How to Make Fluid Animations on Xiaomi: 60 Hz to 144 Hz Without Lags

Have you noticed that the animations on your Xiaomi are twitching, slowing down or not working as smoothly as on top flagships? The problem is not always the hardware — even budget models on MIUI can be made to show impressive smoothness if you set the system correctly. In this article, we will analyze all the optimization methods, from enabling high screen refresh rates to hidden engineering settings that the manufacturer does not advertise.

We tested the methods on models from Redmi Note 10 Pro (120 Hz) to Xiaomi 13 Ultra (LTPO 1-120 Hz) and identified universal solutions that work on MIUI 12-15. You will learn how forced 90 Hz mode affects autonomy, why adaptive frequency sometimes “gluts”, and which applications really speed up rendering. Without unnecessary theory, only proven instructions with explanations for beginners and advanced users.

Why Xiaomi’s animations are slowing down: 5 main reasons

Before optimizing the system, it is important to understand the root of the problem. Even on flagships with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, users experience slowdowns.

• 🔄 Screen refresh rate is limited 60 Hz by default (even if the display supports it) 90/120 Hz).
• 🗑️ Background processes: MIUI aggressively caches data, but sometimes it leads to overload RAM.
• 🔋 Energy saving regime is forced to reduce FPS battery-saving.
• 🤖 Optimization MIUI: branded shell artificially “slows down” animation for smoothness on weak chips.
• 📱 Incompatible apps: Some programs (e.g. Facebook or Instagram) ignore system settings FPS.

Critical detail: on models with LTPO-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) adaptive frequency can get stuck at 60Hz due to firmware bugs. This requires manual reset via an engineering menu.

If your smartphone supports 120 Hz, but in the settings of a maximum of 60 Hz, the problem is the manufacturer’s limitation. So Xiaomi saves battery power on budget models (for example, the Redmi Note 11 is physically capable of 90 Hz, but the option is hidden), the solution is to activate it through ADB or third-party utilities.

How to enable a high screen refresh rate (90/120/144 Hz)

The first step to smooth animations is unlocking the maximum refresh rate of the display. Most Xiaomi models do this through standard settings, but there are nuances:

1. Open the Settings → Display.
2. Select the screen refresh rate (on some firmware it is called Adaptive frequency).
3. Set a value of 90 Hz, 120 Hz or 144 Hz (depending on the model).
4. Activate the Adaptive Switch option if available (recommended for battery saving).

Important: On some devices (e.g. POCO F3 or Redmi K40), the 120Hz option may not be on the menu, although the display supports it.

Install. ADB-PC drivers|Connect the phone in debugging mode (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 press)|Adb shell settings put global settings peak_refresh_rate 120|Reset the device-->

For models with LTPO-In displays (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) adaptive frequency works differently: the screen dynamically switches between 1-120 Hz:

adb shell settings put global force_peak_refresh_rate 1


adb shell settings put global min_refresh_rate 120

⚠️ Attention: Forced mode 120 Hz per LTPO-If you have a battery life that's 15 to 20 percent higher than the screen, then you have to use adaptive mode.

Optimizing MIUI for maximum smoothness

MIUI has hidden settings that affect the speed of animations, which can be changed without root rights, but you will need an ADB or an application like MIUI Hidden Settings (available on Google Play).

The main parameters for tweaking:

To apply the changes, follow the commands through ADB:

adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 0.5


adb shell settings put global transition_animation_scale 0.5




adb shell settings put global animator_duration_scale 0.8

💡

If the interface became too sharp after the changes, return the values to 0.8-0.9. The optimal balance of smoothness and naturalness is 0.7 for all parameters.

For advanced users: in MIUI 14+ There's an option. MIUI Optimization (in developer settings) that when disabled (settings put global) miui_optimization_disabled 1) speed up the system operation 10–15%. However, this can lead to bugs with notifications and gestures.

