SpecWiseGuide

120 Hz vs 144 Hz (and 165 Hz) TVs: what refresh rate actually changes

By SMART SC Editorial Team · Updated · How we research

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Every HDMI input takes 4K 120 HzOnly some inputs doHisense2 of 3LG1 of 1Samsung5 of 6Sony0 of 5TCL0 of 3
One square per TV line in our catalogue (18 lines), by brand, from the spec sheets.

Short answer

For PS5 and Xbox Series X, 120 Hz is the ceiling: a 144 Hz or 165 Hz TV gives consoles nothing extra. Higher refresh helps PC gaming, if your graphics card produces more than 120 frames per second. For films and TV, refresh rate barely matters beyond a true 120 Hz panel, which handles 24 fps film and motion processing better than 60 Hz. What matters more for most buyers is how many HDMI inputs take 4K 120 Hz and VRR. Beware “Motion Rate” or “effective” numbers: they’re marketing, not the panel’s real refresh.

Key takeaways

  • Native refresh is the panel’s real rate. ‘Motion Rate 240’ or ‘effective 240 Hz’ usually means a 120 Hz panel.
  • Consoles: 120 Hz max. 144/165 Hz is for PCs over HDMI 2.1 (or USB-C DisplayPort on the Hisense U8).
  • VRR (variable refresh) removes tearing and stutter when frame rates vary; it matters more than 144 vs 120.
  • In NVIDIA’s research, lower latency helped aiming more than refresh above 60 Hz; refresh helped more with moving targets.

Refresh rate is how many times a second the TV draws a new picture. Most current mid-range and premium TVs have 120 Hz panels, and a growing number accept 144 Hz or 165 Hz from a PC. Whether that matters depends entirely on what’s plugged in.

What each refresh rate is for

Source Highest frame rate it sends TV you need
Streaming, cable, Blu-ray 24–60 fps Any; a true 120 Hz panel handles 24 fps film more evenly
Nintendo Switch 2 (docked) 60 fps in most games; up to 120 fps in some, at lower resolution Any input; 120 Hz for those games
PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X/S 120 fps 4K 120 Hz input with VRR (HDMI 2.1)
Gaming PC, high-end GPU 144–240+ fps 144–165 Hz input, VRR (G-Sync / FreeSync)

Real refresh vs marketing numbers

Spec sheets and boxes mix two kinds of numbers. Native refresh is how often the panel actually redraws. “Motion Rate”, “Motion Xcelerator”, “effective refresh” and similar figures add backlight flicker or interpolated frames, and are usually double the native rate. Our catalogue lists only the native refresh and the highest VRR rate stated on each sheet:

Show
TV lineTypeNative refreshMax VRRHDMI inputs with 4K 120 Hz+Dolby VisionSizes we listCheck price
Hisense U7 (U75QG) 2025Mini LED165 Hz165 Hz4 of 4✓ Yes55″, 65″, 75″, 85″, 100″Amazon
Samsung QN90F 2025Mini LED120 Hz165 Hz4 of 4✕ No55″, 65″, 75″, 85″Amazon
Samsung S90H 2026OLED120 Hz165 Hz4 of 4✕ No55″, 65″, 77″, 83″Amazon
LG C5 2025OLED120 Hz144 Hz4 of 4✓ Yes55″, 65″, 77″, 83″Amazon
Samsung Q8F 2025LED120 Hz144 Hz4 of 4✕ No55″, 65″, 75″, 85″Amazon
Samsung QN90H 2026Mini LED120 Hz144 Hz4 of 4✕ No65″, 75″Amazon
Samsung S90F 2025OLED120 Hz144 Hz4 of 4✕ No55″, 65″, 77″, 83″Amazon
Hisense U8 (U8QG) 2025Mini LED165 Hz165 Hz3 of 3✓ Yes55″, 65″, 75″, 85″, 100″Amazon
Hisense U6 (U65QF) 2025Mini LED144 Hz144 Hz2 of 4✓ Yes55″, 65″, 75″, 85″Amazon
TCL QM6K 2025Mini LED144 Hz144 Hz2 of 4✓ Yes55″, 65″, 75″, 85″, 98″Amazon
TCL QM7K 2025Mini LED144 Hz144 Hz2 of 4✓ Yes55″, 65″, 75″, 85″, 98″Amazon
TCL QM8K 2025Mini LED144 Hz144 Hz2 of 4✓ Yes65″, 85″, 98″Amazon
Sony BRAVIA 5 2025Mini LED120 Hz120 Hz2 of 4✓ Yes55″, 65″Amazon
Sony BRAVIA 7 2024Mini LED120 Hz120 Hz2 of 4✓ Yes65″Amazon
Sony BRAVIA 8 II 2025QD-OLED120 Hz120 Hz2 of 4✓ Yes55″, 65″Amazon
Sony BRAVIA 9 II 2026RGB LED120 Hz120 Hz2 of 4✓ Yes65″Amazon
Samsung The Frame (LS03F) 2025LED120 Hz144 Hz–✕ No55″, 65″Amazon
Sony BRAVIA 3 2024LED60 Hz60 Hz0 of 4✓ Yes55″, 65″Amazon

Note the lines whose inputs don’t all take 4K 120 Hz: on Sony’s current lines, for example, only HDMI 3 and 4 do, and one of those is usually the eARC port your soundbar uses.

