Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

[dimitricook]

I hope their idea of "flicker-free" is the same as what we know it as. They seem to be advertising it as a visible flickering of light. It is definitely tough to explain to a typical consumer, so maybe that is how they have chosen to proceed.

You are right, that would be joke, but i wouldn´t be to suprised if this is the case indeed!

 

[jimmy_uk]

I’m on my 3rd iPhone 11 battery from Apple. I think the last 2 were bad batteries because the health dropped from the start. This one is 7 months old and still at 100% health.

But I do worry for when the 11 stops being sold. If something breaks or I damage this 11 I’ll be really stuck if Apple discontinues it later this year. This is a launch day 11 so it’s pushing on 3 years old.

If the iPhone 14/Pro doesn’t resolve the PWM problems I wonder should I try grab another 11 before it’s discontinued. I’d have to get a launch day iPhone 14 and try it out if the 11 is discontinued at the same time.

I don’t really want to go for an SE.

Does anyone else have plans for when their current phone breaks?

If my 7 plus died then I'd have to get the SE2022. If I can't use any of the iPhone 14's then I'll probably still get an SE2022 until I can find a flagship Android phone I can use. Can't keep waiting on Apple to fix the issue.

 

[MICHAELSD]

FWIW I've been enjoying the latest SE the most of any LCD iPhone since the Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus.

Meanwhile, iPhone 13 Mini was one of my favorite Apple products in years but I digress.

 

[Jclok]

When my Xs Max goes, The SE is my only hope to stay in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[5105973]

FWIW I've been enjoying the latest SE the most of any LCD iPhone since the Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus.

Meanwhile, iPhone 13 Mini was one of my favorite Apple products in years but I digress.

I’m currently on vacation and I’ve been valiantly carrying the S22 Ultra around whenever I can for the amazing zoom camera. I’m getting some really cool photos with it. But goodness it’s a pain to carry. It’s too big. I only carry it for some nature hikes we’ve been taking where I want to zoom in on wildlife and bugs.

Otherwise I am more than happy to carry my SE 3 around the rest of the time. When I’m indoors I switch between the SE and my iPhone 11. I grab whichever one is charged. The 11 doesn’t have a sim in it.

 

[4419867]

^^I don't!! I keep hearing rumors they'll do something with the 11 to enhance it into a new bigger SE but I'm not holding out hope. Since I got my Apple Watch I'm starting to phase out my phone, just getting used to not having it. Then I figure as a last resort i can use an SE just to support the watch. It just keeps irritating me more that Apple seemingly ignores this issue while the number of people affected continues to grow. At least a lot more are mentioning it to me and in articles.

I would buy an Apple Watch if it didn't require an iPhone. Apple must allow us to pair it with other devices (iPad and/or Mac). I don't like smartphones that much. They are distracting, clumsy and I can't always be reached as I often forget it.

 

[lbass]

Has anybody tried the M2 MacBook Air which doesn't have PWM?

 

[MICHAELSD]

Has anybody tried the M2 MacBook Air which doesn't have PWM?

Apparently it has temporal dithering, which is the flickering present in some videos enabling it to display more shades of colors. This isn’t as intrusive and doesn’t bother me personally.

I’m unsure of the 14” MacBook Pro, which has a Mini LED display with 15Hz PWM. Of course I knew that going into it, but still wanted to test for science since it seemed like an otherwise worthwhile upgrade over the Air and more conducive to my workflow—I’m going to continue buying the products I would normally buy and if they present a problem return them. I’d probably recommend an Air configured with 512GB of memory and 16GB of RAM.

One day optimistically all Apple products will have flicker-free OLED displays.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

Has anybody tried the M2 MacBook Air which doesn't have PWM?

I had the M1 MacBook Air for a year and now the M2. Unlike the phones, neither laptop has given me an ounce of trouble.

 

[AJAAY]

Some good news for me. I finally decided to try the 13 series. I bought the 13 pro max and regular 13. Pro max gave me issues similar to the 12 pro max, but was slightly better. However, I ended up returning it. Then tried the regular 13 and I have to say this is a step in the right direction. The high PWM on the regular 13 made this phone actually usable with minimal to almost nonexistent symptoms!

