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AndyDandy1

macrumors 6502
Mar 6, 2018
285
88
The easiest way of doing it is opening a web page with a lot of white, like this forum, on your new phone. Then use another phone (girlfriend’s, wife’s, friend’s, old phone... anything with slow motion video, really) and film that screen of your new phone in slow motion, until the (new) phone screen goes dark. You can now literally observe what makes you dizzy. Apple’s LCD screens don’t do that.
Is it normal for all these phones to flicker?
 

superporpoise

macrumors newbie
Nov 1, 2008
6
0
I've been having headaches for the past week and I'm trying to diagnose if it's my phone (iPhone 12 Pro). I owned an X before and didn't have any problems with it. From reading a bit on here, it seems like if PWM was my issue then I would've also had problems with the X... or did something change with the 12?

Is anyone else who was fine with the X having problems with the 12?
 

AndyDandy1

macrumors 6502
Mar 6, 2018
285
88
I've been having headaches for the past week and I'm trying to diagnose if it's my phone (iPhone 12 Pro). I owned an X before and didn't have any problems with it. From reading a bit on here, it seems like if PWM was my issue then I would've also had problems with the X... or did something change with the 12?

Is anyone else who was fine with the X having problems with the 12?
Do you feel motion sickness? Dizzy?

I had no issues with 11 pro max and now I feel those symptoms
 

jm31828

macrumors 65816
Sep 28, 2015
1,394
896
Bothell, Washington
One thing for me is that I go through a long adjustment period with any new phone screen- even when buying LCD display phones like the 8+ or last year the regular 11, I had symptoms like this that I had with my XS when I first tried it two years ago- it frustrated me, because these phones did not have PWM, but yet I was having eye pain and headaches. After about a month on each of those I was fine, my eyes adjusted.

Not sure why, my eyes are finicky.... now I am feeling this a bit on the 12 mini- and maybe it's the OLED flicker, maybe it's just the fact that it's a new display? I love that phone, and I want to try to make it work, so I will see how it goes, and will try different brightness settings.
 
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karinatwork

macrumors 6502
Mar 2, 2009
293
325
British Columbia, Canada
I've been having headaches for the past week and I'm trying to diagnose if it's my phone (iPhone 12 Pro). I owned an X before and didn't have any problems with it. From reading a bit on here, it seems like if PWM was my issue then I would've also had problems with the X... or did something change with the 12?

Is anyone else who was fine with the X having problems with the 12?
The 12 has a lower flicker rate than the 11 Pro. It may be because of that. I’m not an expert, but the 11 Pro was 280ish and then 12 is only 220ish. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong). With lower being bad, in this case. Let me remind you... if you feel that the phone is bothering you physically, then it’s not worth it.
 

dan98

macrumors regular
Oct 29, 2013
203
344
Just a mild headache 🤷‍♂️
It's becoming apparent that different people are sensitive to different frequencies of PWM.
It could be the PWM frequencies of the X didn't bother you, but your new phone does.
Getting a headache is a sign that your body isn't happy - my advice would be don't ignore the symptoms and switch to a non-PWM phone, or a trusted one that doesn't give you symptoms.
 
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AndyDandy1

macrumors 6502
Mar 6, 2018
285
88
It's becoming apparent that different people are sensitive to different frequencies of PWM.
It could be the PWM frequencies of the X didn't bother you, but your new phone does.
Getting a headache is a sign that your body isn't happy - my advice would be don't ignore the symptoms and switch to a non-PWM phone, or a trusted one that doesn't give you symptoms.
What are non PWN phones?

wojld the 11 pro max be better or worse than 12 pro max
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Just a warning that it’s not just pwm messing with us. I had to give up my iPhone SE. Another forum member said there’s something called dithering that the display does. I can’t remember exactly what it is used for but I think it has to do with colors. Anyway, it results in its own flashing of things off and on.

So, when I use the LCD on my iPhone SE after a few minutes I get an incredibly peculiar migraine aura that causes something like a shimmering white curtain in my peripheral vision.

It doesn’t end up in a full migraine head pain but it is unbearably annoying.

I can use the LCD on my iPad mini 5 and the OLED on my iPhone 11 Pro okay. Though I do seem to be very clumsy since phones we left iPhone 8 behind. I dearly wish I had kept that phone as I originally intended when I bought two of them. But they had the worst modems and sound on calls. At least mine did. They were barely usable as phones where I live.
 
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tonybarnaby

macrumors 68020
Dec 3, 2017
2,385
1,741
Just a warning that it’s not just pwm messing with us. I had to give up my iPhone SE. Another forum member said there’s something called dithering that the display does. I can’t remember exactly what it is used for but I think it has to do with colors. Anyway, it results in its own flashing of things off and on.

So, when I use the LCD on my iPhone SE after a few minutes I get an incredibly peculiar migraine aura that causes something like a shimmering white curtain in my peripheral vision.

It doesn’t end up in a full migraine head pain but it is unbearably annoying.

