I did and no help. The Android phone I'm typing this on is 6.2" 720p LCD. The iPhone 11 is 6.1" 828p LCD so it's not resolution and it's not face id. I'm absolutely clueless. It feels exactly like PWM. I don't have eye issues so much, but I have the gripping headache in the back of my head. Recent eye test and I'm perfectly normal
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 11 iPhone 11 impressions from someone who suffers from PWM
- Thread starter tonybarnaby
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I had the exact same experience. The headaches and eye strain started when I purchased the iPhone X, so I exchanged the X for a new iPhone XR. The headaches and eye strain continued with the XR, so I had my annual eye exam ... eyesight is perfect/normal. Bought a new iPhone SE, no headaches, no eye strain. Everything is fine again. Sure hope Apple figures this out soon.
Could it be the bigger size of the display that your eyes just don’t like?
For me, no trouble with my old 6s, 7, or 8plus, but the 11 is the biggest display I’ve ever had on a phone and I wonder if my sensitive eyes just don’t like the size?
I’m beyond my return deadline, but in a month or two will get a $250 refund that was a promo deal when buying it from my new carrier. Just have to keep the SIM card in this phone until then.
So I’ll keep using it, and if this problem doesn’t go away by then, I’ll sell the 11 and likely come out ahead, and go back to using my 8plus. I’d hate to have to do that, I love this phone! But will see how it goes..,
Then thinking ahead, maybe the rumored SE 2 that will have the body and screen of an iPhone 8 but the internals of an 11 would be a great upgrade in March?
From my experience, the size is not the issue. I use a slightly bigger android phone with slightly worse resolution and have never had any issues. There is something strange going on. What we need to do is find out what changed from the 8+ lcd screen to the xr lcd screen.
I’m looking for a mint 8+ if anyone had one. I hate myself for trading in my 99% battery health 8+ for only $300 lol
Found a new 8+ for $480. Might just pick it up and chalk it up as a $180 loss from my trade in. Still a lot of money for an “old” phone
In the grand scheme over the next ten months you’re looking at $18 per month to be on an iPhone that doesn’t give you headaches or discomfort. I see that as a positive. I’m on day 8 of the Pro Max and LOVE this phone but the mild to at times moderate discomfort is annoying. I don’t want to give it up. After the hundreds of pics I’ve taken this vacation my wife doesn’t want me to give it up either lol. My 8 Plus at home in the drawer is at 86% battery health and not even close to the camera on this powerhouse. This eye stuff sucks. I feel your pain. Sadly there are so few of us affected that I feel it’s unreasonable to expect a purposeful ‘fix’ from Apple when likely 99% of the buyers don’t suffer or don’t complain. Thursday of this coming week is D-day for me. I’m on the fence. If I were you I’d snag that 8 Plus. It’s not that old, it’s polished, and no one outside these forums give a crap what phone someone is using. I have friends who see people using $1,000+ phones and they aren’t ‘jealous’ or in ‘awe’.....they think those people are nuts lol. And they are far from poor themselves.
I'm going to grab it, but like you I know it's not what it could be.
*Bought new 8+ at launch. Traded it in for a xs Max.
*Max gave me headaches and I returned it after a weekend. Bought another new 8+ for $100 off
*Traded 8+ in on iPhone 11. After a week, I returned my 11 and now need my third 8+. Just a huge pain in the ass. It's not even so much the money as it is I feel weird paying decent money for an old phone. I figure the 8+ will have another solid 2 years and the 3rd year (2022) will be ok, but it'll really be showing its age. By then I hope microLED is close to a reality, as I don't believe that needs PWM.
As for your headache, I feel your pain. Sending my 11 back wasn't that big of a bummer. I liked it a lot, but I still prefer the feel of the 8+ in hand and the way text flows so well. The pro max is the best phone EVER made, so giving up on that is a tougher pill to swallow. At the end of the day I'm not so much worried about my health as I am just unwilling to put up with headaches from a phone that doesn't truly inspire me. My next 8+ will be a stopgap and allow me to continue to use my apple watch. I also feel better doing my banking on iOS as opposed to Android, but that's probably due to me being naive about how "secure" iOS truly is.
Found a mint condition 8+ in gold for $428. Probably the best deal I can get. I'd buy the apple refurbished for $479, but all they have left is gray and I have already had one of those. The good thing is it's the Qualcomm model, which is apparently better than the 2 Intel models I had before.