I ended up returning the regular 13 as I now since the price reduction on the 13 series will come next month, and I may just pick up another regular 13 then, if the regular 14 max doesn't pan out like I hope. I really do prefer the bigger screen of the max sized phones.

 

[iCantSee]

Hi all - first time checking this thread in a while. I read the last few pages. I'm still using my lame old iPhone because I haven't been able to use any of the PWM iPhone models. How is this looking these days? Is there any reason to be optimistic about the upcoming iPhone line up?

Also, has anyone who had an issue with the iPhone PWM been ok with one of the newer Samsung phones?

Thanks

 

[Mastrociambella]

Hi all - first time checking this thread in a while. I read the last few pages. I'm still using my lame old iPhone because I haven't been able to use any of the PWM iPhone models. How is this looking these days? Is there any reason to be optimistic about the upcoming iPhone line up?

Also, has anyone who had an issue with the iPhone PWM been ok with one of the newer Samsung phones?

Thanks

I don't know about S22 series, I have S21 Ultra and I need to use Oled Saver app to crank up system brightness and apply a dim layer to normalise perceived brightness.
Last perfect Samsung phone for me was S10/S10+, then a slow constant downgrade

 

[MICHAELSD]

My sister got an iPhone 13 Mini and I was miraculously able to stare at its display for a few minutes with no issues.

Although the oddest part is that the residual migraines I have seem to go away while staring at it, like my nervous system sort of adjusted to it.

I’m sure if I tried doing a more intensive task on it it’d probably cause new headaches, but I do still think that iPhone 13 Mini was the best of the previous generation and am almost tempted to try it again.

She also got one with a beautiful display, especially apparent next to iPhone SE. The design and display are a huge upgrade.

I do have some hope for iPhone 14, even if it’s going to be limited to larger options. Still wow, I do miss iPhone 13 Mini. I’d sell my iPhone SE at a substantial discount just to get one again, if only.

 

[JM]

My sister got an iPhone 13 Mini and I was miraculously able to stare at its display for a few minutes with no issues.

Although the oddest part is that the residual migraines I have seem to go away while staring at it, like my nervous system sort of adjusted to it.

I’m sure if I tried doing a more intensive task on it it’d probably cause new headaches, but I do still think that iPhone 13 Mini was the best of the previous generation and am almost tempted to try it again.

She also got one with a beautiful display, especially apparent next to iPhone SE. The design and display are a huge upgrade.

I do have some hope for iPhone 14, even if it’s going to be limited to larger options. Still wow, I do miss iPhone 13 Mini. I’d sell my iPhone SE at a substantial discount just to get one again, if only.

I still think I got a subpar screen with larger pixels or something

I would always read your raves about the screen quality and I would look at my 13mini and just think “what the h*** is he talking about?”

My 13mini screen is no more pretty to look at than my 11 before it, or my wife’s SE3.

The color of my 13mini is pretty accurate, and it’s even across the screen, but man the sharpness is not anything to write home about.

(Blacks are nice actually, and pictures look amazing…. But the text I can see blocks on the edge…. Maybe it’s TOO good and I see the pixels on curves )

 

[happy orchard]

I’m on my 3rd iPhone 11 battery from Apple. I think the last 2 were bad batteries because the health dropped from the start. This one is 7 months old and still at 100% health.

But I do worry for when the 11 stops being sold. If something breaks or I damage this 11 I’ll be really stuck if Apple discontinues it later this year. This is a launch day 11 so it’s pushing on 3 years old.

If the iPhone 14/Pro doesn’t resolve the PWM problems I wonder should I try grab another 11 before it’s discontinued. I’d have to get a launch day iPhone 14 and try it out if the 11 is discontinued at the same time.

I don’t really want to go for an SE.

Does anyone else have plans for when their current phone breaks?

I'm here with ya.

I'm trying to figure this out, too. I'm debating trading in my current 11 to Apple (which will give me $230 trade-in currently) and buying a new 11. I've been having a few odd issues with my current 11, an odd bit of wonky that I don't want to be left with no new 11 to buy.

