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Are you experiencing this issue?


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Proteinaceous

macrumors regular
Dec 4, 2004
198
215
Get the 8 Plus. You'll enjoy your phone and life in general more if your eyes don't hurt.

Agree 100%. That’s what I did. Life is too short to stress over a cell phone. I loved the X and really liked Face ID but the phone gave me headaches so I gave it to my wife (she loves it and has not issues with it) and got an 8+. Despite being an older design, it is a great phone and, internally, not that much different than the X. One big plus for me is that I greatly prefer the aspect ratio of the 8+. That was the only thing I didn’t like about the X.
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,484
3,494
NJ
Get the 8 Plus. You'll enjoy your phone and life in general more if your eyes don't hurt.

If Apple doesn’t commit to a real resolution then I’ll order an 8 Plus on Monday. Not worth the eye pain. Will just hope they get rid of PWM on the X Plus.
[doublepost=1517096490][/doublepost]Too bad they didn’t at the least reduce the bezels on the 8 and increase the PPI. Apple has used the same-sized bezels/PPI since iPhone 6. Also sucks because I’d rather pay a premium for iPhone X, $799 for 8 Plus feels less worth it to me than the effectively $1200 I paid for iPhone X.
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
If Apple doesn’t commit to a real resolution then I’ll order an 8 Plus on Monday. Not worth the eye pain. Will just hope they get rid of PWM on the X Plus.
[doublepost=1517096490][/doublepost]Too bad they didn’t at the least reduce the bezels on the 8 and increase the PPI. Apple has used the same-sized bezels/PPI since iPhone 6. Also sucks because I’d rather pay a premium for iPhone X, $799 for 8 Plus feels less worth it to me than the effectively $1200 I paid for iPhone X.
I thought it would feel like a downgrade to go back to the Plus after an X but it felt like slipping back into comfortable running shoes after having my toes pinched in dress shoes. Ultimately the display is what we interact with the most and the 8 Plus display is refined close to perfection now.
 

TDDM

macrumors 6502
Nov 25, 2017
490
634
KA
I thought it would feel like a downgrade to go back to the Plus after an X but it felt like slipping back into comfortable running shoes after having my toes pinched in dress shoes. Ultimately the display is what we interact with the most and the 8 Plus display is refined close to perfection now.
True, the iPhone 8+ display is only disappointing to me because I've been spoiled by the X. But to be honest, the plus does have a better viewing experience for videos and some other content, and holy crap that battery is insane.

Like michaelsd said, I do agree that they should've modernized the 8+ a little more. Smaller bezels, more PPI, and a 120hz display would've gone a long way to make the 8+ feel a lot better as a legit alternative to the X.
 

0669362

Suspended
Dec 19, 2017
34
4
The pwm that cause eye strain only starts at 50% brightness correct?

Would dimming the screen with the accessibility zoom low light option be any different?
 
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TDDM

macrumors 6502
Nov 25, 2017
490
634
KA
The pwm that cause eye strain only starts at 50% brightness correct?

Would dimming the screen would the accessibility zoom low light option be any different?
No, unfortunately, the PWM flicker is always there. It's just a little better the brighter you make it.

& the accessibility setting still uses the same brightness controller as the system brightness, so there's no way to dim the screen without PWM flicker (Aside from sideloading Iris, which might be able to dim the screen without using PWM)
 

gr4z

macrumors 6502
Aug 7, 2010
318
48
England
Do you think Apple would let you return the X when I have had it since launch if you suffer from eye strain etc? I doubt it, just wondered if anyone else has managed this.
 

Faste

macrumors newbie
Dec 3, 2017
21
24
Do you think Apple would let you return the X when I have had it since launch if you suffer from eye strain etc? I doubt it, just wondered if anyone else has managed this.
If you push your case enough, yes. Regardless if it is really bothering you second hand market isn’t that bad. You can also try to trick your carrier to unlock the phone for overseas travels to add some value to the phone.
 
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Kabir8

macrumors regular
Feb 3, 2010
156
17
LA
Do you think Apple would let you return the X when I have had it since launch if you suffer from eye strain etc? I doubt it, just wondered if anyone else has managed this.

Keep speaking to supervisors, and ask for senior engineers.
If you don't get the answer you want with the person you are speaking with ask to speak to their superior.
Don't accept NO as an answer.

I had this issue at all brightnesses, and I am sure somebody working at Apple has experienced this phenomena and Apple is clearly aware that this is happening.

It is unacceptable for a company to say "SORRY YOU SIGNED A CONTRACT" and lock you with a phone that is causing HEALTH ISSUES.

They will budge if you are persistent enough, just remember to be polite and tactful.
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,484
3,494
NJ
The difference in lack of eye pain with iPhone 8 Plus feels shocking after simply getting used to it with the X, but the screen’s contrast is washed out compared to the iPhone X and the resolution difference is noticeable.

A bit torn since I get eye pain as soon as I start using my iPhone X again, meanwhile the iPhone 8 Plus in 2018 feels outdated. Don’t mind the home button form factor though, it still feels second nature.
[doublepost=1517557743][/doublepost]Not sure if it helps, but here’s another chart of the PWM at different brightness levels:

oled-mod.png


On a side note, it’s still less aggressive than on the Note 8.
 
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TDDM

macrumors 6502
Nov 25, 2017
490
634
KA
The difference in lack of eye pain with iPhone 8 Plus feels shocking after simply getting used to it with the X, but the screen’s contrast is washed out compared to the iPhone X and the resolution difference is noticeable.

