Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra: How much hertz does the screen have and how does it affect the smartphone?

Xiaomi’s flagship Mi 11 Ultra smartphone, released in 2021, is still one of the brand’s most talked-about devices due to its revolutionary screen and top-end specs. But there’s often confusion among users: How much hertz does its display support? Official data say 120Hz, but why does 60Hz sometimes appear in the settings? And how does that frequency affect autonomy, gameplay and everyday use?

In this article, we will not only analyze the technical nuances of the refresh rate of the Mi 11 Ultra screen, but also show how to adjust it correctly, compare it with competitors (including the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max), and also answer the question: is it worth chasing high hertz or the real difference between 60 Hz and 120 Hz is noticeable only in specific scenarios.

Technical characteristics of the screen Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra: what the manufacturer says

According to official Xiaomi data, the Mi 11 Ultra is equipped with AMOLED-The screen supports dynamic refresh rates from 1 Hz to 120 Hz, which means that the display automatically adjusts to the content: For example, when reading static texts, the frequency drops to the minimum values for saving charge, and in games or when scrolling through social media feeds, it rises to the maximum for smoothness.

Key screen parameters:

• 📱 Type of matrix: E4 AMOLED (Samsung)
• 🔄 Update frequency: 1-120 Hz (adaptive)
• 🎨 Permission: 3200×1440 (QHD+)
• 🌈 Color coverage: 100% DCI-P3, 1.07 billion flowers
• 💡 Brightness: up to 1,700 nits (peak)

It's important to understand that 120Hz is the maximum value. In real life, a smartphone rarely runs at this frequency all the time. For example, when watching 24FPS video (as in most movies), the screen syncs with the content to avoid artifacts.

How to check the current screen frequency on the Mi 11 Ultra

If you want to make sure your Mi 11 Ultra is really 120Hz, there are a few ways to check it out:

1. Through system settings: Go to Settings → Display → Screen refresh rate. Here you will see the available options: 60 Hz or 120 Hz (and the option Adaptive frequency, if activated).
2. Using third-party apps: Install DevCheck or CPU-Z from Google Play. The Display section will show the current Refresh Rate.
3. Eye test: Open any site or app with quick animation (like Twitter or Reddit) and compare the smoothness of scrolling at 60Hz and 120Hz.

Note: If only 60Hz is displayed in the settings, you may have power saving mode activated or the Adaptive Frequency option enabled, which limits the maximum to save charge.

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To force 120Hz on, turn off the adaptive frequency in the screen settings and select a fixed value, but remember: this will reduce battery life by 15-20%.

Why Mi 11 Ultra sometimes runs 60 Hz instead of 120 Hz

Many users complain that their Mi 11 Ultra “unwittingly” switches to 60 Hz, even if the settings are selected 120 Hz.

• 🔋 Energy conservation: MIUI automatically reduces the frequency at a low charge level (less than 15-20%).
• 🎮 Unsupported apps: Some games or programs (such as Netflix or YouTube in video viewing mode) block high frequencies.
• 🔄 Overheating: At high processor temperature, the system can limit screen performance.
• 📱 Errors: In the early versions MIUI Adaptive frequency bugs (fixed in updates after the update) MIUI 12.5.7).

To avoid unexpected switching:

Turn off the adaptive frequency in the screen settings

Add frequently used games to the list of "Game Turbo Mode"

Turn off the power saving mode

Update MIUI to the latest version

Reboot your smartphone after the changes-->

If the problem persists, try resetting the screen settings to factory settings (Settings → Display → Reset screen settings).

Comparison with competitors: 120 Hz vs 90 Hz vs 60 Hz

To understand how the Mi 11 Ultra compares favorably with other flagships, compare it with the main competitors of 2021:

As you can see from the table, the Mi 11 Ultra is not inferior to competitors in technical parameters, but loses the iPhone 13 Pro Max in autonomy due to less optimized software. At the same time, 120 Hz in games or when scrolling content gives a noticeable advantage in smoothness compared to 90 Hz (like the Google Pixel 6 Pro) or 60 Hz (like budget models).

⚠️ Warning: If you don't play mobile games and watch high frame rate videos, the difference between 90 Hz and 120 Hz is minimal, but the autonomy at 90 Hz is 10-15 higher%.

The Effect of Screen Frequency on Autonomy and Performance

One of the main fears of users is how 120 Hz affects the battery. According to tests from GSMArena and DXOMARK, switching from 60 Hz to 120 Hz increases the screen power consumption by 30-40%, which means that when used actively, the smartphone will discharge 2-3 hours faster.

But there are nuances:

• 🔋 At adaptive frequency (when the screen automatically lowers Hz), losses are minimal – only 5-10% compared to fixed 60 Hz.
• 🎮 In games, the difference is almost invisible, since the main energy consumption goes to the game. GPU, Not on the display.
• 📱 In standby mode (for example, when reading books), the Mi 11 Ultra can lower the frequency to 1 Hz, saving charge.

For maximum autonomy, we recommend:

Use an adaptive frequency instead of a fixed frequency.

Reduce the screen resolution to FHD+ (instead of QHD+)

Turn off the Always On Screen (AOD)

Activate the dark theme (AMOLED Save charge on a black background)-->

If autonomy is critical (for example, on a trip), it is better to manually switch to 60 Hz and reduce the brightness to 50-60%.

How to turn on 120 Hz in games and applications

By default, many Mi 11 Ultra games run at 60Hz, even if the screen supports more. To get them to use 120Hz, follow the following steps:

1. Activate Game Mode: Go to Settings → Special Features → Game Turbo Mode and add the desired game to the list. Then select High Performance in the game settings.
2. Use Force. 120Hz (root required: For power users: via SetEdit (or via ADB) can be installed 120 Hz for any application. Careful: it can cause artifacts or overheating! adb shell settings put global peak_refresh_rate 120
3. Update GPU drivers: Install the latest version of Game Turbo from the Mi App Store – this often solves frequency limit issues.

The list of games that officially support 120Hz on the Mi 11 Ultra is:

• 🎮 PUBG Mobile (configure in graphical parameters)
• 🎮 Call of Duty: Mobile (Maximum Frame Mode")
• 🎮 Genshin Impact (only when VSync is disabled)
• 🎮 Fortnite (in screen settings)

⚠️ Attention: Forced 120Hz activation in unsupported games can cause screen tearing or overheating. Before experimenting, check other users' reviews on forums (for example, check for feedback from other users, 4PDA or XDA-Developers).

Frequent screen frequency problems and their solutions

Mi 11 Ultra users sometimes encounter update frequency bugs, and here are the most common ones and how to fix them:

If none of these methods worked, try retracing back to the previous version of MIUI (if the problem occurred after the update) or resetting completely (Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset).

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Most of the screen frequency issues on the Mi 11 Ultra are due to MIUI software bugs, not hardware defects. Updating the firmware to the latest version solves 80% of cases.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions about the screen frequency of the Mi 11 Ultra