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Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

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Are you experiencing this issue?

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I’ve forced myself and used the iPhone a lot over the weekend.
I’m much more used to the display now and I don’t get headache anymore too.

Is it a good idea to just keep using it in terms of health…?
 
It’s my opinion that staring at an emitting light source that flickers isn’t good for any living creature regardless if pain can be felt or not.
That includes mice, birds and people.

Will it send you to the emergency room? Probably not. Will it have long term repercussions years and decades from now? Nobody knows.
The eyes on all creatures evolved to see steady light off of reflective surfaces. Not flickering emitting light.

The OLED era is a time of the Great Experiment. Everyone is a guinea pig. Nobody knows what the long term health effects will be using these flickering displays.
Maybe nothing…
And Maybe Something.

The fact that OLED displays do literally cripple some people is warning enough that something isn’t right.
 
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I bought a 13 pro at last, to test it at home and clarify any doubts, and unfortunately i still get eye soreness and slight headaches...I'll have to return it sadly (i used it for 1h max and i already got that "premium quality" vibe that I cannot get even from S Ultra phones (best in class in android world overall, imho)
 
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I ended up keeping this iPhone 13 Mini outside of the return window.

While I still get tension headaches, I simply wasn’t able to go back to iPhone SE.

They’re still there, but not quite as debilitating as my experience with iPhone X or iPhone 12 Pro Max.

This little phone is a joy to use. It’s perfectly immersive for all types of content while being incredibly comfortable to hold and pocket. After growing re-accustomed to it this is the size a phone should be. The higher pixel density is also noticeable and makes it more enjoyable to use. I digress and should make another thread about iPhone 13 Mini.

I do have to give iPhone SE credit: colors are calibrated to perfection. Contrast and sharpness aside, the displays are surprisingly similar.

Switching back-and-forth the bigger surprise was how much larger the display on iPhone 13 Mini felt… yet the phone itself is even smaller.

I may find myself not wanting to deal with headaches any longer and calling Apple to switch to a third-generation iPhone SE, but for now I can’t bring myself to return iPhone 13 Mini.
 
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Although I don't get headaches anymore, sometimes I can tell that the display flickers... Also I prefer the colors the iPhone SE2 has or my iPad Pro 10.5"...

I don't know, why the iPhone 13 Pro Max display is like rated to be pretty much the best in the world.
OLED Colors are just always overdone IMO.

But HOLY MOLY after you got used to the 120hz screen and then you take a 60hz phone in your hands it feels like the screen is broken! LOL

Some people claim that they can't tell the difference?! That's a joke.
 
MacBookPro17inch said:
Although I don't get headaches anymore, sometimes I can tell that the display flickers... Also I prefer the colors the iPhone SE2 has or my iPad Pro 10.5"...

I don't know, why the iPhone 13 Pro Max display is like rated to be pretty much the best in the world.
OLED Colors are just always overdone IMO.

But HOLY MOLY after you got used to the 120hz screen and then you take a 60hz phone in your hands it feels like the screen is broken! LOL

Some people claim that they can't tell the difference?! That's a joke.
Click to expand...
I can tell the difference, but 120Hz doesn’t really matter to me. It’s the same with 120Hz refresh rates on TV’s and 120fps frame rates in games — in those instances I think lower refresh rates look more natural. On iOS scrolling is improved and it’s a fairly dramatic difference in comparison but being on an iPhone 13 Mini now I don’t miss the 120Hz refresh rate.

Regardless, my headaches with iPhone 13 Mini have surprisingly been getting more noticeable and worse over time. It was mostly okay when I was using it at night at the 60Hz PWM yet my eyes seem to be more sensitive to the standard 510Hz rate.

I might have to plead my case with Apple to return it for an iPhone SE, which is a welcome upgrade over the previous generation but seems to be otherwise slightly dull based on rumors.
 
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Despite my pwm issues with the 12 pro max, I think I want the 13 pro max. I have the 11 now. Battery isn’t bad on 11. Could be a lot better. So I’m gonna try it and hopefully it works
 
Almost bought 13 mini, but at the end, i guess i just dont want flickery display i use quite a lot.. so, wiol wait for se, if they give se sensor and camera from 13, will buy. Otherwise staying with trusty ip11?‍♂️
 
ryansm said:
So you "got used" to the display? How long did it take to get used to it? And how long did you use it per day?
Click to expand...
This is what I’m struggling with. It’s possible to adjust to an extent by limiting phone usage and sticking to one phone exclusively. However, it’s been inconsistent for me and some days are better than others — there are times when I’m able to use iPhone 13 Mini with no issues but lately also times where I get a tension headaches behind my eyes during and after use as well. It’s not ideal being able to watch Disney+ on iPhone 13 Mini then getting tension headaches afterwards while trying to watch a TV as if my brain adjusts to the flicker.

