Things have been catching attention which is good. I had Claude read every post in the iPhone X megathread and here’s what it found

https://claude.ai/artifact/CLN3WMyWkUw482zPrLZPBA

Macrumors thread for reference

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/eye-strain-while-using-iphone-x-and-up.2085427/

TLDR: LCD is the only consistent fix. People who give up on a phone go back to LCD iPhones, and every OLED fix, Pulse Smoothing included, only partly helps. Low brightness in a dark room has been the worst case for nine years

Dizziness and headache look like different problems. Headache posts lean toward PWM, while dizziness posts lean toward motion and refresh rate, neck, glasses, lighting and glare. Expectation plays some role too: the favored explanation changes every few years, posting surges at each launch, and 63 percent of the thread’s own poll voters said they don’t have the issue.

I am planning to buy an iphone 17. I had iphone 13 and 17e and dont have any major problems with them. What do you think about 17?

I took PWM measurements for the following today at Best Buy:

Monitors:

• ASUS ROG Strix OLED 32-inch (XG32UQDMS)

• Acer Predator QD-OLED 27-inch (XB270U XBIIP)

Laptops:

• ASUS ProArt P16 16-inch (H7606GM-PA/P16_1X6)

• ASUS ProArt PX13 13.3-inch (HN7306EA-PA/PX13_90)

• Dell 14S 14-inch (LDS14265-A878BLU-PUS)

• Dell XPS 13.4-inch (LDX13260-5953SKY-PUS)

• HP OmniBook X Flip 14-inch (14-kb0023dx)

• HP OmniBook X Flip 16-inch (16-cb0013dx)

• Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Aura Edition 15.3-inch (83SN0004US)

• Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x 14-inch (83QR000AUS)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (EP2-82113)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (EP2-60211)

• Microsoft Surface Pro 13-inch (EP2-65141)

Too many screenshots to post here, so I'm just posting the measurements @ 50% brightness.

All of the measurements can be found at pwmtests.com.

Enjoy!

^{p.s. Let me know if there is anything you want me to measure. I'll do my best.}

EDIT: Both displays are OLED, but not all of the laptops are OLED.

Hey all-for years I know a ton of people have successfully used reduce white point on their iOS devices to mitigate eye strain. It made my 17 usable, my 16e, and my 15 Pro Max. iOS 27 comes along and I’m seeing more agreements that the update has caused eye strain to return.

I normally run my white point reduction at 80 percent with dark mode on. All other features are on as default, True Tone, night mode at 7, etc. except for the Pro Max, which I disabled ProMotion.

I switched back to my 16e and am returning my 15PM to Amazon and in the meantime, decided to try to turn off the white point balance, and keep dark mode enabled, to see what would happen.

It’s not perfect but the screen is definitely easier on my eyes. They’re no longer as tired as they were. It may work for you, it may not, but I felt instant relief-and I’ve been on this train since I bought a monitor about 7 years ago that started this whole ordeal.

It’s worth a shot. It’s still not as comfortable as my 13 with its 600+ PWM rate but it’s far more comfortable than it was.

I want to add another line to cricket wireless and they are having a good deal for those 3 phones..Currently on Moto edge 2026 and it's working good for me so far but I want a different phone for another line

2 years ago, I bought the S23 to replace my S9. Apart from the screen, I like S23's package (good performance, okay-ish screen size, 120 hz refresh rate, update policy etc.). However, the main issue I have with this phone is the display - it has been giving me eye strain since day 1 which is why I am using it only moderately. The S9's display is basically perfect for my eyes - it is pleasant to look at and I barely feel any eye strain. Quite frankly, the switch from S9 to S23 was a noticeable downgrade in terms of display (apart from the refresh rate).

S9's display:

• very sharp (568 ppi)

• colors feel balanced

• pleasant contrast

• there is not that feeling of being too bright

• when I look at it, it just feels right and my eyes relax

S23's display:

• noticeably less sharp (422 ppi)

• noticeable color fringing

• my eyes tense up looking at the screen / giving me eye strain

• colors don't feel balanced (colors feel too punchy/saturated in vivid mode - natural mode is too washed out)

• contrast feels too high

• white color (font) feels too aggressive

• it often feels too bright

What I tried:

• Eye Comfort Shield (blue light filter is a must have for me)

• Eye Comfort Shield -> Enhanced Comfort (unbearable to use, introduces massive haze)

• Extra Dimming with the main brightness slider turned up (somewhat made white font on dark background more relaxing to read but introduced system-wide sluggishness when scrolling and typing)

• switching from Vivid to Natural mode (didn't help much, just feels washed out)

• adjusting RGB sliders in vivid mode to minimal blue, max red, middle green (minimal improvement)

• adjusting font, font size

Overall, I was not able to adjust the S23's display so that it's pleasant and relaxing to look at.

Possible culprits?:

• low ppi

• subpixel fringing (low ppi in combination with Diamond PenTile subpixel layout)

• PWM (or rather high modulation depth due to much higher overall brightness)

• color balance / contrast (either aggressively punchy or washed out)

Is there any chance that the S25 could lessen eye strain or should I skip it? I read that the S25 has a vividness slider which the S23 doesn't have and the vivid mode is supposed to be less punchy/saturated now in comparison to previous generations? Or maybe the S25 could make things even worse with the 1-120 Hz variable refresh rate instead of the smaller range 48-120 Hz on the S23. Plus, higher peak brightness, meaning even higher modulation depth?

I like Samsung's overall package, but these screens...they are quite frankly unbearable. I remember many, many years ago, screens were no issue whatsoever. I just bought a smartphone and didn't have to worry about the screen giving me eye strain.

