I wouldn’t be surprised if iPhone 15 was iPhone 14 Pro with a different name. They aren’t selling iPhone 14 Pro anymore, haha. This year was definitely weak for iPhone.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up
- Thread starter Kitkad
- WikiPost WikiPost
- Start date
-
- Tags
- eye strain xs max
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
I’m sitting here thinking of a scenario where by miracle the 15 PM works for me.I had planned on returning the 15 if it works, get my full-retail refund, and then trade in my 11 for an $800 credit. BUT, I feel like the screen lotto is a real thing. I no longer feel safe trading in my 11 knowing a second 15 might bother me. Am I nuts to think this way?
Fantastic posts! Looks like the pros are consistently worse than standard, I may have to return my 15PM (iPhone 11 currently).
I've ordered the affordable OPPLE Light Master 4 Light Meter - I will publish here the results as soon as the 15 line shows up in Applestores. I'll check the 13 & 14 too and use your testing range so we can check consistency with your results.
- edit: the Opple app has not been updated since 2020 not sure this tool works correctly...
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
That would be perfect, some clarity on the subject coming from first hand.
I remember an engineer commenting on this post about how (minor) system upgrades, for example from iOS 16.5 to 16.6 didn't affect anything to do with the screen or image display, because there were a few weeks that there were many users around here comparing minor system upgrades and were quite obsessed with the subject.
But apart from that, I don't remember any other time.
At least we have all these wonderful people that care to do sth unlike Apple that it seems it’s more important for them to introduce new Watch faces and MR that don’t dare to even upload an article for their longest thread right now.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I have read that if I change the screen of an iPhone for an LCD, the warranty of the phone is not lost, except for the screen. Do you know anything about this? Because I've seen quite a few people on Reddit who have replaced the screen of their iPhone, with good results. Of course, I would like to enjoy my iPhone with its original screen without having to do extra things, but... knowing that you can change it for an LCD screen is a plus.
I have also seen this post from Digital Chat Station (https://weibo.com/6048569942/NjggkfpBI):
The Chinese seem to be the only ones who care about eye health, they put a lot of emphasis on it. I don't know if there will ever be a total solution to this, but at least they are working on it. In this case there is a high PWM frequency for low brightness, like in the Honor 90, and for higher brightness they seem to use DC Dimming like in Motorola.
I have also seen this post from Digital Chat Station (https://weibo.com/6048569942/NjggkfpBI):
The Chinese seem to be the only ones who care about eye health, they put a lot of emphasis on it. I don't know if there will ever be a total solution to this, but at least they are working on it. In this case there is a high PWM frequency for low brightness, like in the Honor 90, and for higher brightness they seem to use DC Dimming like in Motorola.
Nowadays it’s not a good idea to trade in an iPhone that is proven good to help finance an unknown.
Always always always keep your old iPhone when purchasing a new one so you have a backup and reference to compare with.
After several months, if the new iPhone proves to be ok THEN sell your old phone.
(I know you won’t get $800 selling an ip 11 on your own).
Indeed. I applaud the Chinese for their eye health efforts. Unfortunately at the same time I just can't bring myself to trust their software anymore as I've seen some of the stunts they pull. Couldn't there be a manufacturer that's safe for both our eyes and our data?
I dislike returning iPhones since if you’ve read my post history typically I have to pry it out of my own hands out of concern for my health.
That being said, despite my Apple Store order history having a few returns here and there I have kept quite a few Apple products in the past 18 months. The funny part is that many of them say return request expired, since I really wanted to return I.e. this iPhone SE and keep my iPhone 13 mini. Even the 14” MacBook Pro Mini-LED display gave me issues, which didn’t go away long-term after owning it for a year.
I have been strategic about this since I do want to minimize returns. It becomes frustrating as I’m typing this on a cracked iPhone SE that I’m growing to resent, like iPhone 8 Plus—my least favorite iPhone of all-time.
But our options are quite limited: do we pre-order and hope for the best, despite doing that the past two years in a row only to be disappointed? Do we wait to see which iPhone is the best of the worst in terms of PWM then try that? Or do we sit this out altogether with limited PWM-free modern options on both the iOS and Android side?
It is reassuring in a way that PWM rates seem more normalized in China, like there are consumers that want to know what they’re exposing their eyes to for eight hours a day.
I just wonder how many people in the Western countries just attribute headaches they might be having just to amount of time they spend on their devices, not realizing that with a different display tech a similar amount of use would be just fine.
There are probably many more people than we realize that are experiencing headaches caused specifically by the PWM flicker on their smartphones.
But the effect is probably minimal compared to what we experience, so they’re not making a wider correlation.
When you get hit in the head with a brand new migraine sensation the second you open an iPhone and turn on the display then every time thereafter the cause becomes obvious.
There are definitely outliers that are experiencing severe symptoms and not correlating it to their devices, since I’ve gotten thank you notes from a few people that were going from doctor to doctor to identify their headaches not putting together that they started with their new iPhone.
I’d imagine there are probably people out there unnecessarily on some sort of headache treatment not realizing that their smartphone is the root cause and they wouldn’t need it without the flickering display. Or those that experience migraines/headaches they hadn’t gotten before not making the correlation to their smartphone.
