Samsung Galaxy Note 20 screen already outflanked by THIS unlikely rival

Samsung Galaxy Note 20, like all the other phones in the manufacturer's Note series, is set to debut with a killer screen. With a tool like the highly advanced S Pen stylus designed to enable creative work across a large surface, the phone requires a sizeable, high-quality screen with smooth motion to use to its fullest extend.

Set to build on the top-end Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the phone looks like it will continue to offer a  screen with 120Hz refresh rate at a typically large phablet size (for reference, the Note 10+ has an impressive 6.8" screen). However, the phone's display might already have been beaten before it even arrives, as a challenger arrives out of left-field.

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News outlet XDADevelopers reports the Lenovo Legion gaming phone will pack a simply incredible display. Thanks to a report including alleged leaked screencaps from official marketing videos, we know Lenovo's first gaming phone is set to sport a 144Hz refresh rate, during a period in which most phones max out at 120Hz.

For those unfamiliar with the term, "refresh rate" is simply a number telling us how often the screen refreshes itself. Similar to fps or "frames per second" on film, the higher the refresh rate of the display, the smoother on-screen motion becomes. 

A low refresh rate and you'll start to see the images lag behind your thumbs in intense gaming sessions or even just scrolling through apps.A high refresh rate means smooth, responsive movement, which both looks great and shortens the time-gap between your in-game command and the game's on-screen response. 

A 144Hz refresh rate means the Lenovo Legion phone might have the smoothest screen of any smartphone to date, outshining the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 in this key area. The phone is also said to match Samsung's state-of-the-art Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset and carry frankly ridiculous 90W wireless charging. 

The Legion will also be optimised for horizontal use, including a pop-up selfie camera on the right-hand edge of the phone, rather than the top. Of course, this is how the phone will be most-often held by gamers, so the inclusion of a pop-up camera in this unconventional location makes sense, leaving a display undisturbed by notches or punch-holes. 

However, pop-up cameras rarely feature on premium handsets. As powerful as it is, the Lenovo Legion will clearly be heavily specialised for gamers rather than all-rounder phone fans, making its threat to Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 a marginal one. 

Lenovo is known for its respected Legion gaming brand of laptops, but this marks its first foray into phones with the name. We hope the Legion brand remains a byword for gaming quality no matter the platform. There's no word on a release date for the handset as yet, but we look forward to putting the latest mobile gaming revolution through its paces. 

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