Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

[StardustRedding]

I popped into the Apple Store today to check out the 14 Plus in person - the first thing that I noticed was how light it was even though it's actually heavier than the 11 albeit by a few grams, the weight distribution is superior - in regards to PWM, it's hard to tell with only handling the phone for a few minutes to gauge.

However, handling the 14 Pro/Max/14 there is definitely a degree of discomfort, the screens are almost piercingly bright and "hurts" your eyes to view them compared with the almost softer appearing LCD counterparts such as the 11 - there was definitely the familiar headache beginning to emerge after a couple of minutes going through the line-up but impossible to say if the 14 Plus alone would cause that

I'm conflicted, the 14 Plus seems like a winner, it doesn't "feel" much bigger than the 11, and the weight is perfect - As for the SE I had to laugh at how infinitesimally small it feels compared to the 11 which ironically caused more eye-strain than the PWM laden line-up from squinting into 2016 display technology

Conclusion - Need more hands on 14 Plus PWM reviews in this thread before pulling the trigger

I am praying all of this gets fixed

 

[Chrispy]

I popped into the Apple Store today to check out the 14 Plus in person - the first thing that I noticed was how light it was even though it's actually heavier than the 11 albeit by a few grams, the weight distribution is superior - in regards to PWM, it's hard to tell with only handling the phone for a few minutes to gauge.

However, handling the 14 Pro/Max/14 there is definitely a degree of discomfort, the screens are almost piercingly bright and "hurts" your eyes to view them compared with the almost softer appearing LCD counterparts such as the 11 - there was definitely the familiar headache beginning to emerge after a couple of minutes going through the line-up but impossible to say if the 14 Plus alone would cause that

I'm conflicted, the 14 Plus seems like a winner, it doesn't "feel" much bigger than the 11, and the weight is perfect - As for the SE I had to laugh at how infinitesimally small it feels compared to the 11 which ironically caused more eye-strain than the PWM laden line-up from squinting into 2016 display technology

Conclusion - Need more hands on 14 Plus PWM reviews in this thread before pulling the trigger

You've basically landed where I have. I've been to the Apple store a few times now mulling over if I want to try another phone and usually end up leaving with a headache. I've come to the conclusion that I can't go smaller than a 6.1" screen size. I have to be honest with myself that I'm not getting younger and 6.1 seems to be my limit. I was also shocked how small the SE seems these days considering I thought it was a fairly large phone back in the day of the iPhone 6. I don't know that I could use it comfortably these days. Also, totally agree about the size to weight ratio of the 14 Plus. It really is wonderful.

 

[happy orchard]

Ridiculous if Apple blacklists you

I hear you, but I've returned a lot of phones every year since they introduced OLED.

 

[john g.]

You've basically landed where I have. I've been to the Apple store a few times now mulling over if I want to try another phone and usually end up leaving with a headache. I've come to the conclusion that I can't go smaller than a 6.1" screen size. I have to be honest with myself that I'm not getting younger and 6.1 seems to be my limit. I was also shocked how small the SE seems these days considering I thought it was a fairly large phone back in the day of the iPhone 6. I don't know that I could use it comfortably these days. Also, totally agree about the size to weight ratio of the 14 Plus. It really is wonderful.

You know, I think I'm coming around to the same conclusion. I know I have waxed poetically about the iPhone mini and I do love the size, but as my eyes age I wonder how happy I would be with that screen long-term.
I do have an SE second generation which I use as a glorified iPod, but the screen is ridiculous for any sustained usage for my aging eyes. And yes I have high quality reading [computer] glasses.

Never thought I'd say this but 6.1 seems to be a new sweet spot for me.

Still a bit curious about the pro max but when I went to the Apple store they didn't have any in sight for a while and my son convinced me that I would end up bitching about it being a tablet in my hands and I think he's right

And yes, the 14+ felt great in the hand. But I really wanted to give the Pro a chance because of the cameras.
But the 14+ screen looked pretty good as far as I could tell.
Anytime you try to test multiple models in the Apple store it gets overwhelming fast

 

[DJTaurus]

My experience with normal iPhone 14 goes pretty smooth. No major issues. I also have a flu this days so i feel a little bit tired in general. Nausea hasn’t returned. We shall see……

What i want to mention is that I don’t like night mode. It supposed to be more eyes friendly but in my experience it’s uncomfortable. Total black with whites on safari does a very bright contrast. Anyone else ?

