Gaming-related display devices, such as monitors and VR headsets, are generally perceived as equipment with higher specifications, often coming with higher price tags than their standard counterparts too. And among all the various features that affect the quality of gaming displays, the refresh rate stands out as one of the primary differentiators.
Read on to explore the key differences between 60Hz and 120Hz refresh rates, as well as the market positioning and upselling opportunities for these different options in 2025.
Conteúdo
60Hz vs 120Hz: What are the key differences?
Perspectivas do mercado global
What sellers need to know
Motion clarity and smoothness
Gaming specialization and frame accuracy
Cinematic content
Everyday use and regional preferences
Product positioning and upselling opportunities
Market positioning and upselling opportunities for 60Hz
Market positioning and upselling opportunities for 120Hz
Clearer choices, better sales
60Hz vs 120Hz: What are the key differences?
While 60Hz and 120Hz may sound like, and in some contexts do relate to, audio or radio frequencies, when it comes to display devices, they are referring to refresh rates on a screen, measured in Hertz (Hz). Living up to its name, the refresh rate effectively signifies how often the display is being “refreshed” per second. So 60Hz is equivalent to 60 screen updates per second, whereas 120Hz means 120 screen updates per second.
To the human eye, higher refresh rates typically result in smoother motion clarity, especially for any content sources with high-FPS visuals, which are usually filled with fast-moving scenes. Here, FPS (frames per second) refers to the frame rate, which measures the number of unique frames (pictures/ images) transmitted from a source such as a video or game to the screen every second. Similar to refresh rates, higher frame rates often result in better and seamless display. A frame rate of 30 FPS can deliver 30 images per second, while 60 FPS outputs 60 images per second.
Together, both refresh rates and frame rates work in tandem to create smooth and natural-looking motion, especially when they are matching, because this means that when the source sends new images to show motion, the display can refresh accurately in time to render the sent updates fluidly and consistently without any flickers. Without a sufficient matching refresh rate, high-FPS content can appear choppy since the refresh rate cannot catch up. Conversely, without a high enough FPS, a high refresh rate alone is unlikely to offer any significant additional visual benefit.
Perspectivas do mercado global
In view of the importance of refresh rates in the performance of display technologies, when evaluating the global market potential for products built around 60Hz and 120Hz refresh rates, sellers are essentially looking at the overall display solutions market. This includes, for example, the global market outlook for monitors, TVs and Acessórios de RV como Fones de ouvido VR.
A global monitor market is certainly growing and expected to hit US$ 69.38 billion by 2028, increasing from an initial valuation of US$ 61.73 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.0%. The worldwide esports industry, which was valued at US$ 1.44 billion in 2023 and projected to expand by more than 3 times by 2029 to US$ 5.48 billion, is said to be the main catalyst behind such steady growth, particularly for monitores de jogos.
Similar growth patterns related to gaming are also reflected in the global market for smart gaming TVs, which are estimated to achieve a 6.6% CAGR between 2024 and 2031, reaching a market size close to US$ 280 million (US$ 279.7 million) for smart gaming TVs tailored to meet the specific needs of gaming applications.
However, gaming innovations are not the only factor that propelled the growing demands for high-performance displays. The expanding virtual world ecosystem and engagements also contribute significantly to this growth. For example, the global VR headsets market is expected to rise dramatically, with an impressive CAGR of 22.5% between 2024 and 2032. This means it will jump from a valuation of US$ 8.2 billion in 2023 to a staggering US$ 46.3 billion by 2032.
What sellers need to know
The following features and considerations are what differentiate 60Hz and 120Hz based on their key attributes, use cases, consumer needs, and preferences per region that sellers must know:
Motion clarity and smoothness
Since the motion clarity and smoothness of any content, be it video or game, normally depend heavily on how well both refresh rates and FPS rates work together. Matching and compatibility between these two cast a significant impact on the final display quality.
Although frame rates vary according to different content sources, thankfully, they are rather fixed for most content sources. For example, most movies are produced at 24 FPS, while many Vídeos do YouTube commonly fall within the range of 30 to 60 FPS. In other words, as per the matching rules of refresh rates and frame rates, the standard 60Hz refresh rate commonly found in modern TVs or any display hardware today is sufficient for most movies and videos.
As it stands, besides movie and video contents, most standard games nowadays also come with an average frame rate of 60 FPS. This indicates that display hardware with 60Hz is sufficient for most games, showing decent and consistent visual quality.
Gaming specialization and frame accuracy
Things however, can get much trickier when displaying or viewing any fast-paced visuals such as action movies and live sports programs, as well as intensity-packed games like those on PS4/PS5 and Xbox Series X, where the highest FPS rate typically ranges between 60 FPS to 120 FPS.
As the display’s refresh rate must either match or slightly exceed the frame rate of the content in order to avoid visual stuttering or blurriness, using a 60Hz display to run 120 FPS content is obviously a futile effort. Consequently, it can be a rather strenuous job for 60Hz, resulting in overall blur with screen tearing and delayed visual quality.
In contrast, all fast-moving content beyond 60 FPS and up to 120 FPS is exactly the type of media that calls for a 120Hz refresh rate. A 120Hz monitor, for example, refreshes images twice as fast as a 60Hz monitor (60Hz x 2), the input lag time between input and on-screen response is significantly minimized. This means the ultimate display performance delivers quicker actions and enhanced responsiveness for gaming needs, offering a seamless motion clarity that matches the corresponding FPS rates.
