Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

[stafil]

I've had pretty bad eye strain from the XR and I'm 100% lost as to why. I've tried messing with brightness, text size, zoom, nearly all display settings, etc and I still get this pinching feeling above my eyes after use.

It's not Face ID, I still have the symptoms even with it turned off + the sensor covered.

It makes NO sense, I've never had an issue with LCD screens before. I swear, I'm starting to think that it *is* a placebo effect or something. I can use literally every other device just fine (Macbook, iPad, 8+, etc) but for some reason the XR messes with my eyes.

I can feel your pain. I have spent more than $3k on X generation phones and just can’t seem to find a way to not get headaches and eye-strain. Turning off FaceID reduces my pain a lot but the slight discomfort is still there.

Have had almost every iPhone since 3G and never before had problems.

At this point I am sad to have gone back to 8+.

I hope they figure out what the problem is and fix it, but I am not going to be spending anymore money on them.
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I wasn’t 100% saying ‘it’s placebo’ but atm it’s as good an explanation as any other as their is no proof either.

I’m just wary of blowing things out of proportion and putting people off getting an XR.

Yeah I get your point, it’s just that the word “placebo” irks me because I never had problems with phone displays. I had iPhone 3G, 4, 6, 7Plus and Samsung S4 among many others and never had a problem. Then I get X and the troubles begin.

 

[Proteinaceous]

FWIW...I had issues with the iPhone X last year. I have posts in this thread from a year ago describing the issues...headache, mild nausea, etc...same kind of stuff folks have been experiencing on this thread. I gave the phone to my wife (who has had no issues after a year of use) and have been using an iPhone 8+ without issue for the past year.

Got the new iPad (ie, with FaceID) on launch day and have been using it extensively for the past 3 days. I have had zero issues with the new iPad (the iPhone X would give me a headache after using it extensively for <1 day). My conclusion is that FaceID was NOT what was causing my issues with the iPhone X. My conclusion is that it was likely the OLED screen that was causing the issues for me.

This, of course, assumes that the FaceID hardware and functionality is not appreciably different than the iPhone X FaceID hardware, which I think is a reasonable assumption.

Naturally, I can’t speak for everyone. But that was my experience. I wanted to post in case anyone was interested in the new iPads but was concerned about potential issues because it had FaceID.

 

[stafil]

FWIW...I had issues with the iPhone X last year. I have posts in this thread from a year ago describing the issues...headache, mild nausea, etc...same kind of stuff folks have been experiencing on this thread. I gave the phone to my wife (who has had no issues after a year of use) and have been using an iPhone 8+ without issue for the past year.

Got the new iPad (ie, with FaceID) on launch day and have been using it extensively for the past 3 days. I have had zero issues with the new iPad (the iPhone X would give me a headache after using it extensively for <1 day). My conclusion is that FaceID was NOT what was causing my issues with the iPhone X. My conclusion is that it was likely the OLED screen that was causing the issues for me.

This, of course, assumes that the FaceID hardware and functionality is not appreciably different than the iPhone X FaceID hardware, which I think is a reasonable assumption.

Naturally, I can’t speak for everyone. But that was my experience. I wanted to post in case anyone was interested in the new iPads but was concerned about potential issues because it had FaceID.

Maybe it’s not the FaceID, maybe it’s not the OLED. Who knows. What pisses me off is that Apple knew about the headaches and eye-strain even before they released X but still went ahead anyway.

 

[matthijst]

Imagine my surprise when I went to the Apple store on launch day w/my 2nd Gen 12.9” iPad in tow and set it up alongside the 3rd generation model and found the exact same phenomenon at work. The Liquid Retina display on the new 12.9” iPad was less satisfying to look at than my current 2nd gen, essentially for the same reasons as pointed out above with the XR. The font size was of course not an issue as it’s the same size.

Wow, thought it was me.
My dad got the 12.9 and while reading a bit on it I also thought text on the screen looked less nice than on my current iPad pro 10.5. Didnt have it wth me so couldn't examine them next to each other but am planning on doing that at an Apple Store.

Also noticed that with an XR next to a 7, text on the screen of the 7 looked better.
I think you're right: they either made the glass thinner, or are trying to make LCD look more like OLED and in doing so text gets slightly more blurry and has a little less contrast (easily visible when you compare the phones side by side).

 

[44267547]

What pisses me off is that Apple knew about the headaches and eye-strain even before they released X.

Curious, source for above statement?

