Forget our 60fps PUBG Mobile guide: that’s old news and even older tech. Last year, Qualcomm centered their yearly product launch around the extreme refresh rates newer phones would be able to support on its newest Snapdragon chips. Fast forward to 2020, and with so many handsets releasing with these newer chips, the list of those able to run PUBG Mobile at 90fps is strangely low. Just having a phone with a 90Hz+ display isn’t enough to convince the game that it can power a game at that sort of frame rate. It’s much easier to render your Android dashboard and Twitter timeline at 90fps than a sprawling 3D video game, after all. If Tencent hasn’t tossed your phone model onto the 90fps whitelist, the option to unlock the framerate just won’t be there.
In the past, this could effectively be spoofed with apps like GFXTool, requiring complicated root access that can kill other phone features (like Samsung’s security chip) and potentially lead to a ban. It’s not a method we suggest attempting for the slightly smoother experience 90fps offers, but it does offer proof of PUBG Mobile‘s selective 90 (and 60) frames-per-second support. We don’t have access to the master list of supported devices. And we likely never will. But these are the devices confirmed to support 90fps mode right now. You won’t be spoiled for choice.
Which smartphones and tablets support PUBG Mobile 90fps?
iOS – PUBG Mobile 90fps
For Apple fans, there’s literally only one set of devices physically able to run PUBG Mobile at 90fps, and that’s the iPad Pro line. Neither the new iPhone 12, 12 Pro, or iPad Air have the 120Hz “ProMotion” display featured in the iPad Pro tablets. They’re all your standard 60Hz panels, meaning that even though the new devices sport an arguably stronger chip, the screen itself cannot refresh more than 60 times per second, making anything rendered above nothing but wasted resources.
Even if you do see the setting for “90 FPS” (which you might, but probably won’t), unless you’re running an iPad Pro with the ProMotion display, the only noticeable differences you’ll see is shorter battery life and more heat output. At least the second drawback there will keep your aiming hands nice and warm in the winter months ahead.
To clarify, these iOS devices can run PUBG Mobile at 90fps:
- iPad Pro 11-inch (2018, 3rd Generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2018, 3rd Generation
- iPad Pro 11-inch (2020, 4th Generation
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2020, 4th Generation)
Android – PUBG Mobile 90 FPS
For Android devices, 90fps was exclusive to the OnePlus 7 line and newer. For the first couple of weeks, at least. We expected the setting to make its way to other devices soon after, but that appears to not have been the case. The OnePlus devices listed below will still deliver 90fps no problem, but if you’re looking for a phone from another brand, it isn’t enough to grab just about anything with a 90Hz or more display. With the OnePlus Nord being absent from the list, it’s safe to assume the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor seen in this year’s mid-range handsets aren’t part of Tencent’s plan. If you absolutely must have 90fps, the below OnePlus devices are your only sure-fire bet.
Here are the major Android phones known to support 90fps:
- OnePlus 7 Pro
- OnePlus 7T
- OnePlus 7T Pro
- OnePlus 8
- OnePlus 8 Pro
Right now, it appears the newer OnePlus 8T somehow fell outside of the company’s deal with Tencent to be the first handset manufacturers to get proper PUBG Mobile 90fps support. In what would have been a major selling point for a newer handset, it wasn’t until the November beta branch went live that the OnePlus 8T got 90fps support. If anything, it’s omission reiterates how it’s up to the game developers to whitelist specific devices and chipsets to support the option.
Even with the exclusivity deal with OnePlus ending a few months ago, there’s no solid evidence to support any other Android devices supporting the feature. If you’re in the market for a new phone and absolutely need it to support PUBG Mobile 90fps option, track a current owner down on the game’s Reddit or Discord before pulling the plug. They should be able to tell you whether the option is there or not.
Disclaimer: Fanbyte is owned by Tencent, which also runs Tencent Games, developer and publisher of PUBG Mobile. Tencent also subsidizes much of Fanbyte’s PUBG Mobile coverage by covering freelancer budget costs. Those covering PUBG Mobile for the site have no contact with Tencent, however, and are given complete creative control to write whatever they wish.
