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iPad Pro Downgraded M4 back to iPad Pro M1 - Much better for the eyes!
- Thread starter erkanasu
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Most people don’t have issues with OLED so it’s far from being a disaster (it sucks majorly for affected users though).
Besides, Apple has what, less than 20% of desktop OS marketshare? This is more of an issue for Mac users than computer users in general. I’m an iPhone+iPad user but Windows on desktop so I expect I’ll still have plenty of LCD-based options.
I don't think anyone, aside from dozens of high-level Apple employees, knows the secret sauce to this magic.
It wouldn't affect PWM as that is a frequency and nothing to do with color temperature. The higher the brightness the faster the frequency which helps with folks who have issues. Of course, the brightness on most devices these days is blinding unless is a very bright/outside area.
Is there the possibility that True Tone partially dims the screen though when adjusting the colour temperature, which in turn increases the flickering? Most advice to combat flickering states to turn off auto brightness, set to 50% minimum, adjust white point and turn off True Tone.
It has to do with the PWM of the screen, which tends to be lower in battery-operated devices like iPhones and iPads. Portable devices with OLED screens tend to have PWM of mid-200 Hz (say 220-280Hz).
The problem is that PWM-related headaches and eye-strain are triggered at a different frequency for different people. It’s all within a narrow range, though. For some, they’ll start getting symptoms at 230-240Hz (quite low), so may find another iPhone model that works OK for them (e.g. if another iPhone screen has a PWM of 260Hz).
Unfortunately for others, they may suffer from PWM strain even when frequencies are 260-280Hz. In that case, you’d probably need to avoid any OLED screen in any smartphone!!
OLEDs in many TVs is fine because PWM frequencies are higher. There’s less of a power consumption issue because they’re plugged in a wall socket, so they design the screen around a slightly higher PWM.
FWIW, my wife suffered issues with PWM that were so bad, she didn’t even use her iPhone 13 Mini unless she left the house and had to. At home, she’d use her laptop (and eventually, an iPad).
She just replaced her 13 Mini with an iPhone 15 (non-Pro), and has had no issue with it at all!!!
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Not off the top of my head!
It also doesn’t help when a particular phone has screens from 2 different suppliers.
There’s a tech product review site that includes PWM frequency measurements as part of the review! It’s just that I’m suffering
temporary memory loss and forget the name of the site! 🤷🏻♂️
EDIT TO ADD: Oooh, NotebookCheck. Frequency is 306Hz!!
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Which is strange, because the Iphone 13 Mini has PWM frequency of mid 500 hz which is higher than Non Pro 15.
Need to be careful, that PWM screen you are using can cause memory loss!
Better switch back to a cathode tube screen 😁
I think the actual answer is that there isn't an improved soundstage and the sound is overall inferior due to the shrinking of the speakers from the smaller chassis.
If speakers are your main concern then the M4s might be considered a downgrade; however, if that lies lower on your priority list then the M4s are an upgrade. It all depends on what you prioritize.
You’re right. She actually had the 12 Mini. Not sure how it stacked up. All I know is that it caused her major headaches to the point she couldn’t use the phone.
I actually made an adjustment to reduce the effects, but it required her to leave the phone at or near max brightness, turning off auto brightness adjustment, and playing around with the “Reduce White Point” setting under Accessibility to make the screen less bright that way.
Notebookcheck detected the 12 Mini PWM at 250 Hz.
Apple iPhone 12 mini Review - Small smartphone with small display
The Apple iPhone 12 mini has a 5.4-inch OLED screen and is powered by the current Apple A14 Bionic, which has 4 GB of working space and either 64, 128 or 256 GB of internal storage. The small battery lasted quite long in the test.
Ok yes the 12 Mini was the first iphone i got which had an OLED display and gave me headaches from PWM. I was so diss appointed as loved the form factor. After some research at the time i did exactly the same adjustments as you (50% brightness worked for me).
So I had the M4 this week for about 4 days. I had a migraine (before getting it), plus I was basically setting it up etc. So yesterday, I woke with no migraine issues at all. I decided to play with it to see how it affected my eyes. I noticed issues right away. I did go back and forth between it an my mini, just to make sure I wasn't making a big deal out of nothing. Well my eyes would relax with the mini - and pain with the M4. So I got an M2 Air so that I could use the Apple Pencil Pro. I really wanted the better M4 with all of its perks. I also was drawing between the 2 iPads yesterday.... other than the mini being slower and glitching a couple of times - it wasn't a huge deal going to the lesser screen. I do have a 2018 and M1 12.9" iPP's - not giving those up. I wanted the 11" as a more portable sketchpad, especially with the new Pencil Pro features....
why not get the m2 ipad pro at best buy for same price as m2 air? just for the new pencil gimmicks?
For someone who uses the Pencil extensively, they aren’t gimmicks.
Also some may prefer the M2 Air’s landscape camera or Touch ID.
But it is true the M2 Pro is better specced in every other way. And especially with Best Buy’s current sale (as you said, bringing the M2 Pro down to the same cost as the M2 Air), the M2 Pro would definitely be the “best buy” for people who don’t care for the new Pencil, landscape camera, or Touch ID.
For artist, the new Pencil Pro is not gimmicks..... They will give me the ability to do thing easier - ie barrel roll etc.... If for some reason I don't like the Pencil Pro "gimmicks" LOL. I would look at the 11" M2 Pro.... But I really doubt that is going to be the instance.....
One person's gimmicks are another's useful features.
First, many thanks to all who offered insight into this issue. i love the pro 13 (replacing an earlier pro 11) and was surprised to find I had additional eye strain. I’ve had iPads and iPhones since the beginning. Luckily, with some adjustments the situation has improved. I’ve set brightness to around 50%, set white point at 40%, and turned off True Tone. I continue to use my old settings on the phone with no apparent issue. We’ll see but I’m hopeful.