What the research says about refresh and latency

High refresh helps games in two ways: each frame appears sooner (lower latency), and motion is sampled more often (smoother tracking). NVIDIA researchers separated the two. In their 2019 SIGGRAPH Asia study, lower latency clearly improved how fast players hit targets, while refresh rate above 60 Hz had relatively minor effects once its latency benefit was removed. Refresh mattered more for unpredictably moving targets. A companion study found performance improving step by step from 60 to 120 to 240 Hz on some tasks.

For a TV buyer this means:

  1. Game mode first. It cuts processing lag by far more than the difference between 120 and 144 Hz. Check an independent lab’s measured input lag.
  2. 120 Hz is a big step from 60. Lower latency and smoother motion, for consoles and PCs alike.
  3. 144–165 Hz is a smaller step, worth having for competitive PC play if your GPU can hold the frame rate at the resolution you use.

VRR matters more than the top number

Variable refresh rate (HDMI Forum VRR, AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible) makes the TV wait for each frame instead of drawing on a fixed beat. When a game swings between 50 and 110 fps, VRR removes tearing and judder that no fixed refresh rate can fix. All lines in the table above with 4K 120 Hz inputs list VRR; check G-Sync or FreeSync Premium if your PC needs a specific one.

Our take

  • Console only: any TV with 4K 120 Hz + VRR on enough inputs for your devices. Don’t pay extra for 144 or 165 Hz.
  • PC gaming: 144–165 Hz is a real if modest gain; pair it with low input lag and VRR. See best TV for a PC monitor.
  • Films and TV only: a true 120 Hz panel is nice, not essential. Spend the money on contrast and brightness instead.

More detail: HDMI 2.1 TVs and best gaming TV.

Frequently asked questions

Is 144Hz better than 120Hz on a TV?

Only with a PC that renders more than 120 frames per second. Consoles output at most 120 Hz, and films are 24 fps, so both look the same on either.

Does PS5 support 144Hz?

No. The PS5 and Xbox Series X output up to 120 Hz. A 144 Hz TV still works with them at 120 Hz.

What does 'Motion Rate 240' mean?

It’s a marketing figure that combines the real refresh rate with processing such as backlight scanning or frame interpolation. A ‘Motion Rate 240’ TV usually has a 120 Hz panel; a ‘Motion Rate 120’ TV usually has a 60 Hz panel.

Is 120Hz worth it for watching TV and movies?

Somewhat. A true 120 Hz panel shows 24 fps film without uneven frame timing, and gives motion smoothing more room. Sports and films look fine on 60 Hz too, so 120 Hz matters most for gaming.

What refresh rate do I need for an Xbox Series X?

A TV with at least one HDMI input that takes 4K 120 Hz with VRR. Xbox also supports Dolby Vision gaming on TVs that have it.

Sources (21)

  1. Hisense U75QG specifications sheet
  2. Samsung QN90F specifications sheet
  3. Samsung S90H specifications sheet
  4. LG Electronics USA, OLED evo C5 spec sheet (02/2025)
  5. Samsung Q8F specifications sheet
  6. Samsung QN90H specifications sheet
  7. Samsung S90F specifications sheet
  8. Hisense U8QG specifications sheet
  9. Hisense U65QF specifications sheet
  10. TCL QM6K specifications sheet
  11. TCL QM7K specifications sheet
  12. TCL QM8K specifications sheet
  13. Sony BRAVIA 5 specifications sheet (K-65XR50, K-55XR50)
  14. Sony BRAVIA 7 specifications sheet (K-65XR70)
  15. Sony BRAVIA 8 II specifications sheet (K-65XR80M2, K-55XR80M2)
  16. Sony BRAVIA 9 II specifications sheet (K-65XR90M2)
  17. Samsung The Frame (LS03F) specifications sheet
  18. Sony BRAVIA 3 specifications sheet (K-65S30, K-55S30)
  19. Spjut, Boudaoud, Kim et al., Latency of 30 ms benefits first person targeting tasks more than refresh rate above 60 Hz, SIGGRAPH Asia 2019 (NVIDIA Research)
  20. Kim, Spjut et al., Esports arms race: latency and refresh rate for competitive gaming tasks, Journal of Vision (2019) (NVIDIA Research)
  21. RTINGS, What is HDMI 2.1?
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