Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

[happy orchard]

Has anyone had ANY success with the iPhone 14 Pro Max?

Not sure I'd call it success, but I'm about five, six weeks into a Pro Max. I still prefer my 11 when I'm at home, but I'm just acting like the music has stopped my musical iPhones and am going to stick with this one for a bit. Sometimes I think fondly of the future day when I can trade it in a for revamped 11/SE. Weird, I know.

 

[happy orchard]

@jimmy_uk How's the 11 doing? The last thing I saw from you was happiness, so I just wanted to see if that's grown, waned, or you're just almost normally living life with a new phone now.

 

[jimmy_uk]

@jimmy_uk How's the 11 doing? The last thing I saw from you was happiness, so I just wanted to see if that's grown, waned, or you're just almost normally living life with a new phone now.

Thanks for checking in 😊. Yes, I can safely say I'm still happy and it's great. I am super busy with work so have limited phone time, but so far no issues (other than trying to find a suitable case for my needs). It's a great feeling brought about because I was out of options and it's made me realise I'm terrible at making decisions when there are too many options. Being forced to the 11 through the death of my 7 Plus has taken the choice away, so acceptance is my only road and I'm good now. Finally. (Although I'm trying not to obsess over the uneven volume buttons )

Now I'm finding myself wanting an Apple watch and iPad again as I'm excited for new Apple things. Sadly the choice between the Ultra and the S7/S8 has me back in the decision-making spin out! I really like the Ultra and I can pull it off, but I'm concerned about how easily it could get dinged and scratched while with the SS AW I can easily polish it.

For the iPad, the Pro 11" is my only want (can't use the 12.9 MINI-LED), still holding on for the M1 refurbs but I might get bored of waiting and just go for M2.

It's great getting past the self-made cloud of doom surrounding the iPhones I can't use and having something new which has sparked my joy of tech again.

 

[Gargamelus]

it's very annoying because other manufacturers are faster and try to solve pwm problems. we have all become too much Apple fans and criticize far too little, including the business model.. Apple has become too powerful. they can do whatever they want, people will buy anything. They demand astronomical prices for their devices and much more. I'm at 14 p max and only use it 1-2 hours a day, can't do more. otherwise I have to puke..😉. Pixel 7 pro and Xiaomi 12 t pro are much better for the eyes. Apple needs to work on that, shame what Apple sells for eye torture

 

[dstow]

Update: I'm experiencing near daily headaches with the 14 Plus in conjunction with the RWP on 63% - I never though I'd miss my 11

I'm kind of up a creek without a paddle as If I return it, I'm left without a phone.

My options are

1) Try the 14 Pro Max despite the almost inevitable eye-strain
2) Be further out of pocket and purchase yet ANOTHER iPhone 11

Both not great options, I really want to love these phones but it's impossible given the suffering they cause

Is there ANYONE in this thread who has used the 14 Pro Max who is happy with it? there must be SOMEONE

Beyond depressing.

 

[5105973]

I noticed that with the iPhone 13, if I look at it at 45 degrees it doesn't really bother me. Seems strange?

No I noticed that, too but goodness that's a terribly inconvenient way to use a phone!

I've been using my S22 Ultra a lot lately. I even pushed past an hour yesterday. It's pretty good. No weird feelings or anything like that...yet. I'm not going to try to read an e book on it but I can web surf comfortably for an hour again. But I have to be cautiously optimistic, because I did well enough on the 14 Pro Max, too, initially.

The display is too twitchy though. By that I mean it's too easy to accidentally exit something I'm doing. I will be trying to scroll up or down on the display and somehow I've exited the page I was on.

And the fingerprint sensor doesn't work very well for me. So I don't conduct business on it. Even with G Board it's still not great to type on. I am thinking of getting a flat display Samsung like Z Flip 5 in August or S23+ in February. I'll miss an S Pen but curved displays suck so bad. This is a very subtle curve and it's still annoying me.