Also, would you expect a company the magnitude of Apple to not invest millions of OLED displays that likely only affect a small minority of users with PWM? There is no quantitative data to prove how many people are suffering from this to not use OLED panels simply because what we read on a tech forum. I’m not being dismissive of PWM, but nor can we fault Apple for something, when a multitude of other smart tech manufacturers have Been using OLED for years, long before Apple.

 

[5105973]

Those of you who say you have eye strain on the Xr and went back to your 8 or 7 Pluses—did you switch back and forth between them trying to make up your mind which was easier on the eyes? Reading some of the comments makes me think a lot of you did.

I did for a few days and that was a recipe for eye strain. I haven’t used my iPads that often since I got my 8 Plus but I remembered when I would switch between them and and 8 Plus I’d get eye strain on the iPads. Actually I think it was my daughter who noticed I used to complain about that. Sometimes you overlook your own habits or complaints but other people notice.

So anyway I just went off the 8 Plus cold turkey. No more going back to it for eye relief. I made myself use the Xr and I made sure to wear my glasses and keep it a good distance from my face which is the opposite of how I used my 8 Plus.

And I’ve been doing fine! Also I can switch easily between my Xr and my 8 Plus.

I don’t have Attention awareness on. But I do use Face ID. If something goes wrong like I’m trying to buy something using Face ID and it doesn’t work the first time and I need my eyes scanned again my eyes do feel weird. Sometimes if the ambient lighting is dim I even get an ache or gritty feel in my eyes that lasts less than a minute. Then everything is fine again.

So Face ID can be harsh on some of us with sensitive eyes. That doesn’t mean it can’t be used at all. But you might want to avoid triggering it in the dark when your pupils are more dilated. Definitely turn attention awareness off so the flood illuminator isn’t flashing in your face constantly.

 

[David13_13]

Hello,

I just received my XS. After 10’ using it, I agarres to del a light headache so I decided to do some tests:

Firstly, I disabled auto-brightness. Later, if I put Safari in about:blank page and reduce the brightness to 0%, I can’t directly see the flcikering, but if I look it using the iPhone XR camera then it’s pretty obvious.

I have to raise brightness to more than 50% or >30% + Enable reduce white point at 95%.

Same effect having TrueTone ON or OFF.

If I look the XR screen with the XS camera, no flickering in any case.

I see this hardly being solved by software... I believe this happens to all devices, because is how the OLED panel of iPhone X, XS and XS Max works. I think most people saying that their device is flicker free is because they have not tested it well, being necessary another camera to look at it...

Thoughts?

 

[timeconsumer]

Curious, source for above statement?

Also, would you expect a company the magnitude of Apple to not invest millions of OLED displays that likely only affect a small minority of users with PWM? There is no quantitative data to prove how many people are suffering from this to not use OLED panels simply because what we read on a tech forum. I’m not being dismissive of PWM, but nor can fault Apple for something, when a multitude of other smart tech manufacturers have Been using OLED for years, long before Apple.

While there’s some information out there regarding PWM, it’s very hard to find and you usually have to dig deep into Google searches. I can’t find anything that suggests Apple knew about this. So I’d like to see a source myself.

Those of you who say you have eye strain on the Xr and went back to your 8 or 7 Pluses—did you switch back and forth between them trying to make up your mind which was easier on the eyes? Reading some of the comments makes me think a lot of you did.

I did for a few days and that was a recipe for eye strain. I haven’t used my iPads that often since I got my 8 Plus but I remembered when I would switch between them and and 8 Plus I’d get eye strain on the iPads. Actually I think it was my daughter who noticed I used to complain about that. Sometimes you overlook your own habits or complaints but other people notice.

So anyway I just went off the 8 Plus cold turkey. No more going back to it for eye relief. I made myself use the Xr and I made sure to wear my glasses and keep it a good distance from my face which is the opposite of how I used my 8 Plus.

And I’ve been doing fine! Also I can switch easily between my Xr and my 8 Plus.

I don’t have Attention awareness on. But I do use Face ID. If something goes wrong like I’m trying to buy something using Face ID and it doesn’t work the first time and I need my eyes scanned again my eyes do feel weird. Sometimes if the ambient lighting is dim I even get an ache or gritty feel in my eyes that lasts less than a minute. Then everything is fine again.

So Face ID can be harsh on some of us with sensitive eyes. That doesn’t mean it can’t be used at all. But you might want to avoid triggering it in the dark when your pupils are more dilated. Definitely turn attention awareness off so the flood illuminator isn’t flashing in your face constantly.

