Any Headaches/PWM Problems on new Macbook M4 Pro 14inch?

[TMan19]

Hi everybody!

I'm looking to buy a new macbook and was thinking of going with the Macbook M4 Pro 14inch. However I want to make sure that it doesn't have a strong PWM output that would bring headaches/swift eye strain. I have a Macbook Air M2 which I've read has no PWM problems + I haven't had any problems, but I need to upgrade for my Music College. I bought a M3 Macbook Pro 16inch in June and had to return it in 2 weeks because of migraines from the screen that would come in less than 15 minutes. (No its no blue light, I've never had the issue on other computers, just to say for the people that will say its that.)

Thanks for any help!

 

[raythompsontn]

None for me. Such issues seem to be different for each person. Thus, none of us can really answer how you will be affected. Buy it, try it. If you have a problem return it.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

All the miniLED displays Apple uses have a high rate of PWM and amplitude. Check out Notebookcheck for the full review.

 

[t0rqx]

No. but there are scratches and dents coming out of the factories in the screens. You can see them when using a flashlight and dark room.

 

[Barbaro]

​

MacBook Pro 16 M4 PWM tests​

https://www.reddit.com/r/PWM_Sensitive/comments/1gtxv6p/macbook_pro_16_m4_pwm_tests

 

[thejadedmonkey]

No issues here. 14" Macbook Pro with the M4 Pro chip and a nano-texture display.

 

[snipr125]

All the miniLED displays Apple uses have a high rate of PWM and amplitude. Check out Notebookcheck for the full review.

Ok so Apples Mini LED displays use PWM for dimming? That's interesting I thought only OLED screens use PWM.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Ok so Apples Mini LED displays use PWM for dimming? That's interesting I thought only OLED screens use PWM.

That is correct and even the normal display of the Mini 6 & 7 have PWM under 10% brightness as reported by Notebookcheck. Pretty sure all these OLED displays from Google and Apple use Samsung panels as all these manufacturers have similar frequencies. Additionally, previous reports have Samsung producing the iPad Pro 11" panel, which makes me want to vomit, and LG producing the 13" version which is a tad bit better but ruins me after a half hour or so.

 

[nikon3312000]

I have a M4 Pro 16" and it is giving me terrible headaches from eye strain at any brightness under 50%. Apple needs to fix this in next model anything over 50% brightness is too much for general use. I'll probably be returning laptop I really like it other than no OLED and Wifi7. I hope they get the OLED model right it's very rare that I can stand OLED screens the Samsung Galaxy Tab Ultra S9 has been fantastic no issues at all with that screen.

 

[neo_cs193p]

Back when I had the M1 Pro MBP, I used to get sore dry eyes in less than 10 minutes of use. Never knew whether it was because of the PWM, or the color dithering, the high contrast, the sharpness, the color saturation etc. But the symptoms were stronger in low ambient light and low screen brightness. The sensation was like the screen backlight or the intense colors were burning my eyes.

Later I tried using an M2 MBA and all symptoms were greatly diminished (95%), to the point I was able to comfortably use a laptop again at night. So I assumed it had something to do with the PWM or contrast or color (over)saturation of the MBP mini-led.

But 2 months ago I decided to try out the nano texture MBP M4 14". And it's awesome. My eye soreness is gone and I can use it for long sessions with any ambient light conditions. It still has PWM, so I guess it wasn't the culprit for me. It still has great sharpness and contrast, and great vivid colors (but do not feel over-saturated or burning to my eyes). I guess it still has temporal dithering. The only things that are different are the quantum dot colors, and the nano-texture etching which diffuses both ambient light and the mini-led backlight that was previously shooting straight into my retinas, reducing reflections-related eye fatigue and the eye scorching sensation, resulting in a very comfortable experience for me.

For reference, I use 5-16 bars of brightness on my display, depending on the ambient light. At night, I always use some dim ambient lighting around the room and never use my laptop in pitch darkness (because it's not healthy no matter what the screen). So I can't say whether this screen would still be nice to use with 1 or 2 brightness bars, when the PWM is at its worst.

TLDR
In conclusion: the M4 MBP display with nano-texture is awesome for me, and I don't see myself ever choosing to use a glossy display ever again. YMMV.

 

[throAU]

Hi everybody!

I'm looking to buy a new macbook and was thinking of going with the Macbook M4 Pro 14inch. However I want to make sure that it doesn't have a strong PWM output that would bring headaches/swift eye strain. I have a Macbook Air M2 which I've read has no PWM problems + I haven't had any problems, but I need to upgrade for my Music College. I bought a M3 Macbook Pro 16inch in June and had to return it in 2 weeks because of migraines from the screen that would come in less than 15 minutes. (No its no blue light, I've never had the issue on other computers, just to say for the people that will say its that.)

Thanks for any help!

I've used my M1 Pro and m4 max screens mostly exclusively for 8 hours a day (no external monitor, I'd prefer to keep the desk space) and there's no PWM effect for me.

YMMV, but I love the displays and use it all day at work.