It didn't use to annoy me so much, maybe not at all, at least I don't remember complaining so much, but now that it's my only device for web consumption and doing my emails, it's really starting to tick me off.

I will only use my 14 Pro Max to web surf if I'm away from home. Like I was visiting my mom yesterday and she was asking me about an old movie star she remembered but didn't remember some gossip about them. So I looked him up for her and just reading the wiki entry to her made my head feel weird.

When I first got the 14 Pro Max, I did pretty well on it. As I've gone on trying to use it, the symptoms are much quicker to manifest now.

 

[sorgo †]

Update: I'm experiencing near daily headaches with the 14 Plus in conjunction with the RWP on 63% - I never though I'd miss my 11

I'm kind of up a creek without a paddle as If I return it, I'm left without a phone.

My options are

1) Try the 14 Pro Max despite the almost inevitable eye-strain
2) Be further out of pocket and purchase yet ANOTHER iPhone 11

Both not great options, I really want to love these phones but it's impossible given the suffering they cause

Is there ANYONE in this thread who has used the 14 Pro Max who is happy with it? there must be SOMEONE

Beyond depressing.

SE 2022?

 

[dstow]

SE 2022?

Been there done that, could not go back to 2015, it's far too small and the battery is diminutive, too many drawbacks even compared to the 11, I love the 6.7" display, it's just a shame it cooks my eyes.

Does anyone knows if Apple would refund the trade in value of the iPhone 11 I did in-store? Or am I screwed?

 

[now i see it]

Ok this has been mentioned before but I’ll mention it again:

I have both an iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.The 8 Plus is on ios 14 and it’s OK enough, my iPhone 8 was on ios 15 and it was tolerable but bugged my eyes after a while. Mostly because of the lower resolution screen.

Since my iPhone 8 is intended as my test mule and carrying device that I don’t really care about, I decided to update it to ios 16.2 today - because I don’t really care if it gets nailed by the update.

Guess what? It did. There’s something really messed up with ios 16. After playing with the iPhone 8 on iOS 16 for a few minutes, checking settings & stuff, the usual house keeping chores, I started getting that disoriented feeling and feeling of unease. Experiencing a weird mental yuckiness. No headache or eyestrain but something definitely was messed up with the display.
I put it down and started using my 8 Plus on iOS 14 and everything was fine.

As others have mentioned- there’s something messed up with iOS 16. My iPhone 8 now is kinda unusable.
Temporal Dithering?
The colors on the screen look different than they did before. More saturated.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Now I'm finding myself wanting an Apple watch and iPad again as I'm excited for new Apple things. Sadly the choice between the Ultra and the S7/S8 has me back in the decision-making spin out! I really like the Ultra and I can pull it off, but I'm concerned about how easily it could get dinged and scratched while with the SS AW I can easily polish it.

I’ve heard of some users experiencing PWM sensitivity on the Ultra, so I would keep that in mind with the larger display which may use PWM.

Series 7/8 should cause no issues with a PWM-free 60Hz flicker like past Apple Watches.

 

[jimmy_uk]

Ok this has been mentioned before but I’ll mention it again:

I have both an iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.The 8 Plus is on ios 14 and it’s OK enough, my iPhone 8 was on ios 15 and it was tolerable but bugged my eyes after a while. Mostly because of the lower resolution screen.

Since my iPhone 8 is intended as my test mule and carrying device that I don’t really care about, I decided to update it to ios 16.2 today - because I don’t really care if it gets nailed by the update.

Guess what? It did. There’s something really messed up with ios 16. After playing with the iPhone 8 on iOS 16 for a few minutes, checking settings & stuff, the usual house keeping chores, I started getting that disoriented feeling and feeling of unease. Experiencing a weird mental yuckiness. No headache or eyestrain but something definitely was messed up with the display.
I put it down and started using my 8 Plus on iOS 14 and everything was fine.

As others have mentioned- there’s something messed up with iOS 16. My iPhone 8 now is kinda unusable.
Temporal Dithering?
The colors on the screen look different than they did before. More saturated.

