Usable Smartphones?
@ensete Got the iphone 5s and techarmor matte anti glare screen today. Tried to watch a youtube video, it gave me heavy dizziness I have never had before from other devices. Some headaches, but not too bad. Not sure if it is due to PWM. I will tested it for a few more days with 100% brightness to see if I can keep it.
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I traded in my iPhone 6s for the iPhone 7 Plus. Very nice phone will have to wait before I know if it's better for the eyes or not but I've been looking at it outside for most of the day and my eyes arent too strained. I can't say better because my eyes were pretty bad after I left BestBuy. You can get more done with less eye time that's for sure due to the bigger screen, it's much easier to find what you're looking for.
The bar for better-for-the-eyes will be very low as the 6s is one of the worst devices I own.
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I'm doing well with the iPhone 7 Plus. Much better than the iPhone 6s. I can dial, send and read text, check email, all the basic smartphone duties essentially, without any problem. I don't want to push it and start spending extended time on it when I'll just use my PC, as I suspect it would give me problems in that scenario, as the eyes are not entirely at ease when compared to my very best displays. For comparison on the iPhone 6s I couldn't do basic tasks without risking serious eyestrain, naseau, and headaches. From the very beginning I really wanted the iPhone 6s to work for me. I had heard a number of positive reports on it and tried to force it, adjusting many settings and ignoring the pain, hoping the problem would resolve itself. With the iPhone 7 Plus I decided I would be completely honest to myself about it and avoid another financial waste, but I was pleasantly surprised from the very beginning. I'll continue to report on it. (The 3.5mm thing is as stupid as it sounds and you've heard. The adapter is annoying and I hate both using it and the concept of needing an adapter to use heaphones i've had for years. Small price to pay for a fast phone that's easy on the eyes though.)
My history so far:
1) Galaxy S2 - fine
2) Sony Xperia ZL - worst phone I've ever used
3) HTC One M8 - great, although I traded the phone in before I got the new Android versions I see some complaints about
4) iPhone 6s - Pretty bad. Failed just like 2) in that it was a problem to get basic tasks done on the phone
5) iPhone 7 Plus
I haven't noticed a lot of noise in white areas of the phone like is usually very obvious in iOS menus. I'll continue to pay attention to that and compare to some other iOS devices I have access to.
ensete It is actually not that bad. The headaches are much less aggressive than what I get from other phones. And it kicks in much later. I usually get instant headaches from smart phones, but I can use this iphone 5s for about 10-20 mins before headaches. I consider it as a usable phone. I was also thinking about trying the iphone 7 plus since some folks in this forum had good experience with it. Went to a local bestbuy store, but they asked me for a $35 restocking fee for returning the iphone 5s to exchange for iphone 7 plus. So I gave up, I will keep the iphone 5s. Meanwhile, I will also try iPad 3 with the Techarmor matte anti glare screen. Thanks.
I saw some praise for the HTC One M7, M8, etc.
My own experience with an M7 has been just the opposite. I could not read from an M7 for more than a few minutes without getting eye discomfort. I experience pretty mild eye discomfort from a Galaxy S4 with an AMOLED display after reading for an hour or so. I have tried other phones, and the only phones that are tolerable for me so far are those with AMOLED displays, although AMOLED is definitely not a silver bullet.
Gurm, I'm not sure which version, exactly. It was running android lollipop, and I tried cyanogenmod, too. It was bad on my eyes either way. I no longer have it.
An s8 is arriving Monday. Has 250hz flickering up until 90 percent. I regret ordering it now.
Notebookcheck.net:
The frequency of 250 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.
In comparison: 59 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 2352 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-Galaxy-S8-Smartphone-Review.209502.0.html
I had a G5 but that IPS was hard on the eye in a brightness way but not a flickering way. I could see every detail of the screen and that was awesome but it was just so much brighter than the oled screen. I felt like i was carrying a computer instead of a smartphone. Kinda like a regular monitor that has led backlight verses samsung quantum dot, that is the same feeling going from the LG g5 to the Samsung S5.
Regarding, the S8. I was about to give up hope on it. Until I read another member talking about cf.lumen. i installed that on a whim and it helps a TON. I am not rooted though. Using that in combination with another filter app makes the phone usable at night when I love to just drench myself in the internet, Amazon, and just where ever I wonder on the internet. So far cf.lumen with the s.filter. it's like a deep breath thankfully.
Its not perfect though. But its like my S5 which I never had strain with except a much better picture.
Also, I scraped the leds on my motherboard to not allow them to work and my video card. This helped so much. But then my video card and mb stopped working. So pls don't do this to your system. Quick way to loose money.
Also, I haved noticed fans are not good, mirrors are not good and have only one source of light in the room is best for me. I'm torn btwn fluorescent and leds but leaning towards led. This also includes sun. Sunlight must be blocked for a good viewing experience in my case. And I mean all of it.
Anyway, hope this allows ideas to exist and maybe allows oled screens to be more friendly as that is where it seems like most smart phone manufacturers are going.
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It's still not perfect though. I have to cut on a light after using the s8. I still think I'm return sadly. Even a screen as pretty as this can't make up for the headaches it causes. But the g6 has a pwm in the 2000hz range. Not sure about HTC u11.
I get the pwm headache, which for me happen in the front of my head around what feels like the prefrontal cortex. Just zaps my energy as well.
I saw a kernel for an s7 edge, where someone had modified the frequency of pwm and it helped a lot according to the users. May see if it's available for s8.
Would it help if the refresh rate was 120hz vs 60hz. Apparently on top of the pwm, this is the refresh rate. If pwm can be raised and refresh rate. It would help I assume. I know there is one 120hz phone on the market. I forget by who though.
I was rereading Krays post. I was mistaken in my older post. The strain I feel in my brain may be the software and not the phone. He explained pwm strain is differrent from what I am feeling. The s8 is running and Android N. Makes me feel better that this screen may be okay but the actual display drivers could be the issue.
iPhone 7 Plus is still doing well for me. I'm way past the new phone honeymoon period and it's a huge improvement over the iPhone 6s for me.
If anyone gets a chance to test the honor 8 pro pls post the results. As far as I can see iphone 7 has nailed it for us led strainers....ipad 2017 is gr8 too....but it would be great to have an android phone/phab that is easy on the eyes too.
I donno that its nailed it but its better thats for sure.
Ok guys, I have to bite the bullet. I have less than a month until my contract is up, and my HTC One m8 runs out of battery after less than 6 hours on any given day. Less if I am using it for anything. So I need a new phone.
I have yet to find any current Android that isn't dreadful (Android 6 & 7 are unusable even on my current phone, instant eye strain), although my son got an LG G6 and it is very pretty I'm not sure I can get used to it. I may borrow it from him for a day sometime soon and slap a matte protector onto it and see, but I'm not hopeful.
My other real option, as I see it, is an iPhone 7+ with one of degen's favorite screen protectors.
Other ideas? I'm bracing myself for the concept that there is no way for me to have a device that I can lie in bed with surfing the web or playing a game the way I do now... so I'll have to buy myself a Nintendo Switch for that purpose, I think...