 

[MICHAELSD]

My experience with normal iPhone 14 goes pretty smooth. No major issues. I also have a flu this days so i feel a little bit tired in general. Nausea hasn’t returned. We shall see……

What i want to mention is that I don’t like night mode. It supposed to be more eyes friendly but in my experience it’s uncomfortable. Total black with whites on safari does a very bright contrast. Anyone else ?

The 60Hz flicker rate still has me intrigued, even if iPhone X had 60Hz flicker above 50% brightness which didn’t help. It’s otherwise the lowest by far, which to me would normally indicate DC dimming.

Curious to see the full review, which is taking a while, as I doubt Apple would go from 610Hz on iPhone 13 to 60Hz on iPhone 14 without making some other drastic change.

 

[MICHAELSD]

I’m tempted to do this too. I think the Pro was better overall. And I also had Covid during my time with the Pro so I’m second guessing whether the migraines were related to that.

But that’ll be the 5th phone from Apple in a year that I might have to return. At what point do they say that’s enough? I don’t want to be blacklisted or refused a refund.

All that I’ve read and communicated would suggest that there’s no limit to returns as long as it isn’t unusually excessive. I.e. consistently returning a dozen iPhones per week.

I try to keep some products and spend money regardless, which is one of the reasons I purchased an Apple Polishing Cloth along with the 14” MacBook Pro I should have probably returned weeks ago.

I also upgraded to the third-generation iPhone SE around a year after purchasing the second-generation, which was a surprisingly worthwhile upgrade.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

Dude, I so worry about getting blacklisted. Every year I cry--What will I do if Apple blacklists me? Don't they know I really want to keep the phone?! Don't they know that if they let me trade out for an LCD at the Genius Bar, I absolutely would?!

After the one guy who returned like 17 phones trying to get the perfect non-yellow screen, I think we are good to go lol.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

I’ve been spending some time in Reddit which honesty is a cesspool, but anyway I’m surprised to see how many are talking about PWM over there. Unless it’s all of us hitting up that place too under different names, then it’s comforting in a way to see we are by far not alone. Maybe in a misery loves company type of way? Although I do thoroughly enjoy when I see someone is able to finally make a phone work for them. This is such a stupid problem to have.

In the regular forum it’s all these people bitching about pricing, lack of innovation, bashing features, etc etc and we are over here begging Apple to take our money in exchange for a usable device. They have no idea how good they have it.

 

[Chrispy]

I’ve been spending some time in Reddit which honesty is a cesspool, but anyway I’m surprised to see how many are talking about PWM over there. Unless it’s all of us hitting up that place too under different names, then it’s comforting in a way to see we are by far not alone. Maybe in a misery loves company type of way? Although I do thoroughly enjoy when I see someone is able to finally make a phone work for them. This is such a stupid problem to have.

In the regular forum it’s all these people bitching about pricing, lack of innovation, bashing features, etc etc and we are over here begging Apple to take our money in exchange for a usable device. They have no idea how good they have it.

The one time I tried to comment about PWM in an iPhone thread on reddit, I was quickly downvoted, told to get glasses and called poor for using a XR. Never went back, haha. I laugh every time I watch a video where they say "don't upgrade, it's not worth it" just assuming people are coming from an iPhone 13 series. Seems like most reviewers can't fathom there are people out there with phones made before 2019. I'm sure it feels like lack of innovation when you have been able to happily upgrade every year without problems. And don't even get me started on the absolute avalanche of hate raining down on the 14 Plus at the moment, lol.

