Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Other This is why I will not buy iPhone 12: OLED = PWM

ARizz44 said:
Obviously the OP didn’t make a blanket statement that everyone is having issues with OLED. It’s right there in the original post.
Click to expand...
For sure, but he isn't explicit about it either. I thought he's talking about tech nerds who pays attention to every little details (ones who 120 hz screen can make significant difference. That kind of guys). That got me looked at my X screen for minutes and I thought "What the hell? Where is this flickering he's talking about?"

If he just started his post with "I know it might not affect all of you but it affects me.." then his point will be very clear and we can understand where he's coming from more clearly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: The.Glorious.Son
matrix07 said:
For sure, but he isn't explicit about it either. I thought he's talking about tech nerds who pays attention to every little details (ones who 120 hz screen can make significant difference. That kind of guys). That got me looked at my X screen for minutes and I thought "What the hell? Where is this flickering he's talking about?"

If he just started his post with "I know it might not affect all of you but it affects me.." then his point will be very clear and we can understand where he's coming from more clearly.
Click to expand...
That is more than fair. And more topics keep popping up on the subject that don’t explain up front the situation which further complicates things. It such a weird deal. I hate being a part of the subset affected, which I feel is less than the 30% OP claims, and yet I totally understand why someone not affected would go “what the heck are they talking about”. For most people, it’s a phone like any predecessor but with a nicer looking OLED screen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: motulist, DJTaurus and matrix07
After there was a good offer for the iphone 12 i have tired it but sadly it doesn't work for me and i give up :( With reduced white point it's a bit better but i still become eye strain and other problems that comes with it. I hope so much that Apple will increase the pwm frequency on the new pro models with the 120 Hz Display so that it will be bearable for me.
 
  • Like
  • Sad
Reactions: motulist, DJTaurus and MICHAELSD
Haven't checked all 21 pages here, so apologies if this has already been posted but this site is really useful; https://www.notebookcheck.net/PWM-Ranking-Notebooks-Smartphones-and-Tablets-with-PWM.163979.0.html

It lists the PWM ranking of most popular devices and the 12 series is as follows (in order of how 'bad' they are for PWM sensitive folk like myself)

iPhone 12 226.2
iPhone 12 Pro Max 238
iPhone 12 mini 250
iPhone 12 Pro 277.8

I've personally tried the 12 (unusable for me completely, headaches within a few minutes) and the 12 Pro (much better, but still not comfortable enough to own), so I've given up and using an LCD iPhone 11 until the next batch of iPhones come out.

It's also worth noting I've also tried some Android devices with 120hz screens, which also have a low-ish PWM rate (Galaxy S20 FE) and they are still not comfortable, so it won't get automatically fixed when the iPhone goes to a higher refresh rate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Isamilis, motulist and DJTaurus
@siksik6: I have read on Notebookcheck that the S20 FE use above 30 % brightness level DC Dimming and it still doesn't work? Not good :( But you are right with the higher refresh rate. I have tried the oneplus 8 pro last year and it cause me faster eye strain with activated DC Dimming Function that on the iPhone 12! On the S21 Ultra the same thing. When Apple don't increase the PWM Frequenzy with the new 120 Hz Displays then it could be also not bearable for me :(
 
Mr.Simple said:
@siksik6: I have read on Notebookcheck that the S20 FE use above 30 % brightness level DC Dimming and it still doesn't work? Not good :( But you are right with the higher refresh rate. I have tried the oneplus 8 pro last year and it cause me faster eye strain with activated DC Dimming Function that on the iPhone 12! On the S21 Ultra the same thing. When Apple don't increase the PWM Frequenzy with the new 120 Hz Displays then it could be also not bearable for me :(
Click to expand...
That’s interesting because I have the Oneolus 8 Pro and it’s absolutely fine for me.
 
siksik6 said:
Haven't checked all 21 pages here, so apologies if this has already been posted but this site is really useful; https://www.notebookcheck.net/PWM-Ranking-Notebooks-Smartphones-and-Tablets-with-PWM.163979.0.html

It lists the PWM ranking of most popular devices and the 12 series is as follows (in order of how 'bad' they are for PWM sensitive folk like myself)

iPhone 12 226.2
iPhone 12 Pro Max 238
iPhone 12 mini 250
iPhone 12 Pro 277.8

I've personally tried the 12 (unusable for me completely, headaches within a few minutes) and the 12 Pro (much better, but still not comfortable enough to own), so I've given up and using an LCD iPhone 11 until the next batch of iPhones come out.

