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iPhone 12 Is iPhone 12 still using PWM OLED?
- Thread starter changguangyu
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How was your usage on the 12 PM during those two days- pretty heavy, or light, off and on usage that still set off your headaches?
Interesting. I usually run my brightness over 50% and according to the article It says:
“Above 50 % it started to fluctuate again and measured between 80 and 277.8 Hz.”
I wonder why it’s fluctuating so much above 50%? Does anyone know if the 11 Pro fluctuated this much?
I got a 12 Mini last Friday, used it over the weekend, I had eye strain and a headache. Returned it and got a 12 Pro the eye strain went away so I was thinking all would be fine but the headache has remained so I’ve almost had a headache for a full week now.
I did some slow motion videos comparing the 12 pro and 11 pro between 50%-100% brightness the 12 pro had much more visual lines running through it whereas the 11 pro did not.
I don’t know what Apple did to these displays this year and I wonder if it will be fixed in an update because on brightness between 30-70% if I open a black picture or black video test on YouTube I get this weird flickering where it’s kind of like a dark gray.
Since I’m still within the return period I think it’s safer to just return instead of hoping Apple releases a software update to fix it. Unfortunately I already sold my 11 Pro so I’ll be going to my backup device (iPhone 8) until I can figure something out.
I had True Tone turned on for my mini because to my surprise it didn’t turn the screen a horrible yellow the way it did on the 12 Pro I returned. It was a very pleasant white color with just a hint of cream like parchment paper.
But man oh man after last evening and a morning of that I had some eye strain. I turned it off when seeing this topic and being reminded I had turned True Tone on. And my eyes already feel the relief!
I have no idea what True Tone does but my eyes don’t seem to like it much.
I have no plans to return the mini because I’m not normally going to be doing heavy duty reading on it. I can certainly look at it long enough to handle my texts and brief emails. I have a Pro Max on order I hope will be suitable for the more display intensive tasks. If not, I did okay on my Pixel 3XL for reading. I just don’t like typing on that phone, it’s really “twitchy”.
Overall I’m pleased with my 12 mini but...no more True Tone! Which is a shame, as this is the first OLED display I’ve gotten that did True Tone as well as my 8 Plus did on LCD.
But man oh man after last evening and a morning of that I had some eye strain. I turned it off when seeing this topic and being reminded I had turned True Tone on. And my eyes already feel the relief!
I have no idea what True Tone does but my eyes don’t seem to like it much.
I have no plans to return the mini because I’m not normally going to be doing heavy duty reading on it. I can certainly look at it long enough to handle my texts and brief emails. I have a Pro Max on order I hope will be suitable for the more display intensive tasks. If not, I did okay on my Pixel 3XL for reading. I just don’t like typing on that phone, it’s really “twitchy”.
Overall I’m pleased with my 12 mini but...no more True Tone! Which is a shame, as this is the first OLED display I’ve gotten that did True Tone as well as my 8 Plus did on LCD.
What about the findings on that link where it shows between 21% and 50% being kind of the sweet spot for the least flicker- have you tried that lower setting to see if it helps your condition at all?
I have noticed on my mini that when I turn off true tone- just like on my 11- the display is really blue. I guess I am so used to true tone that I am not used to that cold of a display- it looks odd to me. haha. But I am playing with different settings to see what is most pleasing on the eyes (reducing strain), so will see how this goes.
I looked at the graphs and my impression is that their equipment is faulty or out of alignment. As I see it, the PWM frequency is a constant 240Hz on both phones and I wouldn't be surprised if all OLED iPhones use this frequency.
Did I understand correctly that you were able to use iPhone 11 pro without problems?
I had problems with 2 iPhone 12 Pros, dry eyes and burning sensations. I’m using a regular 12 right now which is totally fine for me. No issues at all. Im gonna try Pro Max next.
Interesting, so odd that the 12 Pro would cause trouble but yet a regular 12 would be fine- seemingly they should be the same or very similar displays.
Did the issues start right away for you when using either of the Pros- or did it only happen after prolonged use?
Are you using the same settings on the 12 as you did with the pros- brightness, true tone, reduce white point, etc?
Yes, I did try using it in between that range. Since I’ve had a headache all week I’m not sure it was a good test. I would need to test it without having a headache first to see if it then gives me a headache.
I tried to look on notebookcheck to see if they noticed similar fluctuations in the 11 Pro at certain ranges but I couldn’t find anything that detailed. I’m wondering if the 11 Pro remained more consistent once you had it at a set percentage instead of fluctuating. That’s the only thought I have on why I could use the 11 Pro but couldn’t use the 12 Pro.
