Anyone with PWM sensitivity able to use M1 MBA with no problems?

[happy orchard]

I posted this on the iPhone board too. Just looking for people’s experiences who have struggled with PWM or anything else that precluded using OLED iPhones and whether they were able to use MBAs without any problems? Know new MBAs are coming, but I’m tentative about new screens now. Four times bitten, definitely shy. Thanks!

 

[SirWill]

I posted this on the iPhone board too. Just looking for people’s experiences who have struggled with PWM or anything else that precluded using OLED iPhones and whether they were able to use MBAs without any problems? Know new MBAs are coming, but I’m tentative about new screens now. Four times bitten, definitely shy. Thanks!

I have to ask, what is PWM

 

[happy orchard]

I have to ask, what is PWM

Pulse Width Modulation. There are threads on here about it and other info on the internet, but essentially OLED iPhones employ it, and it causes prohibitive issues with a portion of the population. We're not talking 'I don't like camera bump' or 'the keyboard is annoying'; we're talking "I have physical pain and problems because of and while using it."

I've grown tired of buying and returning Apple stuff to try, so I'm just looking to learn from others' experiences.

 

[Tagbert]

Pulse Width Modulation. There are threads on here about it and other info on the internet, but essentially OLED iPhones employ it, and it causes prohibitive issues with a portion of the population. We're not talking 'I don't like camera bump' or 'the keyboard is annoying'; we're talking "I have physical pain and problems because of and while using it."

I've grown tired of buying and returning Apple stuff to try, so I'm just looking to learn from others' experiences.

The Air uses IPS LCD so no OLED. Don’t know anyone with PWM sensitivity to check of they have any problems.

 

[happy orchard]

The Air uses IPS LCD so no OLED. Don’t know anyone with PWM sensitivity to check of they have any problems.

Well now there's me! I've been playing on the MBA for about five days, and not a single problem. Not a one. It's so lovely to get new Apple gear and not have pain!

 

[user1234]

I just measured the backlight of my MacBook Air M1 and thought I'd add my results here in case anyone else finds this thread looking for the answer.

I found that it is flicker free at and above 50% brightness. Below there is flicker at a relatively high frequency. 50% and above shouldn't be a problem for anyone as far as the backlight goes, below 50% is high enough that it shouldn't be an issue but I have heard mixed things about ~20 KHz and sensitivity. I hope this helps someone.

Above at 50% brightness. Everything above looks about the same. No flicker detected.

Above at 25% brightness. 19.41 KHz flicker at about 33-50% depending on how you average it.
10% brightness looks similar with similar values.

Above at about 48% brightness, or 7 and 3/4 steps on the brightness scale (or 31 out of 64 quarters if you prefer). 40.8 KHz with about 15-16% flicker.