diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/date-format.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/date-format.test.ts
index c43b8d7f..1d983b73 100644
--- a/src/lib/__tests__/date-format.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/date-format.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { formatListDate } from '../date-format';
 
 afterEach(() => {
   vi.useRealTimers();
+  vi.restoreAllMocks();
 });
 
 describe('formatListDate', () => {
@@ -51,3 +52,108 @@ describe('formatListDate', () => {
     expect(out).toContain('2026');
   });
 });
+
+// `formatListDate` as it was before it cached its Intl formatters: every call
+// went through `toLocale*String`, which builds a new formatter each time. The
+// cached version has to format exactly like it.
+function formatListDateUncached(
+  date: Date,
+  opts: { dateFormat: 'smart' | 'relative' | 'full'; timeFormat: '12h' | '24h'; locale: string },
+): string {
+  const d = date;
+  const now = new Date();
+  const locale = opts.locale && opts.locale.length > 0 ? opts.locale : 'en';
+  const intlLocale = locale === 'en' ? 'en-US' : locale;
+  const hour12 = opts.timeFormat === '12h';
+  if (opts.dateFormat === 'relative') {
+    const diff = now.getTime() - d.getTime();
+    const minutes = Math.floor(diff / 60000);
+    const hours = Math.floor(diff / 3600000);
+    const days = Math.floor(diff / 86400000);
+    if (minutes < 1) return 'Just now';
+    if (minutes < 60) return `${minutes}m ago`;
+    if (hours < 24) return `${hours}h ago`;
+    if (days < 7) return `${days}d ago`;
+    return d.toLocaleDateString(intlLocale, {
+      month: 'short',
+      day: 'numeric',
+      year: d.getFullYear() !== now.getFullYear() ? 'numeric' : undefined,
+    });
+  }
+  if (opts.dateFormat === 'full') {
+    return d.toLocaleString(intlLocale, {
+      year: 'numeric', month: '2-digit', day: '2-digit', hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit', hour12,
+    });
+  }
+  const timeStr = d.toLocaleTimeString(intlLocale, { hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit', hour12 });
+  const isSameDay =
+    d.getFullYear() === now.getFullYear() &&
+    d.getMonth() === now.getMonth() &&
+    d.getDate() === now.getDate();
+  if (isSameDay) return timeStr;
+  const daysAgo = Math.floor((now.getTime() - d.getTime()) / 86400000);
+  if (daysAgo < 7) {
+    const weekday = d.toLocaleDateString(intlLocale, { weekday: 'short' }).replace(/\.$/, '');
+    return `${weekday} ${timeStr}`;
+  }
+  return d.toLocaleDateString(intlLocale, { year: 'numeric', month: '2-digit', day: '2-digit' });
+}
+
+describe('formatListDate with cached formatters', () => {
+  const NOW = new Date('2026-05-30T12:00:00Z');
+  const HOUR = 3600000;
+  const DAY = 24 * HOUR;
+  const ages = [
+    30_000, 20 * 60000, 2 * HOUR, 11 * HOUR, 20 * HOUR, DAY, 3 * DAY, 6.9 * DAY, 8 * DAY, 40 * DAY,
+    160 * DAY, 400 * DAY, -DAY,
+  ];
+  const locales = ['en', '', 'de', 'fr', 'es', 'nl', 'pt-BR', 'ru', 'ja', 'zh', 'ko', 'ar', 'he', 'hi'];
+
+  it('formats exactly as the per-call toLocale*String methods did', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.setSystemTime(NOW);
+    for (const locale of locales) {
+      for (const dateFormat of ['smart', 'relative', 'full'] as const) {
+        for (const timeFormat of ['12h', '24h'] as const) {
+          for (const age of ages) {
+            const d = new Date(NOW.getTime() - age);
+            const opts = { dateFormat, timeFormat, locale };
+            expect(formatListDate(d, opts), `${locale} ${dateFormat} ${timeFormat} ${age}`)
+              .toBe(formatListDateUncached(d, opts));
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('builds each formatter once per locale and format', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.setSystemTime(NOW);
+    const ctor = vi.spyOn(Intl, 'DateTimeFormat');
+    const opts = { dateFormat: 'smart' as const, timeFormat: '24h' as const, locale: 'sv' };
+    const threeDaysAgo = new Date(NOW.getTime() - 3 * DAY);
+    // A weekday row needs the time and the weekday formatter.
+    const first = formatListDate(threeDaysAgo, opts);
+    expect(ctor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    for (let i = 0; i < 50; i++) expect(formatListDate(threeDaysAgo, opts)).toBe(first);
+    expect(ctor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    // Another locale gets its own.
+    formatListDate(threeDaysAgo, { ...opts, locale: 'da' });
+    expect(ctor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(4);
+  });
+
+  it('builds them again when the UTC offset changes', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.setSystemTime(NOW);
+    const opts = { dateFormat: 'smart' as const, timeFormat: '24h' as const, locale: 'fi' };
+    const earlier = new Date(NOW.getTime() - HOUR);
+    formatListDate(earlier, opts);
+    const ctor = vi.spyOn(Intl, 'DateTimeFormat');
+    formatListDate(earlier, opts);
+    expect(ctor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const offset = NOW.getTimezoneOffset();
+    vi.spyOn(Date.prototype, 'getTimezoneOffset').mockReturnValue(offset + 60);
+    formatListDate(earlier, opts);
+    expect(ctor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/date-format.ts b/src/lib/date-format.ts
index e6dc6c7f..51bd439d 100644
--- a/src/lib/date-format.ts
+++ b/src/lib/date-format.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,50 @@ import type { DateFormat, TimeFormat } from '../stores/settings-store';
  */
 type Translate = (key: string, fallback?: string, params?: Record<string, string | number>) => string;
 