Actually yes, now that you mention it. Every time I have ever got a new phone I’ve always done side by side comparisons. And trying out the XR last weekend I was constantly switching between my 7 Plus and the XR. Unfortunately I didn’t like using Face ID over Touch ID so I don’t want to try out the XR again. But now I kind of want to pick up an OLED screen and try using that without having both of my phones next to me and switching between them.

 

[jimmy_uk]

Well after giving up on X last year due to eye strain and headaches I can report I'm not having issues on my newly purchased Max. Took me a few goes to get a good screen model (4 times due to either bad screen or sharp edges) but satisfied now.

Tried an XS for a few days and can say the screen had more colour shift/shimmer with very slight movements to my eye. Where the Max being a bigger screen has to be tilted more before I see this effect. I can feel the backs of my eyes getting a little fatigued but prepared to put this down to excessive usage of my new toy.

For the first I'm actually using True tone as it's soothing on the eyes in the evenings being that the OLED is very bright and contrasting.

 

[timeconsumer]

Well after giving up on X last year due to eye strain and headaches I can report I'm not having issues on my newly purchased Max. Took me a few goes to get a good screen model (4 times due to either bad screen or sharp edges) but satisfied now.

Tried an XS for a few days and can say the screen had more colour shift/shimmer with very slight movements to my eye. Where the Max being a bigger screen has to be tilted more before I see this effect. I can feel the backs of my eyes getting a little fatigued but prepared to put this down to excessive usage of my new toy.

For the first I'm actually using True tone as it's soothing on the eyes in the evenings being that the OLED is very bright and contrasting.

I too, am a huge fan of True Tone for the same reason you mentioned. That’s good to hear you’re not having any eye strain or headaches on the XS Max. How long have you been using it now?

 

[iObama]

This thread should be titled “Placebo Effect.”

 

[stafil]

Hello,

I just received my XS. After 10’ using it, I agarres to del a light headache so I decided to do some tests:

Firstly, I disabled auto-brightness. Later, if I put Safari in about:blank page and reduce the brightness to 0%, I can’t directly see the flcikering, but if I look it using the iPhone XR camera then it’s pretty obvious.

I have to raise brightness to more than 50% or >30% + Enable reduce white point at 95%.

Same effect having TrueTone ON or OFF.

If I look the XR screen with the XS camera, no flickering in any case.

I see this hardly being solved by software... I believe this happens to all devices, because is how the OLED panel of iPhone X, XS and XS Max works. I think most people saying that their device is flicker free is because they have not tested it well, being necessary another camera to look at it...

Thoughts?

Welcome to the rabbit hole
[doublepost=1541869316][/doublepost]

This thread should be titled “Placebo Effect.”

Do you even know what placebo is?

 

[timeconsumer]

This thread should be titled “Placebo Effect.”

The issue for me is that OLED screens are too bright. So I have to lower the brightness and in doing so PWM increases. Placebo or not OLED bothers my eyes. For those who don’t have this problem I’m curious if you have to lower the brightness at all?

 

[jimmy_uk]

I too, am a huge fan of True Tone for the same reason you mentioned. That’s good to hear you’re not having any eye strain or headaches on the XS Max. How long have you been using it now?

Using for a week now.

 

[matthijst]

This thread should be titled “Placebo Effect.”

Why even bother posting.

 

[rnbarg]

Wow, thought it was me.
My dad got the 12.9 and while reading a bit on it I also thought text on the screen looked less nice than on my current iPad pro 10.5. Didnt have it wth me so couldn't examine them next to each other but am planning on doing that at an Apple Store.

Also noticed that with an XR next to a 7, text on the screen of the 7 looked better.
I think you're right: they either made the glass thinner, or are trying to make LCD look more like OLED and in doing so text gets slightly more blurry and has a little less contrast (easily visible when you compare the phones side by side).

Yes I think you are onto something there. Apple trying to make the LCDs Liquid Retina display like the OLED models. As I have remarked before the XR and now 3rd Gen iPad displays are more like the XS class OLED displays than like the 7/8/Plus phones. The comparison you made between the 7 and XR is even more stark disfavoring the XR when you use the Plus phones, especially the 8 Plus which has wide color Gamut and True Tone.
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Have you used cell phones with oled screen before? If not, your eye strain may be due to oled screens and their refresh rate amongst other things. Alot of people have headaches fro oled screens. Google and youll find alot of posts about it.

