Usable Smartphones?

PS. If you want to do the same for your HTC, these are the 5 things you need. Be aware that unlocking the bootloader will factory erase your device, so obviously back up your files and stuff first. It's also a requirement if you want to have the ability to slap other roms on it at some point.

Unlocking the bootloader:
-HTC Drivers installed (if you installed HTC sync on windows PC, the drivers were included)
-Minimal ADB&Fastboot pack (you can get this from xda)
-Account with HTCDev website to get the bootloader unlock token

Rooting:
-TWRP 3.0 recovery (you can get this from team win)
-SuperSU (also needed for cf lumen)

Sunspark Interesting research. I myself am looking into if it's possible to change the PWM frequency of the Samsung AMOLED driver.

Sunspark optix

I didn't know that HTC uses different panels for the same phone. Lucky for me, all the HTC phones I have used so far (HTC One M7, HTC One Max and now HTC M9+ Supreme Camera edition) are all okay, I do not get eye strain using it at all.

I get eye strain from not just PWM, but also from certain graphics driver implementation, like Intel graphics and some phone's graphics. My current HTC M9+ SC Edition phone is on Lillipop, and I intend to keep it as it is, I do not want to take the chance of upgrading the software in case they made some changes to the graphics driver which might cause eye strain. Even blackberry Z10 can cause eye strain just from upgrading the OS. This is the kind of thing I want to avoid. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I have never rooted my phone before, so I am a bit hesitant to do it. Maybe I can experiment to root my old HTC One M7 phone (which I am not using anymore) just to see what kind of panel it is using.

Kray Yeah, the M8 uses Sharp and LG LCDs with drivers from Novatek and Renesas. 6 combinations. If you want to try the process out on the M7, still gather together the 5 items. It is the same for all HTCs. Currently the M8 I have has Marshmallow on it but I was contemplating dropping it down to Cyanogenmod Kitkat just to see if there is any difference. If it is hardware then not much I can do. I'm not really an Android fan anyway so I'm not upset. Kitkat was the first version for the M8.

Also, Qualcomm makes Adreno 3xx/4xx display drivers you can download from their website and hot-flash with the TWRP recovery. I may very well try that before a ROM change. Why not? If I notice anything different, that would be nice as it would mean I would have a driver I could keep.

Sunspark

1. My HTC One M8:
   [2244112] m8_sharp_novatek_panel_on display_id =0xBC
   [2246803] PANEL_ID_M8_SHARP_NT35595 Cmd
   This display is non problematic.

2. My HTC One M7, which is also non problematic has this display:
   [1588744] m7_init_display_panelid_940067
   [1591236] SHARP_RENESAS FULL HD panel
   [1708297] M7 sharp renesas cmd panel ID=0x940069
   [2230407] m7_init_backlight: panel_id=0x940069
   [2233042] PWM ic version A2

Cannot check with my girlfriend's M8, which is problematic, as it's still under warranty and she prefers not to unlock it (yet).

Kray

I have similar symptoms to you and Gurm - that should help us pinpoint all of the causes sooner

Anyway, like I've promised, I have an update.

I was able to borrow a Blackberry PRIV over the weekend and while the first impressions were positive (it has very nice AMOLED display and there was no eye strain for almost 30 minutes), I sadly started to feel "that discomfort" after about 30 mins of use. Like usually, changing picture settings (warmer/colder, intensity) and brightness didn't help. So unfortunately one more off the "does no harm" list for me...

Wow lot of information here so just going to quickly ask if anybody discovered any smartphones that don't use LED backlight at all in the screen?

optix Thanks for checking! What version of the OS are you on for the m8? Mine is M because L had a critical WiFi bug and I never tried K on it. Still haven't yet tried the Qualcomm drivers either.

Sunspark

My One M8 came with K, but now I'm still running L without problems.

A friend of mine that also has M8 recently upgraded to M and I can confirm that M as an OS doesn't cause me any problems.

jasonpicard Thanks for the info about the Meizu M2 Note. I looked at the laptopmedia review for the phone. Would you know at what percentage the PWM kicks in? Would you know of other reviews showing the M2 Note's PWM dimming? Thanking you.

JTL

JTL Has anyone actually done a test on the Redmi Note 3 Pro to confirm it is PWM free?

Has anyone used the LG G2? I have read it is PWM free, but how is it in terms of temporal dithering and overall effect on the eyes?

I've been messing with the HTC M8 a bit. I can't use it. I get too tired on it and I don't recommend anyone use it. I'm honestly puzzled by the statement that it can be used with no problem. I saw Gurm doesn't like it either.

It is possible it is related to the firmware version currently installed in the device. Messing about with developer adreno graphics drivers didn't change a thing, nor did a test with dropping down to HTC's version of KitKat for this. So since it wasn't the Android version, that leaves firmware and/or the panel/driver combination.

I haven't messed around with the firmware as of yet and obviously can't change the panel/driver.

Too bad, it's not a bad device, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone on this forum.

APC75 Yotaphone 2 has an e-ink panel on the other side of the device.

Sunspark which phones/tablets are easy on the eyes for you? I am looking for one which does not have PWM and temporal dithering.

Sunspark if the e ink panel refreshes without blinking/reverse imaging too much then it will be very easy on the eyes, an ideal solution.

Sunspark have you tried using it with grey/amber text on a solid black background? Slcd3 displays are very bright, so the less pixels turned on, the less strain on the eyes, maybe? Or is it a purely driver and panel problem?