Usable Smartphones?

hoss11-1

hi. any body tets samsung m33 5g for eyestrain? sorry bad english

Vividblu99

Edit**/Update - Just to confirm - Not all of these handsets were tested for Temporal Dithering** - so proceed with caution if you're sensitive to TD

Right. For all the recent viewers of this thread - here are my own personal recommendations of totally PWM free handsets.

These handsets have all been used by me with a matte anti glare screen protector applied (as these can make a world of difference).

I have also provided an eye comfort score out of 10. 10 being the most comfortable and 0 being the least.

Realme 8 5g: Totally flicker free but low contrast display. Mid range performance (improves somewhat after performance mode is activated). Excellent battery life, but slow charging. Network/wifi speeds are just average. But this so far, is one of the easiest handset on my eyes. Comfort level 8/10

Poco m3 pro 5g & Poco m4 pro 5g: Both totally flicker free - average performance, slowed down by the heavy resource hogging UI. Dark displays, minimal brightness. Comfort level 7/10.

Realme 9 pro - Totally flicker free but the display is not tweaked correctly. Small text can appear too sharp - decent performance, amazing battery life with fast charge but VERY slow internal storage speeds. Comfort level 9/10.

Moto G62 5G - Dark low brightness display - but very nice color reproduction and no flicker detected. Performance is below standard as only 4GB ram (region dependent) - but fast ui & great sound volume and battery life but slow charge. Comfort level 6/10.

Redmi note 9t - No flickering but sharp piercing screen with a harsh blue tint. Ok performance - but hogged down by a resource heavy UI. Not great for media consumption. Good battery life. Comfort level 7/10.

Realme x50 5g - No flickering. Low brightness display but great to use with a matte anti glare screen protector. No headphone jack and substandard battery life (due to 120hz display). Comfort level 8/10.

Honor magic4 lite 5g - Absolutely no flickering. Nice large bright very responsive screen. Good battery life and very fast charging. Average performance. Very mediocre sound quality and no headphone jack. UI also seems less feature rich and dated. Comfort level 7/10.

Oneplus nord CE 2 Lite 5g - basically the exact same specs/phone as the realme 9 pro, but with a slightly nicer screen and a faster internal storage speed. The text viewed on screen isn't as piercing as the realme 9 pro. Comfort level 7/10.

Realme 7 5g - Totally flicker free, but dim display. Great battery life/charging/sound volume - very average performance. Comfort level 8/10.

You may have noticed that none of these handsets are high end - unfortunately I am yet to find a high end comfortable flicker free display on a high specced smartphone. Only the budget ranges seem to come with flicker free LCD displays. This is unfortunate, but worth the trade off to save myself from headaches/tension/brain fog and eye damage.

Handsets I have yet to try: Realme 9 5g Speed edition or the realme 9 5g & the Poco X4 GT. Will update if I ever get around to testing these.

I hope this info will help some people 🥰

pikopilot_cz

Vividblu99

Hello Vividblue99,

thank you for nice overview. I am looking for new IPS phone. I have budget from my employer 480 EUR, but I can not find something suitable in this range - everything has nowadays AMOLED/OLED displays 🙁

From your overview and from your personal preferences: would you recommend Redmi 8 5G or Moto G62 G5 from display point of view? Main mode of usage would be reading emails/web articles, daily usage 1 - 2 hours max.
Can you please post link to protection screen you are using on your phone?

Side note: I am currently using Xiaomi Note 7 which is somehow OK for me but I am receiving headaches from AMOLED screens.

Thank you very much!

OtherJonny

Vividblu99 Do you know if any of these have decent 4g or above reception in the US? I have seen that the realme 8 doesnt have good reception but was curious if it was different with the x50.

Icook

I can confirm that the s22 ultra is not usable for me at any possible setting. Have been testing around for a few weeks but was never able to use it for more than 10 min withou issues.

I am very curious about the Nothing phone 1 and Zenphone 9. I am planning to buy the Nothing phone to test out how this works out for me. Anyone out here with an first experience with one of these phones?

qb74

Icook The S20 FE 5G is also a 120hz OLED smartphone whose PWM dimming starts at ~30% brightness, above that it's DC dimmed. This can also be a device to take in consideration

I've recently switched to a XZ2 Compact from a S9+ and I sure miss the infinite contrast ratio and much better response times of OLED (OLED is superior to LCD in regards to image quality and motion handling, for sure), but PWM is just a big dealbreaker for me (it's just lame cutting corners from manifacturers)

Though I don't seem to be that sensitive to screen issues as people in this thread.

jpark28

Looks like the Rog Phone 6 has a pretty high PWM rate and also offers DC dimming: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-ROG-Phone-6-and-6-Pro-review-Probably-the-best-gaming-smartphone.641706.0.html

Still waiting on the Zenfone 9 review

francerex

jpark28 I got the Zenfone 9 yesterday. Man, it is so much better than my old iphone 8. I really like it a lot.