It's also worth noting I've also tried some Android devices with 120hz screens, which also have a low-ish PWM rate (Galaxy S20 FE) and they are still not comfortable, so it won't get automatically fixed when the iPhone goes to a higher refresh rate.
Click to expand...
I have the same problem ... I bought first (11 pro) which causes me big headaches, then I said to try 12 pro with which the situation is even worse ... big eye pain and head ... I actually feel my eyes burning, I feel a tension in my forehead, it actually makes me terribly dizzy ... I'm disappointed that I have to retun 12 pro and go to 11 (non-pro) ... Apple do something, pleaaaase !!!!!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: siksik6 and jimmy_uk
Mr.Simple said:
@siksik6: I have read on Notebookcheck that the S20 FE use above 30 % brightness level DC Dimming and it still doesn't work? Not good :( But you are right with the higher refresh rate. I have tried the oneplus 8 pro last year and it cause me faster eye strain with activated DC Dimming Function that on the iPhone 12! On the S21 Ultra the same thing. When Apple don't increase the PWM Frequenzy with the new 120 Hz Displays then it could be also not bearable for me :(
Click to expand...
I've got another S20 FE (the 5G version this time) and I'm trying it with the PWMFree app which is supposed to dramatically reduce the PWM flickering on Android handsets.

At least, if this works, then I can use any Android handset, while I wait for Apple to sort their PWM issues out.
 
broth3rrr said:
I have the same problem ... I bought first (11 pro) which causes me big headaches, then I said to try 12 pro with which the situation is even worse ... big eye pain and head ... I actually feel my eyes burning, I feel a tension in my forehead, it actually makes me terribly dizzy ... I'm disappointed that I have to retun 12 pro and go to 11 (non-pro) ... Apple do something, pleaaaase !!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I don't expect the iPhone 13 to be any better, as this issue has existed for generations of iPhones to varying degrees.

Our only hope is some sort of DC dimming implementation, but I'm not holding my breath.
 
siksik6 said:
Unfortunately I don't expect the iPhone 13 to be any better, as this issue has existed for generations of iPhones to varying degrees.

Our only hope is some sort of DC dimming implementation, but I'm not holding my breath.
Click to expand...
that means we've been stuck for years on older terminals ... and this annoys me the most ... to allow myself a top phone and not be able to use it and everyone around me has X, 11 pro max , 12 pro max and they use it without problems ... I feel weird that only I have this problem among all iphone acquaintances
 
  • Like
Reactions: jimmy_uk
My experience is odd in that my current phone, Note 10+, which I've had for almost 2 years, gives me no problems. Yet it is often mentioned as a PWM problem. But it's the only phone that works for me. I pick up any of the newer iPhones, Samsung, LGs or OnePlus phones and I almost immediately experience something that can only be described as screen 'swimming.' It's like my eyes can't focus on the screen where whatever is on it moves. I owned both the 12 pro max and S21 Ultra for a couple of weeks before I had to return each due to headaches. At the moment it looks like I'm stuck with this for as long as it's updated. Probably will need a battery replacement in the next year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MICHAELSD
jimmy_uk said:
Everyone affected needs to email Apple via their feedback page. You won't get a response but hopefully someone is reading them......🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
I can’t imagine what affect it would have. Even in these threads, yeah there are 100’s of posts but it’s basically the same dozen people trying to find a solution that simply isn't there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MICHAELSD
ARizz44 said:
I can’t imagine what affect it would have. Even in these threads, yeah there are 100’s of posts but it’s basically the same dozen people trying to find a solution that simply isn't there.
Click to expand...

Yup. Not to mention feedback isn't always the best barometer of whats best for your customers
 
jimmy_uk said:
Sure, but companies will only change if they feel they need to based on customer demand/opinion. It maybe a small user base of people highlighting PWM, but I feel the number is growing when I read reddit, Samsung and YouTube messages for example. If you don't speak up then it's a guarantee nothing changes.
Click to expand...
Apple is aware that this affects a % of OLED iPhone users. A solution either has too many added drawbacks, or too high of a cost for this to still be an issue after four generations.
 