Cinematic content
As far as cinematic content is concerned, while 60Hz is generally sufficient for most movies today, this could not have been achieved without relying on additional techniques such as the commonly used 3:2 pulldown method. In reality, when a 60Hz refresh rate is used to play a typical 24 FPS movie, the 24 FPS judder (a type of motion artifact) issue is inevitable since 24 is not a multiple of 60.
The 3:2 pulldown method can instead duplicate some frames more frequently (e.g., three times for one frame and two times for the next) and therefore create a workaround to synchronize the 24 FPS content with the 60Hz refresh rate, albeit imperfectly but sufficient for an acceptable viewing experience.
Compared to 60Hz, for content to be delivered in a more immersive, theater-like viewing experience, 120Hz refresh rate can perform many wonders even on the same 24 FPS movies. 120Hz refresh rate handles such content mais suavemente since it’s basically displaying each frame five times (120/24 = 5).
It can hence completely avoid interpolation and judder due to its ability to evenly display 24 FPS content. Consequently, it reduces artifacts and improves clarity, thereby offering smoother motion and a more realistic viewing experience. Such enhanced detail further strengthens the argument that 120Hz is way superior to 60Hz in cinematic contexts.
Everyday use and regional preferences
So what if someone is simply targeting day-to-day monitor usage or regular TV viewing? Indeed, for those who are not really located in any highly connected regions and urban markets but simply some regions or demographics that prioritize basic functionality over advanced performance, 60Hz refresh rate display options can be more than sufficient for typical scrolling, web navigation, office tasks, and streaming.
Nevertheless, there’s a high chance that it may not feel as fluid as higher refresh rates especially when watching movies due to the inherent technical non-integer relationship between most movie contents with 24 FPS and the 60Hz refresh rate (24 doesn’t divide evenly into 60).
That’s why the 120Hz refresh rate is normally recommended for better viewing pleasure. For those in urban markets and regions with high-speed internet penetration particularly, the enhanced UI responsiveness and scrolling experience offered by 120Hz can certainly provide more fluid and immersive user interaction.
Product positioning and upselling opportunities
Market positioning and upselling opportunities for 60Hz
As with all other basic versions of a product, the basic 60Hz refresh rate represents a cost-effective option for everyday users who demand practical, no-frill features and non-gaming capabilities. These users typically only require display technology that’s ideal for standard content viewing and streaming such as video-on-demand and normal broadcast TV viewings.
To the sellers, display devices with a 60Hz refresh rate can often be marketed in regions with slower adoption of high-speed internet or advanced content formats. However, this does not mean that the products should be restricted to non-gaming and non-smart applications; there are still many smart devices that support a 60Hz refresh rate. For example, 60Hz refresh rate smart TVs, 60Hz refresh rate smart monitors e 60Hz refresh rate laptops estão amplamente disponíveis.
Not only can its practicality and affordability serve as a good market entry point, but a 60Hz refresh rate is also ideal for serving some eco-conscious consumers. 60Hz as a basic refresh rate represents a more energy-efficient and eco-friendly option, thereby potentially saving more operational costs and reducing the need and other costs for many other additional gadgets to further enhance the entertainment or experience.
Market positioning and upselling opportunities for 120Hz
The marketing position for 120Hz refresh rate can be rather straightforward to most sellers as the key target customer group is as clear as day: the gamers. From 120Hz refresh rate smart TVs with gaming features and 120Hz refresh rate gaming monitors para 120Hz refresh rate VR headsets e 120Hz refresh rate projectors ou mesmo 120Hz refresh rate gaming laptops, virtually all gaming-related display devices can be the focus.
At the same time, let’s not forget tech-savvy users who seek high-end electronics and avid movie and sports enthusiast viewers who prioritize enhanced movie and sports viewing. These typically younger demographics with higher disposable income can be particularly attracted to 120Hz, thanks to the advanced motion clarity it can offer. Its compatibility with high-performance content and devices further signifies promising upselling opportunities to sellers. For instance, sellers can offer bundled deals with Consolas de jogos or VR products.
Ultimately, sellers can actively encourage upgrades from existing 60Hz refresh rate users to 120Hz refresh rate devices. 120Hz devices can be positioned as a future-proof investment. The competitive advanced hardware support and gaming industry is constantly seeking faster and better ways to launch higher FPS rate content. All these innovations aim to further enrich the visual experience of users. In fact, most industrial stakeholders are hopeful that more 120 FPS sources will be developed in the near future, thanks to technological advancements and the fact that the new HDMI 2.1 standard further supports the 120 FPS format.
Clearer choices, better sales
60Hz and 120Hz refresh rates each represent 60 and 120 display updates per second on screen, which affects the clarity, smooth motion, and seamless functionality of the display experience. Both refresh rates are closely related to the display quality and visual performance of modern devices like monitors, TVs, and VR headsets. Global market outlooks for each of these devices are showing consistently positive trends and are expected to continue growing.
Aside from obvious distinctiveness in terms of technical specs, sellers can explore the differences between 60Hz and 120Hz from consumer requirements, use cases, and regional preferences for each of them. Any products with 60Hz refresh rates can also be positioned as a more cost-effective, standard, and practical eco-friendlier solution, while products with 120Hz refresh rates can then target more niche, specific-use-case users such as gamers, movie, and sports program enthusiasts.
For more insights related to display technologies such as projectors and interactive screens, or comparisons related to TVs and monitors, head over to Chovm.com lê.
