Usable Smartphones?
Reporting back about the OnePlus 3. I think in theory it would be usable if it didn't have PWM and dithering. I believe PWM kicks in at 25% (tested with iPad camera, which shows running lines). Above that, the screen still flickers in a way. But it seems to be not a total "lights off". It's more like "higher brightness, lower brightness, ..." I can't analyse this because I don't have a better camera.
So having 26% as minimum brightness seems and feels like the best option to avoid the strong PWM. Going below that is difficult.
I tried apps that reduce brightness by software, but that introduces another type of flicker all over the screen, maybe temporal dithering. Captured with my iPad camera in video mode. And then I realized that even at 100% brightness, large areas of dark color always flicker rapidly even without using any filter apps.
The other option are "pixel off" apps. They make pixels black in various patterns. And this causes heavy color banding. The screen looks like 16 bit or less now. My explanations for this are either Android doesn't use 24 bit colors or the AMOLED screen's pentile matrix is applying temporal dithering to create more colors. Or maybe it's just normal for pentiles, since they rely on sharing pixels.
Any way, the eye strain is still too strong inside rooms, because 26% is relatively bright. To go lower I can choose between using auto brightness and have PWM, use color filters and create strong flicker, or hide pixels and realize this works but won't be dark enough in all environments. My best setting was using the apps Lux and Pixel Filter to have a minimum brightness of 26% and an automatic dark pixel pattern for low environment brightness. But it's still too bright if I want to use the device for multiple hours a day.
So I guess I have to go back to my old iPhone 4.
Gurm Hi Gurm, my device is S-Off, so I've been banging around different firmwares and OS versions between kitkat and marshmallow. I do see differences. I'm curious to know what firmware version # strings you have (attach a picture I guess) in your bootloader for the one that you say is fine in Lollipop.
To get to the bootloader, when powering on, you hold down the power and down-volume button. Likewise to force a reboot hold down the power and volume-up button.
All current generation OLED panels use PWM. This is by design to force better colour accuracy. Usually the frequency is about 240 as is the case in the OnePlus3 which is using a Samsung panel. A little bit is not bad, more factors are at play.
Saw a 6S+ in the store briefly that seemed nicer than the SE which is using an older panel.
Anyway the nice thing about this is, despite the annoyance today, due to the fast rate of refreshes, there's always something new coming down the pike to look at.
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JTL did use the htc-m8 with shutter speed of 1/8000 on the xiaomi redmi 3 , it seems no pwm(not running lines), but the pixels themselves do look noisy(but it's the same with the nexus 5 which also doesn't have pwm) , so i guess there's something else.
What could it be ? how should i attack it ? The display is ips lcd.
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Has anybody tried the Microsoft Lumia 650? At this website they did not detect PWM: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Lumia-650-Smartphone-Review.165363.0.html It uses an OLED panel.
I don't know why all the love for the M8 here. I'm really not liking it much and do not recommend it. I have 3 phones here. A 4S on iOS 6, a Z30 on BB 10.3.2 and this HTC M8. The Z30 has PWM at low brightness settings but is a super amoled and not bothersome, I've been using this device awhile, only downside is less apps are available. The 4S has no PWM. The M8 does not "seem" to have PWM but it has something. There's this "shimmer", it's hard to explain. Maybe an oscilloscope would show it. The screen certainly does have narrower viewing angles and higher ppi compared to the other two devices. Anyway, this device is no good, though some panels worked for some people. I do not carry the HTC which is too bad, because it is actually my most powerful phone. I only have it because I was closing out an account at the carrier and I had to cash out a credit, so I took this device.
heres are the pictures of the Xiaomi redmi 3, at 50% light(which makes me a headache), at shutter speed 1/8000. Only single pictures but they don't show any scan lines which indicate pwm. The purple background is tablecloth, notice the grains , which leads me to think the grains are due to camera noise.
I don't think you can capture scanlines in single pictures. As far as I know for lines to appear you need to have a continuous shuttering.
Sunspark I'm sorry to hear HTC M8 doesn't work for you, but it does for me and several other people as well. If there's 50% chance it will work for people, I'd say let them try. It's still a solid performer and used ones are really cheap today. More than likely you can even test it somewhere before the purchase.
I can also report that the new HTC 10 is fine as well. There seem to be 2 screen suppliers this time again, SHARP and TIANMA. I have a Sharp one, haven't had a chance to test a model with Tianma screen yet.
I've had good luck with screen savers on smartphones that will trigger me in an instant iff I do not use them. Specifically TechArmor and Skinomi hve transformed completely unusable screens into screens I can stare at for hours. Give them a shot
@Gurm I was playing with GPE firmwares again today on the M8.
You were probably using a Sense firmware, but I am pretty curious to know what the version #s are on the one you liked was. I note that on GPE, the radio is the same in both 5.1 and 6.0 and the DSP is the same in 5.01 and 5.1. You can get to the HBOOT bootloader by holding power and volume down when turning on the device.
4.4.4
HBOOT 3.18.0.0000
RADIO 1.14.21331931.LA02_2G
OpenDSP v32.2.2-00542-M8974.0213
OS 2.12.1700.1
5.0.1
HBOOT 3.19.0.0000
RADIO 1.21.213311491.A04G
OpenDSP v47.2.2-00564-M8974_F0.1024
OS 3.11.1700.5
5.1
HBOOT 3.19.0.0000
RADIO 1.23.213311491.A13G
OpenDSP v47.2.2-00564-M8974_F0.1024
OS 4.04.1700.10
6.0
HBOOT 3.19.0.0000
RADIO 1.23.213311491.A13G
OpenDSP v50.2.2-00591-M8974_F0.0810
OS 5.07.1700.14
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Now I bought an HTC One M8, too. It shipped with Marshmallow. The screen is not too bad but could be more confortable. I also tried Cyanogenmod 12.1 and 13 and am still struggling with screen settings. Now I'd like to try stock Lollipop to know if I feel the same difference Gurm describes.. But how do I install that? I have an unlocked boot loader and TWRP recovery. I did everything from within Linux with adb and fastboot.
KM I'd suggest to install Android Revolution HD v45.0, which is stock Lollipop (Android 5.0.1 + HTC Sense 6.0) with root and a couple of optimizations. So generally still basically stock. I'd suggest the same for MM version.
It can be installed the same way as Cyanogenmod roms.
http://android-revolution-hd.blogspot.com/p/android-revolution-hd-mirror-site-var.html
For the M8, when activating developer options by tapping 7 times on the build number in the about section of the settings, if you enter it and scroll down to "Disable HW Overlays" and turn it on, could someone comment on whether or not everything looks the same still?