iPhone XR Eye Strain on iPhoneXR?

[macdmc]

I’m tempted to say it’s the slightly lower resolution and the way the screen is backlit. I too am experiencing some eye strain, like the screen is too bright or shimmery. This is felt with white background websites and reading text like this forum. It’s nowhere near like using the OLED iPhones which gave me a headache. I just feel like my eyes are struggling like when someone flashes a torch at your eyes at your vision is slightly off for a minute. I blink a lot more like my vision is blurring. I do not experience this my 7 plus. I can’t really describe it any better.

I do find I’m holding the phone closer to my face compared with the 7 plus. This is because the text is a little smaller and softer due to the weird 828p resolution.

I’m super frustrated as I was very resistant to settling for the 11 as I wanted the Pro Max which I find I can’t use due the PWM. Having used the 11 off and on over a week I’ve come to appreciate Face ID, swiping, all screen landscape videos, the speakers, the speed. I know I’m not doing myself any favours switching between two phones but I think the 11 may also be a bust! 🤦🏻‍♂️

Understood, after a few weeks I’m still adjusting. What I’m continuing to notice is how tired my eyes are after using the 11 for any length of time over 15-20 seconds.

I’ve been compensating for that by taking more frequent “eyes somewhere else” breaks, and I continue to modify Reduce White Point, but I’m not sure that helps. I continue to use Dark Mode and Face ID with attention aware features turned off.

One thing to add, nothing else about my environment has changed. Computer usage at work and home is the same as it was when I was using my 8 Plus.

 

[francerex]

After 2 full weeks of iPhone 11 I went back to my 8plus and sold the 11. Miles better. At this point I believe my problem is FaceID(?) which would explain why so many have problems with oled iPhones but not with other oleds. I imagine that being very sensible to pwm I am also somewhat sensible to FaceID?

I have tested: iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPad Pro 2018. I returned/sold them all, as far as I can see they only have one thing in common.

 

[jimmy_uk]

After 2 full weeks of iPhone 11 I went back to my 8plus and sold the 11. Miles better. At this point I believe my problem is FaceID(?) which would explain why so many have problems with oled iPhones but not with other oleds. I imagine that being very sensible to pwm I am also somewhat sensible to FaceID?

I have tested: iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPad Pro 2018. I returned/sold them all, as far as I can see they only have one thing in common.

That's a shame but at least the 8 plus is still a beast of a device no matter what anyone says about its design being dated in 2019.

I'm also bailing on the 11 despite appreciating it's plus points. I think there maybe something weird going on with face ID but my main issue is the lower resolution, it's not for me. Guess it's 8 plus in my near future also.

Here's to September 2020......

 

[Sam in SoCal]

Understood, after a few weeks I’m still adjusting. What I’m continuing to notice is how tired my eyes are after using the 11 for any length of time over 15-20 seconds.

I’ve been compensating for that by taking more frequent “eyes somewhere else” breaks, and I continue to modify Reduce White Point, but I’m not sure that helps. I continue to use Dark Mode and Face ID with attention aware features turned off.

One thing to add, nothing else about my environment has changed. Computer usage at work and home is the same as it was when I was using my 8 Plus.

I think you possibly have medical issues that have nothing to do with looking at a smartphone. There’s nothing to suggest Face ID has anything to do with it. Since 2017 there’s literally hundreds of millions of devices with Face ID Out in the world. Somehow only a couple of you are reacting to Face ID like kryptonite? Come on, let’s keep it real now.

 

[tonybarnaby]

People on here who suffered from PWM have covered the face id sensor and experienced no relief. This isn't to say that it couldn't be face id, but I'm pretty sure in my non-medical evaluation that face id isn't what is giving us headaches.

I've had to 11 for the better part of a week, and I am headache free. It's definitely a bit harder to read text due to the size and clarity both being inferior to the 8+, but I'm not struggling with it. The rest of the phone more than makes up for it. I miss the feel in hand of my 8+ more than anything.

 

[Pixillated]

The truth of the matter is that I personally have no idea what caused the eye strain.
I really loved so many things about the iPhone 11.
I just noticed that I was using it less and less. And just not enjoying it when I did use it. I did really like the camera and the yellow color. And how fast it was.
I ended up going back to the iPhone 8 Plus.
I just know that the iPhone 11 bothered my eyes. I never set up or used Face ID.
I can speculate about what caused it, but, I do not know.

 

[Sam in SoCal]

People on here who suffered from PWM have covered the face id sensor and experienced no relief. This isn't to say that it couldn't be face id, but I'm pretty sure in my non-medical evaluation that face id isn't what is giving us headaches.

I've had to 11 for the better part of a week, and I am headache free. It's definitely a bit harder to read text due to the size and clarity both being inferior to the 8+, but I'm not struggling with it. The rest of the phone more than makes up for it. I miss the feel in hand of my 8+ more than anything.

I agree. The 8 plus feels better built, solid, and a little more slender in the hand to me than the XR/11. Which is why I went from 8 plus, than to XS max, and now pro max. The feel on all three devices mentioned are the same to me. Want to keep that feeling

 

[tonybarnaby]

I agree. The 8 plus feels better built, solid, and a little more slender in the hand to me than the XR/11. Which is why I went from 8 plus, than to XS max, and now pro max. The feel on all three devices mentioned are the same to me. Want to keep that feeling

No question about it. The 11 feels WAY closer to the 5.8" models in your hand than the plus or max sizes. Too bad, because the 8+ feels ideal to me after using it so long. My daily work phone is a 6.2" Android with some bezels that makes it feel nearly identical to the 8+ in hand. Picking up my 11 feels like my wife's X and now pro 11. Not a deal breaker, but it's something to consider.

 

[Stig722]

My eye definitely feel better looking at the 8 plus rather than the iPhone 11. Pretty strange.

 

[tonybarnaby]

I’m trying to figure out if this 11 will work for me before my return window is closed. It’s a shame it’s not exactly the same smooth experience as the 8+. I don’t want to go back to Touch ID and the good but not great camera of the 8+. That, and I already traded mine in and don’t have access to it anymore. Trading it in for $300 and then spending double that for a third new one is not happening.

 

[Stig722]

Luckily I still have my 8 plus. Still trying to decide though if I should keep the 11 or not.

 

[jimmy_uk]

I’m trying to figure out if this 11 will work for me before my return window is closed. It’s a shame it’s not exactly the same smooth experience as the 8+. I don’t want to go back to Touch ID and the good but not great camera of the 8+. That, and I already traded mine in and don’t have access to it anymore. Trading it in for $300 and then spending double that for a third new one is not happening.

Sounds like the choice has been made then.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Sounds like the choice has been made then.

Yep. Either this 11 works or I’m getting a refund and just going to use my android phone. I’m hoping for the best

 

[jm31828]

Interesting thread! I love my 11, but something is off with it for me, too. My left eye often hurts a bit after a few minutes, sometimes as someone here mentioned I also feel when looking away for a minute that my eyes are adjusting from looking at something really bright even though I keep brightness way down at around 10%. (My eyes are pretty sensitive and at much higher brightness on any phone I’d get eye pain)

I had an 8plus and had none of these problems. The pwm on my wife’s xs bothers me so I knew to stay away from the pro when buying mine this year.
I am dumbfounded as to what’s causing it- I turned off Face ID and awareness features a couple weeks ago without much improvement.
Would it still perhaps work to cover the sensors in the notch?

