This is the problem for me, too. For PWM sensitivity, 100% brightness is best- but I can't handle a very bright screen, so really the best brightness is like 20%.
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Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up
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Yes, it seems that Apple has been building upon this lower modulation level on the base series specifically.
If I remember correctly, either iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 mini had the lowest modulation of any OLED iPhone to date at higher brightness levels. I also believe the lower average modulations on iPhone 13 mini contributed to why I enjoyed that device so much, even if it wasn’t enough to prevent constant headaches.
Looking at the data that’s available now about the iPhone 15 lineup, I’m honestly quite disappointed and realistically don’t expect a different end result compared to iPhone 14. What we need is an iPhone that has no measurable flicker whatsoever: none on slow-motion, none on these sophisticated PWM-measuring devices, just no PWM like every iPhone prior to iPhone X…
The way to partially get around this is to enable Reduce White Point at 80%-90% while leaving the brightness at 100% and disabling auto-brightness. While it’s not an apples-to-apples reduction or a solution, it can help some users.
iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus might be the better options for sensitive users, as the modulation is apparently much lower: 2.67%* was found at 100% brightness.
www.macrumors.com
This gives me some hope since I doubt Apple would invest over a billion dollars into the technology if they’re weren’t planning to simultaneously overcome the remaining OLED shortcomings.
The bad news is that it’s looking increasingly likely this won’t be solved until iPhone 20.
Apple to Mass Produce Its Own MicroLED Displays for iPhones
Apple will mass produce its own microLED displays in order to lessen its reliance on Samsung and increase its own control over supply, laying the...
www.macrumors.com
This gives me some hope since I doubt Apple would invest over a billion dollars into the technology if they’re weren’t planning to simultaneously overcome the remaining OLED shortcomings.
The bad news is that it’s looking increasingly likely this won’t be solved until iPhone 20.
What is the modulation on the 15 and 15 plus at lower brightness levels?iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus might be the better options for sensitive users, as the modulation is apparently much lower: 2.67%* was found at 100% brightness.
Apple to Mass Produce Its Own MicroLED Displays for iPhones
Apple will mass produce its own microLED displays in order to lessen its reliance on Samsung and increase its own control over supply, laying the...
This gives me some hope since I doubt Apple would invest over a billion dollars into the technology if they’re weren’t planning to simultaneously overcome the remaining OLED shortcomings.
The bad news is that it’s looking increasingly likely this won’t be solved until iPhone 20.
I know the best so far was 13 mini and 14 with less than 10% at brightness levels between 50 and 75%, and at 100% they were about 3%.
4.07% at 75%, 6.51% at 50%, and 12.77% at 25%.
Source: https://reddit.com/r/PWM_Sensitive/s/Xz8KMQpuUk
That’s relatively pretty good. The standard iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus might be usable for a few more users, as some sensitive users found luck with iPhone 14/iPhone 14 Plus.
I thought iPhone 14 felt like quasi-DC dimming in the store, then used it for about 15 minutes before deciding it wasn’t for me and that it’s silly to keep trying to create workarounds since even 100% brightness wasn’t headache-free for me.
Thanks for sharing!
I may finally go and pick up a 15 and try it out.
My carrier is offering $600 off if I trade in my 13 mini.
They are a pain if you need to return, so I’m thinking I could try one from Apple, then return and buy through my carrier with that deal if it does work for me.
The 15ProMax seems to be giving me some eye strain and a headache but it’s also been a long day, so hopefully it’s just coincidence? Eh, I’m sticking with this either way. I’m just going to try really hard to only use my phone when I need it.
/u/the_top_g on Reddit is definitely someone we should befriend.
Here is a message from him in /r/PWM_Sensitive:
Some of his threads have been reposted here, but here is the full list:
Very good reads.
Here is a message from him in /r/PWM_Sensitive:
Some of his threads have been reposted here, but here is the full list:
- iPhone 15:
- iPhone 15 Plus:
- iPhone 15 Pro:
- iPhone 15 Pro Max:
- iPhone 13:
Very good reads.
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The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus were terrible for my eyes.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn't cause me any major complaints today.
It also looks better in the PWM videos than the iPhone 15/Plus.
Using your iPhone at always 100% brightness is a huge turn off when you wake up in the morning and you are on a dark environment. It’s like sun hitting you through the eyes. Solution is not use the phone first thing in the morning.
So i just wake up with my 15. I mostly have a little bit sore eyes. That’s the main negative. The positive one is that headaches haven’t kicked in. I am increasing white point at 80%. Those f screens are super bright. Don’t remember it so bright with 14. Also to mention when i am outside home i always feel better.
Ps- Apple really nailed those non pro iPhones this year. I haven’t seen comparisons yet but 14s camera last year was kinda c r a p. 15s has a lot more detail. It’s almost pro quality when you zoom into the picture. Dynamic island is unbelievable fast and fluid. Another thing that impressed me is sound/bass quality… solid, more punchy than 14 and with zero tremble.
So i just wake up with my 15. I mostly have a little bit sore eyes. That’s the main negative. The positive one is that headaches haven’t kicked in. I am increasing white point at 80%. Those f screens are super bright. Don’t remember it so bright with 14. Also to mention when i am outside home i always feel better.
Ps- Apple really nailed those non pro iPhones this year. I haven’t seen comparisons yet but 14s camera last year was kinda c r a p. 15s has a lot more detail. It’s almost pro quality when you zoom into the picture. Dynamic island is unbelievable fast and fluid. Another thing that impressed me is sound/bass quality… solid, more punchy than 14 and with zero tremble.
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Reddit guy suggests 15 plus among all 15 series. And if you want sth more friendly go for the 13……I don’t know what to believe. Only real user experience should give us a result.
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Maybe you shouldn't try the devices in an electronics store? The user the_top_g also writes about headaches caused by lighting. Not that your headaches come from this or are potentiated in combination with an OLED?
Based on the measured values alone, the non-Pro models for OLED perform quite well. It would be interesting to see how the two Pro models perform if their displays are set to 60 Hz.
Here the user mentioned above explains some basics:
Finally got some time to drop by a store for a short test with the Radex Lupin. They had the 15, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max on display; the 15 Plus was missing (this was an electronics store, not an Apple Store).
Here are the test results; all measurements were taken with auto brightness off; RWP measurements were taken at 100% brightness.
My previous measurements of the 14 range are here: iPhone 14 measurements
The 15 Pro Max was essentially the same as the 15 Pro.
Note: The brightness settings are a rough estimation (i.e. what brightness it is, since the slider doesn't show any percentage; so it is possible that there is a bit of +/- movement regarding what exact brightness the phone was at).
Note 2: Interestingly, just measuring a 14 that I have at home, here are its values (here, I use a shortcut to set the brightness directly, so the brightness setting can be assumed to be accurate):
These are slightly different to the measurements I've taken in my previous link above, but I think that is probably explained by the brightness slider inaccuracy.
Note 3: RWP 95% on the iPhone 14 measures ~8.4.
Preliminary conclusion: It seems that the 14 and 15 are aligned, as well as the 14 Pro and the 15 Pro. Minor differences in values, I would suggest are explained by the difference between in store measurement with a brightness slider, and using a shortcut for the 14 that I have at home.
I think if one was to give a model a go, then the 15/15 Plus would be the ones, and run it at 100% brightness, with a RWP setting that isn't too bright. The Radex Lupin manual says that measurement for office monitors should not exceed 5%, and light flickering for visually focused tasks should not exceed 10%. Light flickering up to 20% for all other tasks is acceptable, according to the manual.
So, potentially 100% brightness, with an RWP between 75% and 90%, and use Night Shift/Colour Filters to adjust intensity/colours, may be the best bet to try, at least based on these measurements, and not accounting for people's different reactions.
Here are the test results; all measurements were taken with auto brightness off; RWP measurements were taken at 100% brightness.
| Model | 100% | 75% | 50% | 25% | RWP 25% | RWP 50% | RWP 75% | RWP 90% |
| iPhone 15 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 5.2 | 7 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 12.3 | 13.5 | 16.2 | 19 | 12.7 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 17.3 |
My previous measurements of the 14 range are here: iPhone 14 measurements
The 15 Pro Max was essentially the same as the 15 Pro.
Note: The brightness settings are a rough estimation (i.e. what brightness it is, since the slider doesn't show any percentage; so it is possible that there is a bit of +/- movement regarding what exact brightness the phone was at).
Note 2: Interestingly, just measuring a 14 that I have at home, here are its values (here, I use a shortcut to set the brightness directly, so the brightness setting can be assumed to be accurate):
| Model | 100% | 75% | 50% | 25% | RWP 25% | RWP 50% | RWP 75% | RWP 90% |
| iPhone 14 | 4 | 6.8 | 9.9 | 12 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 6.8 |
These are slightly different to the measurements I've taken in my previous link above, but I think that is probably explained by the brightness slider inaccuracy.
Note 3: RWP 95% on the iPhone 14 measures ~8.4.
Preliminary conclusion: It seems that the 14 and 15 are aligned, as well as the 14 Pro and the 15 Pro. Minor differences in values, I would suggest are explained by the difference between in store measurement with a brightness slider, and using a shortcut for the 14 that I have at home.
I think if one was to give a model a go, then the 15/15 Plus would be the ones, and run it at 100% brightness, with a RWP setting that isn't too bright. The Radex Lupin manual says that measurement for office monitors should not exceed 5%, and light flickering for visually focused tasks should not exceed 10%. Light flickering up to 20% for all other tasks is acceptable, according to the manual.
So, potentially 100% brightness, with an RWP between 75% and 90%, and use Night Shift/Colour Filters to adjust intensity/colours, may be the best bet to try, at least based on these measurements, and not accounting for people's different reactions.
Should we also use night mode ? I always hated it and don’t understand why everyone suggests it. Don’t they see that white text in dark background is making letters to glow ? It’s very irritating.
Ps- My symptoms with 15 remain mild and stable. We will see how the second day will unfold. Kinda manageable right now.
I assume you mean Dark Mode? I never use it; I've tried it before, and I find it more annoying than Light Mode, regardless of PWM. I don't use even on the 11.
Are you using it with auto brightness on, or particular brightness and RWP settings?
Thanks for the clarification. Yeah i am referring to dark mode. I f hate it. Does it plays any factor to PWM ??????
My settings are 90% brightness all the time and now i increased RWP at 90%. As i said the screen is sooooo bright. I don’t remember 14 being the same.
Well, in theory, there is less of an area where the screen needs to modulate, but I think that only is valid if it's true black; I don't know if the darker areas are true black (i.e. off) or a bit of grey mixed in.
I've just measured with the Radex Lupin. In Dark Mode, the darker areas don't have enough light, so it can't measure it (that might be good). The lighter areas seems to have the same flicker % as with Light Mode.
But using Dark Mode is just more annoying, I find, like you have found, especially when the environment is darker; doesn't make so much difference in a lighter environment.
Perhaps also see how you go at 100%, with RWP 90%; it probably will have a slightly lower flicker %.
In any case, curious to see how you go over the next few days, with RWP 90%.
According to this (see last picture), the iPhone 15 with 480 Hz would be “PWM safe” as long as the modulation depth does not exceed 7.68%.
Nope. A confirmation is missing. I took this from this discussion, but that was a guess (sorry!):
I think @melliflu can test it, right?