 

[MICHAELSD]

The one time I tried to comment about PWM in an iPhone thread on reddit, I was quickly downvoted, told to get glasses and called poor for using a XR. Never went back, haha. I laugh every time I watch a video where they say "don't upgrade, it's not worth it" just assuming people are coming from an iPhone 13 series. Seems like most reviewers can't fathom there are people out there with phones made before 2019. I'm sure it feels like lack of innovation when you have been able to happily upgrade every year without problems. And don't even get me started on the absolute avalanche of hate raining down on the 14 Plus at the moment, lol.

That’s going on with this Reddit thread currently:

https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/y2bjl0

One of the reasons it’s a more prevalent topic on Reddit is probably since I had a largely upvoted post in r/Apple a few years ago about iPhone X using PWM. It is amazing how many users outside of this thread or the usual posts do comment about being PWM sensitive. It makes me wonder about all the people using these devices that may not be immediately sensitive that are nonetheless experiencing migraines and headaches not realizing it’s due to their iPhone, or Galaxy device for that matter.

I’ve noticed a trend on Reddit with iPhone 14 where super sensitive users that previously couldn’t use any OLED iPhone are able to use it without an issue, so perhaps that is our best option. I’m basically just waiting for an explanation to provide validation before ordering one.

 

[1369281]

More exposure regarding this issue, the better!

 

[JM]

Howdy. 42 minutes on 14 pro and initial feelings of warm eyeballs happened. Not pain, but a little dry eye feeling and…. Warm…

…eyeballs.

I can’t think of any other way to describe it 🤦‍♂️🤣

I’ll check back in after a day or two.

Mind y’all, I had ignorable issues with 13 mini, no problems at all with 11pro, and had to return the 12mini two years ago from flickering at low light and eye pain.

(*also as a bonus: I got the 11 and had warm head feelings, and my left eye would hurt.. which went completely away once I got corrective lenses to fix my blurry astigmatism left eye.)

 

[nadiamo]

I have had my iPhone 11(64gb) for over 3 years and am dying to get a new phone. I had to return iPhone 11pro when I had constant headaches and eye strain for a week, since then I had opportunities to use 12 Mini, 13 and 13pro max on and of but never for a really long period of time. I didn't develop any immediate headaches from those usage but my eyes always felt funny. I cannot say they made me feel bad, just not as comfortable as looking at the iPhone 11 screen for me.

Today I was at the Apple store playing with iPhone 14pro for about 20 minutes, again, no headaches but my eyes still felt a little funny. I don't know if it's due to PWM or I'm just adjusting to OLED screen. I feel slightly hopeful and maybe will try to order an iPhone 14pro this year(looked at 14 as well, but I really like the look of pro version better). I love how the silver version looks, way better than the silver regular 14. I'm hoping once I'm adjusted to the new phone, it won't be an issue. Good luck everyone, please keep sharing your experiences with the new phones.

update: I finally received my 14 pro today. During the setup I felt some discomfort with my eyes. Turned off attention aware feature, reduced white point to 80-90%(still playing around the number), increased the brightness, unsure if I should keep True Tone on or off yet(had it off on my 11). I plan to try turning off the promotion next. So after about 2 hours, I can say it's not as easy for my eyes comparing to the 11, however I've been looking at computer screen and phones for a whole day, so this might not be fair to say what's causing my eye strain at the end of the day. Fingers crossed no headaches yet (that was my experience with 11 pro), hopefully after the initial adjusting period, I will be able to finally again, enjoy the newest iPhone again.

 

[JM]

update: I finally received my 14 pro today. During the setup I felt some discomfort with my eyes. Turned off attention aware feature, reduced white point to 80-90%(still playing around the number), increased the brightness, unsure if I should keep True Tone on or off yet(had it off on my 11). I plan to try turning off the promotion next. So after about 2 hours, I can say it's not as easy for my eyes comparing to the 11, however I've been looking at computer screen and phones for a whole day, so this might not be fair to say what's causing my eye strain at the end of the day. Fingers crossed no headaches yet (that was my experience with 11 pro), hopefully after the initial adjusting period, I will be able to finally again, enjoy the newest iPhone again.

best of luck to yah

 

[StardustRedding]

Howdy. 42 minutes on 14 pro and initial feelings of warm eyeballs happened. Not pain, but a little dry eye feeling and…. Warm…

…eyeballs.