I sold my 8 plus and am beyond the 2 week return window on this one so I’m committed at this point. And would hate to go backwards anyway as I love this phone and it’s camera.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Interesting thread! I love my 11, but something is off with it for me, too. My left eye often hurts a bit after a few minutes, sometimes as someone here mentioned I also feel when looking away for a minute that my eyes are adjusting from looking at something really bright even though I keep brightness way down at around 10%. (My eyes are pretty sensitive and at much higher brightness on any phone I’d get eye pain)

I had an 8plus and had none of these problems. The pwm on my wife’s xs bothers me so I knew to stay away from the pro when buying mine this year.
I am dumbfounded as to what’s causing it- I turned off Face ID and awareness features a couple weeks ago without much improvement.
Would it still perhaps work to cover the sensors in the notch?

I sold my 8 plus and am beyond the 2 week return window on this one so I’m committed at this point. And would hate to go backwards anyway as I love this phone and it’s camera.

I’m in the same boat as you, but I’m not willing to put up with pain for ANY phone. I will give it an honest try tomorrow. The pain is involving our brains and eyes. I’m not messing with that for anything. If I have to suck it up and return to android then so be it. It’s on me for trading in my 8+ before I knew this 11 would work. I figured no pwm would mean no issues, but that’s not how it looks.

 

[jm31828]

I’m in the same boat as you, but I’m not willing to put up with pain for ANY phone. I will give it an honest try tomorrow. The pain is involving our brains and eyes. I’m not messing with that for anything. If I have to suck it up and return to android then so be it. It’s on me for trading in my 8+ before I knew this 11 would work. I figured no pwm would mean no issues, but that’s not how it looks.

Might be worth covering the notch sensors to see if that helps- I’m going to find a strip of black static cling vinyl to try that myself.

I may also try a privacy screen protector as I’ve heard some of them when looking directly at the screen can be shaded, like sunglasses- that might help?

I got a $250 off deal when buying mine, I get it after 90-120 days of using the phone on the network.

I will see how it goes for that time. If I sell after that time I’ll likely still come out ahead. Maybe I’ll wait til spring for the new SE as that might be better on the eyes (and a better small size).

Or... the sale of my 8plus fell through- if I don’t get it sold I could regretfully go back to that after the 90-120 days.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Might be worth covering the notch sensors to see if that helps- I’m going to find a strip of black static cling vinyl to try that myself.

I may also try a privacy screen protector as I’ve heard some of them when looking directly at the screen can be shaded, like sunglasses- that might help?

I got a $250 off deal when buying mine, I get it after 90-120 days of using the phone on the network.

I will see how it goes for that time. If I sell after that time I’ll likely still come out ahead. Maybe I’ll wait til spring for the new SE as that might be better on the eyes (and a better small size).

Or... the sale of my 8plus fell through- if I don’t get it sold I could regretfully go back to that after the 90-120 days.

I turned off Face ID aware and for some reason turning off dark mode seems to help a bit. I’ll see what I find out and reply back. I definitely woke up with a minor headache (feels like a cold where it hurts to move your head too fast) but it’s not gripping my head yet.

 

[jm31828]

I turned off Face ID aware and for some reason turning off dark mode seems to help a bit. I’ll see what I find out and reply back. I definitely woke up with a minor headache (feels like a cold where it hurts to move your head too fast) but it’s not gripping my head yet.

Yes I'd like to hear how that goes.
For me it's strange- my eyes feel warm and dry after looking at mine for a while, and frequently my left eye starts to ache. And when looking away after using the phone, my eyes are trying to adjust and vision is odd for a moment as if I were staring at a very bright screen- even with brightness turned way down.
I never had any of that with my old 6s, my 7, or the 8Plus I most recently had. Very odd...

But back to you- I wonder, if you woke up with a headache, maybe that's not related to the phone? I'd think with any of this being phone-related, it would only last while using the phone and for a fairly short time after? But then again who knows, maybe it affects everyone differently.

