Usable Smartphones?

I got Skinomi for my iPhoneX and MBP to replace M3 anti-glare protector. It's definitely better!
The Skinomi one is more like a rubber/silicon and grainier texture, not a hard plastic foil.
Better protects from glare and it's much easier to install bobbles free!
I'm very sensitive to glare and glow when it comes to monitors and prefer TN panels.
Overall the screen filters do not help a lot but if need to buy again in future definitely would stick to Skinomi

My read is that dithering causing my eye strain. I can recommend you to the HTC 10 (LCD). It is the latest device I can use without strain. The successor HTC U11 (LED) causing strain. The fact that using old AMOLED devices like the HTC One S not causing strain hints me that PWM should not be my problem. I tried different blue light filtering screen protectors and the Skinomi film on strain devices, none of them improve the situation.

Device history (no strain): HTC Desire, HTC One S (AMOLED), HTC One X, HTC One, HTC M8, HTC 10
Device testet (strain): Samsung S7 (AMOLED), HTC U11 (LCD), BQ X2 (LCD), Google Pixel XL (AMOLED), Google Pixel 2 (AMOLED), Google Pixel 2 XL (POLED), Huawei P10 (LCD), Google Pixel C (LCD), Samsung Tab 2 (AMOLED), iPhone X (AMOLED)

Markus Thanks for the list @Markus. Did you notice any difference in the Android version used? Which version did the HTC10 use?

deepflame I second this - what version of Android on the 10? I found that moving from Lollipop (5) to Marshmallow (6) on the M8 was an issue, I'd love to step up to a 10 though!

As an example, there's a guy right near me selling his gently-used HTC 10 with Viper preinstalled (already rooted, S-OFF, etc.) for like $100. So I could jump on that if I thought it would be usable!

My HTC 10 is running on the latest released version (Android 8) and I have no strain. The updates from Android 6, 7 to 8 bring no changes to my eyes. My device ist also rooted and running the Leedroid-ROM. The used ROM does not make any diffrence. I can recommend you to buy the HTC 10. Please give us a feedback if it works for you. :-)
@Gurm Do you also suppose dithering as eye strain cause?

Markus Absolutely. It's either dithering or something else about pixel rendering. There is no other explanation for why software or firmware updates cause the strain to occur and can be immediately fixed by rolling that software update back. I don't know if it's temporal dithering per se, or some other rendering artifact, but I strongly suspect the dithering.

Markus What devices and operating systems/software do cause you to strain? I'm curious how alike our symptoms are, because your list of phones that worked is remarkably similar to mine - I used HTC One X, One, One m8 all with no issues. But some software on the m8 didn't work well - the m8 for Windows was no good. Also Marshmallow was no good but not because of the OS, rather because of the firmware update that came with it.

@Gurm I never had strain after updating a phone to a newer firmware/rom. My HTC one M8 was running on Marshmallow, but because using a custom ROM (Viper) I am not shure if I upgrade the Firmware with the Marshmallow ROM. It is possible to run the Marshmallow ROM on Android Lollipop firmware. The question in that case would be, what cause the dithering ROM or firmware?

Since 2 weeks I am forcing me using a Pixel 2 XL, because that is the phone I like to use. Independant of the straining phone I choose there is no big difference in strain strength. I see no solution for a solution in the next future. Every current device strain me. :-(

On desktop I use and Dell U2412 with Ubuntu 16.04 without any strain. But I recognized that current PWM free IPS-Panel like Eizo EV2455-BK also causing me strain. I am not shure if my Dell causing me a little strain running Windows 10 or if it is just because reading in the forum something about different os can cause strain or not? :-)

Of course you can count on me funding for more research so get a solution for the strain.

Markus Windows 10 itself causes strain unless you use the original release - every build from mid-2016 on has strain.

Is there a certain setting you guys are using on the HTC 10 that makes it eye friendly? I had eye strain and headaches with that device. Ever since I got rid of my Galaxy S4 it's been nothing but headaches for me.

ThaCMaster
Panels may come from different manufacturers, so one may be good while other not.

I'm using mine with RGB color profile (vivid one is straining) with screen temparature set to warmer at around 1/2 of left side of scale. Also brightness is set to adaptive with level around 1/4-1/3 of the whole scale. When used with high brightness this screen may be hard to use.

I hope these panels don't vary as I plan to buy another HTC 10 when battery dies on this one. I remember there was an issue with pink tint during first few weeks due to glue used for the screen, so it could have some effect too. Now I don't notice it, so it's probably dried off.

I might buy it again to give it another try. I don't want to keep buying and returning though on these accounts because I've returned a lot of phones and electronics lately because of eye strain and they start restricting your account haha. I bought it because based on what I read on it, it seemed to be the one with the best chance of not hurting my eyes.

Markus Samsung S2 and Yotaphone 2 both OLED give me no eye strain. I eventually want to buy another OLED phone as that's the only time I have any luck. I'm using Yotaphone 2 right now.

hpst keep in mind every single Samsung phone and tablet uses pwm except the S2. I heard the apple OLED phone doesn't use PWM at 50% brightness. Every other brightness it does. There is a test of it somewhere in the internet. I have not tried it though. I still have hope for OLED because I have had the most luck with it.

jasonpicard I heard the apple OLED phone doesn't use PWM at 50% brightness

I've heard it still does

Has anyone tried Galaxy S9 or Pixel 3? Verizon is offering $400 off for Black Friday.

hpst You may want to check the XS as unexpectedly gave me no problems over 20 min. I tested the X months ago when it came out, and it was dreadful with long lasting suffering. I have no idea why the XS would be better than the X though. It would be nice to hear a confirmation and find out what they eventually differ by.