How to eliminate lags in animations: proven ways

If you've turned on 120Hz, you still get the animations, and the problem goes deeper.

1. Check the CPU boot: Install AIDA64 or CPU Monitor. If core loading is more than 70% in idle, the background processes slow down the system.
2. Turn off heavy widgets: Weather, calendar and social media widgets consume up to 30 percent of your resources. Remove them from the home screen.
3. Reset the MIUI cache: Go to Settings → Memory → Clear the cache. This will delete temporary files that may conflict with the animations.
4. Check the temperature: When overheating (>45°C), the chipset trottles and the FPS drops. Use the Cool Tool for monitoring.

If the lags appear in specific applications (for example, in TikTok or games), the problem is in optimizing them.

• 🎮 For games: Enable Game Turbo in Settings and activate the Improved Rendering option.
• 📱 For social networks: in the application settings, turn off animations or transition effects.
• 🔧 For system lags: SetEdit (requires root) and change the setting ro.sf.lcd_density multiplicity 10 (for example, 411 instead 410).

Top.-5 Applications for smooth animations on Xiaomi

Standard MIUI settings don't always give you the perfect result, but these utilities will help you fine-tune the system:

• 🛠️ MIUI Hidden Settings – access to hidden shell parameters (including forced modes) FPS).
• ⚡ SetEdit (requires root) – editing system variables to speed up rendering.
• 📊 CPU Monitor – real-time processor load monitoring.
• 🎯 Game Turbo – Performance optimization for games and heavy applications.
• 🔄 Refresh Rate Changer – Forced screen refresh rate switching (not working on all models).

Warning: Applications like SetEdit or BuildProp Editor require root rights. Improperly changing system files can lead to a bootloop. TWRP.

For users without root, MIUI Hidden Settings is suitable.

1. Open the app and go to the Display Settings section.
2. Find the Force Peak Refresh Rate option and activate it.
3. In the Animation Settings section, reduce the values to 0.5x.
4. Reset the device.

💡

The best result is a combination of forced 120Hz + reduced animations (0.5x) + disabled MIUI optimization. But this reduces battery life by 25-30%.

How to check the actual screen refresh rate

Many users include 120Hz in the settings, but the screen actually runs at 60Hz. Check the real frequency in several ways:

1. Using the engineering menu: Dial in the phone application ##4636##. Go to Testing → Refresh Rate Test. Compare the indicators with the stated settings.
2. Refresh Rate Test: Shows the current and maximum frequency in real time.
3. Camera test: Take the screen down at 240 FPS and count the number of LED blinks (for 120 Hz there should be 120 blinks per second).

If the actual frequency is lower than the stated frequency:

• 📱 Update the firmware (in older versions) MIUI were bugs with LTPO-display).

⚠️ Note: On devices with MediaTek (e.g. Redmi Note 12), the frequency can be artificially limited by drivers, in which case only the firmware of the custom core (e.g. KernelSU) will help).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you set up smooth animations, users often make mistakes that impair performance.

• ❌ Forced 120Hz on weak chips: On Snapdragon 6xx Or Helio Gxx, which causes overheating and trottling. Optimum 90 Hz.
• ❌ Disabling All Animations: Values 0x Make the interface "teared." Minimum recommended value — 0.3x.
• ❌ Use of killer tasks: Apps like Greenify conflict with the MIUI and cause lags.
• ❌ Firmware of unstable custom cores: Cores such as FrancoKernel can increase FPS, But they often break adaptive brightness.

If after the changes, the smartphone began to overheat or discharge quickly:

1. Return the screen frequency to Adaptive or 60 Hz.
2. In the developer settings, turn off Do not turn off the screen during charging.
3. Install AccuBattery and check the battery health – if the capacity is below 80%, high frequencies will accelerate degradation.

💡

For models with Amoled screens (such as Xiaomi 12T), enable DC Dimming in the display settings. This will reduce flickering at low brightnesses and make animations visually smoother.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions