AGI I use the app "Brightness Manager" by Igor Tseglevskiy. It is pretty perfect for this purpose but has been pulled from the Play Store a while ago (has been there for years). I don't know why he deleted all his apps but it's still available as an .apk file at other sites. @degen downloaded it from a specific site somewhere higher up in this thread and we compared the checksums to make sure it's the original file. I can recommend this app in general for everyone who needs to find a safe non-PWM brightness range. You can view the display through a camera or better oscilloscope, fine-tune the brightness in the 256 levels Android uses behind the scenes and see when the PWM turns off. The set brightness level usually will be remembered after a reboot if auto brightness is off.

This is how I determined this exact value. If you ever use Paranoid Android, the value is a little lower, 65/255.

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      lubo I did. I activated DC Dimming and 90Hz mode. Unfortunately STILL have eyestrain. Therefore something else is the culprit. The only screen that is almost ok with me is iPhone XR. But I don't like design and iOS.

          valex13 The only screen that is almost ok with me is iPhone XR.

          That's not AMOLED, is it? Have you ever tested other iPhones, in especial X and XS?

              KM This is how I determined this exact value. If you ever use Paranoid Android, the value is a little lower, 65/255.

              Wow, that is super-professional 😲
              Thanks!

                AGI Yes, sure. Both caused eye strain as well as previous iPhones. Including 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th.

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                    valex13 Interesting. Do you have an idea why the XR works and the others do not? Or is it just empirical evidence?
                    What symptoms do you develop with "bad" phones? Do you get instantaneous eyestrain and neck pain? How long do the symptoms last when you quit using the device? Thanks

                      So in the next week or so I'm moving the entire family to AT&T (they are having a stellar buy-one-get-one promo on Samsung phones now), which allows me to use GSM phones finally. Planning to hunt around for a OnePlus3. Do we have any idea whether I need to do OnePlus3 or if OnePlus3T is going to be the same? Has anyone used both?

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                        Gurm Do we have any idea whether I need to do OnePlus3 or if OnePlus3T is going to be the same? Has anyone used both?

                        I had the same question. Looks like no one here has tried the 3T...

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                            hpst We can't ask XDA about the 3 vs 3T because none of them know about our vision problem.

                              valex13 It's interesting that you say the XR is ok for you, other folks complained about it. I suggest that if it works for you, you should use it and get used to iOS.

                                  Sunspark

                                  What worries me about that (aside from iPhones costing too much) is that its the only LCD panel device they make. Everything else is OLED and it wouldn't be surprising if all will be OLED soon. So if you get stuck in iOS and their OLED devices hurt, then you then have upgrade path. Hoping the Librem 5 isn't crap and whatever solution we may find can be useful there since its going to be running linux and not some proprietary mobile OS.

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                                      hpst that its the only LCD panel device they make.

                                      Based on 20 minute testing, I found the XS smoother than the XR though. The XS was the first AMOLED I could look at without having consequences for 2-3 days.
                                      The OnePlus 3 too is decent. I have been using it at night for 1-2 hours for the past 3-4 days, and I seem to be able to handle it with some CVD symptoms. Nothing like the disturbs I got from an S10 or a 6s.
                                      I am confused. Does not it mount a Samsung display? Why can't I tolerate the S10 for a second then?
                                      Also, within a few days I used three different OxygenOS versions, the first two based on Oreo (September 2017 and November 2018), and the last one being the up-to-date version based on Pie. I hate talking of feeling, would like to quantify, but all I can say is that the eyestrain feels stronger the more recent the OS version. I am trying to see if I can adjust to Pie. I am not super-happy, but the morning after I wake up only with a feeling of sand in the eyes and dryness, but no more than that. If I do not use the phone, the symptoms fade quite quickly. Hence the OS seems to play a big role. I had never tested three OS versions within days.

                                      hpst Hoping the Librem 5

                                      I did not know about this. I understand it should guarantee more privacy, but do you expect it to be more gentle on the eyes? Less dithering? Is it just a hope? Thanks!

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                                            AGI I did not know about this. I understand it should guarantee more privacy, but do you expect it to be more gentle on the eyes? Less dithering? Is it just a hope? Thanks!

                                            Well software wise its supposed to be an open device running linux...to theoretically if we can find a dithering solution would should be more easily able to apply it there than to some closed blob in a commercial mobile OS. "If". But it could also be a moot point if they choose bad hardware. It's just a possibility at this point because it's not being built with our issue in mind and we won't know until they deliver.

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                                              I just bought a Moto E4 Plus. It's on Notebookcheck's list of phones that don't have PWM. I'm replacing my LG Rebel 4 that was never really great on my eyes (headaches, tinnitus, nausea) but now something (me or the phone) suddenly got worse. I'll post again here after I've played with it for a few weeks.

                                              Has anyone in this forum considered creating a product catalog of all the products that are good or bad, and what tricks you had to use to get it to be good (e.g., always using it at full brightness)? I'm a software developer, so if there's interest, I could probably create something.

                                                GregAtkinson It's not that simple as everyone sees and processes things differently. What works for one person won't work for another. Getting a phone without PWM is only the start of the battle.
                                                Refresh Rate
                                                Blue Light
                                                Dithering
                                                Type Of Panel (OLED,IPS,TN)
                                                Even having a custom Rom could have terrible effects on your eye health if it is not properly optimized to your phones hardware

                                                • AGI replied to this.

                                                    jasonpicard Getting a phone without PWM is only the start of the battle.

                                                    That renders the idea 👍️

                                                      I've been doing most of my internet use on a Boox e-ink tablet and noticed a difference from Android 6 when it upgraded.

                                                      I believe part of the Android issue is the way it refreshes whenever you do anything. It does a lot of flashing all over the screen as elements settle, and I'm sure it could be improved to update the display in a more uniform and sensible way.

                                                      On that topic, my phone is my last offending device and I think it is time to move on from Android. Is there anything that people have had 100% success with? Something that just does calls and messages like a seniors phone will do even.

                                                        https://bgr.com/2019/07/22/iphone-vs-gaming-phones-iphone-12-might-get-120hz-pro-motion-screen/ This could be a game changer for some on this forum in regards to looking for a new phone. Some people perform better with Apple products I personally don't use them but thought it was interesting. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/07/asus-rog-phone-ii-features-a-120hz-display-a-new-soc-and-a-giant-battery/ This is interesting as well a new android phone at a 120hz refresh rate. I bet next half of this year and next year there will be a lot of phones to choose from that are 120hz refresh rate OLED DC dimmed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BJU2drrtCM I believe it's this video where he shows that the Iphone refreshes in the opposite direction could be a big deal for certain people on this forum.

                                                        dev