  • Like
Reactions: The.Glorious.Son
1620929163243.gif
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: George Dawes and Scottsm124
Hi all. I bought the new iPhone 12 pro 3 days ago and I had the exact same issue of vertigo and nausea when i looked into the screen. I was able to resolve it with the following:
1. I removed my cheap screen protector that I got from amazon. Haven't yet replaced it with another brand yet (not sure if this helped but just making a note of what helped overall)
2. Turned night/dark mode off. The night mode clearly had flickering issue visible to naked eye when I scrolled on settings app with black background. As soon as I turned to normal light mode, the screen seems to be working just fine and I have had zero issues.
3. Turned on True Tone.
4. Night shift is off during the day time but it can help if you use it.


I did try various other methods like 'Reduce white point' and 'reduce motion' but none of them worked. I would recommend trying the above method. I had also turned faceID off for a while which seemed to help too but now I am. back to using faceID with no issues.
Note: I had iPhone X for 3.5 years before this and had zero issue with that phone. Hopefully this setting on my new 12 pro will keep working fine for me.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: George Dawes and Isamilis
Man this is such a weird and complex issue, it's really too bad there isn't a singular solution for everyone.

I got my replacement screen protector yesterday so I'm back in business with my 12pm. It's crazy how big a difference it makes, immediately after putting it back on my eyes just... relaxed. So weird. Current additional eye-safe setup- true tone on, brightness up, and reduce motion on. As an extra measure I avoid using my phone much in bright sunlight, and I switch back to my 8+ or SE if I feel a sinus headache coming on just to ensure the screen doesn't make it any worse. Hopefully this routine will continue to work 🤞

Reduce motion has always been a must for me even with LCDs though. I get motion sickness from screen animations and I actually had to sell my 7+ back in 2017 and go back to android for a while after I got pregnant. Didn't want to, but you can turn animations completely off in android. Normally reduce motion was enough, but thanks to morning sickness even the slight animations in iOS were too much 🤢 WHY CAN'T I JUST BE NORMAL?! lol
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: dimitricook
It is the general opinion of the tech world that OLED displays on phones are superior to LCDs. It is the opinion to everyone on this thread though that OLED screens suck.
Like the Home Button never returning, neither will an LCD display for a top tier iPhone.
While the new 12" iPad will be getting mini LED back lighting on its new LCD display, there's no reason to believe that that tech will be coming to an iPhone screen anytime in the near future (because it may not be ideal for a small phone screen).
Currently there is no new technology that can replace OLED. Perhaps several years from now, microLED will replace it when the tech is mature — but from everything I've read about it - microLED displays use PWM to dim the screen just like OLED screen do.

Bottom line:
Top tier iPhones will be toxic for us from here on out
 
Ac1d 8urn said:
Man this is such a weird and complex issue, it's really too bad there isn't a singular solution for everyone.

I got my replacement screen protector yesterday so I'm back in business with my 12pm. It's crazy how big a difference it makes, immediately after putting it back on my eyes just... relaxed. So weird. Current additional eye-safe setup- true tone on, brightness up, and reduce motion on. As an extra measure I avoid using my phone much in bright sunlight, and I switch back to my 8+ or SE if I feel a sinus headache coming on just to ensure the screen doesn't make it any worse. Hopefully this routine will continue to work 🤞

Reduce motion has always been a must for me even with LCDs though. I get motion sickness from screen animations and I actually had to sell my 7+ back in 2017 and go back to android for a while after I got pregnant. Didn't want to, but you can turn animations completely off in android. Normally reduce motion was enough, but thanks to morning sickness even the slight animations in iOS were too much 🤢 WHY CAN'T I JUST BE NORMAL?! lol
Click to expand...
Good to hear that it is working for you, i am curious what kind of specific screen protector you are using? Zagg?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scottsm124 and Ac1d 8urn
Turbohkp said:
I bought a fake 12 lcd display and swap it with the original display from apple. Pwm free 😁
Click to expand...
Would you be able to post more about that? Process, cost, etc. I’d be curious to see a side-by-side comparison of the displays.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back