Right on the money. I mentioned earlier that I am in the care of one of the most qualified headache neurologists in the country and I am the first in his care to have a condition triggered by a phone. It was a lightbulb moment when I had my assessment. He realises how real this problem is and we can only hope he is sharing the news with his equivalents around the UK and even worldwide (he's from an Indian background).
Slowly but surely PWM screens will get a very bad name.
They're the asbestos of the modern world....
I'm still "green" on this topic. Can someone educate me on this chart ... is the higher PWM number better, or worse?
And those who aren’t affected by pwm think we are crazy snd spending far too much time on all of this.
Which way do you feel you are leaning- think you might pull the trigger on a preorder?
And if so, regular 15, or pro?
I have a regular 15 in my bag, have been so close to ordering today as I see the delivery date is still September 22.
Definitely the Pro—go for the metaphorical gold, or go home. I would try the standard 15 if it’s proven to be better in terms of PWM.
I’m intrigued by the 6.1” but am slightly confused: I’m wondering if the size/weight reductions will make it more compelling this year. But I’ve found the size difference not to be big enough between the 6.1” and the 6.7” to be tangibly beneficial, so I do typically prefer the larger device. It’s odd since iPhone 14 Pro Max stuck out of the pocket of a new pair of Guess Jeans.
I’m also leaning towards 256GB this year, so the only holdback to the Max size is the lack of availability. There’s no difference between the sizes in terms of eye strain, assuming the PWM rate is equivalent.
The Blue Titanium looks surprisingly beautiful in hands-on videos. It harkens back to Pacific Blue on iPhone 12 Pro Max, which was my favorite color of the past few generations. If I could get an iPhone in this color and keep it I’d be ecstatic.
PWM be damned, I do want to pre-order or at least visit an Apple Store on Friday to see what the walk-in stock is like.
I do feel slightly crazy since I’ve tried literally every combination of settings to mitigate the effects of PWM. The Action button can apparently be programmed to Accessibility settings, but Reduce White Point isn’t quite good enough for this purpose.
It’s literally at the point I can’t use it without persistent and severe headaches, unless there have been major changes this year. But I’m excited and ready for a new iPhone so this is incredibly frustrating.
Sounds like nothing to lose placing an order, and returning if things don’t work out.
I am thinking I might do that- but do feel guilty taking that walk of shame back into the store to return one, and so if I feel more than a 50% chance I will have to return it, I hate to go through with the order.
The pro does look compelling this year, snd I agree about that blue.
Can’t wait to see these in person!
Regarding your pwm sensitivity- dies it kick in almost immediately when using the phone?
No guilt in returning a phone that causes eye strain and headaches, do precise them why, make your point of no return! Returning is the best act of protest. This is about real pain, most returns will be about wrong size or that awful yellowish tint in natural titanium...
Last edited:
Yeah, good point- I suppose the return is a small statement to them about the lack of concern for what this flickering does to some people- if indeed I buy one and find out it is a problem.
I might just pull the trigger tomorrow on that preorder to see how it goes... thanks for clearing my mind on my feeling of guilt on this!
If anyone should feel guilt here it's Apple and the rest of the industry pushing PWM on their users. Sure, OLED displays look nice, but there's a cost that shouldn't be ignored like they're mostly doing now.
Yeah, agreed.
I thought the LCD's on the iPhone 7, 8, etc. looked fantastic and they were not problematic in the least- it's really too bad they made this move to OLED, and after years and years of discussion and complaints about the PWM, nothing has realistically changed.
I'm still actually debating pre-ordering the 15, or maybe just keeping my 13 Mini and using it very lightly, and buying a relatively cheap LCD tablet (interestingly iPads all hurt my eyes, not sure if it's temporal dithering or what since many of them do not have PWM, other LCD panels do not) such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 that's on sale at Costco right now for $199. At least that is a basic TFT display that won't have temporal dithering, it has no PWM, it will be a perfectly tame display for sensitive eyes.
But, a part of me really wants to try the new phone.
Not to get too far off topic, but how do you like your Samsung S7 FE? And do you find it problematic having a device outside of what I assume is otherwise an Apple ecosystem for you?
I am OS agnostic. I have an iPad, Apple TV 4k, owned previous iPhones....I don't integrate my devices around one OS. The primary reason I got the FE was that it has a very large screen. But I probably use my iPad a bit more. BTW, just got back from AT&T retail store. I'll probably get the Razr Plus flip phone since the deal right now is pretty great. $10/month for 36 months. I don't think you can just buy it outright for $360. It's the cost of a six pack per month. I see it as a free phone. They won't tell me when the promotion ends. The Samsung flip is way worse to my eyes. So I can get that now and then check the iPhone in store on Friday. If by some miracle it's usable to my eyes I can still return the Moto. Still mulling it over.
Yeah, please report what you find!
That's a great deal on the Razr flip... To clarify, you tested that one out and it seemed to bother your eyes, but you were going to get it and see how it goes longer-term, just in case the iPhone won't be usable?
I saw something elsewhere about the Razr flip having a DC dimming (flicker reduction) setting, I am so curious how well that really works to alleviate the eye strain/headaches for those of us that are sensitive.