I suffer from suspected PWM issues… I've tried the various apps that are supposed to remove PWM issues on a problematic (for me) device.. the Galaxy Fold 2.. it helped.. but still didn't eliminate the issue.
I'm currently using an iPhone 11 (LCD so no PWM) and a Oneplus 8 Pro. None of the iPhone 12 range are comfortable for me, the standard '12' is the worst i've tried, and the 'pro' is the best (which tallies with the reported PWM flicker rates on Notebookcheck.
anyone know if Microsoft’s surface duo Dual screen phone has bad pwm or causes any eye issues? I Haven’t seen that phone mentioned here and I’m seeing some good deals on it online but hard to find in actual retail stores to test out. If it does have pwm would any of the Android apps be able to minimize flickering on a phone like that? Thanks in advance!
Tried Samsung A32 5G. Newer version of Samsung A32, but has a (low-res) LCD instead of the AMOLED on the regular A32. I thought I’d give it a try but it’s worse than the iPhone SE 2020 (which is already not good).
Edit: After extended testing the Samsung A32 5G is not good for me.
The OLED screens are so thin and use less battery, that's all. I don't think they look great, at least for now. The iphone SE 2020's IPS screen, for example, looks certainly better than the iphone 12's OLED screen in terms of colors and contrast. Putting these 2 side by side, the iphone 12's screen looks like a joke, also it is too yellow-ish at default settings.
iPhone 11 and XR the same story. Inferior colors and contrast to iphone SE/8. Eye fatigue and headache may be a sign that some processing is being done to "boost" their screens, but still they look worse.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Motorola-Moto-G50-smartphone-review-5G-mid-range-phone-with-90-Hz-display.549548.0.html anyone tried this? PWM HZ is really high 2366000. I can only use phones with 0 PWM. Never come across so high number. I also have problems with 60hz refresh rate. This phone have 90hz. Now i have Motorola moto G8 power lite. No PWM. Screen set to dimmest setting. Only problem is that 60hz refesh rate.
There’s a scholarly article on this issue: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15980316.2021.1950854?needAccess=true#page7
TLDR; PWM frequency for smartphones is lower than the frequency of 1250hz recommended by IEEE, but at a distance greater than 4cm from the measuring device, the pwm frequency becomes indistinguishable from ambient noise. LCD phones have a constant frequency at all distances.
Please note that the author is a staff engineer at Samsung but a conflict of interest was not reported. What’s everyone’s thoughts on this?
Sunspark It's nonsense. Just jiggle the device while holding it. Even at arm's length you're going to see it.
Pretty much my thoughts too. Mitigating with "distance" is a red herring.
Hades7460 Please note that the author is a staff engineer at Samsung but a conflict of interest was not reported. What’s everyone’s thoughts on this?
Smoking gun that confirms Samsung's reasoning why they design the screen and "controller" the way they do? 
I think this is all predicated on an assumption that a light sensor is an approximation to the human eye / visual system. A light sensor effectively has 1 pixel of resolution, so as the sensor moves further from the screen in an environment with ambient light it is going to measure a greater amount of that ambient light. However, our eyes have a large resolution, as my eye moves further from the flickering screen, I can still perceive it flickering, it just fills less of my field of view.
Honestly, this paper is a bit dumb. This could all be demonstrated with some basic maths, and completely misunderstands how eyes work!
After being unable to replace my 5 year old phone (Google Pixel 1) due to everything causing eye strain, I went to an optometrist.
My vision is pretty much perfect, but the doctor noted that the lipid part of my tears is a bit too low. This means that the water portion of the tears evaporate faster, leading to a kind of dry eye.
I don't really have symptoms except when looking at newer smartphone screens, so there may, or may not be a connection.
And even if there is a connection, there could certainly be a technology based change in these screens. But what if a slightly dry eye is the reason we are more sensitive to them?
