Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

Status
The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.

Are you experiencing this issue?

  • Total voters
    1,929
Lots of awesome new stuff in iOS14, yet so disappointing that we’re slowly getting locked out (What with the whole main lineup having OLED screens.)

Let’s hope for DC Dimming or a higher HZ rate next year I suppose? :confused:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1369281 and GlenK
Hi there
Any updates after nearly a year of using the 11 pro ? any solutions you've found ?
 
Dejected said:
Hi there
Any updates after nearly a year of using the 11 pro ? any solutions you've found ?
Click to expand...
Some people who could not tolerate the X or XS series have reported they are able to tolerate the 11 Pro series. Many still say they cannot. Some think it has to do with Face ID so they turn off things like attention awareness. The reducing white point ‘fix’ has pretty much been debunked as not helpful.

There are threads with people not able to use the regular 11. So, has other changes in screen technology aside from pwm posed issues?

And let’s be honest, there are some who, being aware of this potential issue, have hyper focused and given themselves the feeling of eye strain, nausea, and headaches due to anxiety. It’s a real thing, even if not a popular assessment.

One thing everyone I’ve seen seems to agree with is that if you are affected, you won’t just adapt to it. If it gives you symptoms day one it’ll give you symptoms day 101. Without options like DC Dimming, there’s really not much you can do if you’re sensitive to the PWM.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tonybarnaby and jimmy_uk
travis64 said:
Nope the reg 11 is the last iphone we will ever be able to use
Click to expand...
SE2 is an option and hopefully the upcoming/rumoured SE Plus.

I'm prepared to try the upcoming iphone 12 Pro Max Ultra Magnum Deluxe but if this still has headache inducing PWM then my journey with Apple is done. That said I'm psyching myself up to trying a Note 20 Uber Ginormous Mega in the coming month - this may make me switch to the dark side and iphone 12 won't get a look in. Security and fear of change hold me back still, and I've danced on the edge of cliff before - guess I gotta jump sometime 🤷‍♂️
 
Last edited:
Question to (past) iPhone 11 Pro owners: is the flickering visible with 0% brightness in total darkness? I've been waiting for the 5.4-inch iPhone 12, but this issue makes me consider going for the 2020 iPhone SE instead.
 
jimmy_uk said:
SE2 is an option and hopefully the upcoming/rumoured SE Plus.

I'm prepared to try the upcoming iphone 12 Pro Max Ultra Magnum Deluxe but if this still has headache inducing PWM then my journey with Apple is done. That said I'm psyching myself up to trying a Note 20 Uber Ginormous Mega in the coming month - this may make me switch to the dark side and iphone 12 won't get a look in. Security and fear of change hold me back still, and I've danced on the edge of cliff before - guess I gotta jump sometime 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
I tried the note last year pwm headache in 5mins
 
I've had iPhone XR since it was released and I still have not gotten used to the weight of it. Too heavy, but at least it doesn't have PWM. I will be switching to a smaller phone one way or another.

Part of me wants to wait until September/October to see if the smallest phone(s) will have PWM, but the other part of me knows better and wants to grab an iPhone SE (2020) now instead.
 
Remember... There's still a hot & bothered rumor that a SE2 Plus with 5.5" LCD screen might drop next spring.
Crossing fingers.

It seemed really fishy that the 8 Plus was discontinued the day the SE2 was revealed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1369281
daanodinot said:
Question to (past) iPhone 11 Pro owners: is the flickering visible with 0% brightness in total darkness? I've been waiting for the 5.4-inch iPhone 12, but this issue makes me consider going for the 2020 iPhone SE instead.
Click to expand...

Its not so much noticeable flickering. At least for me, looking at the screen in darkness and at sunset to see texts or watch YouTube video was nausea inducing. I had to return the pro and go with a regular 11. But an SE is kind of big downgrade.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1369281
If the rumors are true, four new iPhone 12 models will be announced on Tuesday. All OLED. And most likely... all low-frequency PWM.

