Yes totally; I bought the X used and put it in the car holder, I got home and leave it until night when I have some time to install apps, etc etc. There is where the problem showed up; I was really disapointed.
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Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up
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Yes totally; I bought the X used and put it in the car holder, I got home and leave it until night when I have some time to install apps, etc etc. There is where the problem showed up; I was really disapointed.
Yeah my phone is here but I’m waiting for my husband to get home because we always unbox together if we are getting iPhones the same time. I should have some idea in a few hours.
Meanwhile I’m reading up to decide how I want to set this phone up. Usually I just restore from backup but I’m thinking of starting fresh since my old phone is on iOS 12.whatever.
While I haven’t purchased one for myself, I did check the iPhone 11 Pro Max at the Apple Store this morning and while it definitely isn’t flicker-free it seems like it’s been improved over the X and XS at least. Totally anecdotal at this point (I should’ve captured a slo-mo video side by side with a XS) and I won’t know until I’m using one full-time if it’s definitively any better but there is some potential with this generation.
Edit: I reviewed a slo-mo video I took at 50% brightness and there’s definitely still PWM, though it seems potentially a bit better at 100% brightness. I can tell within a few seconds I’ll be better off with a LCD iPhone, but the iPhone 11 still feels like a downgrade in some ways from my 8+.
I’m probably being overly optimistic, I’m not sure it’s been improved at all.
Edit: I reviewed a slo-mo video I took at 50% brightness and there’s definitely still PWM, though it seems potentially a bit better at 100% brightness. I can tell within a few seconds I’ll be better off with a LCD iPhone, but the iPhone 11 still feels like a downgrade in some ways from my 8+.
I’m probably being overly optimistic, I’m not sure it’s been improved at all.
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iPhone 11 Pro Max PWM Flicker Test
50% brightness
100% brightness
50% brightness
100% brightness
The flicker is incredibly apparent to me. I still have my 8 Plus and was considering the Pro but I couldn’t handle that flicker. It surprises me that Apple hasn’t addressed that issue with warnings. People with seizure disorders could be triggered by that.
It’s possible to keep the brightness at 100% and reduce the white point in Accessibility but a) there’s still flickering and b) we shouldn’t have to go through this on the device we use most frequently, let alone a premium professional-grade smartphone.
Thanks for sharing, the problem is still there, no 11 Pro for me. It has to be ZERO issues, we use it every day, I won’t negociate on my eyes.
Thanks again for the videos users sent.
Thanks again for the videos users sent.
I’m setting mine up now. Made an Animoji avatar for my contacts and boy that made my eyes feel really weird. Of course my husband is scoffing at me. 
But I’m used to that by now. I don’t have any problems yet and I can focus fine on text. But it could take as much as 2-3 days of solid use to know if a migraine sensitivity is going to be triggered. I do think the display looks fantastic and the letters aren’t showing that little tremor I saw on my previous OLED iPhones. I’m currently in medium ambient daylight on a little under 50% brightness and using True Tone which looks quite golden.
Looking at pwm on videos...I don’t know how what you’re seeing in those videos translates to actual use.
Even with the phone right here in front of me it’s not something I can tell yet.
But I’m used to that by now. I don’t have any problems yet and I can focus fine on text. But it could take as much as 2-3 days of solid use to know if a migraine sensitivity is going to be triggered. I do think the display looks fantastic and the letters aren’t showing that little tremor I saw on my previous OLED iPhones. I’m currently in medium ambient daylight on a little under 50% brightness and using True Tone which looks quite golden.
Looking at pwm on videos...I don’t know how what you’re seeing in those videos translates to actual use.
Even with the phone right here in front of me it’s not something I can tell yet.
I think thats the problem with PWM
if it were other devices I casually use like a handheld gaming system it'd be one thing. Staring at a PWM screen a lot of the time a lot of days, makes it tough... reading articles, messages, emails, etc. and wears over time
for me its not just for watching amazing video, in fact thats kind of the exception to my other general uses even though I watch plenty of youtube (though listen more than watch probably on average)
I'm just waiting for my 11 Pro to arrive so I can try trading it for an 11. I wish I had realized the PWM thing before ordering. I'd love to try it out, but then it's just another $50 if I swap it.
