How to accelerate the screen to 120 Hz on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: all working ways

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is one of the most popular budget smartphones AMOLED-The default screen and refresh rate is 60Hz, but many users want a smoother picture, especially in games and when scrolling through the interface. In this article, we will analyze all possible ways to increase the screen frequency to 120 Hz – from official updates to hidden engineering menus and custom firmware.

It's important to understand that Redmi Note 9 (codenamed merlin) doesn't initially support 120Hz at the hardware level, but there are workarounds that allow you to emulate higher frequency or unlock hidden settings, and we tested all the methods and selected only those that actually work in 2026 - without harming the device.

Before you start, check your smartphone model: go to Settings → About Phone → Model. Make sure you have a Redmi Note 9 (not a Note 9 Pro or Note 9S), as the instructions will be different for them. Also, pay attention to the MIUI version - this depends on the choice of method.

1. Check the current screen frequency

Before you try to increase the frequency, you need to know what frequency is in use right now.

• 📱 Install the Display Tester app from Google Play.
• 🔍 Run the Refresh Rate test – the app will show the current frequency in hertz.
• 📊 Alternative: Use EngineerMode (engineering menu) - type in the dial ##4636## and select Display Test.

If your Redmi Note 9 is 60Hz, that's fine, because the manufacturer hasn't said it supports higher values, but that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do.

⚠️ Warning: Forced change in the refresh rate of the screen can lead to overheating of the processor, accelerated battery discharge and even artifacts on the display!

2.Official method: Update MIUI to the latest version

The safest method is to check if Xiaomi has added 90Hz or 120Hz support in new firmware versions.

1. Open Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click Check Updates and wait for the search to be completed.
3. If a new version is available, install it and restart the device.

After the update, check the screen settings: sometimes the option Adaptive refresh rate or High frequency appears in the Settings → Display → Additional. Unfortunately, this option is not available for the Redmi Note 9, but in future updates it may appear.

If the official update didn't work, we'll move on to alternative methods, but remember, any changes to system files could lead to a loss of warranty and unstable smartphone performance.

3 Unlock hidden settings via ADB

With Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can enable hidden refresh rate options, which does not require root permissions, but requires a computer.

Steps:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB-Drivers and open the command line in the folder with the platform-tools.
4. Enter the command: adb shell settings put global peak_refresh_rate 120
5. Reset the device.

If you have a 120Hz option in your screen settings after the reboot, congratulations! If not, try the alternative command:

adb shell settings put global min_refresh_rate 1

adb shell settings put global peak_refresh_rate 120

⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI These commands can reset the screen settings or cause the display to flicker. If the screen starts to glit, follow the command adb shell settings put global settings. peak_refresh_rate 60 return to standard settings.

Install ADB drivers on PC|

Enable the developer mode on the phone |

Activate debugging via USB|

Connect the phone with the original cable |

Check the connection with the adb device command-->

4. Use of custom firmware (root method)

If the standard methods don't work, you have custom firmware, which requires unlocking the bootloader and getting root rights, which voids the warranty and can lead to a device blink.

Popular firmware with support for high refresh rate for Redmi Note 9:

• 📱 Pixel Experience – pure Android with 90Hz option.
• 🔄 LineageOS - stable firmware with the ability to overclock the display.
• ⚡ Corvus OS — Optimized firmware for games with support for 120 Hz (emulation).

Installation instructions:

1. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Xiaomi account and wait 7 days).
2. Install TWRP Recovery for Redmi Note 9 (see the official website for the latest version).
3. Download the firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience) and transfer it to your phone.
4. Boot to TWRP (hold Power + Volume up when turned on).
5. Make a backup of the current firmware (Backup → Select partitions → Swipe for confirmation).
6. Swipe through the custom firmware (Install → Select file → Swipe).
7. After installation, find the Refresh Rate option in the screen settings and select 90 Hz or 120 Hz.

Once custom firmware is installed, the screen frequency may not work as well. For example, in Pixel Experience, the actual frequency will be 90 Hz instead of 120 Hz, but the difference in smoothness is still noticeable. Use the Display Tester app to check.

5. Performance optimization for smooth operation

Even if you managed to turn on 120 Hz, the smartphone can start to brake due to the increased load.

• ⚙️ Turn off the interface animation: in Settings → For developers, set the scale of window animation, the scale of transition animation and the scale of the animator duration on the Off..
• 🔋 Enable Performance Mode: Settings → Battery → Performance mode.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache: Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🎮 For games, use Game Turbo: add the game to the list and activate the High Performance option.

It is also recommended to disable the background processes of unnecessary applications.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an unnecessary app and click Limit Background Activity.
3. For system applications (such as Mi Video or Mi Music), use Disable.

💡

If the phone gets hot after turning on 120Hz, try reducing the screen resolution to HD+ (720p) in the display settings. This will reduce the load on the processor and reduce heating.

6.Alternative methods: high frequency emulation

If hardware overclocking is not possible, you can try high-frequency software emulation.

• 🎛️ SetEdit is a system settings changer (requires root) that allows you to manually prescribe 120Hz in configuration files.
• 🖥️ Magisk Module "Force 120Hz" — Magisk, which is a high-frequency module that doesn't work on all devices!
• 🕹️ GLTools – a utility for gamers that can emulate high frame rate in games (does not affect the system interface).

Example of SetEdit usage:

1. Install the application from XDA Developers.
2. Open the file /system/build.prop.
3. Add the lines: persist.vendor.sys.display.refresh_rate=120 ro.vendor.display.refresh_rate=120
4. Save the changes and restart the phone.

These methods do not guarantee a real increase in frequency, but they can improve subjective perception of smoothness.

7. Risks and consequences of overclocking the screen

Before you increase the frequency of the update, evaluate the possible negative consequences:

If you've had a frequency experiment, and the screen starts to flicker or you get a band, you can get back the standard settings right away, and in most cases, the command is:

adb shell settings put global peak_refresh_rate 60

If the phone stops turning on, try booting into Fastboot (hold Power + Volume down) and flashing the official firmware through the Mi Flash Tool.

💡

On the Redmi Note 9, real 120Hz is unattainable due to the hardware limitations of the display. The maximum you can get is 90Hz on custom firmware or emulation of smoothness through software methods.

Frequently asked questions