I had a serendipitous opportunity last night to look at the Galaxy S9 OLED phone. I am not in the Android ecosystem nor would I ever be. My friend pulled his S9 out at dinner to answer a text. He let me hold and test out his S9 for a few minutes and I must say that I experienced none of of the issues reading text or working with the OLED screen vs. the XS phones, notably the XS Max which I used and returned after a week. The text was remarkably clear and I felt none of the unease or discomfort I had with the XS Max. Nor does this phone have the bouncing screen transitions to the home screen, control center, lock screen. I also liked the screen spilling over slightly over the sides of the screen to completely eliminate the bezels vs Apple’s less than satisfying embrace of at least some bezels on the phone even as Apple somethat disengenously says otherwise.. And this phone doesn’t have an ugly omnipresent notch and looks great in landscape mode. Switching to the Android system, even if its only for the phone, is a bridge too far for me, but I have to saw I was extremely impressed with the S9. I guess I shouldn’t be such a snob when it comes to Android phones.

 

[Beyonder88]

Yes the x does give me some mild headache and eye sore. I find it quite hard to adapt after so Long using it.

I have the note 9 and the s8+ too. Those however, don’t give me the same headache and eye sore staring for Long periods.

I hope Apple do something with this.

 

[jimmy_uk]

Why even bother posting.

Never feed the thread trolls.

 

[timeconsumer]

I had a serendipitous opportunity last night to look at the Galaxy S9 OLED phone. I am not in the Android ecosystem nor would I ever be. My friend pulled his S9 out at dinner to answer a text. He let me hold and test out his S9 for a few minutes and I must say that I experienced none of of the issues reading text or working with the OLED screen vs. the XS phones, notably the XS Max which I used and returned after a week. The text was remarkably clear and I felt none of the unease or discomfort I had with the XS Max. Nor does this phone have the bouncing screen transitions to the home screen, control center, lock screen. I also liked the screen spilling over slightly over the sides of the screen to completely eliminate the bezels vs Apple’s less than satisfying embrace of at least some bezels on the phone even as Apple somethat disengenously says otherwise.. And this phone doesn’t have an ugly omnipresent notch and looks great in landscape mode. Switching to the Android system, even if its only for the phone, is a bridge too far for me, but I have to saw I was extremely impressed with the S9. I guess I shouldn’t be such a snob when it comes to Android phones.

I actually recently was able to look at the S9 screen and I didn't feel any of the symptoms either. Granted it was only for probably 5-10 minutes, but it makes me wonder what's going on with Apple's implementation.

 

[Overg]

This thread should be titled “Placebo Effect.”

Really??? did you see this kind of thread on any apple device to date? aside from the new X series? I challenge you to look for one...

 

[BigBen2493]

So I wanted to test If the PVM bothered me when I’m trying out the phone at the Apple store, what should I do on the iPhone XS to test if it bothers me or not?
Thank you!

 

[rnbarg]

So I wanted to test If the PVM bothered me when I’m trying out the phone at the Apple store, what should I do on the iPhone XS to test if it bothers me or not?
Thank you!

Mail app, Apple news. Spend 1/2 hour.

 

[BigBen2493]

Mail app, Apple news. Spend 1/2 hour.

Thank you for that, what about using safari, scrolling through pages would that be ok as well?
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Mail app, Apple news. Spend 1/2 hour.

I’m a little worried about it since I have problems with headaches regardless without the phones that why I ask

 

[gaanee]

Is there any particular reason why Apple chose 240 Hz PWM frequency which according to Notebookcheck review is low compared to other OLED screens and can affect people whose eyes are sensitive.
Is it because of difficulty in design or simply cost saving, lower power consumption reason?

 

[rnbarg]

Is there any particular reason why Apple chose 240 Hz PWM frequency which according to Notebookcheck review is low compared to other OLED screens and can affect people whose eyes are sensitive.
Is it because of difficulty in design or simply cost saving, lower power consumption reason?

Because they didn’t care. Omniscient Apple always knows what’s best for customers inside their spaceship bubble. They also gave us keyboards on laptops with almost zero key travel, Very unsatisfying to use, in their slavish devotion to thinness.
[doublepost=1541956219][/doublepost]

Thank you for that, what about using safari, scrolling through pages would that be ok as well?
[doublepost=1541917822][/doublepost]
I’m a little worried about it since I have problems with headaches regardless without the phones that why I ask

Yes. Try everything you commonly do on a phone.