iPad Pro PWM Confirmed - 2024 IPP - OLED - Keep those 2018 12.9 IPP’s 🤬

[erihp]

Maybe the answer to this is putting away your phones, tablets and laptops for a while.

I say that a bit tongue in cheek, but when you consider the history of mankind, its not a shock that we would feel negative effects from these bright screens blasting our faces every waking moment of the day.... pwm or not, its the amount of exposure and usage to blame, ultimately.

It's your body telling you to give it a rest... send all the mad face emojis you want.

 

[gusping]

Buy an M2 or M3 iPad Air. It’ll be as good as or better than your 2018 Pro and doesn’t have an OLED screen. Plus, it’ll last you another seven years - or more. Amazon is selling both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions at $100 off right now.

Yeah, the iPad Air has crossed my mind but no promotion or face ID is a problem. I can probably squeeze out this 2018 iPP another year at most. So i think i’ll just hold on as long as possible.

 

[xpxp2002]

Yeah, the iPad Air has crossed my mind but no promotion or face ID is a problem. I can probably squeeze out this 2018 iPP another year at most. So i think i’ll just hold on as long as possible.

M2 iPad Pro, then. I intentionally bought one to replace my 10.5”, expecting OLED to come to the next model. I’ll be sticking with it as long as I can.

 

[tivoboy]

I still use my 2018 IPP 12.9 with the external slim keyboard (this is key), but just actually grabbed a 2024 IPad Air M2 13” for $349 (it was a university deal) and will look for a suitable keyboard (not giant Magic Keyboard) and see if I can handle the 60 hz refresh and the annoyance of TouchID vs. FaceID.. certainly the speed and power are going to be MUCH appreciated..

 

[jimmy_uk]

All OLED screens have PWM, but from what i understand, the higher the frequency of said PWM, the less noticeable. Apple uses something like a PWM frequency of 428? I heard that some compnies have increased the frequency over 1,000 which has all but solved the issue for those that get eyestrain & headaches from PWM. Perhaps Apple can fix this with a software update? Or if it’s a hardware issue, perhaps when the M5 ipad pros come out? I dunno 🤷‍♂️

Yeah, higher PWM frequency sounds like a fix on paper, and it may have helped some people—but honestly, for me (and a lot of others), it hasn’t made a difference.

It’s not just about how fast the flicker is. Things like how deep the brightness dips (the amplitude), how aggressive the modulation is at lower brightness levels, and how the display handles changes all factor in. Even at 1,000Hz or more, if those other things aren’t dialed in, it can still cause serious eyestrain.

 

[pdoherty]

Hopefully Apple takes the PWM issue seriously and implements an actual solution for their phones and tablets. I won't be buying another iPad with a PWM display until they resolve it (and I've been using iPads since the first model - I was in line at the store on day one to buy an original iPad).

 

[Macalway]

"If thy eye offends thee, pluck it out!"

 

[gusping]

M2 iPad Pro, then. I intentionally bought one to replace my 10.5”, expecting OLED to come to the next model. I’ll be sticking with it as long as I can.

The M2 iPP is too expensive to justify, and i'm not spend hundreds of ££ on a several year old iPad. I would rather just ride my 2018 iPP into the sunset than risk that.

Hopefully Apple takes the PWM issue seriously and implements an actual solution for their phones and tablets. I won't be buying another iPad with a PWM display until they resolve it (and I've been using iPads since the first model - I was in line at the store on day one to buy an original iPad).

I've also owned pretty much every large size iPad since launch. But until the M4 iPP i have never had an issue with OLEDs. iPhones, LG TVs, QD-OLED 4K 240hz monitor, etc. None have caused any issues. I will most likely try the M5 iPP again just in case, but i expect the panel to be exactly the same.

 

[pdoherty]

I've had issues with PWM on other devices, too. It was why I sold the Steam Deck OLED I bought - it would make me cross-eyed/blurry if I used it more than 20 minutes.

 

[fastson]

Don’t notice it at all.

 

[Maven1975]

Buy an M2 or M3 iPad Air. It’ll be as good as or better than your 2018 Pro and doesn’t have an OLED screen. Plus, it’ll last you another seven years - or more. Amazon is selling both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions at $100 off right now.

Those displays also flicker. :/ (12.9 Variants)

When you have anything with local dimming, that will be the case.

Its not just an OLED issue. While they are the most common, other display types have their own issues with PWM/Flicker.

