I personally wouldn’t wear special glasses just to use a phone haha. Before I came to iPhone, I would buy myself and my wife a new Galaxy every year. Pwm has saved me thousands. My wife gets an iPhone every year or 2, and when I sell it/trade it in I don’t lose my ass like with android. And not buying myself a phone every year also saves some money. I went from seeing phones as a “hobby” to basically just using my phone as a tool. Pwm has sucked the fun out of them, since I can’t use a flagship phone until they abandon pwm.
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Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up
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I didn't get my anti-blue glasses just to use a phone anyway. When I got a prescription for glasses back in 2015, I chose the coating based on the fact that I stare at a computer for hours a day for work alone. At that time I wasn't even aware of PWM as the iPhone X launch was two years away. I just wanted to make sure no one goes out their way to get these glasses just to tackle PWM (which they won't do).
Costco has the 128gb se on sale for $440. IPhone 8 smart battery case is $100. So for just under $600, I can have a laughably small, sub 1080p screen phone that needs a battery case due to the pathetic size of the battery. The good news is it probably wouldn’t hurt my head, but the bad news is that’s a good amount of money for something that is a compromise in every way for me. I think it’s pretty clear now that if the se plus doesn’t come out, I’m going back to android. $600 isn’t much for someone I enjoy, but the se is such a compromise and is something I have never wanted. I NEED a phone, and I prefer iPhones now. It’ll be a tough pill to swallow to lay down the money on an se.
I have just acquired an oscilloscope to test flicker in devices. Now I'm just waiting for the light detector to arrive in the next week or two and I'll be able to test any device for flicker. Both frequency, and amplitude since the detector is fully linear.
I'll finally have a way to know for sure. Now all I need is an OLED iPhone to test. I may be able to get my hands on an iPhone X. Ideally I would test all the iPhone 12 models, but I don't have access to them. At least not at this time. I'll be testing all the devices I have access to as soon as I have the setup ready. Apple Watch S6, iMac 27" 2017, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPad 9.7" 2018, MacBook 13" (late 2006) and MacBook Pro 15" (late 2008) as well as an assortment of non-apple devices mostly of older vintage.
The data will be made available online somewhere.
I'm done with PWM issues, now I'll know for sure.
I'll finally have a way to know for sure. Now all I need is an OLED iPhone to test. I may be able to get my hands on an iPhone X. Ideally I would test all the iPhone 12 models, but I don't have access to them. At least not at this time. I'll be testing all the devices I have access to as soon as I have the setup ready. Apple Watch S6, iMac 27" 2017, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPad 9.7" 2018, MacBook 13" (late 2006) and MacBook Pro 15" (late 2008) as well as an assortment of non-apple devices mostly of older vintage.
The data will be made available online somewhere.
I'm done with PWM issues, now I'll know for sure.
Thank you for doing this, it'll very helpful to see the results. Personally, I'm really interested in seeing the data for the XR/11/iMac 2017, since they seem to cause eye strain with no real discernible cause.
I discovered that my S21 ultra is also giving me headache symptoms from PWM. However there does appear to be a workaround. Android has a number of screen dimmer apps and the way it works is that you turn screen brightness from the system settings menu to max. This effectively nulls out PWM to regulate screen brightness. Next use the app's software solution to dial down brightness to whatever level you want. I don't see this impacting battery and it seems to work. I need more testing to confirm but I definitely do feel better. The app store app is called simply screen dimmer. Don't think iOS has this. All of this is very odd to me because I have a Note 10 and have no PWM symptoms.
I'm super interested in the iMac 2017 results. I got eye strain from it and have been using an external monitor as my primary monitor for the past three years and that has helped. Having it as a secondary doesn't give me any issues even though I look at it quite a bit. I really want to figure out if it is because of flickering or something else and soon I'll know.
I may also be able to test an iPhone 12 with a bit of luck. If I had the money I would buy all the iPhone 12 lineup and test them all both because of my own curiosity and to help other users. What I'm most interested in is how the flicker changes at different brightness levels, and if the reduce white point trick really makes a difference. I'm going to make very thorough measurements with all kinds of different brightness levels and software features turned on and off to really get to the bottom of this, if I can get my hands on an iPhone 12, 11 Pro, XS or X.
I hope to be able to test the iPhone 13 as close after release as possible this fall so we can all get info on how it holds up, but this last year hasn't been kind to my bank account so we'll see about that.
That’s a perfect analogy: we’re all addicted to our smartphones, and this community to new iPhones especially, so being sensitive to PWM still makes us want to irrationally continue using it despite the 24/7 headaches and migraines.