My 11 is on 16.1.2 and overly saturated colours is something that's very apparent to me. It looks like a Samsung phone.

 

[Sierraexplorer]

Ok this has been mentioned before but I’ll mention it again:

I have both an iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.The 8 Plus is on ios 14 and it’s OK enough, my iPhone 8 was on ios 15 and it was tolerable but bugged my eyes after a while. Mostly because of the lower resolution screen.

Since my iPhone 8 is intended as my test mule and carrying device that I don’t really care about, I decided to update it to ios 16.2 today - because I don’t really care if it gets nailed by the update.

Guess what? It did. There’s something really messed up with ios 16. After playing with the iPhone 8 on iOS 16 for a few minutes, checking settings & stuff, the usual house keeping chores, I started getting that disoriented feeling and feeling of unease. Experiencing a weird mental yuckiness. No headache or eyestrain but something definitely was messed up with the display.
I put it down and started using my 8 Plus on iOS 14 and everything was fine.

As others have mentioned- there’s something messed up with iOS 16. My iPhone 8 now is kinda unusable.
Temporal Dithering?
The colors on the screen look different than they did before. More saturated.

I had a similar experience with iOS 16. Unfortunately, I didn't have the forethought to back up my phone on a computer so am now stuck with this on my 12Pro. There are times when I get along well with it, but it's definitely more of an aggravating factor for my eyes than it was previously.

 

[asus389]

I've noticed various differences in color representation between iOS versions. Ultimately I got used to it. 13, 14, 15 all were slightly different.

 

[Ac1d 8urn]

If anyone's willing to venture outside the ecosystem, the z flip 4 set to 60hz has been great for my eyes. No headaches, nausea, eyestrain, nada.

 

[johnscully]

Can a new version of iOS really introduce PWM-like issues? I installed iPadOS 16.2 on my iPad (6th Gen) and now apparently get eye irritation - the device was perfectly fine on iPadOS 15, but there is no way to go back unfortunately.

 

[Gargamelus]

If anyone's willing to venture outside the ecosystem, the z flip 4 set to 60hz has been great for my eyes. No headaches, nausea, eyestrain, nada.

I've tried that too. It's not ideal. a xiaomi 12 t pro is much better, almost perfect with 2000hz and dc dimming.. no one would have trouble with that. in a two generations will all incorporate these displays

Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is also very good no eye strain

 

[Mastrociambella]

Can a new version of iOS really introduce PWM-like issues? I installed iPadOS 16.2 on my iPad (6th Gen) and now apparently get eye irritation - the device was perfectly fine on iPadOS 15, but there is no way to go back unfortunately.

I got the idea something was off with iPadOS 16, so i updated my pro 2018 right when it was released, i noticed my eyes were getting discomfort due to colours reproduction (i guess temporal dithering to show more, more, more, moooore colours), i reverted back to iPadOS 15 immediately, it was still signed by Apple...I'll wait for iPadOS 17 unless anyone reports any good news about 16.x versions (and hoping it won't get worse and worse)

 

[now i see it]

show more, more, more, moooore colours

Exactly

 

[pwm away]

Does anyone knows if Apple would refund the trade in value of the iPhone 11 I did in-store? Or am I screwed?

I assume you're outside their return window?

Just recently went through the process of trading in with Apple in store; they'll give you any gap between the trade in value and the value of the items you buy as an Apple gift card.

 

[canuckRus]

From 2017?

 

[pwm away]

Was referring to the 14 Plus mentioned

 

[happy orchard]

Thanks for checking in 😊. Yes, I can safely say I'm still happy and it's great. I am super busy with work so have limited phone time, but so far no issues (other than trying to find a suitable case for my needs). It's a great feeling brought about because I was out of options and it's made me realise I'm terrible at making decisions when there are too many options. Being forced to the 11 through the death of my 7 Plus has taken the choice away, so acceptance is my only road and I'm good now. Finally. (Although I'm trying not to obsess over the uneven volume buttons )

Now I'm finding myself wanting an Apple watch and iPad again as I'm excited for new Apple things. Sadly the choice between the Ultra and the S7/S8 has me back in the decision-making spin out! I really like the Ultra and I can pull it off, but I'm concerned about how easily it could get dinged and scratched while with the SS AW I can easily polish it.