I can’t think of any other way to describe it 🤦‍♂️🤣

I’ll check back in after a day or two.

Mind y’all, I had ignorable issues with 13 mini, no problems at all with 11pro, and had to return the 12mini two years ago from flickering at low light and eye pain.

(*also as a bonus: I got the 11 and had warm head feelings, and my left eye would hurt.. which went completely away once I got corrective lenses to fix my blurry astigmatism left eye.)

My battery blows on the 11 and if I have to upgrade, I’ll add a blue light screen protector. Can’t hurt

 

[dimitricook]

I am wondering if anyone did try the Xperia 1 IV. The PWM graphs look very smooth in comparison to other graphs.

Sony Xperia 1 IV review: The first smartphone with real optical zoom, 4K OLED & jack

Sony's Xperia 1 IV is a flagship smartphone with high-end features. Read this review to find out whether it is worth buying.

www.notebookcheck.net

 

[PwmMen]

@GrumpyMom
Do you still use the iPhone 14 Pro Max? How are you doing with it after a long time?

 

[DJTaurus]

Can anyone explain to me why text appears to be larger on OLEDs Vs LCDs ?

 

[5105973]

@GrumpyMom
Do you still use the iPhone 14 Pro Max? How are you doing with it after a long time?

I’m doing very well so far!

I can’t use my Pixel 6 Pro anymore (got so dizzy I felt like I would either faint or toss my cookies) but apparently I am ok on my Samsung S22 Ultra, at least for the few minutes I took a look at it while my Max was charging.

I can even use my 14 Pro Max to read late at night on a dim setting.

For the sake of not shocking my nervous system constantly, I’m going with this one phone and not switching around anymore.

 

[5105973]

update: I finally received my 14 pro today. During the setup I felt some discomfort with my eyes. Turned off attention aware feature, reduced white point to 80-90%(still playing around the number), increased the brightness, unsure if I should keep True Tone on or off yet(had it off on my 11). I plan to try turning off the promotion next. So after about 2 hours, I can say it's not as easy for my eyes comparing to the 11, however I've been looking at computer screen and phones for a whole day, so this might not be fair to say what's causing my eye strain at the end of the day. Fingers crossed no headaches yet (that was my experience with 11 pro), hopefully after the initial adjusting period, I will be able to finally again, enjoy the newest iPhone again.

I found I have to have Pro Motion on to be comfortable. The same the equivalent feature on the Samsung s22 Ultra.

 

[PwmMen]

You will now think that I'm crazy! No, you will not because you can understand me safely and you are often no different. I ordered an iPhone 14 Pro Max again. During the last test I was sick and only had slight eye pain and believe that I gave up too quickly. I can no longer use my iPhone 12 Pro since I had the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Everything on the iPhone 14 Pro Max is so much better. I will just keep it now, up to the iPhone 15 per max. I will adapt my use to the slight symptoms. It is simply a pleasure to use the camera and have the big display. Notebook check gives the PWM so good grades that I just want to test it over several weeks. Even if I can't send it back, I don't care. Then it is sold, should it not work after several weeks.

 

[johnscully]

Notebookcheck review of iPhone 14 is available (think only German version currently). PWM rate looks quite low (60 Hz)

 

[DJTaurus]

Guys i don’t know about you but i am on a phase of getting good along with iPhone 14. 3rd day today and i am getting used to it. No nausea and dizziness. Minor head irritation/pressure but it could be the flu/cold. I use the default white point at 25%, True Tone off and brightness generally at 70-80%. Also the 2 face id options off. That’s all.

Just hear a funny thing. In the morning i took my iPhone 11 to just use it for couple of minutes and instantly i got huge pressure like headache at the front of my head. It’s like my brain is adjusting to 14 and 11 was sth different. Weird stuff….

Also to add i turned off dark mode. The reflections are unbearable…. It s ucks.

 

[G3Blue]

Notebookcheck review of iPhone 14 is available (think only German version currently). PWM rate looks quite low (60 Hz)

I may give the standard 14 a try. This reviews shows PWM is smoother the lower the brightness is set?