I keep it at 60hz, DC dimming activated, but actually always at 100% brightness with oled saver.

I can feel that it is not perfect, I get some very light pressure on the eyes and a very very very light headache, but i have been using it a lot. It is much better than oled iphone where i had to literally stop looking at the phones and lay down. Will see if I can get used to it and the symptoms disappear or they get worse.

When I slow-mo the screen, it looks like PWM is there even at max brightness, though considerably less than at low:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/kkzc3vavfbpyven/low_brightness.mp4/file

https://www.mediafire.com/file/u30n4vtobmski4b/max_brightness.mp4/file

Wonder what notebookcheck analysis will say

Update: by night on the first real day of use I got a bad headache. Gonna send it back, pity cause it is a great device

Vividblu99

pikopilot_cz

Hey. Thanks for the message.

Edit/update - I didn't test for temporal dithering at the time this post was made. If you're sensitive to TD - proceed with caution! - the realme 8 5g, from my own testing since, I couldn't detect any TD. I don't have the G62 anymore to confirm TD, however another forum member has confirmed it uses TD

Realme 8 5g pro's:

More powerful (6GB ram/Dimensity 700)
Faster storage speed
Higher max brightness display (better in sunlight)
Clear loud voice call volume
Clear loud sound volume through headphone jack
More thinner and compact to hold
Good wifi and mobile network speed
Great battery life

Realme 8 5G con's

Only fluid when using performance mode
Very low contrast display therefore bland screen colors
Not as responsive (but still decent)
Only 90hz refresh rate
Slow charging
Still currently on Android 11/Realme UI 2.0
Basic camera
Some preinstalled bloatware apps (though they can be uninstalled)

Moto G62 5G pro's

Color accuracy and reproduction is much higher and more vivid
Stereo speakers/louder handsfree speaker
Very responsive touch screen display
120hz refresh rate
Android 12
Decent wifi and mobile network speed
Minimal preinstalled bloatware apps
Very good battery life

Moto G62 5G con's

Euro model only comes with 4GB ram/64 GB rom
Slightly thicker/bulkier but lighter
Low max screen brightness (requires at least 75/80% brightness or higher to clearly see the screen in direct sunlight)
Slow charging
Lower headphone jack voice call volume
Slower internal storage speed
Basic camera

The matte anti glare screen protectors I use are from amazon - either of these particular brands:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/brotect-Anti-Glare-compatible-Anti-Fingerprint-Protection-Matte/dp/B0933KD4Q4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1L7P3ZH7E0KKU&keywords=matte+anti+glare+realme+8&qid=1661468667&sprefix=matte+anti+glare+realme+8+%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celicious-Anti-Glare-Screen-Protector-Compatible/dp/B09DB7HNNQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_18?crid=1L7P3ZH7E0KKU&keywords=matte+anti+glare+realme+8&qid=1661468734&sprefix=matte+anti+glare+realme+8+%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-18

(Type the brand name & then your required handset name and the correct screen protector size should be searchable on Amazon)

You can't go wrong with either of these to be honest. They are both very mid range standard flicker free IPS displays and generally easy on the eyes. Especially for reading, surfing, youtubing etc (You can also download third party blue light filtering apps to help).

For gaming - The realme 8 5G is slightly better, due to the higher ram and faster storage speeds (slightly higher antutu/geek bench scores too).

I hope this info helps with your decision.

Let me know how you get on. Wish you the best of luck 🙏🤞

Sunspark

francerex if you have DC dimming, stop using oled saver. The purpose of it is to try and avoid pwm. Continuing to use it will just drain your batteries faster and maybe a bit more wear and tear on the display.

jpark28

francerex awesome, thanks for the videos! I look forward to giving this a shot whenever it's released in the US.

The only thing I don't like about oled saver is if you take a screenshot, the screenshot image looks very dim

francerex

Sunspark the previous model had dc dimming, but it was not doing anything according to notebookcheck 🙂

benfr

I ordered OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5g and I am using it for 2 weeks now.

I can confirm it's PWM free. It's a nice LCD screen.

I use it with 10% brightness, eye confort activated and screen color set to natural.

No headhache and no eye problems.

However, be aware that :

vibration is really weak, you can barely hear the phone. Vibration last like 0.3s, you can't make it neither longer or stronger. It's a shame because it's clearly a software decision to not make it available on low budget phone.
there is proximity sensor issue, especially on call. Screen keeps enabling/disabling while you are on call, making you do unwilling actions. (like mute / end up call). There is no option to desactivate the screen wake up while you are on call.
sound is not stereo and max volume too low. Quality itself is good, but if you are using google maps in your car with max volume, you can't hear properly instructions.

Otherwise, it's a good budget phone with no PWM. Battery last 2-3 days for my usage. It has 120Hz screen, 33W charging, Dual sim or MicroSD slot, Jack port, good quality camera (the front camera is a bit lacking), Android 12, 5G, all is very fast and smooth.

