So as promised I'm writing back.

I upgraded my m8 to Marshmallow, then flashed in the ADSP for Harman/Kardon audio.

The screen is now... better than stock Marshmallow, but not as good as stock Lollipop. Toggling the overlay option helped a little, too. It's now... if it were my only option, it would be usable.

But it's not my only option, so... I will likely be dropping back to Lollipop.

  • KM likes this.
8 days later

I'm currently working on pwm free custom kernel for the S7 Edge, details can be found on XDA: http://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/development/amoled-pwm-s7-edge-t3517739

The most noticeable issue is a little screen deterioration on very low brightness (desaturation and visible grey "freckles" ).
Although this isn't as problematic as seen on earlier revision amoled panels.

    Wootever <3

    Real courage, unliek what Apple does removing headphone jacks 😛

    I would be willing to work with you.

    I feel like crying 😃

      Wootever That is so very great news! I almost can't believe that someone finally managed to do this. Do you think it could be ported to other AMOLED devices, too? I think currently the vast majority of AMOLED smartphone panels are made by Samsung. Maybe all of them use similiar drivers, and this is the first day of totally PWM-free devices.

      Do you know why there still is this small 60 Hz flicker? Does it do anything important?

          KM Do you think it could be ported to other AMOLED devices, too?

          Probably yes, the AID (AMOLED intervall driving) dimming mechanism they are implementing is actively used since the Galaxy S3. Although the implementation itself may vary (especially Exynos vs. Qualcomm).
          Unfortunately this is exclusively used by Samsung, other AMOLED Panel devices might use a different approach or a panel built-in solution.

          We probably need a complete AMOLED datasheet of a recent panel to fully understand those settings.

          KM Do you know why there still is this small 60 Hz flicker? Does it do anything important?

          I can only guess, it might be used as a burn-in protection / panel longevity method.

          About the low brightness deterioration:
          What we can see on especially low brightness is called mura defects. Those are small irregularities / deviations caused by the oled production process.
          The PWM effect is also used to mask those mura defects, apart from stabilizing the color temperature and grayscale linearity (although less noticeable then the mura defects).

                There is unfortunately not much feedback on XDA, i guess most people are not aware of this issue or accept it as a part of AMOLED.
                Is someone here with a Samsung phone willing to try a custom kernel with the PWM adjustment included?

                  Wootever When my mother gets a new phone I'll try and port it to her Galaxy S4.

                  I could also try getting my old Note 3 back from a family member, but I feel it damaged my vision permanently 🙁. Would be fun to try it though 😃

                    Wootever, NOBODY knows about this issue. My coworkers literally look at me like I have 3 heads whenever I bring it up, or return a laptop because I can't use it.

                    • JTL replied to this.
                    • JTL likes this.
                      8 days later

                      I have the same problem as many of you. I've had this for 20 years. CCFLS with PWM caused some problems, but LED and AMOLEDs worse. I've thus far identified it to be only PWM. I get red eyes and in the morning my eyes feel like I have sand in my eyes, if I've used a PWM display for some hours during the previous day.

                      I had Sony Z3+, which was completely problem free, but I got frustrated with it's bad battery, since I then to use the phone quite a bit. I got first LG G5 based on Notebookcheck review that stated it would not have PWM. Turned out that it has a high frequency PWM at lower than 35%. But for some reason, I was unable to use it even with higher brightness without problems.

                      I got the Huawei Mate 9 also based on the Notebookcheck review. I confirmend with my DSLR that it does not have a PWM. I also tested with some high shutter speeds at a camera store like 1/8000 and 1/32000 but I was not able to see any PWM. I tried to use it for 2 weeks, but my eyes were so red and irritated constantly, that I had to return it.

                      I got a Sony XZ again based on the Notebookcheck review and based on the fact that Z3+ or Z2 or my Sony Android TV do not give me any problems. For the 2 first days I thought it is OK, but then after the Nougat upgrade, I started noticing the same eyestrain and now after 5 days, my eyes are again very red and irritated. I checked with my DSLR and noticed that again, contrary to the Noteboockcheck review, it does have PWM at lower that about 30 % (There is no value on the slider so cannot say exactly at which % it does start). But now I've tried to use it at higher brightness but it still causes eye strain. I'm baffled, as I have not had any dithering or driver issues before, but now it seems that either the Huawei Mate 9, LG G5 and Sony ZX have some dithering or driver issue in Android Nougat, or then they actually do have some very high frequency PWM that I cannot detect with my DSLR. But clearly non usable devices.

                        I get severe, immediate eye strain from most smartphone screens. I don't understand why they work, but I have found that Skinomi and Techarmor screen protectors completely, 100% cure the issue. Give them a try. I have tried about a dozen protectors, but those are the only 2 that work

                        autobot

                        Just saw this, sorry. the two that have 100% worked every time are the Skinomi brand (they are clear) and the Techarmor anti glare (they are matter)

                            Maxx

                            There is no value on the slider so cannot say exactly at which % it does start

                            For such measurements I use a simple app called "Brightness Manager". It shows a white screen and one can adjust brightness in absolute Android values (0 to 255).
                            https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tsypa.brightnessmanager

                            And I have to agree notebookcheck's PWM tests are extremely incomplete and sometimes wrong. I noticed it after I had bought my OnePlus 3 based on a review that said their previously released OnePlus X had no PWM above 25% brightness (which luckily was true for the OP3 as well).

                              JTL

                              What's the status with you V20? I would need to find a usable phone urgently, as my Sony XZ is really killing my eyes. Strangely enough, this seems to have started with the Android Nougat update - what is the version on Android in your V20?

                              • JTL replied to this.

                                  ensete I note that there are two types, film and glass. Glass is a higher quality product in general, but would also have different physics properties compared to plastic film. What kind are the ones you like? Plastic film or tempered glass? Thanks!

                                    Wootever Man, you're genious - this really works =)

                                    The last usable OLED phones from Samsung (for me) were Galaxy S2, Galaxy Nexus and Note 2. Those weren't causing any discomfort and I was able to look at those displays for 4 hours straight without problems.

                                    Discomfort and eye strain started with Galaxy S3 and Note 3 for me and are still present with latest models like S7 Edge, which I confirmed today before flashing your kernel.

                                    It would be very welcome if we could get your patches included in major custom kernels for Samsung devices (at least), so this fix becomes standard =)

                                    I'd like to donate, please let me know your paypal id or advise alternatives you might prefer.

                                        optix Maybe a /sys or /dev interface for changing frequency as well 🙂

                                          dev