Ordered apple refurbished for 479. 502 after tax. Cost me $200 because I traded in my previous phone. Hopefully refurbished are as good as new
I’m in the same boat as some of you- love my 11 but trying to decide if it’s worth sticking with given the mild eye discomfort I get with it.
It’s getting a bit better, but still a bit of discomfort.
I still have my 1 year old 8plus with 97% battery- it’s a great phone and honestly the only thing I’d really feel is terrible going back to it would be the camera.
Would any 3rd party camera apps come closer to xs or even 11 quality pictures on an 8plus? Even somewhat close in quality?
If the camera wasn’t so inferior I would likely not hesitate to just go back to my 8plus.
It’s getting a bit better, but still a bit of discomfort.
I still have my 1 year old 8plus with 97% battery- it’s a great phone and honestly the only thing I’d really feel is terrible going back to it would be the camera.
Would any 3rd party camera apps come closer to xs or even 11 quality pictures on an 8plus? Even somewhat close in quality?
If the camera wasn’t so inferior I would likely not hesitate to just go back to my 8plus.
I don't think there's anything that can help the camera to make up for the older tech. It's not bad by any means, but it just doesn't have the technology that the newer phones have.
As for keeping a phone that causes discomfort, I get it. For me it's just not worth it because the 11 wasn't perfect to me like the pro max would have been. I'll miss it, but it's just not worth any discomfort.
The camera is also the main issue for me. I don’t mind the 8 Plus in many regards and at this point can easily choose it over the 11. The Pro Max however checks all the boxes for me. There’s an app called Neuralcam and it can make lower light photos better. I won’t pretend that they’ll be as good as the 11 series, and it’s not a night mode substitute, but it can help bridge the gap in certain situations. When lighting conditions are ideal, the 8 Plus takes excellent photos. It just cannot compete when the lighting deteriorates.
I haven’t really compared- so in good light, is it going to be difficult to see the difference in pictures between an 8plus and an 11? I had read the hdr was far more advanced on the 11, getting better exposure even in regular daylight, but haven’t done any comparison myself yet.
In all of my side by sides, the 11 using smart HDR could more naturally balance the light automatic whereas with the 8 Plus I had to tap the areas of the screen to find the exposure I wanted. But in the right conditions, friends could not tell which phone took which when viewing on the same phone. Now, once light starts to get worse, the 11 pulls away.
I took these photos with my 8 Plus and I think they look pretty good to be honest.
Last edited:
can't really see anything "premium" in that Asus phone compared to an iPhone 11.
Not a single one.
I was talking about the look of it. You can't deny that it looks way nicer than the 11. Not even considering the fact it has no notch
it has no notch because it relies on a less secure and modern biometric sensor (no Face ID).
Looks nicer ? Subjective...
For sure! The 11 is on another level, but the 8+ isn't embarrassing either. I passed on the refurbished 8+ and bought a brand new one on swappa for $425. It's still in the plastic wrap, but no box so I'm not sure what's up with that. For $425 and the fact it's the Qualcomm modem, it's worth a shot. Missing the 11 battery life and speed already.
After not using my 11 for the better part of the last few days my headache is completely gone. It was a pretty much week long headache that I had the 11. It would go away when I slept and would return after I used the phone during the day. I had very limited symptoms on day 1, but they came soon after. Sad to see it go, but it feels nice to not have a headache or have to jump through hoops to make the text look the way I want it.
Apple's trade in partner shipped my 8+ back that I traded in today. Apparently when you return a phone to apple, it voids your trade in. I didn't see that until too late because I also received a brand new SG 8+ today that I paid $425 for on swappa lol. My red 8+ I had traded in is at 99% battery and obviously still mint condition. So now I have 2 of the same phones. The SG has the Qualcomm modem, so I'm going to see if I notice any improvements. The red 8+ will probably be going back on swappa. What a pain, but it's nice to be back!
Does this PWM have anything to do with the FaceID sensor? My initial response was symptoms of a dull headache but the symptoms quickly disappeared after a few days. The reason I ask if it’s FaceID related is that I’m also experiencing nausea using either my oled (xsmax) or my LCD (ipad pro). They are obviously different display tech but both have FaceID and both appear to give me some mild nausea
I haven’t seen anyone who narrowed it down to Face ID. I covered the sensor for a few days with zero help.
Pulse width modulation.
Google is your friend: https://www.oled-info.com/pulse-width-modulation-pwm-oled-displays