A bit torn since I get eye pain as soon as I start using my iPhone X again, meanwhile the iPhone 8 Plus in 2018 feels outdated. Don’t mind the home button form factor though, it still feels second nature.
[doublepost=1517557743][/doublepost]Not sure if it helps, but here’s another chart of the PWM at different brightness levels:

oled-mod.png


On a side note, it’s still less aggressive than on the Note 8.
So basically, 50% brightness is where we all want to be then?

Also, are you gonna go to the 8+ permanently? Or wait and see if Apple ever does anything about it? I’m still holding out :confused:
 

gr4z

macrumors 6502
Aug 7, 2010
318
48
England
Keep speaking to supervisors, and ask for senior engineers.
If you don't get the answer you want with the person you are speaking with ask to speak to their superior.
Don't accept NO as an answer.

I had this issue at all brightnesses, and I am sure somebody working at Apple has experienced this phenomena and Apple is clearly aware that this is happening.

It is unacceptable for a company to say "SORRY YOU SIGNED A CONTRACT" and lock you with a phone that is causing HEALTH ISSUES.

They will budge if you are persistent enough, just remember to be polite and tactful.

No luck for me. Raised a ticket, escalated and again. No luck as my phone is over 50 days old they would not budge. eBay it is then and their extortionate fees.
 
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MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,484
3,494
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So basically, 50% brightness is where we all want to be then?

Also, are you gonna go to the 8+ permanently? Or wait and see if Apple ever does anything about it? I’m still holding out :confused:

Seems to be the case. I’ve tried to set it at 50% brightness exactly (which you can do using an app like Dimmer) and disabled auto brightness but still had eye pain; meanwhile, my eye pain seems to slowly be dissipating the more I use the 8 Plus.

Not totally happy with the 8+ so I’m not sure. I wish Apple did more with the display at the least, the LCD panel is very good but feels dated in 2018. Then again, switching to the 8+ seems to be helping my health a lot. Still hoping Apple releases a statement soon, which will only happen if we continue contacting them. I have to imagine that there is at least one engineer at Apple experiencing eye strain that will help prioritize getting rid of PWM on the next-gen iPhones.
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,484
3,494
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If you use the slomo camera mode, you can capture the PWM on the iPhone X. Just for comparison, I tried to capture slomo video of the 8 Plus and of course there’s no flicker. I’m also going to try comparing to my buddy’s iPhone X to see if it exhibits the exact same flicker as my X.

The 8 Plus is still a great, albeit dated-feeling phone. Ironically, my main holdup with the 8 Plus is that the display is a lot better on the X and having the best display possible is one of my priorities with all my devices. (I even have a 9.5g Pioneer Kuro for this reason.) iPhone X is more usable to me if I never lower the brightness under 50%, which just means that I have to avoid using it in dim lighting and have to manually adjust the brightness. Is this type of compromise acceptable with a $1200 phone? No, but I’d be ecstatic paying the premium over the 8 Plus if PWM didn’t exist.

Also of note: TouchID is way faster and more convenient than FaceID which is no slouch itself, I do miss the Plus size even with the bezels, and surprisingly even the speakers are better on the X, which I wasn’t expecting since the 8 Plus is a larger size overall. So the 8 Plus does have some advantages over the X including effectively a larger display for content the majority of the time. Still, there’s no denying that X would be the better phone in every way if PWM was disabled and when FaceID matches the speed of TouchID.

I’d pay for an OLED X Plus without PWM in a heartbeat.
[doublepost=1517601335][/doublepost]Just a few minutes into using my iPhone X again, even at 50% brightness, and throbbing eye pain is distinctly back again...
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,484
3,494
NJ
I’m going to figure out how to minimize the PWM and write a guide. At least having the 8 Plus slo-mo camera will help. It sucks to pay $1200 for a phone then have to jump through hoops to actually use it, but it’s the best we can do right now.
 

TDDM

macrumors 6502
Nov 25, 2017
490
634
KA
I’m going to figure out how to minimize the PWM and write a guide. At least having the 8 Plus slo-mo camera will help. It sucks to pay $1200 for a phone then have to jump through hoops to actually use it, but it’s the best we can do right now.
That's a great idea, I haven't seen any real guides yet so it would be helpful for people who aren't aware of PWM.

Btw, nice vid, can you also show what it looks like in slo mo? It looks horrible. I showed the manager at my Apple store what it looks like in slow motion, and he said he had no idea how much the screen was flickering.
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,484
3,494
NJ
That's a great idea, I haven't seen any real guides yet so it would be helpful for people who aren't aware of PWM.

Btw, nice vid, can you also show what it looks like in slo mo? It looks horrible. I showed the manager at my Apple store what it looks like in slow motion, and he said he had no idea how much the screen was flickering.

I’ll keep that in mind, the original slo-mo video was 7 minutes so I uploaded in real-time.

Meanwhile catching traction on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/7uv6m3/iphone_x_uses_pulse_width_modulation_which_is_a/

My goal is just to get some kind of real resolution from Apple, so any way to bring it to their attention is a positive. I’m getting desperate at this point for an option to disable it, and to hopefully prevent Apple from utilizing PWM again in the future.
 
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MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,484
3,494
NJ
Btw, nice vid, can you also show what it looks like in slo mo? It looks horrible. I showed the manager at my Apple store what it looks like in slow motion, and he said he had no idea how much the screen was flickering.

Thanks for the tip. It looks even worse in slow-motion:

 

TDDM

macrumors 6502
Nov 25, 2017
490
634
KA
Thanks for the tip. It looks even worse in slow-motion:

Yeah, that looks awful. Even if there are people that aren't affected by that, it CAN'T be healthy for your eyes to be staring at a constantly flickering screen. The sooner we all get past PWM permanently, the better IMO.
 
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gr4z

macrumors 6502
Aug 7, 2010
318
48
England
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