Sorry if I’m misunderstanding but in your testing you show a constant 240Hz on both the 12 Pro and 11 Pro? I wish more sites would do testing on this so we could compare. I have my very anecdotal testing where I hold up my iPhone 8 using slow motion on both the 11 Pro and 12 Pro, I see more visual lines on the 12 Pro than I did on the 11 Pro. So for me at least I could see a difference there which make me think Apple did something differently. My theory is they did more fluctuations to save on battery life rather than remain more consistent since they used smaller batteries this year.
The issues started right away on the Pros. Same settings, TT on, brightness around 50%, no reduced white point. The 12 is very easy on my eyes.
I just purchased an iPhone 11 (non-Pro). That is the latest and greatest available with FaceID and an LCD. I’m going to use that until Apple makes their OLEDs more visually tolerable or changes the display tech. I figure I can realistically get 4-5 years out of it before it becomes too old/slow/obsolete. I’m crossing my fingers that Apple will have something I can upgrade to within that time frame.
The biggest concern with this strategy is the advancement in the cellular technology. LTE is fine right now...but compared to where 5g might be 3-5 years from now...
Weird. Out of the 12 and the 12 Pro Max I found the 12 to be the worse. It felt strongly like a light was being blasted into my eyes like someone waving a torch at me almost instantly.
I tried using my friend’s iPhone 12 Pro Max yesterday. It was only for a minute, but I experienced no issues.
Then I checked the iPhone 12/12 Pro demos and got instant migraines. That may also be because there are multiple flickering phones next to each other. iPhone 12 Mini is definitely the worst for whatever reason.
Since I’m planning on at least trying to upgrade this year after three years on an 8+, I’ve decided that I’ll try the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Side note: it’s so much easier to decide in the store by getting hands-on. I went on Apple’s site on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max and the graphics looked like they were about double the size on the Max, which sold me on stepping up to the Max. The size of the phone itself is also exaggerated in reviews, as it’s the same width as the 8 Plus.
Then I checked the iPhone 12/12 Pro demos and got instant migraines. That may also be because there are multiple flickering phones next to each other. iPhone 12 Mini is definitely the worst for whatever reason.
Since I’m planning on at least trying to upgrade this year after three years on an 8+, I’ve decided that I’ll try the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Side note: it’s so much easier to decide in the store by getting hands-on. I went on Apple’s site on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max and the graphics looked like they were about double the size on the Max, which sold me on stepping up to the Max. The size of the phone itself is also exaggerated in reviews, as it’s the same width as the 8 Plus.
Yeah I can confirm. My 12 mini is a right bear on my eyes. lol but I can’t tell if the headaches I’ve had the last two days are from using it or because I knocked my head on the ceiling putting up Christmas decorations. Doh🤕
It doesn’t matter. Usually I will only be using it for short texts and short glances for information and as an actual phone to talk on.
I’ve got a Pro Max on order for my second line for more administrative tasks that require a bigger screen and more battery anyway. And I want that camera system.
Honestly the camera system on the Max is overrated.
In almost every comparison I’ve seen (especially blind comparisons) I’ve preferred the pictures coming out of the iPhone 12 series, probably because they have more contrast to compensate for the smaller sensor. I don’t even really see a difference in night shots.
I’m glad Apple at least tried to do more with the Max, but I think unless they can improve it with a software update that takes better advantage of the larger sensor then it’s not really a selling point.
I agree with this. I did an extensive side by side photo comparison taken with the 11 and 12 Pro Max in a wide variety of circumstances and then had friends and family choose the better. It was almost even between the two, with many instances where a difference was not noted. In low light, if night mode was used, the results were pretty much identical. The two cases I found the 12 Pro Max to excel:
It’s version of HDR slightly better handles mixed lighting focal points such as a lower light scene with a bright window.
In lower light pics where night mode is not enabled, it will allow in more light. The difference is not as good as I anticipated.
It’s a better camera than the 11 in several situations plus it has the 2.5x zoom. But I’m very happy that it in no way renders my 11 obsolete. Based on the hype and specs, I really expected more.
Notebookcheck iPhone 12 Pro Max Review
It seems that once again the Max sized Pro iPhone has got a different PWM frequency to the smaller variant.
238Hz on the iPhone 12 Pro Max
277.8Hz on the iPhone 12 Pro (highest point measured)
It seems that once again the Max sized Pro iPhone has got a different PWM frequency to the smaller variant.
238Hz on the iPhone 12 Pro Max
277.8Hz on the iPhone 12 Pro (highest point measured)
Any measurements out there on the Mini? I have not been able to find any, and have just been assuming everything is roughly the same as the regular 12- but would love some confirmation.
The measurements are a little confusing since I don’t think they were taken at the same brightness level.
iPhone 12 Pro’s PWM frequency changes significantly at different brightness levels:
iPhone 12 Pro: Pulse Width Modulation for the OLED Display
Just like all OLED displays the iPhone 12 Pro’s will also be utilizing Pulse Width Modulation for brightness regulation. We took a closer look at it and would like to present you with our findings.