(I have an SE for work, and that works for work, but I like the bigger 11 and its Face ID enough that I don't want to update my personal phone to an SE.)

OLED is a bad boyfriend. Since the X, I have bought and returned and bought and sold so many OLED iPhones, and last summer I broke up with OLED and bought the 11. There's such peace in my life for the past year. I just refuse to go back to an abusive relationship with OLED anymore, so I don't even want to try or be tempted by the 14.

But I still want an iPhone and iOS, and I'm fine with the 11...so I'm trying to decide whether to buy a new 11 before Apple discontinues in September or...? Anybody got any other ideas?

 

[MICHAELSD]

I'm here with ya.

I'm trying to figure this out, too. I'm debating trading in my current 11 to Apple (which will give me $230 trade-in currently) and buying a new 11. I've been having a few odd issues with my current 11, an odd bit of wonky that I don't want to be left with no new 11 to buy.

(I have an SE for work, and that works for work, but I like the bigger 11 and its Face ID enough that I don't want to update my personal phone to an SE.)

OLED is a bad boyfriend. Since the X, I have bought and returned and bought and sold so many OLED iPhones, and last summer I broke up with OLED and bought the 11. There's such peace in my life for the past year. I just refuse to go back to an abusive relationship with OLED anymore, so I don't even want to try or be tempted by the 14.

But I still want an iPhone and iOS, and I'm fine with the 11...so I'm trying to decide whether to buy a new 11 before Apple discontinues in September or...? Anybody got any other ideas?

Honestly, I preferred the third-generation SE to iPhone 11. That may be worth consideration if you're okay with the older home button design.

Now that I have a 14" Mini-LED MacBook Pro, which does cause me some degree of tension headaches/migraines, I'm more receptive to iPhone 14 and hopeful that it will have further PWM improvements. It's admittedly so much better than the Air that I'm torn on keeping it regardless.

I wonder how many more generations we'll have to do this for, since it is getting frustrating getting tension headaches from all of Apple's best displays. I shouldn't have to medicate myself, which I haven't tried, to continue being an Apple enthusiast that would gladly pay top-dollar for these devices.

It's simply not practical to own products that cause persistent headaches and migraines after use.

 

[asus389]

I'd love to upgrade to the SE3 but all of the 4.7" iPhone 8 style phones cause pretty major skin irritation for me. It's weird, its only phones based on the small 8 size. Ideally I'd love a 13 mini but the PWM bothers me. So its either itchy hands with the SE, keep a 6s or 7, or use a larger than appreciated XR, 11, or 8 plus. I'm a guy who would be on the latest pro phone every year if it weren't for these issues. :-(

 

[jimmy_uk]

I'd love to upgrade to the SE3 but all of the 4.7" iPhone 8 style phones cause pretty major skin irritation for me. It's weird, its only phones based on the small 8 size. Ideally I'd love a 13 mini but the PWM bothers me. So its either itchy hands with the SE, keep a 6s or 7, or use a larger than appreciated XR, 11, or 8 plus. I'm a guy who would be on the latest pro phone every year if it weren't for these issues. :-(

Do you think it the glass backs? I find holding glass against the skin makes my hand sweat more, especially as the phone heats up, which causes irritation. I have the same issue with sapphire backed watches on my wrist.

 

[asus389]

Do you think it the glass backs? I find holding glass against the skin makes my hand sweat more, especially as the phone heats up, which causes irritation. I have the same issue with sapphire backed watches on my wrist.

I'm not sure. If I had to guess its probably the adhesives used to glue the "sandwich". My guess is that the glass back phones have double the adhesives (two glass panes) that the previous aluminum back phones had. But so do the pro phones and those don't generally bother me. So maybe they use something different with the aluminum body ones? Also the newer aluminum glass back phones (12, 13, XR, 11) have less of this effect - so it really is something weird with the 8/SE. I wish I knew...

 

[5105973]

I'm here with ya.

I'm trying to figure this out, too. I'm debating trading in my current 11 to Apple (which will give me $230 trade-in currently) and buying a new 11. I've been having a few odd issues with my current 11, an odd bit of wonky that I don't want to be left with no new 11 to buy.