Of course my wife thinks I'm nuts since she's never experienced the issue.
Of course my wife thinks I'm nuts since she's never experienced the issue.
Thanks for letting us know, would you please keep us updated? I didn’t end up getting either one of the phones (The 11 isn’t a compelling enough upgrade & the Pros have PWM), but I’ll be going to an apple store to just check the Pros quickly.I’m setting mine up now. Made an Animoji avatar for my contacts and boy that made my eyes feel really weird. Of course my husband is scoffing at me.
But I’m used to that by now. I don’t have any problems yet and I can focus fine on text. But it could take as much as 2-3 days of solid use to know if a migraine sensitivity is going to be triggered. I do think the display looks fantastic and the letters aren’t showing that little tremor I saw on my previous OLED iPhones. I’m currently in medium ambient daylight on a little under 50% brightness and using True Tone which looks quite golden.
Looking at pwm on videos...I don’t know how what you’re seeing in those videos translates to actual use.
Even with the phone right here in front of me it’s not something I can tell yet.
Sure. I’m still busy moving things over. I decided to set up as new.
I’ve done some reading of Apple News articles on it. So far I’m not experiencing anything on this display that I don’t also experience on my Note 10+ and my XR. So if I’ve had any issues at all, it’s been due to mostly dry eyes and remedied by blinking.
I test it with my glasses on and off. I’m your typical middle aged person who is nearsighted and far sighted at the same time. I can either hold the phone a bit closer without my glasses on or put my glasses on so I can see my phone in the car for maps.
I’m trying to evaluate eye comfort as well as see if a migraine or headache develops.
I have to try different lighting conditions but so far using this phone in rooms lit by sunlight from the windows, I find the display well thought out in its calibration. True Tone is a cool amber tone with some peachy undertones and it really cuts glare. When I say cool amber I mean it doesn’t have a nasty cat pee yellow tint.
I like this color better than my XR’s backlight glare, even when True Tone is on my XR. I think it is also better done than the one on my Note 10+. However the one on my Note 10+ has a customizable opacity setting. I can make that more intensely amber. I think what you see is what you get on the iPhone. Fortunately it’s well done.
iPhone 11 Pro display is more consistently colored. I see hints of pinks and blues in my Note 10+ display. My 11 Pro display is a consistent shade from corner to corner. At some point I’ll need to pry the Pro Max from my husband’s hands and see if that consistency also holds true for the larger display. I did get to see that they both share the same quality look.
If you’re going to look at photos and movies you’d probably want to turn True Tone off. It’s just a bit too peachy golden. However this is the best I’ve seen True Tone look on an iPhone with an OLED display.
I really advise people with sensitive eyes to turn Attention Awareness off. And probably even set Face ID so you don’t have to look right at it. That, more than anything, made my eyes feel so freaking weird and then a little dry and gritty for a short while after blasting my eyes to make my Animoji avatar. It didn’t hurt the way the iris scanner on my old Samsungs did. (A few other people and even my husband had that issue with the iris scanner). But it felt odd. I can’t describe it.
I realize that sounds paranoid so I can only say try it for yourselves and see if you feel the same effect.
Don’t worry, I don’t get the same discomfort using Face ID. That’s really fast.
Well so far I’ve been purposely sitting here typing a novel and no headache. No eye strain. I surely hope I can keep this phone. I love it. I will write Tim Cook such an email of sorrow and bitterness if I have to return it.😈
My next testing will take place after nightfall when the room is lit by recessed LED lights in my kitchen. That’s when pwm in the display faces off against pwm from the lights. I think that was what tipped me over into having a seizure when I had my XS Max. 😧 Wish me luck!