For the iPad, the Pro 11" is my only want (can't use the 12.9 MINI-LED), still holding on for the M1 refurbs but I might get bored of waiting and just go for M2.

It's great getting past the self-made cloud of doom surrounding the iPhones I can't use and having something new which has sparked my joy of tech again.

@jimmy_uk That is such a delight to read. You've been through a lot with all of this, so I'm happy that you've found some happy--so much that you're eying other toys.

Also, it's good that you recognize your decision-making skills. Sometimes the thing to keep in mind is not that there is A right choice, but there are good choiceS. Do some spreadsheets. Make some lists. Flip some coins. Then just make a choice knowing that our thorough investigations often inevitably leave us aware of the value in the choices we've not made. That's okay. That doesn't mean we're wrong. It might just mean that we can see the good in multiple choiceS.

And if you do choose badly, maybe that's okay, too. Learn from it. Let it go. If you're lucky, you'll live long enough and life will let you make more choices about more watches and phones and iPads. Enjoy your joy of tech again.

 

[happy orchard]

Update: I'm experiencing near daily headaches with the 14 Plus in conjunction with the RWP on 63% - I never though I'd miss my 11

I'm kind of up a creek without a paddle as If I return it, I'm left without a phone.

My options are

1) Try the 14 Pro Max despite the almost inevitable eye-strain
2) Be further out of pocket and purchase yet ANOTHER iPhone 11

Both not great options, I really want to love these phones but it's impossible given the suffering they cause

Is there ANYONE in this thread who has used the 14 Pro Max who is happy with it? there must be SOMEONE

Beyond depressing.

I like my 14PM. (Couldn't even handle the 14Plus in store.) I don't love it the way I've loved previous iPhones. But I enjoy it...mostly.

I still like my 11.

This post is just my way of saying if you can try a 14PM, there's hope, and if you can find an 11, that might be just lovely, too.

 

[dstow]

I like my 14PM. (Couldn't even handle the 14Plus in store.) I don't love it the way I've loved previous iPhones. But I enjoy it...mostly.

I still like my 11.

This post is just my way of saying if you can try a 14PM, there's hope, and if you can find an 11, that might be just lovely, too.

Is there not much significant eye-strain? are you using any work-arounds such as RWP or any other accessibility options to mitigate it?

 

[happy orchard]

Is there not much significant eye-strain? are you using any work-arounds such as RWP or any other accessibility options to mitigate it?

Yes, I keep RWP at 60-80% mostly; I change it at odd moments but can leave it at some setting in that range for days.

Auto-brightness is ON. Again, there are odd times when I adjust it myself. Mostly when it's dark and my brain remembers the PWM is (supposedly?) lower then, so I bump it up to around 50%.

Often use dark mode inside when I'll be looking at normally white-screen-dominant backgrounds.

I try not to use it as much in dim rooms when it's the only light since that seems to bother me still a bit. That's fine because I have iPads and other tech to use.

Outside, I love it. No problems.

(For subjective reference, I wasn't able to use an X at all, used an XS for a few months, 11PM for a few months more, and then 12PM for a while. Eventually somewhere around the 5-8-month mark, I just got tired of the screens and returned to the 11's LCD. So I've done better as the flicker has seemed to be less with more recent iterations. I have a hard time with flicker bicycle lights and strobe effects in movies, more so after too many surfing concussions. I say all that to help you gauge with your experience.)

With all of that said, I think if I'd not purchased this 14PM this last time (my fifth phone in this buying season), I would have been happy with my 11. Maybe happier.