For anyone still following along my return was processed today, and I’m confident I made the right decision especially seeing as I’m still recovering from the month-long period I did have the phone. I’m not a doctor but keeping it over several years for somebody who’s sensitive may lead to a life-long migraine condition.
I‘d like to say I won’t use an iPhone again until there’s no measurable flicker whatsoever, but that may not be until 2026 or later as you said. DC dimming would help, but I’m not sure it would be a perfect solution and could still cause issues. As for the LTPO panel, the Samsung S21 Ultra has a PWM rate of up to 240Hz even with a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s not to say there may not be drastic improvements to the amplitude as there were on Apple Watch, and the only way to test accurately is to purchase it and use it at home if there are. At this point I think it’s wishful thinking we’ll be able to use any iPhone other than the SE Plus, which I’m sure will have a LCD display at its price point.
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Following up on my previous post, the dimner app did help but did not remove the problem entirely. So I'll probably return the Ultra and go back to the Note 10 + which is not much of a change. It is also a bit bigger and larger imaging always helps.
Nice work. Almost like breaking up with a girl you really like, but she’s toxic lol.
If the se plus doesn’t come out, I’ll grab another $250 Moto power phone with a 5000mah battery and 6.x” lcd screen. I loved my work G7 power
Easier said than done lol. Another perfect analogy, I was thinking the same: it’s like a toxic relationship.
I am tempted to switch to a flip-phone (which I haven’t ever had, I think my first phone was a LG with a slide-out keyboard) but that’s not practical with so many products and services relying on apps.
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I will admit I made a mistake by trying and keeping iPhone 12 Pro Max for around a month, since it will likely take me a month or longer to recover. Hopefully by this time next month I no longer experience any migraines or tension headaches.
I could have never predicted that a new iPhone would cause me so many issues, and I suppose it was inevitable that this would happen since even in a parallel universe if I skipped iPhone X I would have eventually purchased an OLED iPhone.
That is, unless Apple‘s display team had the foresight to not implement PWM at all as they had for at least a decade with the realization that it could cause debilitating issues for its users and the premise that even those who weren’t directly affected would experience headaches and eye strain at times.
I could have never predicted that a new iPhone would cause me so many issues, and I suppose it was inevitable that this would happen since even in a parallel universe if I skipped iPhone X I would have eventually purchased an OLED iPhone.
That is, unless Apple‘s display team had the foresight to not implement PWM at all as they had for at least a decade with the realization that it could cause debilitating issues for its users and the premise that even those who weren’t directly affected would experience headaches and eye strain at times.
There has been little to no progress made. iPhone 12 is for the most part just as problematic as iPhone X.
I’m considering giving a S21+ a trial run more or less as a test to see if I still get constant migraines from a Samsung phone. There also may be more potential workarounds on Android. As much as I’d prefer not to since I do think that iPhone 12 Pro Max is the superior device, I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out for Apple to release a solution for those affected.
They don’t have much of a choice now that they no longer release current-generation LCD iPhones. It’s either give up on PWM-sensible users entirely or invest in a solution. At least with iPhone X we had iPhone 8 Plus, then iPhone XR and iPhone 11 with LCD displays.
Even if they were inferior to the flagship devices (I still have my 8+ since I didn’t want to compromise, and wanted to communicate that this isn’t really a solution) there was still an option. They may release a SE Plus with the latest silicon to give themselves a little more time, but at this point I’d like to see them do more.
I have done some preliminary measurements of the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR with my oscilloscope and light detector and while getting the final setup ready and I am happy to report that I found no PWM or flickering of any kind from the display or flashlight at any brightness level.
Below are some screenshots from the oscilloscope. The flat graph and max/min values show that there is no flicker. The max/min values would ideally be identical, but since I was hand holding the detector it may fluctuate a little bit as it moves back and forth towards the light source. They are similar enough and far enough above 0 to say with great confidence that there is no flicker.
The full reports will be shared later when they are done, as well as my tests of the iMac 27" 2017, iPad 2018 (6th gen), iPhone 4S, iPhone 3GS, Apple Watch Series 6 and whatever else I can get my hands on. I need to make sure that I have everything set up properly before doing the full reports and with renovations going on at home it's going to be a little while longer. I look forward to test more devices and sharing the results with anyone who may be interested in this information.
iPhone 11 at 25% brightness. All other brightness levels look pretty much the same:
iPhone XR at 20% brightness. All other brightness levels look pretty much the same:
iPhone 11 flashlight at 3/4. Again the other levels look about the same. No signs of flicker.
iPhone XR flashlight at 1/4. Other brightness levels also free of flicker.
Below are some screenshots from the oscilloscope. The flat graph and max/min values show that there is no flicker. The max/min values would ideally be identical, but since I was hand holding the detector it may fluctuate a little bit as it moves back and forth towards the light source. They are similar enough and far enough above 0 to say with great confidence that there is no flicker.