If true, that leaves us with either the older iPhone 11 or the iPhone SE (2nd gen) for iPhones without PWM.
 
Last edited:
kerplunknet said:
If the rumors are true, four new iPhone 12 models will be announced on Tuesday. All OLED. And most likely... all low-frequency PWM.

If true, that leaves us with either the older iPhone 11 or the iPhone SE (2nd gen) for iPhones without PWM.
Click to expand...
Yeah, this is the first time I’ll be skipping watching the Apple event, it’s no fun when none of these devices are unusable for us :confused:

My last long shot of a hope is that since they switched to an all-OLED lineup, they may have done something to address the PWM. I could understand if Apple felt they didn’t need do anything in the past years because they offered LCD options, but now the only choice is OLED. IIRC the PWM of the 11 Pro was 290hz, maybe we’ll get another bump to 300-400+ ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1369281
TDDM said:
Yeah, this is the first time I’ll be skipping watching the Apple event, it’s no fun when none of these devices are unusable for us :confused:

My last long shot of a hope is that since they switched to an all-OLED lineup, they may have done something to address the PWM. I could understand if Apple felt they didn’t need do anything in the past years because they offered LCD options, but now the only choice is OLED. IIRC the PWM of the 11 Pro was 290hz, maybe we’ll get another bump to 300-400+ ?
Click to expand...
Even if it’s 300, 400, 500 Hz, are you going to use it? For me, I think that just knowing it used PWM when my previous phones didn’t would be enough to ruin it for me. I would always be thinking about it.

For as much as I look at my phone all day, I just wouldn’t want to subject my eyes to that. Others probably feel differently, but it’s all or nothing for me. Unless it’s insanely high (100,000 Hz) like the MacBook Pro displays.
 
kerplunknet said:
Even if it’s 300, 400, 500 Hz, are you going to use it? For me, I think that just knowing it used PWM when my previous phones didn’t would be enough to ruin it for me. I would always be thinking about it.
Click to expand...
I don’t really know tbh, I also get similar symptoms from the XR/11, so I’m stuck on the old 8 series :confused: I’ll probably stick with it until it’s obsolete, hopefully Apple will have DC Dimming by then or something lol.
 
TDDM said:
Yeah, this is the first time I’ll be skipping watching the Apple event, it’s no fun when none of these devices are unusable for us :confused:

My last long shot of a hope is that since they switched to an all-OLED lineup, they may have done something to address the PWM. I could understand if Apple felt they didn’t need do anything in the past years because they offered LCD options, but now the only choice is OLED. IIRC the PWM of the 11 Pro was 290hz, maybe we’ll get another bump to 300-400+ ?
Click to expand...
You waiting for SE Plus?
 
On my 27-inch LG UltraFine 5K monitor, my eyes can feel when my webcam is turned on. I know it sounds crazy, but they can.

I am sure you've tried this, TDDM, but make sure you use a passcode instead of Face ID (aka disable Face ID) and make sure "Require Attention for Face ID" and "Attention Aware Features" are both disabled. (Well, I guess you probably don't have your XR anymore, so nevermind!)
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Precursor
TDDM said:
Yeah, this is the first time I’ll be skipping watching the Apple event, it’s no fun when none of these devices are unusable for us :confused:
Click to expand...

But the rumored AirTags probably won’t be an issue. Probably the only product from the event I’ll be able to use :rolleyes: I do really want them though so I’m still excited.

I really hope Apple has found a way to get rid of PWM but I seriously doubt it. Someone has to though or we won’t be able to use MicroLED iPhones either when they arrive. I’m so sad Apple fell for the pressure to OLED everything. It’s not that great of a technology. I mean, issues like these shouldn’t happen to a phone in 2020. We got rid of these issues with LCDs a couple of decades ago: https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/...ce-screen-burn-in-with-official-samsung-case/
 
  • Like
Reactions: jimmy_uk
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back