ASUS' ROG Phone 3 has a hidden 160 Hz screen mode
It can be unlocked with a single command, XDA developers found.
The latest ASUS ROG Phone 3 gaming phone is best known for its best-in-class 144 Hz screen, but that’s apparently not even the best it can do. XDA Developers (via Android Police) found a hidden 160Hz refresh option meant for internal testing that can be unlocked with a so-called ADB shell command.
ASUS confirmed to Engadget that this is real, though it emphasized that the mode is not meant for end-users. “The 160Hz refresh rate is only for our internal testing and ASUS has not made this part of the official specifications of the device,” the company said in a statement.
If you’ve got a phone, you can activate the 160Hz option by using the Android Debut Bridge (ADB) PC app. Then, you run the following command from a prompt or terminal window: “adb shell setprop debug.vendor.asus.fps.eng 1” (XDA has more on how to do that in its post). After you reboot your phone, you’ll see the 160Hz option in Settings >Display>Refresh rate.
XDA tested the new mode with Pac-Man, confirmed that it ran at 160 fps and believes that other games will too. However, performance could be wonky and you’d be changing the setting at your own risk. In any case, it’ll be hard to get an ASUS Rog Phone 3 anytime soon, as it’s not coming to the US until Q3 at the earliest and it won’t ship in Europe (starting at €999) for a few more days.