When I look at people mentioning alternatives, i.e. phones for less eye strain, experiences vary. Some report reduced eye strain, whereas others complain of severe eye fatigue. Is there not a single phone out there anymore that is reliably not producing any eye strain?

My requirements would be:

• no eye strain

• <= 6.3 inch

• high ppi

• great performance (something like Snapdragon 8 Elite would be great, but at this point, I could also live with slightly less performance if it means I'd be getting an eye-strain-free display)

• good update policy (reliable and regular security updates)

Thanks in advance for any responses!

PS: I heard rumors that the S27 Pro might finally give us DC Dimming?

If a phone advertises ips lcd panel but has dc dimming does that mean it uses pwm? Would it be a good option, I've seen a few honor phones

I don’t know whats the difference. I have been using the 15 pro for 2 years and it was okay. Both are OLED but 17 pro giving me headaches and straining. Does anyone know whats the difference? And which phone to go for in the current market? Thanks in advance.

Hi.

I just had a nice experience finally with a TV after listening to AI. THE TV IS: 420LED811

Now that I regained some hope, I am looking for a PWM free, dither free, VRR free, overall healthy choice for monitor.

Did anyone try any of the following? Were they any good? Read some concerning things about EIZO having PWM under a certain brightness. And about Asus being too saturated - so I have to be sceptical.

ASUS ProArt PA278CFRV

EIZO EV2720S / EV2795

Not sure about the interest in this device, but I am providing measurements regardless. Looks pretty safe to me!

Hi all!

If you're a regular at r/PWM_Sensitive, you may already know me. For everyone else, my name is Nick Sutrich, and I'm a journalist and content creator who has been reviewing phones and other tech since 2011. For whatever strange reason, I'm the ONLY English language tech reviewer who covers the topic of Temporal Light Modulation (TLM), including PWM dimming and dithering. My colleagues know me as "the PWM guy" because of my work on this topic.

I currently write for 9to5Google and run my own YouTube channel. Previously, I wrote for Android Central for nearly 7 years, where I started my coverage on PWM dimming in Spring 2023. This community has grown in leaps and bounds since then, and I've seen a bunch of new people join in the past few weeks with the release of nasty PWM devices like the MacBook PrOLED, iPhone Duo, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and others. I'll be running the AMA for at least one hour, so stop by and ask anything you'd like! Looking forward to chatting with all of you 😃

I heard that most OLED monitors use DC dimming instead of PWM, is this true? I thought that true DC dimming only exists on LCD devices. Any reasonable monitor size (25-30 inches) or tech and I'll look into it

I'm using an Asus monitor that supports "DC dimming" at high brightness and with the filter on to reduce white point in the myasus menu, I'm surprised of the difference it made! I can use my laptop for hours when I usually get eyestrain and brain fog after barely a few minutes.

I deal with eye fatigue almost every day and i'm looking to buy a new monitor soon. I know that flicker-free technology is an important factor, but i'm trying to understand what else i should be looking at.

Answer what you can please:

1. What panel technology have you personally found most comfortable for your eyes? OLED, IPS, VA, Mini LED?

2. Does the monitor's refresh rate (Hz) make a difference? What about response times (1ms, 2ms, 4ms)? Do MPRT and GtG specifications matter for eye comfort?

3. Also, how can I tell whether a monitor uses DC dimming or PWM dimming? I heard DC dimming is better?

4. Does resolution make a difference to eye comfort? Is 4K noticeably better than 1440p or 1080p?

5. What brightness level do you personally find most comfortable? I currently keep mine at 40%. Is that too low or too high, or does it mainly depend on the monitor and ambient lighting?

Which iPhone has better PWM, the iPhone 17 or the iPhone 17e? Is there a noticeable difference in PWM performance between the two, particularly in terms of flicker frequency and modulation depth?

My current phone is nothing phone 3 (~960hz). I want to switch to Google Pixel 9 pro (~240hz). When i switched to Phone 3 from Nothing phone 2 (~2000hz), it was slightly uncomfortable for a week to use it. Right now im trying to find a store to try the Google Pixel, but they are not very popular, so i haven't found one in stock. My question is, what are the chances that it will be too uncomfortable for me to use this phone and that I won't be able to get used to it?

I've been using the new iPad mini (A20 Pro) since it came out, and I have an 11" iPad Pro M4 to compare it with. I love the little mini. It's great for lying in bed and consuming all kinds of content, like reading books, reading manga and especially watching videos.
My problem isn't the 60 Hz, though. After just a few minutes of looking at the screen I get a really bad headache and a pain right between my eyes. As soon as I switch to the bigger iPad or my iPhone, which also has a 120 Hz OLED display, the headache is gone almost instantly.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? I really don't think I'm imagining this. It's a real shame, because the size is so comfortable and I've honestly fallen a bit in love with it.

Maybe I just can't use Oled...

What LCD Phone or Tablet worked for you?

Considering that many LCD devices use Dithering (FRC) as well

Looking for LCD desktop panel, around 24" 4K with no PWM and FRC and some positive eye filters. I know that those are very hard to come by but perhaps this community knows something? Last ones I've found were from around 2015 (literally one Samsung panel mounted by few brands) and in fact I could be interesting in purchse (note I'm from EU).

OPPO Find X10 – Display PWM, Flicker and Eye Comfort Experiences?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for real-world feedback from people who own the OPPO Find X10.

I'm particularly interested in its display and eye comfort.

A few questions:

1. Have you noticed any eye strain, headaches, blurred vision or discomfort when using the phone?

2. Does anyone have actual Opple Light Master measurements (PWM frequency, modulation depth, flicker index)?

3. How does the display behave at low brightness, especially when using dark mode?

I'd especially appreciate feedback from PWM-sensitive users.

For comparison, I currently use a Vivo X300, and its Full PWM option makes the display comfortable for my eyes.

Thanks!