The full reports will be shared later when they are done, as well as my tests of the iMac 27" 2017, iPad 2018 (6th gen), iPhone 4S, iPhone 3GS, Apple Watch Series 6 and whatever else I can get my hands on. I need to make sure that I have everything set up properly before doing the full reports and with renovations going on at home it's going to be a little while longer. I look forward to test more devices and sharing the results with anyone who may be interested in this information.
iPhone 11 at 25% brightness. All other brightness levels look pretty much the same:
iPhone XR at 20% brightness. All other brightness levels look pretty much the same:
iPhone 11 flashlight at 3/4. Again the other levels look about the same. No signs of flicker.
iPhone XR flashlight at 1/4. Other brightness levels also free of flicker.
Thank you very much for doing the tests, this is really interesting. In your opinion, do you think it’s at all possible that there may potentially be flickering that can’t be detected by the equipment (For example, temporal dithering flicker/LCD inversion flicker/etc)? Or is it pretty definitive that there’s no flicker whatsoever?
The reason I ask is because these results are very surprising to me. As someone who can’t use any iPhone past the 8+, any iPad past the iPad 7, or any Mac past 2016, I always assumed it was due to flickering because they gave me the same symptoms as when I used a flickering device (iPhone X, OLED screens, etc). If there’s truly no flicker, then it means the symptoms are caused by something else entirely, but happens to mimic flicker sensitivity somehow.
If you happen to have access to any of these devices, I’d be extremely interested to see what their flicker levels are:
-iPad 7th Gen
-iPad 8th Gen
-Any 2016-2020 Mac
-Any M1 Mac
-Any of the 3rd Gen iPad Pros 2018/2020
Anyway, I’ve been searching for a solution for this incredibly frustrating issue for nearly 4 years now, this is a very helpful step forward. Thanks again for posting the results.
The equipment I use is most definitely sensitive enough to detect any tiny change in light level. Until I have my setup ready with the sensor at a fixed distance from the screen I can't rule out FRC temporal dithering since it's usually just 2-3% flicker. The same applies to inversion flicker at low levels.
However, even with the values I got, at most I saw a 3-4% difference in brightness again most likely because the sensor wasn't at a fixed distance. That's much less than the flicker of an incandescent light bulb and it was random enough that the oscilloscope didn't detect a frequency at all. The quality of the flicker may be different and also the frequency. The chance of color from temporal dithering may also be more of an issue than the actual brightness flickering. I look forward to do the full testing but I like what I'm seeing so far.
There are many other cause of eye strain and headaches other than flicker and I'm sensitive to a few of the other ones too. Low pixel density causing text and edges to be slightly jagged is something I have had issues with. The first device I could read text on for longer durations without issue was the third gen iPad. The first retina display ever. Things such as contrast, brightness (both absolute and relative to ambient light), color temperature and other things can cause issues too, which I'm sure most here are already aware of.
To completely rule out temporal dithering and inversion flicker a high speed camera coupled to a microscope would be very helpful. My setup will however measure the average of a small area (~74 mm²) of the display. I can measure smaller areas too but not individual pixels. Since we use our phones at a certain distance, the average area I measure should be more than enough to rule out issues caused by flickering light. At least in terms of amplitude.
Except for my 2017 iMac 27" I unfortunately don't have access to any of the devices you listed. I will test whatever I can get my hands on, but I have no budget to go out and buy devices to test even though I would love to. The equipment to perform the testing wasn't cheap so my entire budget went there. I have plans but nothing that will likely pan out in the near future.
Also, believe me when I say I understand the frustration. I have been dealing with this for 20 years. It got a lot better about 10 years ago with most high quality backlight implementations being flicker free such as iPhones and many Macs. Unfortunately the OLED craze has made it a real issue again along with methods to squeeze as many colors and as much contrast out of LCDs as possible.
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Gotcha, thanks for explaining this. I'm definitely interested in seeing what kind of results you get for that.
No worries, I totally understand. I think I can speak for the rest of us here when I say we're incredibly thankful for *any* information that you can provide from your tests
Yup. Fingers crossed that miniLED/microLED/something else lead to some kind of changes for us here.
Very interesting testing, i am curious to see the difference with the iphone 8 (because most of the people don't have issues with this phone) , 12 and 12 pro.
Thanks!! Great work!
Who already did try the 12 and 12 pro? Is there a difference between both? I had the 12 as a company device, now i have a new job and know that the 12 was usable but gave me symptoms. Do you guys think trying the 12pro might be better?
It seems that the 12 Pro does have a better implementation designed more so to reduce the negative effects, so you should have better luck.