I miss good quality phones for low budgets (and LED notification). Why with LCD phones there is always something lacking nowadays ? Either it's the sound quality, weak vibration, hardware, photo... It's like no company would or could do a simple usable smartphone.

Vividblu99

benfr

I agree!!

Also, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5g is basically a rebranded Realme 9 pro - the exact same handset/internals, just branded differently.

Realme 9 pro is also totally pwm free - though the main drawback is the screen - it isn't tweaked or balanced right in terms of sharpness etc. Also the internal read/write storage speeds are slow.

Realme/Oppo/Oneplus/Vivo/IQOO are all owned by the same parent company (BBK Electronics) - therefore share similar specs/handsets throughout. Also oneplus/realme/oppo all practically have the exact same software now too - just branded differently again (Realme UI/colorOS/Oxygen OS) - they all look practically identical too.

Realme 9 pro isn't a bad handset per se - and has plenty of ram - and the snapdragon 695g isn't too bad in terms of performance - BUT it's definitely in the basic mid range category.

I wish these manufacturers would just release a decently powered LCD phone.

The realme 9 5g speed looks promising - though it's only available in certain select markets (India). It has a very decent snapdragon 778g 5G chipset, 8gb ram, and it is LCD/PMW free with fast internal storage speeds and a decent camera. I wish it was released globally in all markets.

pikopilot_cz

Dear all,

may I ask you what TESTING SETUP / SETTINGS are you using? I am wondering what are you switching ON or OFF in Settings to get "safest" possible setup for your eyes?

I am currently testing realme GT 2 with AMOLED screen (RMX3311). I have:

brightness around 25-30%
blue light filter ON (they call it "Eye comfort")
DC dimming ON
Color Natural (DCI P3 OFF)
Screen refresh rate AUTO

Is there anything else what would you recommend from your experience?

Testing itself:

After cca 1 hour of testing, I need to say I am not so satisfied with the display. It is not so bad as Samsung A52s but still I have wet/sweaty eyelids and mild headache in forehead/temples.

I am going to test also Realme 8 5G (waiting for delivery) which was kindly recommended by Vividblue99 above (thanx again for recommendations )

Vividblu99

pikopilot_cz

Hey 🙂

Regarding the best settings when using an amoled screen for comfort - Generally the higher you keep the brightness settings, the less PWM will be experienced, so it's recommended to keep it at max brightness, and to then use a screen filtering app to create an overlay (to dim the screen).

Many blue light filtering apps offer the option to dim the screen through an overlay - twilight is a decent app that can do this. (You can also try the OLED Saver or PMW Fix Blue Light Filter apps).

The negative aspect of this though is the reduced battery life that is likely to be experienced.

Also activating developer settings and then activating "Disable HW overlays" under the Hardware accelerated rendering category will force all screen filtering apps to use the GPU for screen compositing as opposed to the CPU. This should (theoretically) enforce a more stable overlay with a reduced likelihood of flickering.

Vividblu99

OtherJonny

Hey. Unfortunately I can't really advise on US reception speeds/stability, as I'm based in Europe/UK.

However if it's any consolation, I've never really experienced any major issues with Realme handsets in terms of reception quality or network speeds in Europe/UK. My experience with Realme has generally been reliable in this regard.

Xiaomi/Poco/Redmi not so much - as they can be erratic throughout their budget range.

Though I have noticed that Snapdragon cpu's provide more stable LTE speeds when compared to Mediatek processors (their earlier helio 8 and 9 series were known to be problematic), though Mediatek have definitely improved tenfold with their newer Dimensity chips. (Some recent reviews even suggest that the Dimensity 8/9/1000+ series have surpassed Snapdragon in terms of network stability/speed).

I'm aware that in the US, different frequency bands are used when compared to Europe. It'd be worth visiting a website like devicespecifications.com & searching the related handset to thoroughly review the network bands to see if it is compatible with your carrier in the US.

I know Motorola have a strong presence in the US, as they are originally a US company. I'm assuming their handsets should work flawlessly there.

Sorry I can't be of much help on this matter!

OtherJonny

Vividblu99 Thanks for the response! I did some searching and it looks like the x50 has more band compatibility than the 8. The x50 has 9/15 bands while the 8 has around 2 or 3/15 for 4G. So I may try the x50.

Icook

I bought the Nothing phone 1, and although it´s a nice screen i got an extreme headache / migrane after a short period of usage. It is worse than the s22 ultra and about the same as i get with the iphone 13 series.

For me a total no go and it´s now already on it´s way back to amazon. Unfortunatly because the phone feels snappy and has a nice look and feel.

Vividblu99

OtherJonny

Ok good luck!

Keep in mind - the x50 5g is a bit of a bulky heavy phone so it's definitely not compact, but the performance is decent nonetheless.

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