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Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up
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Update: my air is still flawless. I have reduced night mode from 70% to 50% always, I went back to standard display zoom instead of large and i am using a full iOS glass UI which i like…. maybe i am of the few in here. Auto brightness also on and of course 120fps.
So in a nutshell my settings are now much more simplified:
PWM on/True Tone on/Reduce motion On/Night Shift 50%/2dots larger text.
So in a nutshell my settings are now much more simplified:
PWM on/True Tone on/Reduce motion On/Night Shift 50%/2dots larger text.
Maybe the screen model is the decisive factor; other factors are not important...
That is Samsung G9Q right?
Yeap. G9Q
But but but….. don’t underestimate PWM toggle. I tried it off 1-2 months ago and my eye was kinda going to explode….
….. it took me couple of hours to feel well again after I turned it back on again. So maybe it’s the combo of them for my situation. Because at launch i had an LG iPhone air and couldn’t tolerate it….. sold it after one week. My experience with my current air is honestly better even than than MY IPHONE 11 which after iOS 26 update things became A LOT more WORSE….. i had to enable one million settings (double invert etc) to be able to use it. I don’t even use double invert for example with this air.
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A question..in previous models PWM option was only on by defaut or only off? Because in 17 by default the option seeems to be 'off'. Is better to put it on? I don't understand.
The iPhone 17 series is the first—and currently the only—iPhone (and Apple product) to include a Reduce PWM toggle. It’s turned off by default, so if you’re sensitive to PWM, be sure to try the iPhone 17 with this setting enabled.
- Based on early testing and user reports, the toggle appears to change how PWM is used at low brightness levels, where PWM normally becomes more aggressive.
- Rather than acting as a hard cutoff, it seems to reduce PWM depth or shift behavior across the lower brightness range, helping minimize flicker for PWM-sensitive users.
- At higher brightness levels, iPhones already rely much less on PWM (or use higher effective duty cycles), so the toggle has little or no visible effect there.
Even if you're not experiencing any problems, you should leave the PWM switch on.
When it's on, the amplitude curve becomes flatter, which is generally less tiring for the eyes.
When it's on, the amplitude curve becomes flatter, which is generally less tiring for the eyes.
Well, I have problems with iPads and Macbooks, so it definitely won't help me. But for me the problem is not just PWM but likely temporal dithering which makes even LCD displays problematic.
Are you more likely to get a screen that causes you issues if you buy a 16 Pro compared to the 17 Pro? Are the screens this year better than last year’s?
I’d say they’re better than the 16 pros for sure but issues will still arise unfortunately
Hi everyone. I’m very sensitive to OLED flicker/PWM (eye strain, burning sensation, headaches). I’m trying to choose between iPhone 16 Pro Max and 17 Pro Max. For those who’ve used both: which one is better in terms of PWM/flicker and overall eye comfort?
Ok,
This is sick--- It has to do with dithering, so its on-topic in this thread but a little off topic--
I decided to take the gamble and buy a new 2025 13" MacBook Air M4, fully aware that the screen gets dithered to hell - but since I never tried it, I thought I'd at least give it a go. Silly me.
When the lid is first lifted up on a new M4 Macbook, the computer instantly boots to the setup screen prompting you to choose your country without even pushing the power button. The background desktop image behind the setup panel was a picture of a tropical beach. Very vibrant and vivid. Super vibrant and vivid - unrealistically so. It instantly struck me at first glance that something about this display is off.
So instead of wasting time setting it up, I decided to just look at the background image for a bit, read the setup text & stuff and just keep my eyes on the display for a while. - No dice.
No way could I deal with that wretched dither flicker. Billion colors. Ha!
I shut the lid promptly, never to look at it again. Took less than 2 minutes.
To be returned.
This is sick--- It has to do with dithering, so its on-topic in this thread but a little off topic--
I decided to take the gamble and buy a new 2025 13" MacBook Air M4, fully aware that the screen gets dithered to hell - but since I never tried it, I thought I'd at least give it a go. Silly me.
When the lid is first lifted up on a new M4 Macbook, the computer instantly boots to the setup screen prompting you to choose your country without even pushing the power button. The background desktop image behind the setup panel was a picture of a tropical beach. Very vibrant and vivid. Super vibrant and vivid - unrealistically so. It instantly struck me at first glance that something about this display is off.
So instead of wasting time setting it up, I decided to just look at the background image for a bit, read the setup text & stuff and just keep my eyes on the display for a while. - No dice.
No way could I deal with that wretched dither flicker. Billion colors. Ha!
I shut the lid promptly, never to look at it again. Took less than 2 minutes.
To be returned.
I have this problem with ALL Apple dispays at this point -- MacBook, iPad, iPhone. I switched from MacBook to Windows (BTW, even with Windows there are some that seem to be doing temporal dithering, e.g. Microsoft Surface), I have never owned an iPad, and I'm on an iPhone SE 2022 that is barely usable. For content consumption (other than "listening" to YouTube videos), I use my Dynabook laptop (2.3 lb, EyeSafe display).
Portege X40L-M4467
Portégé X40L-M Laptops | X Series Laptop | Thin and Light Laptops
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Smart of you. I barely made it through setup on a 15” M4 MBA before it triggered a seizure. Insane stuff.
At this point I’m mostly curious what the hell Apple is doing to these screens that some of us are so severely affected.
Nightmare…so sorry to hear that.
If it’s any consolation, there was an active contributor on this thread a long while back who experienced the same physical trauma (seizure) using a new iPhone 15 PM while typing an email.
Clearly- for some people, Apple displays have become exceedingly toxic.
(and they didn’t used to be)