Usable Smartphones?

Vividblu99

Realme 8 5G is a great choice! I used that phone extensively, without issue.

The Realme 9 pro, and the recent Realme 14x are other standouts. But keep the display lottery issue in mind.

Vividblu99

I tried using the Magic 8 Lite for longer stretches of time. But unfortunately the forehead and eye pressure became very uncomfortable.

I also started noticing dark rings appearing around my eyes the following morning after using it the evening before, which was definitely not a good sign!

Having said that, I was surprised that the grit/burning eye sensation didn't materialise, which is a first for me, and a good sign that there is slight comfort progression, albeit still a long way off.

Niro89

Vividblu99 Hey, thanks for your reply. Yes, I’ve gone through all your posts and have already learned quite a bit from them.

I noticed that you mentioned the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G, noting that it didn't cause any eye strain and that its display resembles that of the older Honor View 20. You also mentioned that it comes very close to the Realme 9 Pro.

Purely by chance, I managed to snag a brand-new Magic 4 Lite 5G yesterday from an online retailer for 130 euros, just to give it a try. Even if it only runs Android 11, I don't really mind—after all, the Honor 20 only had Android 10, yet it was still compatible and ran flawlessly. Would you still say that the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G is as comfortable to use as, say, the Honor 70 Lite? Honestly, the Realme 9 Pro is no longer available to buy new here in Germany (though I think I saw one listed as new for 230 euros, but that’s too expensive for an older phone). The only one still available new for 150 euros is the Honor 70 Lite—but frankly, that’s too pricey for a phone with such weak specs. In that regard, the Magic 4 Lite 5G is actually a bit better in terms of hardware. And at 130 euros, you really can't go wrong, especially since it's brand new. Still, I’d be interested to know if you still hold the same opinion about the Magic 4 Lite 5G now as you did back then. Thanks and best regards!

Vividblu99

Niro89

I found the Magic4 Lite 5G to be usable. However, after my post I learned that two other members of an eye strain group who tried it did not find it comfortable. One of them measured the display with an Opple meter and recorded excellent (very low) PWM, yet still found it uncomfortable with prolonged use.

It may have been down to a display lottery, but personally I found the unit I tested comfortable when locked to 60 Hz refresh rate, and set to natural colour mode.

Overall, the Magic4 Lite 5G seems to lack the broad comfortability of the 70 Lite, which has been well tolerated by a handful of users (based on feedback), myself included.

GregAtkinson

FYI the Realme 9 Pro 5g worked great for me (no eyestrain) for a couple years, but it no longer works with any U.S. carriers. I believe it still works in Europe, though.

A lot of people on this thread, myself included, have had luck with the Moto G. I have the Moto G Power 2024 and I don't get any eyestrain from it.

Niro89

Vividblu99 Okay, thanks. Good to know. One last question regarding the Honor 70 Lite: you mentioned back in December 2025 that it had become unusable. That would imply that if I were to buy one, I definitely shouldn't install any updates. What exactly was the issue in your case?

Vividblu99

Niro89

It became severely laggy to the point of being unusable.

Even typing on the on screen keyboard was a chore. Apps constantly crashed or closed, pages slowed to a crawl while browsing, and input lag was pronounced. I performed several factory resets and disabled or uninstalled all the bloatware that I could find, but nothing made any difference.

It was a shame, because performance was decent when I first bought it, especially for a phone with 4GB of RAM. I don’t think a full OS update caused the issue... if I recall correctly, the decline followed an Android security patch released by Honor.

I eventually bought another unit (they had become very cheap) but hardly used it and ended up giving it to an elderly family member.

Newscreensarehorrible

https://www.reddit.com/r/PWM_Sensitive/comments/1nlbw9v/the_iphone_12_pro_max_is_the_most_comfortable/

cofisc

Vividblu99 same lags happened with an update of the honor 90 lite (same year) they fixed it with another updated a few months later , if you still own that honor 70 lite you can check for new updates maybe the problem will be solved , did you notice any eye strain after updating the honor 70 lite ?

Jo09

What do you think of the Motorola G200 5G? It's an old smartphone, but if it's the only chance of getting something decent, then so be it.

K-Moss

Moto G 2026 should be quite fine for everyday comfort.

Jo09

Not available in Europe…

Vividblu99

cofisc

I don't have access to it anymore, unfortunately.

After the update, there were no signs of eye strain or discomfort, and the only issue was the performance, which had taken a beating!

Maybe I should have applied some patience and waited until a new software/security patch was released.

Looking back, when I first used the 70 Lite, it had a good display and was comfortable to use. It was a solid bare bones tft display, that was easy on the eyes.

technicalitch

any news? still cant find not eyestraining new phone. g57 power, redmi 15 5g were disaster. i used poco x3 pro before that was usable but all new LCDs are completely different than these from 2020 years

Vividblu99

technicalitch

When I first used the Redmi 15 5G for an hour or two, a while back, I immediately set the display to a fixed 60hz refresh rate, and enabled the eye comfort/paper mode. I managed to use it for an hour or so without much discomfort or issue.

The display felt noticeably sharper that the Redmi 14C, and both had elements of the toxic backlight issue. But overall, it didn't cause immediate eye strain.

Maybe there is also a display lottery issue with the Redmi 15 5G, or maybe strain symptoms would have materialised the longer I would have used the handset.

I have not had a chance to use the Moto G57 power. It hasn't received a national release in the UK/amazon, and it is only available to purchase directly from Motorola UK. But from my past experience with recent Motorola handsets, like the G54, G55, G75, none of them were comfortable, with the G54 and G75 being the worst (immediate discomfort).

In terms of recent handsets, it may be worth trying the Realme 14x if you can. It's had good feedback from users (myself included). I used it for many months, trouble free. Only noticeable issues for me were to do with the battery life and performance. The Dimensity 6300 isn't a great chipset.

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