+type FormatName =
+  | 'time12' | 'time24' | 'full12' | 'full24' | 'weekday' | 'date' | 'monthDay' | 'monthDayYear';
+
+const FORMATS: Record<FormatName, Intl.DateTimeFormatOptions> = {
+  time12: { hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit', hour12: true },
+  time24: { hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit', hour12: false },
+  full12: { year: 'numeric', month: '2-digit', day: '2-digit', hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit', hour12: true },
+  full24: { year: 'numeric', month: '2-digit', day: '2-digit', hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit', hour12: false },
+  weekday: { weekday: 'short' },
+  date: { year: 'numeric', month: '2-digit', day: '2-digit' },
+  monthDay: { month: 'short', day: 'numeric' },
+  monthDayYear: { month: 'short', day: 'numeric', year: 'numeric' },
+};
+
+// Building an Intl formatter is the expensive part of formatting a date (on
+// Hermes it goes through ICU over JNI), and `toLocaleString`,
+// `toLocaleDateString` and `toLocaleTimeString` build a new one on every
+// call. The list formats a date in every row render, so keep one formatter
+// per locale and format. The output is the same: when the options name at
+// least one field, those methods format exactly as `Intl.DateTimeFormat`
+// does with the same options.
+const formatters = new Map<string, Intl.DateTimeFormat>();
+// A formatter fixes the device time zone when it is built, where
+// `toLocale*String` picked it up on every call. Start over when the UTC offset
+// moves (travel, a DST switch) so a changed zone still shows.
+let formattersOffset: number | undefined;
+
+function syncFormatterZone(now: Date): void {
+  const offset = now.getTimezoneOffset();
+  if (offset === formattersOffset) return;
+  formatters.clear();
+  formattersOffset = offset;
+}
+
+function formatWith(d: Date, locale: string, name: FormatName): string {
+  const key = `${name}|${locale}`;
+  let formatter = formatters.get(key);
+  if (!formatter) {
+    formatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(locale, FORMATS[name]);
+    formatters.set(key, formatter);
+  }
+  return formatter.format(d);
+}
+
 // Relative strings ("Just now", "5m ago") through the locale catalog when a
 // translate function is supplied; the compact English form otherwise.
 function relativeLabel(
@@ -35,6 +79,7 @@ export function formatListDate(
   const d = typeof date === 'string' ? new Date(date) : date;
   if (isNaN(d.getTime())) return '';
   const now = new Date();
+  syncFormatterZone(now);
 
   const { dateFormat, timeFormat } = opts;
   const localeRaw = opts.locale;
@@ -53,30 +98,15 @@ export function formatListDate(
     if (minutes < 60) return relativeLabel(opts.t, 'minute', minutes);
     if (hours < 24) return relativeLabel(opts.t, 'hour', hours);
     if (days < 7) return relativeLabel(opts.t, 'day', days);
-    return d.toLocaleDateString(intlLocale, {
-      month: 'short',
-      day: 'numeric',
-      year: d.getFullYear() !== now.getFullYear() ? 'numeric' : undefined,
-    });
+    return formatWith(d, intlLocale, d.getFullYear() !== now.getFullYear() ? 'monthDayYear' : 'monthDay');
   }
 
   if (dateFormat === 'full') {
-    return d.toLocaleString(intlLocale, {
-      year: 'numeric',
-      month: '2-digit',
-      day: '2-digit',
-      hour: '2-digit',
-      minute: '2-digit',
-      hour12,
-    });
+    return formatWith(d, intlLocale, hour12 ? 'full12' : 'full24');
   }
 
   // 'smart' (default)
-  const timeStr = d.toLocaleTimeString(intlLocale, {
-    hour: '2-digit',
-    minute: '2-digit',
-    hour12,
-  });
+  const timeStr = formatWith(d, intlLocale, hour12 ? 'time12' : 'time24');
 
   const isSameDay =
     d.getFullYear() === now.getFullYear() &&
@@ -88,15 +118,9 @@ export function formatListDate(
   if (daysAgo < 7) {
     // German Intl outputs "Fr." with a trailing dot for `weekday: 'short'`;
     // strip it so the result reads cleanly next to the time.
-    const weekday = d
-      .toLocaleDateString(intlLocale, { weekday: 'short' })
-      .replace(/\.$/, '');
+    const weekday = formatWith(d, intlLocale, 'weekday').replace(/\.$/, '');
     return `${weekday} ${timeStr}`;
   }
 
-  return d.toLocaleDateString(intlLocale, {
-    year: 'numeric',
-    month: '2-digit',
-    day: '2-digit',
-  });
+  return formatWith(d, intlLocale, 'date');
 }