Edit: I guess the bottom line is that I’m still sensitive and Apple has made a noticeable improvement this generation but the issue is that there are increasingly less suitable alternatives, besides iPhone SE which isn’t bad by any means.
 
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I have a question. PWM is visible in real life? I don't have headache, nausea but sometimes my eyes are tired but only if i use computer and telephone long, long time. But my screen gently brightens up and darkens on white background and sometimes if I will strain my eyes i feel like words (eg. safari, facebook app) flickered slightly.

I can see it especially when the text is longer or the letters are very small. Is it normal? I have problem with PWM? My phone is ok?
 
When I open white background in gallery for example i see how my brightness "doing up and down" for few seconds.
The same i can see in safari. I feel like my screen is flickering.
 
Oh! You’re right, looking closely! I just haven’t realized it that much that yet.

Well I was never a fan of OLED and now I just got another reason why ;)
 
But the worst thing is black background and white subtitles in app store for example when is dark, then we will see the most flickering white fonts.
 
I have a general question if someone could help.

I know phones below 300hz pwm bother me, but I've also had trouble with phones above 500 (sony Xperia 5 iii most recently).

So my question is..when you look at a screen through slow motion what should it look like to be easier on the eyes? Slower lines? Faster? More flicker? Less flicker? Which is "easier" as a general rule? I know there's no one size fits all..

Any info is appreciated!
 
What a slow mo video shows of an OLED screen (moving banding lines) does not equate to eye strain.
The ONLY way to determine if an OLED screen will bother you, is to use it for a while.
What totally debilitates one person may not bother another person at all. Everyone reacts to them differently.

Some people think OLED screens are great - which is pretty funny.
 
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now i see it said:
What a slow mo video shows of an OLED screen (moving banding lines) does not equate to eye strain.
The ONLY way to determine if an OLED screen will bother you, is to use it for a while.
What totally debilitates one person may not bother another person at all. Everyone reacts to them differently.

Some people think OLED screens are great - which is pretty funny.
Click to expand...
I think OLED displays look fantastic. A majority of the enjoyment I get out of a new iPhone pertains to the display, and I love the sharp, vibrant, contrasty OLED display on iPhone 13 Mini.

I could see how the average person would think the same if they aren’t getting headaches. I’m honestly surprised OLED doesn’t ruin the LCD TV in their living room for more people.

That being said, I still get headaches depending on the day including tension headaches after use. It’s just so significantly reduced from iPhone X that I remain completely torn.

We do now have iPhone SE third-generation as an option. Side note: I found it funny that Tim Cook mentioned it as a capable, compact option for current iPhone users when iPhone 13 Mini exists as the best iPhone in this current generation IMO.

I need to decide today whether to send in my iPhone SE for trade-in on this order or to call Apple and ask for a return exception so I can purchase the new iPhone SE, which looks fantastic for what it is but at the same time almost exactly as expected.

There’s a $250 price difference between iPhone 13 Mini and iPhone SE 128GB, so IMO while iPhone SE is a fantastic value price-wise it is worth getting the iPhone 13 Mini instead.

But we’re discussing headaches, and I had to forgo iPhone X despite a ~ $200 price difference iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.

I suppose I would get used to the new iPhone SE over time and I do quite like the case options Apple has. The display may even be improved over the second-generation iPhone SE, which has a fantastic color calibration. It’s a surprisingly difficult decision if I’m being honest.
 
That’s a new one: I’m getting temporary lines in my vision that look similar to how PWM appears in slo-mo videos after extended use today.

The display looks fantastic and to me having the 2,000,000:1 contrast is incredibly enjoyable when I’m able to fully focus and use it, but at what cost?
 
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My 13 Pro is giving me incredible eye soreness and fatigue, followed by constant headaches.

I don’t even have to use it long. Typically 10 minutes into looking at the screen is enough to cripple me and my mood.

I’ll be upgrading to the new SE 2022 because I never experienced any of these issues with an LCD screen. To me, Touch ID is far more reliable and convenient. I’m also tired of having a phone that looks and feels like a brick.
 
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