Some devices actually seem to cause ocular surface inflammation and resultant dry eyes (different from the optometrist “it’s because you blink less” explanation which leaves a lot to be desired). I have some vague idea about tight extraocular muscles impeding tear flow. Others have described that they feel they are “allergic” for lack of a better word to the light from some of these devices, as if it were directly caustic to the eyes (maybe some are). Another theory would have the brain reacting to the signal (flickering light) and triggering the autonomic nervous system to make changes in the eye causing redness, dryness etc.
I treat my ocular surface inflammation with Restasis. It improves my overall eye comfort. I wouldn’t say dry eyes is the cause, or that treating it is a solution to our problems. Personally I think it’s worth treating even if it isn’t the root cause, but others feels it’s a waste of time and/or money. Many people who have meibomoan gland dysfunction, the most common cause of the lipid layer deficiency you described, do not have any of our problems. Older adults especially seem to develop lipid layer deficiency as a consequence of aging or perhaps our modern way of living. In any case it seems quite common and is often an incidental finding upon visiting the optometrist for some other reason. At which point they will try to sell you many expensive treatments (then you really have to do your homework), some of questionable value.
I have tried Poco F3 and Mi 10T from XIaomi. However, both are unusable, even the 10T with LCD panel. LCD panel was indeed better for the eyes than AMOLED, but still no good in the end. 10T does have PWM even if is a LCD device, so that might have been the reason.
However, I had read good things from OnePlus Nord N10 5G, and indeed, it is good enough to use for even long sessions! So great to have a working modern smart phone. I tested it at a shop alongside of Moto G5 5G, and that device seemed to be another potential eye strain free device, however, I remember thinking that N10 screen looked even better for the eyes. But such brief experience at the shop is not worth much.
N10 is also cheap, got it for 200 euros, and is really value for money. If Moto G5 would have worked, you could buy Moto G100 that uses the same screen, and get a more premium phone for around 400 euros.
I've found a device that has, so far, been very gentle and friendly on my eye's without any eyestrain.
It's the Poco M3 Pro/redmi note 10 5g.
Both are the same device, just rebranded.
Activating the built in "reading mode/paper mode" and adjusting the paper mode to the highest setting, has worked absolute wonders. I can scroll, read, browse for hours without any noticeable eye strain at all.
They are however, both medicore in terms of specs/power. But regardless, I'm just glad I've found something that hasn't affect my eyes negatively.
The paper mode is a fantastic feature. It's subtle, but effective, and works fantastically with the PWM free LCD display.
I just wish it had a better processor/power, as it's barely powerful enough to play games smoothly.
But it's a trade off, to save my sight and strain.
hi all, a quick update.
I tried the hisense a5 pro cc (colour e ink) and it was horrible to use; if the screen is static its ok but as soon as the screen refreshes/ moves (which is all the time when using it) it gives me terrible eye strain leading to headaches etc. this was with the backlight turned off!
I thought/ was hoping this phone would get me into the modern world more powerful cpu, ram, etc. but had to send it back.
Can anyone check the new Pixel 6 / 6 Pro in person? There's a very slim chance, but we can dream…
Yes they are on display in several stores, reddit/twitter is full of posts about them. There's no official distribution in my country so I can't go and check.
It will have PWM like every other phone, but you can get rid of it with OLED Saver (minus the weaker 60/90/120Hz component that's there even at 100% brightness).
PWM doesn't bother me personally, there's something else in some screens (temporal dithering and what not)
I agree about the “something else”, but it’s important to keep in mind that color editing overlays like OLED Saver introduce an additional layer of full screen dithering just like f.lux, Night light, etc. Therefore it’s difficult to draw any conclusions about the relative harmfulness of PWM and dithering based on its use. (Not saying you are, but others might be.)
Hi Maxx,
Coming back to this after all this time because you were more right than me. A lot of your posts rightly sound the alarm bell on the shifting definition of our shared issue with display flicker.
Manufacturer advertised “DC dimming” does not equal flicker-free. I think it’s important I come back to correct myself here because this distinction is important as more displays which flicker (temporal dithering, LCD inversion flicker, and OLED refresh flicker must all be considered as sources of display flicker) are being branded as “DC dimming”.
It’s very important that “DC dimming” does not become equated with flicker-free.