Here's hoping for a PWM toggle on the IPP M5.

 

[leifp]

I would be fascinated to hear whether the ability to turn off this capability exists in iPadOS 26 as well or whether it’s (presently) hardware locked to the new iPhones.

 

[adam1080]

See my post in the other thread. It is hardware-locked to the 17's at this point. I upgraded my M4 11" iPP to the public release iPadOS 26 yesterday and went to the location in accessibility and text and the new "Pulse xxxx Smoothing" option was not there. (name escapes me and too lazy to go find it.)


I'm not one of you suffers because of PWM, perhaps because I keep it blindingly bright. But at least now you can have the best phone with a much better screen than LCD that has a solution.

It must be a hardware thing if the M4 does not support it in OS 26. Fingers crossed for you all that it comes the the M5 so you can stop looking at all that horrid blooming of the pre-OLED displays.

 

[Momof9]

Maybe the answer to this is putting away your phones, tablets and laptops for a while.

I say that a bit tongue in cheek, but when you consider the history of mankind, its not a shock that we would feel negative effects from these bright screens blasting our faces every waking moment of the day.... pwm or not, its the amount of exposure and usage to blame, ultimately.

It's your body telling you to give it a rest... send all the mad face emojis you want.

With the M4 iPad Pro - I have the issues within 5 minutes of using it.... so this isn't the cause of it for me....

 

[Momof9]

See my post in the other thread. It is hardware-locked to the 17's at this point. I upgraded my M4 11" iPP to the public release iPadOS 26 yesterday and went to the location in accessibility and text and the new "Pulse xxxx Smoothing" option was not there. (name escapes me and too lazy to go find it.)


I'm not one of you suffers because of PWM, perhaps because I keep it blindingly bright. But at least now you can have the best phone with a much better screen than LCD that has a solution.

It must be a hardware thing if the M4 does not support it in OS 26. Fingers crossed for you all that it comes the the M5 so you can stop looking at all that horrid blooming of the pre-OLED displays.

I saw your thread and tried to do this on my iPhone 14 Pro Max, I updated last night and my eyes feel strained today. The text and such are different - I can't put my finger on what the differences are, but it is bothering me. Hopefully not an issue that I can't fix. I was planning to go order my 17 this weekend.....

 

[adam1080]

I saw your thread and tried to do this on my iPhone 14 Pro Max, I updated last night and my eyes feel strained today. The text and such are different - I can't put my finger on what the differences are, but it is bothering me. Hopefully not an issue that I can't fix. I was planning to go order my 17 this weekend.....

Uhhh... what do you mean you tried this on your 14 Pro Max?

This is not even an option on my 16 Pro Max. You will only see "Display Pulse Smoothing" on the 17 model iPhones and nothing else.

The setting "Disables pulse width modulation to provide a different way to dim the OLED display, which can create a smoother display output at low brightness levels. Disabling PWM may affect low brightness display performance under certain conditions"

So, not sure what you tried... but it was not disabling PWM because no consumer has the option/possibility to try that setting on any Apple device until this Friday the 19th. Maybe some random YouTuber with a review unit will try it and post about it before Friday...

 

[Momof9]

Uhhh... what do you mean you tried this on your 14 Pro Max?

This is not even an option on my 16 Pro Max. You will only see "Display Pulse Smoothing" on the 17 model iPhones and nothing else.

The setting "Disables pulse width modulation to provide a different way to dim the OLED display, which can create a smoother display output at low brightness levels. Disabling PWM may affect low brightness display performance under certain conditions"

So, not sure what you tried... but it was not disabling PWM because no consumer has the option/possibility to try that setting on any Apple device until this Friday the 19th. Maybe some random YouTuber with a review unit will try it and post about it before Friday...

I upgraded to iOS 26 so tried to see if it would work....

 

[Maven1975]

Looks like its a moot point anyways. From the findings on the 17/Air/Pro, it does not seem to be doing much to eliminate the issue.

Come on MicroLED!!!

 

[gusping]

Looks like its a moot point anyways. From the findings on the 17/Air/Pro, it does not seem to be doing much to eliminate the issue.

Come on MicroLED!!!

That's disappointing. Can you link me to where you have read that? Thanks

 

[Maven1975]

That's disappointing. Can you link me to where you have read that? Thanks

Just look at the IPhone forums..

There is a dedicated eye strain PWM thread.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/eye-strain-while-using-iphone-x-and-up.2085427/page-498?post=34161113#post-34161113