Deepdeep I still haven’t found a single android tablet or iPad that doesn't cause me any discomfort and I’ve tried, and am still messing around with, a whole bunch!
I'm sorry to hear you haven't found a tablet that works for you. My Samsung S6 Lite Tab has been a lifesaver when the eye strain started with MacOS. I do most of my reading and writing (with the stylus) there now and just use the HP Spectre for practicing code and doing my online exams. My phone is also not the latest and greatest, it's the S10 5G. I'm glad these devices don't hurt me, I got used to Samsung's UI and they've been trouble-free.
Deepdeep The idea behind the overlay software like "Eye Saver" or "Iris" is that you can use it to reduce the perceived brightness while keeping the backlight fixed at max brightness and thereby either eliminate PWM (on devices that have PWM but not at max) or reduce its impact (on devices that have PWM at max too) coz at max the “off” period of the PWM cycle is much less than the “on” period resulting in less impact on those sensitive to PWM flicker.
I've found and installed Iris on both my Macbook and my son's Macbook and we both tested it out for half an hour, as what you say here sounded promising (my son also suffers from eye strain and bloody red eyes after coding and studying). I still got burning eyes, blurry vision, inability to focus and a strong headache 15 minutes in.
So maybe it's not PWM? Or do I need to tough it out with more testing? It's weird, on the Macbook whenever I try to read, it feels like the text is jumping around, I can't stay focused, even though the quality (resolution) looks spectacular compared to the HP Spectre's. I have no such issues in Windows and Ubuntu.
Recording the screens of my Samsung tablet and phone shows flickering (meaning they must have PWM?) yet they're the most relaxing screens for me.
Deepdeep That might be coz I was already affected which then makes it difficult to notice changes. This makes testing/experimenting rather difficult coz you have wait for your body to reset.
Yes, I had to take a break from my Macbook before testing on the HP Spectre as well as pop some strong migraine pills.
Deepdeep Methinks if you can get a Windows device to use comfortably for now you might still be able to find a way to make the Macbook Pro useable. And it's best to get a device you can return coz even if you think you've done the math before you buy it you might find it doesn't work, in my experience.
Yes, for sure I'm getting something I'll be able to return. If RAM wasn't soldered to this HP Spectre, I wouldn't mind fixing it up (touchpad not working, and it seems to be motherboard issue), replace the dead battery and just keep using this until it dies lol.
This is gonna end up being an expensive trial and error, isn't it?