To add to the weirdness for me- last year I upgraded from a 7 to an XS.... I started having similar symptoms,and I felt it was likely caused by the PWM flicker, so within my 14 day return period I exchanged it for an 8Plus. The symptoms oddly remained for nearly a month as I started using the 8Plus but did fade and never had issues again. So now with these symptoms again with the 11- knowing there is no PWM on this phone- it makes me wonder if it's just my sensitive eyes adjusting to a new phone with a bigger display than I've ever had before. But I've had it for a month now- so we'll see how the next few weeks go. And of course as I try a few things with the privacy screen protector and covering the notch sensors.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Yes I'd like to hear how that goes.
For me it's strange- my eyes feel warm and dry after looking at mine for a while, and frequently my left eye starts to ache. And when looking away after using the phone, my eyes are trying to adjust and vision is odd for a moment as if I were staring at a very bright screen- even with brightness turned way down.
I never had any of that with my old 6s, my 7, or the 8Plus I most recently had. Very odd...

But back to you- I wonder, if you woke up with a headache, maybe that's not related to the phone? I'd think with any of this being phone-related, it would only last while using the phone and for a fairly short time after? But then again who knows, maybe it affects everyone differently.

To add to the weirdness for me- last year I upgraded from a 7 to an XS.... I started having similar symptoms,and I felt it was likely caused by the PWM flicker, so within my 14 day return period I exchanged it for an 8Plus. The symptoms oddly remained for nearly a month as I started using the 8Plus but did fade and never had issues again. So now with these symptoms again with the 11- knowing there is no PWM on this phone- it makes me wonder if it's just my sensitive eyes adjusting to a new phone with a bigger display than I've ever had before. But I've had it for a month now- so we'll see how the next few weeks go. And of course as I try a few things with the privacy screen protector and covering the notch sensors.

My work phone is a 6.2” 720p lcd and I have never had an ounce of pain. I could look at it did 12 hours straight. My pain feels exactly like a pwm headache. It’s something to do with the phone, 100%. I didn’t wake up with a headache, and it’s not an issue with the lower resolution since I use a phone with even lower resolution and no issues at all.
I have another week or so to decide what’s up, but I’m thinking the phone isn’t going to work. I still have a lingering headache, and I haven’t used the phone more than an hour today. I really miss my 8+, but I already lost $100+ trading it in so I’m not willing to dig even deeper for my third one. I kept dark mode on my 8+ with no issues, but turning it off on my 11 appears to help a small amount.

It took 3+ hours of usage yesterday to get any pain, so I’m at a loss here. If this was my only phone I would be a lot more concerned, but i have an Android to fall back on. Just typing this message makes my eyes feel like I’m taking an eye exam where there is very mild strain looking into the eye tester and seeing which picture is more clear. The more I think about it, the more I believe I should return the phone. The main issue I have is if I return this phone then what will I do in the future? My android is a budget phone with very low specs, so it probably has 12-18 months left in it and then I’ll have to replace it. Trading in my 8+ was a very bad move, but I figured no pwm meant no problems, and that is not the case. I know there is nothing wrong with my eyes, because it’s ONLY this phone (and oled) that bug me.

 

[francerex]

My work phone is a 6.2” 720p lcd and I have never had an ounce of pain. I could look at it did 12 hours straight. My pain feels exactly like a pwm headache. It’s something to do with the phone, 100%. I didn’t wake up with a headache, and it’s not an issue with the lower resolution since I use a phone with even lower resolution and no issues at all.
I have another week or so to decide what’s up, but I’m thinking the phone isn’t going to work. I still have a lingering headache, and I haven’t used the phone more than an hour today. I really miss my 8+, but I already lost $100+ trading it in so I’m not willing to dig even deeper for my third one. I kept dark mode on my 8+ with no issues, but turning it off on my 11 appears to help a small amount.

