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Other This is why I will not buy iPhone 12: OLED = PWM
- Thread starter lillo9546
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- flickering iphone mini oled pwm
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How bad is the flickering with 0% brightness in the dark? Leaving aside physical symptoms, is it noticeable? I've never used OLED in my life.
I would bet not even 10% of Apples customers have this problem, probably closer to 5%, which places them in the extreme minority.
Anyone know if the future Micro- or Mini- LEDs require PWM? Maybe that would be the hope going forward...
Every year I tried the iPhone’s OLED displays and suffered eye strain and headaches. I ended up with a severe seizure migraine using my XS Max while in a kitchen that had an LED lightbulb that had its own flickering.
I promptly returned the XS Max and got an Xr.
But last year I tried again with the 11 Pro and have been doing fine. Oddly it’s my iPhone SE2020 display that bothers my eyes now.
I’ve been able to use Samsung OLED displays with no issues since the S8 was released. My Pixel 2 display has a flicker that annoys me but doesn’t make me sick. My Pixel 3XL display is fine. (Yeah I have a lot of phones. It was a hobby for awhile).
The point of all that is you don’t really know until you try them what will happen. As far as I can tell, I haven’t had any permanent damage from trying the different displays. My ophthalmologist says my eyes are very healthy. If I start developing any problems, it will most likely be due to genetics.
I promptly returned the XS Max and got an Xr.
But last year I tried again with the 11 Pro and have been doing fine. Oddly it’s my iPhone SE2020 display that bothers my eyes now.
I’ve been able to use Samsung OLED displays with no issues since the S8 was released. My Pixel 2 display has a flicker that annoys me but doesn’t make me sick. My Pixel 3XL display is fine. (Yeah I have a lot of phones. It was a hobby for awhile).
The point of all that is you don’t really know until you try them what will happen. As far as I can tell, I haven’t had any permanent damage from trying the different displays. My ophthalmologist says my eyes are very healthy. If I start developing any problems, it will most likely be due to genetics.
This can’t be a serious post right? File a lawsuit over an oled screen?
Sorry to hear about the seizure, glad you are OK!
It is interesting, I have heard this that more people have issues with the X and XS displays than the 11Pro. It does give some hope that maybe the 12's will be OK for at least some of us who have trouble with PWM. I can't wait to see the results from some who get theirs on launch day and report back!
Yeah I can’t even guarantee that I will be okay with the 12 or 12 Pro just because I was okay with the 11 Pro.
I actually factored that into the tough decision to choose the 12 Pro over the mini I was originally interested in. There’s only one difference noted between the regular 12 displays and the Pro displays, and the 12 Pro display specs more closely match my 11Pro specs for brightness and so that was one reason I am sticking to the heavier model. I will try it and if there is a problem I will go back to my 11Pro.
This is all very interesting! Way back when the X came out, I had a problem with the OLED screen. I ended up using the XR and the regular 11 and never had any problems. I've been worried about going back to an OLED screen. I have seen more posts saying that some folks have had good luck with the 11 Pro.
I was going to take the leap to try the OLED screen again and get the 12. I honestly never considered getting the 12 Pro until I read this. I totally get your train of thought and it makes me wonder if I should try that one as well. I'm already thinking that I might have to just return it and stick with my 11, which is fine. But I don't want to try the 12 and the 12 pro. I'm not messing with that.
That's so interesting about the 11 pro not being as bad as the XS. I had trouble with the regular XS and then opted for the XR. Ordered the regular 12 so hopefully that works out, otherwise will buy the 11. Do you think there is a difference between displays on the 12 as opposed to the 12 pro? Did the spec sheet show any difference between the 11 and 11 pro? Otherwise I might need to try the pro..
I went and looked at the specs of all the OLED displays that had bothered me and their typical maximum brightness was listed as 625 nits. Then for the 11Pro and now the 12 Pro that figure increased to 800. There’s also an HDR maximum brightness but that seems the same across all models that have that special listed at all.
I don’t know if that means anything or is a coincidence. But noticing the only spec difference between the less expensive models and the pro models was this one item, I was a bit concerned about what it might mean for pwm sensitive people. I can afford the Pro model so that’s the one I decided to try. I had a preference for the non pro models only because they’re lighter and the mini was more pocket friendly.
In this era of Covid I don’t particularly feel like messing around with returns so I just chose the one closest in specs to the model that already works for me.
I’m not sure if this info will help me or not because I never tried the 11 Pro but I appreciate the insight! Because of this, I ended up ordering the 12 Pro this morning instead of the 12. I’m still not sure if either of them will work but I figured that I would give the Pro a shot. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just keep my 11.
Thank you, you too! I’d be interested in hearing if the 12Pro works as well as the 11Pro for you. What color did you get?
I was torn between silver, gold and blue to the last possible minute! I chose the Pacific blue. What did you get?
I love the blue! I really debated between the blue and the silver. I ended up with the silver because I figured it would go with more cases. I really wish they had released more pics before the preorder but it’s okay.
That may be your definition of an 'extreme' minority based on your imaginary figures but the fact is many many people are complaining about this.
In addition it's not a binary thing.. while there are some who have an extreme reaction, there are others who just find it a vague irritation...maybe not even enough to identify why they don't feel good. Others again who are only bothered in certain situations, or after a period of time for example.
For sure, the flickering puts an extra strain on the brain but either way good for you that it doesn't seem to affect you...no need to waste your time on this thread.
I currently have an 8 and am getting the 12 mini. I have an Apple Watch 5 and no issues with the screen on that, and haven’t had any issues the few times I’ve used my husband’s Xs. Does that mean I don’t have an issue with OLED/PWM?
I’m getting confused as to which screens have which tech.
I’m getting confused as to which screens have which tech.
I suffer from near-constant debilitating migraines. I had terrible eye strain when I first started using the X. However, I'm going to try the 12 Pro and see. If this forces me to stare at my phone less then all the better. There's just no way I'm moving to Android. Point being, I'll have to try it and see.
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You’ll likely be fine. Most people seem to be. But if you encounter any problems with migraines or unusual eye strain, the Pro model may be an option.
My advice to you when you get the phone is to turn the attention aware feature off in the settings. That will keep the phone from regularly intermittently bombarding your face with IR light. Face ID seems safe, or I wouldn’t let my own kids use these phones, but it does give some of us dry eyes when constantly lighting up our face that way.
Turning that feature off will also help you be able to evaluate if the display itself is bothering you. If you’re fine then you can try turning it back on and next see if Attention Aware bothers you.
Most people use these displays and Attention Aware just fine, so don’t psych yourself out by anticipating a problem.
Those of us having problems are in the minority. Because it is such a rare and not very well discussed problem, we are just pooling information and getting a bit more understanding out there. But we are definitely not trying to scare people away from enjoying these beautiful phones!
Oh I’m not wasting my time. There is a very small group of people trying to make this out to be a huge problem. I am not denying the problem exists, what I am saying is this seems to effect a very small amount of people, given the amount of people who own them. Many of the people who have problems have said the xs Max is the worst offender. I handed out my phone to over 30 people both friends and family and not one person had a problem with my phone other than it’s huge and difficult to one hand if you are a tiny person. Granted it’s not a large sample size, but none of them had seen an oled iPhone before and no one had a problem. So yes, I am sorry if it seems like I am picking on this group, but I am not.
The XS Max gave me headaches in low light situations, it was returned for a XR and that's been great.
I ordered a regular 12, we'll see... Hopefully PWM is improved.
I ordered a regular 12, we'll see... Hopefully PWM is improved.
I turned off Attention Aware on my X and it helped a lot.
I owned and used the XsMax for about 2 full days, if I remember correctly. I wasn’t completely without problems but my eye strain felt less bothersome than it did with my iPhone X that I owned for a month and returned. I really loved that phone and was so hopeful I’d be able to keep it. But I think it was on the third day that the seizure migraine got me. It can take some people quite a long while to start feeling and accurately identifying the source of their discomfort.
I do respect that nobody would appreciate the broad call for action against Apple that you’re reacting to. I think the majority of us who are sensitive to pwm and who wish to discuss it do not wish to sensationalize the subject or spread panic.
We want only to pool information so we can make smart purchases. It does help to get just enough attention on our plight to have manufacturers (and employers) acknowledge that the issue exists, so we can get access to acceptable alternatives and just go on like anybody else.
I just hope you can empathize with how scary it is for some of us to see our tried and true options like LCD become deprecated, possibly leaving some of us with nothing. This is not an imagined ailment. It’s not even technically an ailment. It is just another case of nature and technology not always meeting each other seamlessly. It is one complex system made by nature clashing with one made by man.
Some people who have had migraines in response to pwm had never had a serious health issue or even migraines at all. It took them awhile to narrow down their iPhone screens as a culprit.
Hey.. Your post means a lot and I’m sorry for being a jerk. I lost my job yesterday due to current events. I had a negative vibe before that I couldn’t shake. That vibe is gone with the job. I’m not really a jerk, so you deserve an apology.
Peace and iPhone grease✌🏻
Peace and iPhone grease✌🏻