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iPhone 12 Pro Display OLED GATE!! Black Video, flashing image issue!!!
- Thread starter glenohumeral
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I just tried this out and definitely have this as well. It doesn't bother me, but that doesn't mean it is right. This would appear to be a defect of some type whether it be software or hardware. You should see a plain black screen, no light at all, that's it no argument needed. Something is up. I have a Note 20 Ultra here as well and tested it and I couldn't even tell the screen was on, perfect black. Reminds of BOE (just approved as supplier) and the Mate 20 Pro. Same exact issue. Suppliers for that phone were BOE and LG.
Ugh how am I ever going to watch my hour long black screen videos again.
It doesnt really matter who made the panel, it's a software/firmware bug. The Galaxy S6 Edge(or maybe it was 7 edge) had a similar problem.
Have you seen the sequel, “Fifty Shades of OLED Grey?”
I have the same problem as well with the iPhone 12 Pro Max iOS 14.2 and iOS 14.3 Beta 1.
I will return it and get a new one.
Update:
With brightness 0% or 100%, it does not occur. So hopefully only a software bug.
I will return it and get a new one.
Update:
With brightness 0% or 100%, it does not occur. So hopefully only a software bug.
Last edited:
I’ve definitely noticed this on my 12 Pro Max, but it only seems to be when the brightness is around 10% or below. To me, it’s definitely seems to be a software issue. I tested it out with a pure black picture in the photos app. When the bar was still there on the bottom of the screen (at any brightness) the rest of the screen was true black. Once the bar went away however, the screen would light up to a dark gray at low brightness levels. Not a huge issue for me, just something I’ve noticed. I’ve also noticed a bit of display bleed on the edges when viewing a black image with a white light in the center (like when the phone is booting up). Again, not worth a return to me, but something that is definitely happening on these phones. With that said, I saw the same effects on my 11 Pro Max
My 12 Pro Max definitely does this. Ive tested my 11 Pro Max and it does not do this.
I was returning the 12 Pro Max anyway as I prefer the 11 Pro Max over it but this is definitely a little concerning. I do think it will be fixed with a software patch though.
I was returning the 12 Pro Max anyway as I prefer the 11 Pro Max over it but this is definitely a little concerning. I do think it will be fixed with a software patch though.
ive never had a need to watch a totally black video in a closet
The bug is present on Pro Max models as well. It’s been widely demonstrated now.
Hi
I would like to explain this to you.....
This is a not a problem, this a normal behavior of OLED screen
Pulse-Width Modulation, or PWM, is one of the ways display makers can use to adjust the display's brightness. PWM is considered to be an easy (or cost-effective) way to control the brightness, but it has serious drawbacks, such as flicker that may cause eye strain and headaches.
With an OLED, each sub-pixel is controlled individually and there is no backlight of course. An analog brightness control could be easy to implement - but with some OLED materials the emitted color changes with the voltage which makes this a bit more complicated to control.
According to our information, Samsung uses PWM (actually in combination with an analog brightness control) in all its mobile AMOLED displays. Consumers that suffer from flicker has tested and found PWM on many of Samsung's AMOLEDs.
Reducing flicker
I have discussed this with display-measurement expert Raymond Soneira from DisplayMate. Raymond confirms that he gets many e-mails from users of both LCD and OLED displays that sense flicker and suffer from visual fatigue and headaches. Some of this flicker, note, can be content related - as some streaming and video services may reduce the screen refresh rate or the frame rate below 60 Hz. Scrolling screen content also introduces additional flicker from the updating. For TVs, Intra-Frame Motion Interpolation can also produce picture flicker.
Below is advice that Raymond sends to readers, with flicker-related advice:
1. To minimize flicker effects do not watch the display in the dark, because the ambient light minimizes the flicker amplitude that reaches your eyes. Also avoid fluorescent and similar lighting that produces its own flicker that can beat with the display refresh rates.
2. Don't sit too close to the display, because it will fill a larger portion of your visual field, plus peripheral vision is more sensitive to flicker.
3. To minimize PWM flicker, operate the display at its maximum brightness because that provides the highest duty cycle. (editor: note that high brightness levels may harm your eyesight. It may be wise to use high display brightness in conjunction with brightness correspondingly decreased programmatically via graphics driver).
4. For TVs, monitors and laptops look for published screen refresh rates of 120 Hz or greater. For PCs set the highest available refresh rate.
5. People with very high flicker sensitivity may need to switch to LCD displays, which have relatively slow response times that will dampen any flicker. The LCDs should have full 24-bit color without Frame Rate Control (FRC) found in 18-bit (or less) displays. (editor: some users, however, complain of other issues with LCDs, for example crystal inversion that cause a half-RT flicker).
PS : To prove myself if you put the screen in full brightness, trust me you will not see any flicker
You’ve misunderstood the problem completely. This is the screen failing to reduce black pixels to full black, consistently, when it should be. It wasn’t happening on our 11 Pro OLEDs. But on iPhone 12, the models have black areas going from black to mild grey and back to black. We are not referring to “on” video or pixels having a subtle frequency you normally won’t perceive. You are correct that the type of flickering YOU described is normal, but the issue discussed here in black areas failing to go fully dark as they used to on iPhone is different.
Tested on my pro Max. Can’t reproduce this issue at any brightness level. I just get perfect black like the screen is off.
Samsung panels in the pro max. Don’t have this issue
Bro,
My 12PM also has supposedly the best Samsung panel(Display Sl Number starting with G9N...) and did not notice the light bleeding with multiple attempts and was very happy.
Then I kept my wife’s Huawei P30 Pro side by side, playing the black video. And there It’s evident. P30 pro is stark black and 12PM has kind of residual backlight/fluorescence on the 2/3 part of the screen from bottom in irregular pattern.
Although in my case there is no flickering, and it’s more a kind of backlight bleed / fluorescence.
So the issue seems to be widespread. And the blacks in the videos which I often watch before sleeping with lights off, do sometimes seem like greyish/green.
And that is a discomfort for me in about 45-90 mins of screen time almost every day.
But I wonder how could this be a hardware defect in panel itself, as LEDs can not behave in this fashion, may be there is some issue in display chip.
I hope they can fix it with software update.
Mate,
You won’t notice it until you place it side by side with another OLED phone.
Did u try that?
You don't need to place with by another OLED phone if you truly have this issue. I thought I was in the clear, but I do see my screen deciding whether or not to turn off the pixels for the video only at ~30% brightness.
I have other oled phones including an 11 pro max and it's black as black gets on the 11 pro max and 12 pro max. Even at 100% the slightest bit of light in a pitch black room your going to notice.
If there is problems with some panels mine isn't one of them and I'm ultra fussy with defects in my screens.