It took 3+ hours of usage yesterday to get any pain, so I’m at a loss here. If this was my only phone I would be a lot more concerned, but i have an Android to fall back on. Just typing this message makes my eyes feel like I’m taking an eye exam where there is very mild strain looking into the eye tester and seeing which picture is more clear. The more I think about it, the more I believe I should return the phone. The main issue I have is if I return this phone then what will I do in the future? My android is a budget phone with very low specs, so it probably has 12-18 months left in it and then I’ll have to replace it. Trading in my 8+ was a very bad move, but I figured no pwm meant no problems, and that is not the case. I know there is nothing wrong with my eyes, because it’s ONLY this phone (and oled) that bug me.

What i noticed was that an extended use (playing grindstone for example) was bothering much less than several quick glances for notifications or time checks. Possible explanations are:
- This is just some placebo effect, it is not real
- FaceID is used much more when quick glancing and is actually covered when playing
- My eyes adjusted to the screen when playing, while they keep varying the focus on the other case

 

[Roadstar]

I got myself an iPhone 11 from a Black Friday deal and while at first it was fine, within the last few days I've been having noticeable eye strain with it. At first when I got it I wasn't using it that much when I was alternating between the 11 and my Galaxy S10+ as well as my iPad Air 2019, but now on a Xmas break I spent the first couple of days almost exclusively on the 11 and ended both days with a painful headache.

I had some symptoms before that while I was alternating between the S10+ and the 11, but I thought it was the S10+ and its OLED PWM at work there. However, after having the two consecutive days of headaches I tried to minimize the times I pick up the 11 and use the S10+ instead, and so far no new headaches. I've tried a couple of longer sessions with the 11 after that, but I can notice the discomfort mounting up and I've switched back to the S10+ before it gets too bad.

Now I'm really interested in finding out what's the culprit here. Is it FaceID or something with the screen? There's no PWM here, but something odd seems to be going on.

Currently my primary SIM is still in the 11, but I'll have to test out for a few more days and see if I'll move back to the S10+ for my primary line.

 

[travis64]

I got myself an iPhone 11 from a Black Friday deal and while at first it was fine, within the last few days I've been having noticeable eye strain with it. At first when I got it I wasn't using it that much when I was alternating between the 11 and my Galaxy S10+ as well as my iPad Air 2019, but now on a Xmas break I spent the first couple of days almost exclusively on the 11 and ended both days with a painful headache.

I had some symptoms before that while I was alternating between the S10+ and the 11, but I thought it was the S10+ and its OLED PWM at work there. However, after having the two consecutive days of headaches I tried to minimize the times I pick up the 11 and use the S10+ instead, and so far no new headaches. I've tried a couple of longer sessions with the 11 after that, but I can notice the discomfort mounting up and I've switched back to the S10+ before it gets too bad.

Now I'm really interested in finding out what's the culprit here. Is it FaceID or something with the screen? There's no PWM here, but something odd seems to be going on.

Currently my primary SIM is still in the 11, but I'll have to test out for a few more days and see if I'll move back to the S10+ for my primary line.

do you mean 11 pro?the 11 does not have pwm

 

[Roadstar]

do you mean 11 pro?the 11 does not have pwm

I mean the regular 11. I specifically avoided the pro because of PWM and that's why it's so confusing that my non-PWM phone is giving my eyes a harder time than my PWM S10+.

 

[travis64]

I mean the regular 11. I specifically avoided the pro because of PWM and that's why it's so confusing that my non-PWM phone is giving my eyes a harder time than my PWM S10+.

Strange i had pwm problems with the x and went with the 11 and no problems at all

 

[Roadstar]

Strange i had pwm problems with the x and went with the 11 and no problems at all

Yep, I thought I'd avoid PWM issues altogether by going with the 11 especially when I had PWM issues with the Galaxy Tab S6 I had for a while.

However, it could be FaceID for me as that's something my still-PWM-but-not-as-large-as-the-Tab-S6 S10+ doesn't have. Maybe I'd need to try disabling FaceID and maybe covering the front cameras with a piece of tape, but in that case I wouldn't be using the phone that much when I know it'll be a passcode/password hell for whatever I do.