Thanks @GrumpyMom, I’m looking forward to your future posts on this topic. I’ll be giving the 11 Pro a try over the weekend, hoping it won’t bother me as I want a smaller phone than the XR/11 size.
I’m in a similar boat. I don’t know much about displays but it seems OLED is considered a superior display by most people, but I would love to have an LCD screen in the premium models since the OLED screens give me headaches. I’ve got the X and if I were to upgrade this year, it would be to an 11 Pro because I don’t want to sacrifice the new camera and whatnot but would prefer to have a display that didn’t cause headaches. Hopefully the 12 will deliver a brilliant display without headaches.
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I’m in my kitchen and the sun has finally set. I’m under a mix of incandescent and LED recessed lights. The peachy color of the True Tone has abated and the display looks a nice shade of white with no more overly warm tones.
I’ve been reading and posting for about 15 minutes here. I can’t see any flickering on my display. No headaches. No seizures...yet. I’m a little bit superstitious about this so I keep throwing in that qualifier of “yet”.
If I didn’t have guests to entertain all weekend I would test this display against my husband’s XS Max. But I’m pretty sure that display would drop me fast. I tested it a few weeks ago. All I did was try to read the news on it and I did not feel good.
This phone stands a chance and I’m willing to take it.
I’ve been reading and posting for about 15 minutes here. I can’t see any flickering on my display. No headaches. No seizures...yet. I’m a little bit superstitious about this so I keep throwing in that qualifier of “yet”.
If I didn’t have guests to entertain all weekend I would test this display against my husband’s XS Max. But I’m pretty sure that display would drop me fast. I tested it a few weeks ago. All I did was try to read the news on it and I did not feel good.
This phone stands a chance and I’m willing to take it.
I had mild death symptoms. Couldn't afford the meds the Genius Bar prescribed and it evolved into severe death. Vote for Universal Apple Care to stop anyone else from experiencing severe death because they can't afford treatment.
How would that make any sense? The FaceID system isn't doing anything when you're using the phone except for when an app needs authentication, at which point it is briefly activated.
EDIT:
Sorry for replying to such old, old posts. The new forum threw me for a loop. Thought I had clicked into new threads, but had actually gone into new posts even inside old threads.
I definitely recommend turning off Face ID, disable Require Attention for Face ID, and disable Attention Aware Features.
So I still have n iPhone 6. But when the X came out and I first heard about PWM, I wondered how I would react. My brother in law has the X and I've messed with it for a few minutes here and there. No symptoms of eye strain.
I stopped by the store today to specifically see how I would react. I spent almost an hour there, mostly using the iPhone 11 Pro but hopping between that and the 11. By the time I walked out, my eyes felt strained and exhausted. Unfortunately, I think I might be part of the minority. It really sucks as I was looking forward to the Pro but might have no choice but to go with the 11.
I stopped by the store today to specifically see how I would react. I spent almost an hour there, mostly using the iPhone 11 Pro but hopping between that and the 11. By the time I walked out, my eyes felt strained and exhausted. Unfortunately, I think I might be part of the minority. It really sucks as I was looking forward to the Pro but might have no choice but to go with the 11.
So has anyone else, who had eye strain due to the iPhone X/Xs, experiencing the same eye strain on the 11 Pro? Has Apple fixed this issue or not?
I have both an 11 and 11 pro and in the dark it is quite obvious that the 11 pro flickers. It makes me feel like I've dropped acid. There are trails everywhere if I move my head or scroll. I have not had it long enough to see if I get actual eyestrain from it, but it was not nearly as relaxing for my eyes to look at in the dark compared with the LCD of the 11.
Yeah I’m testing it now in the dark, in bed. The trails you’re talking about is something I saw my first hour or so of use in daylight. I don’t know why but I don’t see all that now.
I view eye comfort or eye strain as a separate issue from migraine symptoms. They can be concurrent and related, but they don’t have to be. In my case I find less eye strain or discomfort on this particular OLED display. I often get a bit of eye strain on my Xr’s display, but it’s never given me neurological problems.