-world features.

Important: Some Xiaomi phones (such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ or POCO F4) support an adaptive frequency that automatically adjusts to the content, in which case the settings may display a maximum value (for example, 120 Hz), but in fact the screen runs at 60 Hz when watching video or reading.

There are also cases where used phone vendors artificially lower the frequency to save battery power before selling, so checking hertz is a must when buying a device from hand.

Method 1: Using standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to look at the frequency in the settings menu. It works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with MIUI 12-15, but there are nuances:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the Screen section (or Additional settings → Screen on some models).
3. Find the screen refresh rate (can be called refresh rate or adaptive frequency).
4. If there is no item, try searching by settings (the magnifying glass icon at the top) with the request “frequency”.

In this menu, you'll see the options available: 60 Hz, 90 Hz, 120 Hz or 144 Hz. The current frequency is usually highlighted or ticked.

• ⚠️ On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or Redmi K50) The frequency may be displayed as “Adaptive”, but the actual value will have to be checked in other ways.
• ⚠️ In battery saving mode (Ultra-mode or Charge Saving), the frequency can automatically decrease to 60 Hz, even if a different value is selected in the settings.

Method 2: through the Engineering Menu (for advanced users)

If the standard settings don't show the frequency, or you suspect the phone is lying, you can use the engineering menu, which works on most Xiaomi devices, but you need to be careful that the wrong actions can disrupt the system.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636## This will open the Testing menu.
2. Go to the phone information tab (or Usage statistics in English firmware).
3. Scroll down to the Refresh rate block – the current value in hertz will be indicated here.

If the combination doesn’t work, try the alternative code:

##284##

It displays information about the display, including frequency.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (especially Chinese) may have the engineering menu blocked, in which case nothing happens when you enter the code, and it is not recommended to change other settings in this menu, this can cause malfunctions.

Charge your phone at least 50% | Make a backup of data |Do not change other parameters than frequency |Remember the current screen settings-->

Method 3: with ADB (for technical users)

If you're familiar with the command line, you can find out the frequency of the screen through the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is a very accurate way of reading information directly from the display.

What you need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times click on the version, then return to Additional Settings → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect the phone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type in: adb shell dumpsys display
3. In the conclusion, find the refresh rate or current refresh rate – here will be the current value in hertz.

Example of output (for POCO F3 at 120 Hz):

DisplayDeviceInfo{




...




current refresh rate: 120.000000 Hz




...




}

If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:

adb shell service call SurfaceFlinger 1035

This command will output the current frequency in numerical format (e.g., 120 for 120Hz).

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI team ADB If you see a permission denied error, your device is blocking access, and then only the bootloader will help, which will cancel the warranty.

Method 4: Third-party applications for checking hertz

If previous methods didn't work or seemed complicated, you can use specialized applications that not only show the current frequency, but also help test the smoothness of the screen.

Top.-3 apps:

How to use (for example, Display Tester):

1. Install the application and open it.
2. Go to the Refresh Rate tab.
3. Click Start Test – an animation showing the current frequency will appear on the screen.
4. Compare it to the settings, and if they're different, your phone isn't running at its maximum frequency.

The advantage of apps is that they show real frequency, not the one written in the firmware. For example, if you select 120 Hz in the settings, but the application shows 60 Hz, then the system has forced the frequency to decrease (for example, due to battery savings or overheating).

💡

If the app shows a frequency below the stated one, try turning off the battery saving mode or restarting the phone. Sometimes the system resets the frequency after a long downtime.

Method 5: Verification through Developer Mode

The developer menu has additional screen settings hidden, including the forced activation of the maximum frequency.

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and click on it 7 times in a row, and the notification will appear "You became a developer."
3. Return to the main settings menu and open the section Additional settings → For developers.
4. Scroll down to the Hardware Acceleration Visualization block.

There may be some useful options here:

• 🔧 Forced refresh rate – allows you to manually set a value (e.g. 90 Hz), even if it does not appear in standard settings.
• 📊 Show screen updates – includes an indicator in the status bar that flashes with refresh rate (useful for visual checks).
• ⚡ Disable adaptive brightness – sometimes adaptive brightness conflicts with adaptive frequency, resulting in “jumping” hertzes.

If you see Minimum Update Rate on this menu, it means your phone supports adaptive frequency. For example, on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, you can set the range from 1 Hz (for static images) to 120 Hz (for scrolling).

⚠️ Note: Not all options in the developer menu are safe, such as enabling the Compulsory GPU-rendering can cause artifacts on the screen or overheat.

Frequent problems and solutions

Sometimes the screen frequency is unexpected, jumping, resetting, or not matching the settings, and let's look at the typical situations and how to fix them.

Problem 1: The frequency is reset to 60 Hz on its own

Possible causes:

• 🔋 Battery savings enabled (Settings) → Battery → Battery mode).
• 🔥 Overheating of the processor (check the temperature in the application) CPU Monitor).
• 📱 Restricted firmware (e.g. global version) MIUI Chinese).

Decision:

1. Turn off the saving mode or set a balanced profile.
2. Check the temperature – if the phone is warmer than 45°C, let it cool.
3. Update your firmware to the latest version or install custom software (e.g. Xiaomi.EU).

Problem 2: There is no 120/144Hz option in the settings, although the phone supports it

This is typical for adaptive frequency or modified firmware devices.

• 🔧 Include Forced Frequency in the Developer Menu (see Method 5).
• 📥 Install an alternative firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU or Pixel Experience) where restrictions are removed.
• 🔄 Reset the settings to factory (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings).

Problem 3: Apps show one frequency, but in fact another

This may be due to:

• 🖥️ Hardware restriction (for example, some games forcefully reduce the frequency to 60 Hz).
• 📊 Application errors (try Display Tester or CPU-Z cross-check).
• 🔄 Adaptive frequency (the screen can switch between 60 Hz and 120 Hz depending on the content).

Solution: Use ADB (see Method 3) for accurate diagnosis or enable the Show screen updates option in the developer menu to visually monitor changes.

💡

If the screen frequency does not meet expectations, first check the firmware and battery settings. 80% of the time the problem is solved by turning off the save mode or updating the software.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions