Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

[AshX]

By weening myself off iPhone. Just use the core apps.

I used an iPhone 6 Plus on iOS 9 until 2022. 8 years on the same OS.
I didn't upgrade it through the years because I knew, from past experience that the so called upgrades would ruin the phone.
After iOS updates ruined my 4S and then my 5, I learned my lesson the hard way so I never updated the 6+.

By then (2022) Safari was pretty much worthless for shopping and many apps were cut off - especially finance apps, but the core standard stock iOS apps still all worked fine. (Calendar, notes, reminders, messages, email, phone, camera).
I used my Mac instead for internet stuff.

As for battery life - its not an issue. My 11 year old 6 Plus still has its original battery and battery health is still at 95%. 2170 charge cycles.

Impossible you might say? Yes it is impossible if you charge the battery like Apple recommends, but I knew I was going to keep this phone for a really long time --- so I kept the charge level between 65% to 75% all those years.
Yeah it was tedious - but it worked. Luckily now its easy to create a iOS shortcut to turn a smart plug off & on at any battery level automatically.

Eventually I got a 8 Plus and then decided to upgrade the 6+ to iOS 12 to see what would happen - and to no surprise, iOS 12 obliterated it. It became so slow it was unbearable to use. Everything taking forever. Ridiculous.

But surprisingly, my 6S Plus on iOS 15 runs fine. So maybe the days of iOS upgrade carnage are behind us.

Sooo- I know this scenario with my new SE3 will play out again in the future as iOS inexorably marches forward - which is why I purchased a 2nd SE3.
I can't risk apple ruining my usable and fast SE3 with a new iOS version in the future (looking at you iOS 27), so I'll use my 2nd SE3 as a iOS tester and see how things go on it. That one is my guinea pig.

If I'm lucky, the SE3 will function fine on iOS 28 in a few years - and then I'll stick with that to the bitter end.
Maybe by then (8-9 years from now) there will be a new display technology to get us out of this OLED PWM hell.
Crossing my fingers

What is your Mac setup? If iOS updates are making LCD phones unusable, then would I be correct in assuming dithering is the trigger? Every Mac within the past 10 years utilized dithering either via the GPU (Intel, AMD, and Apple Silicon) or TCON FRC. I actually find the phones and iPad Pros much more tolerable than any of the Macs.

 

[Corncab44]

My 17 pro was fine for two weeks or so but suddenly is giving eye issues. Same as previous OLED. I used to think people who blamed updates were imagining it but I recently woke up to my phone having been updated and that seems to coincide? I dont know what to do at this point its just silly.

 

[SkateboardingFrog]

Went to the store today to try some phones, and surprisingly, I didn't feel like the iPhone 16e hurt my eyes.

Previously had iPhone 12 that I could use 9 hours per day no problem. Jumped to 16 pro and then the problems began. I used 16 pro for 1 month without problem, then suddenly it started burning my eyes. I also suspect an auto-update during the night.

Anyways, has anyone tried the 16e ? It really felt comfortable when I tried it in the store, had True Tone on.

However, I think a TCL NXTPAPER 60 would have a better camera and that's what I am looking for..

PS : In the meantime I am using an iPhone 11 that also burns my eyes; just a tad better on low battery mode.

 

[2mw2]

By chance I found an almost new 256GB SE3 on one of the local sites here in Singapore. Bought it right there and then - didn't care about the price. It was reasonable in the end though. It will be my spare at least for the next couple of years. My provider allows me to transfer eSIMs without charge, so maybe carrying an extra phone Android phone is the way to go. From what I read people are still generally struggling to find a phone that works even with the latest anti-flicker tech.

 

[2mw2]

Today, I went into a MI shop that had the Xiaomi 15T devices. I had the Radex Lupin with me and looked at the modulation - 3-11% depending on the brightness level. My SE is 0.6% ! Seems like flickering of the screen whether it’s pwm or refreshes will never go away with OLED

 

[SkateboardingFrog]

Today, I went into a MI shop that had the Xiaomi 15T devices. I had the Radex Lupin with me and looked at the modulation - 3-11% depending on the brightness level. My SE is 0.6% ! Seems like flickering of the screen whether it’s pwm or refreshes will never go away with OLED

I tried it at store few days ago and it burned my eyes in maybe 60 seconds haha

 

[Drj44]

I am still waiting for the 17 Pro Mac but I à, not very hopeful. In case that does not work I saw a few people mentioning the TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra. Do you have good experience with it?

 

[Abiyork]

I am still waiting for the 17 Pro Mac but I à, not very hopeful. In case that does not work I saw a few people mentioning the TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra. Do you have good experience with it?

I am buying one, I am in the UK and Amazon have confirmed I can return for refund within 30 days on trying it as it is dispatched by Amazon themselves.

 

[Drj44]

I am buying one, I am in the UK and Amazon have confirmed I can return for refund within 30 days on trying it as it is dispatched by Amazon themselves.l

Will you post your impressions?

 

[Abiyork]

Will you post your impressions?

Absolutely, its currently 1-2 months for delivery.

The only thing stopping me buying right thi second is a few mentions of a pro version on the horizon with a smaller phone form factor, the Ultra is huge.

 

[jrajpaul]

My return period has now expired.
I'm still happy with my iPhone 17 Pro Max, which isn't giving me any problems.
I'll be checking this thread a bit less now. Keeping my fingers crossed for all of you, though. 🙏

@PwmMen Maybe I missed it in a previous post. What manufacturer is your screen. I currently have a Samsung screen g9q on my 16 plus and it works for me. About 90 percent okay. I am thinking about getting the 17 pro max. I have tried my wife’s standard 17 (Lg GVC screen) and I don’t like it. There is a green tint off axis and the screen gives me a headache.

 

[now i see it]

What is your Mac setup?

2014 Macbook Pro. Big Sur. Intel i7. 16GB RAM.
Big heavy hot thing but fast & the display looks very nice and it doesn't bother me

 

[MICHAELSD]

I’m waiting on Notebookcheck to review the rest of the iPhone 17 line. Since reducing my reliance on my phone I really don’t need a Pro and I’m expecting the other models to be a little more comfortable.

Still, this so-called Accessibility setting looks too minimal to make a meaningful impact.

 

[MICHAELSD]

There’s still not enough awareness of flicker sensitivity, as even MKBHD referenced the Accessibility setting as “adding PWM dimming, a welcome addition.”

Then again if I didn’t experience any sensitivity I’d also probably shrug it off. But he gets millions of views and should do a better job explaining features.

 

[Abiyork]

So I have purchased a TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra from Amazon, 1-2 months wait for delivery (hoping for much quicker)

Never used Android and gutted to have to move away from Apple but actually excited for it to arrive and see if it works.

If it works its a stop gap until Apple releases something. My iPhone 11 is still quick as its stuck on IOS16 but I am finding apps not supported and a few I can no longer use.

 

[now i see it]

Looking forward to your feedback

 

[Rumours]

There appears to be a niche in the market for a company able to produce very high quality LCD replacement displays that users like us can replace the factory iPhone OLED with and have as good an alternative as possible that doesn't use any type of PWM.

I have been using an iPhone 11 since launch, iOS 26 has tanked performance and has created an audio issue with Carplay (which I use for hours each day). Apple have now stopped signing iOS 18 so I can't roll back to it.

My days hanging on to this phone are numbered. Android handsets will now have to be investigated, most likely starting with one of the Chinese phones using significantly higher PWM frequencies than iPhones, and failing that I may order this TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra phone with its LCD based (and PWM free) display.

The dithering issue is another conversation entirely, I can't say I've been affected by it personally during my use of this iPhone 11 through all updates provided during its life.

 

[dannyh5319]

Anyone know if the latest update does anything like better modulation or something?

 

[orange23]

oh no, I just saw the news that Apple will release ipad mini 8 soon with OLED to replace old LCD; we are surely dumped for good......

 

[rui no onna]

oh no, I just saw the news that Apple will release ipad mini 8 soon with OLED to replace old LCD; we are surely dumped for good......

OLED for various iPads has been rumored almost every year but has rarely actually panned out. I’m hoping this is just one of the instances. 🤞

Might need to grab a spare mini 7 if true. I can live with OLED iPhones because I tend to just look at the phone screen for 5 minutes tops. The iPads I use for hours daily so I can’t compromise on the screen.

 

[Abiyork]

For those looking at the TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra, Amazon Prime day in the UK has it down to £349 for the 256gb and £449 for the 512gb.

TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra 5G Android Smartphone,7.2" FHD+,12GB RAM+256GB ROM,Eye Care Phone,Nebula Black

Experience the TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra with its 7.2" NXTPAPER 4.0 display. With NXTPAPER Key, switch to Max Ink Mode for tailored eye care. Backed by 106 patents, it also offers AI tools like Rapid Read, Memo Craft, and Handwriting to Text to enhance productivity and creativity. Featuring a triple-...

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[pwm away]

Anyways, has anyone tried the 16e ?

Yes, I've been using it for two months as my primary device. The 16e has given me no issues in day to day use (and I use it with standard settings).

The only time when it starts to feel a bit uncomfortable is if I use it in very low brightness, in dark environment. That's when the modulation % goes up significantly. But I don't do this very often, so it's otherwise not an issue for me.

 

[now i see it]

I have been using an iPhone 11 since launch, iOS 26 has tanked performance and has created an audio issue

iPhone 11 was a very fast phone on its original OS. Super fast.
Always got to remember... The primary purpose of free annual ios updates is to slow down older devices to compel people to buy new devices. The few questionable new features a new version of ios contains are for the most part just bait to compel people to upgrade. Its a trap.

 

[Abiyork]

iPhone 11 was a very fast phone on its original OS. Super fast.
Always got to remember... The primary purpose of free annual ios updates is to slow down older devices to compel people to buy new devices. The few questionable new features a new version of ios contains are for the most part just bait to compel people to upgrade. Its a trap.

Exactly, other than small updates to bugs/security shortly after the IOS is released, dont do it.

Turn off auto updates and in theory your phone should stay more than adequate speed wise, as per my Iphone 11 on IOS16.

 

[MICHAELSD]

There appears to be a niche in the market for a company able to produce very high quality LCD replacement displays that users like us can replace the factory iPhone OLED with and have as good an alternative as possible that doesn't use any type of PWM.

Once we have to resort to more extreme measures, there is also apparently a company that sells aftermarket OLED panels that use DC dimming which measures at around 120Hz and 4% modulation.