I can use the LCD on my iPad mini 5 and the OLED on my iPhone 11 Pro okay. Though I do seem to be very clumsy since phones we left iPhone 8 behind. I dearly wish I had kept that phone as I originally intended when I bought two of them. But they had the worst modems and sound on calls. At least mine did. They were barely usable as phones where I live.
Yep. I can’t use any oled iPhone OR the 11/xr lcd models. My 8+ is 100% perfect. A member on here who came up with the temporal dithering theory speculated that it may have something to do with the chip in the phone. Any phone from the xr onward seems to cause the issues, regardless of lcd (xr/11/se2020) or the oled models. That’s why I’m waiting patiently for the se 2 plus next year to see if it works. If not, my 8+ will be closing in on 4 years and I may be forced back to android. Those who are adamant about not switching to android could have a legit issue on their hands. People like you and me who like both will be fine, though.
 
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barry.wiestling

macrumors regular
Sep 12, 2014
144
37
So I just exchanged an iPhone mini, and my new one is causing me headaches and dizziness. My old phone didn’t cause anything and I came from an iPhone X and XS. I feel like I can see the whites flicker on this phone while I’m using it. Could it be defective?
 

locrumo

macrumors 6502
May 11, 2020
316
351
So I just exchanged an iPhone mini, and my new one is causing me headaches and dizziness. My old phone didn’t cause anything and I came from an iPhone X and XS. I feel like I can see the whites flicker on this phone while I’m using it. Could it be defective?
PWM, normal.
 

Evilxardas

macrumors member
Dec 5, 2019
57
49
PWM, normal.

Well, i don't think that is the problem! Also the iPhone X and XS use PWM.
For example I can use all day (also gaming) the iPhone X and Ipad Air 2, but I wasn't able to use the iPad pro 10.5, MBA 2018 and MBP 16. I don't think the problem is the PWM..
 

snipr125

macrumors 68020
Oct 17, 2015
2,020
3,145
UK
I get the eye strain/ mild headache symptoms on the iphone 12 mini but the solution for me is to turn off auto brightness and set brightness to 50% and then i get no issues at all. The majority of the flickering is below 50%, with the worst of it at around 25%. Everyone with PWM sensitivity please try these settings and see if it works for you.
 
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locrumo

macrumors 6502
May 11, 2020
316
351
I get the eye strain/ mild headache symptoms on the iphone 12 mini but the solution for me is to turn off auto brightness and set brightness to 50% and then i get no issues at all. The majority of the flickering is below 50%, with the worst of it at around 25%. Everyone with PWM sensitivity please try these settings and see if it works for you.
Set brightness to 100% should work.
 

snipr125

macrumors 68020
Oct 17, 2015
2,020
3,145
UK
Set brightness to 100% should work.

Locrumo, the problem with 100% brightness is that it’s waaay too bright to the point of blinding. For me 50-60% is just right in conjunction with true tone. 100% brightness will definitely eliminate any PWM though.
 

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,247
3,508
Pennsylvania
I've been having headaches for the past week and I'm trying to diagnose if it's my phone (iPhone 12 Pro). I owned an X before and didn't have any problems with it. From reading a bit on here, it seems like if PWM was my issue then I would've also had problems with the X... or did something change with the 12?

Is anyone else who was fine with the X having problems with the 12?
The X flickers at 270ish hz. The 12 is closer to 220. I can use the X well enough, but the 12 mini was giving me headaches and actually effected my vision within the first 2 days of using it.

Apple sent me a survey about the 12. I told them that it was the perfect phone as long as you didn't look at the screen.
 

orange23

macrumors regular
Oct 14, 2020
118
176
The X flickers at 270ish hz. The 12 is closer to 220. I can use the X well enough, but the 12 mini was giving me headaches and actually effected my vision within the first 2 days of using it.

Apple sent me a survey about the 12. I told them that it was the perfect phone as long as you didn't look at the screen.

This is a good survey feedback!
 
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jm31828

macrumors 65816
Sep 28, 2015
1,394
896
Bothell, Washington
I am returning mine this weekend, too, for similar reasons.
Absolutely perfect phone in all other ways- I would be HAPPY for them to keep my $730 if this phone had an LCD display or an OLED that had no flicker- or at least a much higher flicker frequency that did not bother some of us.

But, it is being returned for a refund and I will continue to use my 11.....
 

tom.forclaz

macrumors newbie
Nov 18, 2020
8
0
I bought 12 mini as my first iPhone. Before this purchase, I had a few android AMOLED phones with no problem (sensitivity to flickering). iPhone 12 mini didn't work for me. I have tried 2 units with the same results. After just five minutes developed a real headache and dizziness almost feel like I'm going to vomit. I tried to settle a few days but every day my sensitivity was worse. I'm not willing to trade my eyes health for a piece of new tech.
Now I have iPhone 11 with no problems.
 

jm31828

macrumors 65816
Sep 28, 2015
1,394
896
Bothell, Washington
I read on a viewsonic monitor website that pwm flicker can in worst case scenarios cause macular degeneration- which is the loss of eye sight in the middle of your field of view and advancing outwards. It said “overexposure” can cause this.

Anyone else heard this before?
I’d heard that it can cause discomfort for some, but had not heard that it could cause actual damage.
 
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TDDM

macrumors 6502
Nov 25, 2017
490
634
KA
I read on a viewsonic monitor website that pwm flicker can in worst case scenarios cause macular degeneration- which is the loss of eye sight in the middle of your field of view and advancing outwards. It said “overexposure” can cause this.

Anyone else heard this before?
I’d heard that it can cause discomfort for some, but had not heard that it could cause actual damage.
Can you link the page?
 

TDDM

macrumors 6502
Nov 25, 2017
490
634
KA
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