(I have an SE for work, and that works for work, but I like the bigger 11 and its Face ID enough that I don't want to update my personal phone to an SE.)

OLED is a bad boyfriend. Since the X, I have bought and returned and bought and sold so many OLED iPhones, and last summer I broke up with OLED and bought the 11. There's such peace in my life for the past year. I just refuse to go back to an abusive relationship with OLED anymore, so I don't even want to try or be tempted by the 14.

But I still want an iPhone and iOS, and I'm fine with the 11...so I'm trying to decide whether to buy a new 11 before Apple discontinues in September or...? Anybody got any other ideas?

My abusive ex is still here. 13 Pro. I’m trading that phone in for a 14 Pro or Pro Max. I was able to use the 12 Pro Max but not the 12 Pro so I might go for the 14 Pro Max. I don’t know. I do have an iPhone 11 and an S3 I switch between so I don’t really need the new iPhone. I just want that 13 Pro out of here. The camera is hot garbage so I couldn’t even pass it along to anyone else. It focus hunts and over processes everything. If only the 11 had even a modest 2x zoom I would be happier because the 11 and the SE 3 take nicer more natural looking photos than my 13 Pro did. The one thing my 13 Pro did do really nice was portrait photos. It over processed them but in a flattering way.

If the 14 Pro fails me I’ll send it back and then trade the 13 Pro in for some sort of account credit if they let me. Then get a 12 Pro Max refurb. My original 12 Pro Max got traded in because the display was horribly flawed with displaying blacks as green in videos and photos in dim ambient lighting. I couldn’t really watch videos on it. It was a very rough display. But at least it didn’t make my eyes water or give me dizziness and migraines. Sigh.

I wish I could help you with your decision. At the very least I do think you’d still have access for awhile to a refurbished 11. I’ve recently bought an M1 Air laptop from Apple and my husband got the Mac Studio from the Apple refurbished store. I could not tell my laptop was not brand spanking new. Apple goes even further with renewing refurbished iPhones. I would not hesitate to buy a refurbished iPhone from them.

 

[1369281]

iPhone SE (2022, 3rd gen) is annoying me. I think the LTE modem is weaker than the previous generation. My signal isn't as good and I consistently experience long periods during a phone call where I can't hear anything, but the other side can hear me.

Really hoping one of the iPhone 14 models doesn't use PWM... or something...

 

[asus389]

iPhone SE (2022, 3rd gen) is annoying me. I think the LTE modem is weaker than the previous generation. My signal isn't as good and I consistently experience long periods during a phone call where I can't hear anything, but the other side can hear me.

Really hoping one of the iPhone 14 models doesn't use PWM... or something...

Thats weird, the modems in the 11 series (and 2020 SE) were the intel ones. The going concern at the time was that they weren't as good as the Qualcomm ones. But now that we are into 5G chipsets who knows... Curious which carrier you have?

 

[Mr.Simple]

It would be so nice if only one smartphone of the iPhone 14 serie would have this new OLED Display with 2160 PWM Frequency:

It seems like the display manufacturer from China have found high PWM Frequency as new opportunity when it comes to the competition with Samsung Display. The pressure gets higher for Samsung Display and this is a good thing for us

 

[1369281]

Thats weird, the modems in the 11 series (and 2020 SE) were the intel ones. The going concern at the time was that they weren't as good as the Qualcomm ones. But now that we are into 5G chipsets who knows... Curious which carrier you have?

I have Verizon. I also had both the 11 and the SE (2020) and didn't have the issue. It happens to me every time I talk on the phone for longer than a few minutes. So annoying! iPhone 14 event is September 7th... can you imagine if they somehow stopped using PWM altogether? I would love to never have to come back to this thread.

 

[ryansm]

The MacBook M2 Air absolutely flickers. You can see it in this YouTube video here recorded in 720p 240fps with iPhone 7.

The laptop on the left is the M2 Air and you can literally see the flicker! Here is proof Apple is killing our eyes.

Credit to LEDStrain.org.