Solf Thanks. I am not an expert. Do you mean you are using customized / homemade OS & apps? In case, is the reason that you had eyestrain with Android / Google Apps and found benefits by using those others?

  • Solf replied to this.

      AGI No, the original OS is too slow, the custom OS is just for speed. However, some people reported they get eye strain just after software update to Android 4.4.4. The Cyanogenmod 10.2 (Android 4.3) is the oldest software I could find.

      • AGI replied to this.

          Solf Thanks.

          Guys, would you define this phone PWM-free?

          Screen flickering / PWM not detected
          In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8813 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured.

          https://www.notebookcheck.net/Nomu-S30-Smartphone-Review.212938.0.html

          Also, is it correct that PWM cannot be ruled out if a "good" phone becomes unusable after a software / app update?

          • KM replied to this.

              AGI Not for sure. Their screenshot is strange. The chose a high voltage divider and the voltage is displayed just above zero, which makes it impossible to analyse small fluctuations. And you can see the line is not perfectly flat. While this is probably not PWM it might be some smaller flicker. It is unclear if small flicker has an effect, too.

              The OS eye strain is probably not related to PWM. But to be sure one would need to analyze a device before and after upgrading.

              • AGI likes this.
                5 days later

                AGI https://shop.oaxis.com/collections/inkcase/products/inkcase-i7-for-iphone

                Does anyone know this product? It looks like a second screen rather than a case...

                Replying to my own post. I chatted with the vendor. The item is a case which fits on the backside of a few models of IPhone and offers a second, e-ink screen just for the purpose of reading e-books via a proprietary app, and a few other minor functions, like clock, alarm, etc. etc.
                The e-ink screen cannot be used to make phone calls, surf the net and all that is typically done with a phone.
                I also read a few reviews with regard to the e-reading experience. Not so positive.
                Not what I was hoping...

                  Ok, once again I am preparing to leave town for a conference and revisiting the "will I get a new device" question. My top contenders are:

                  • iPhone 7 Plus. Pricey, but I can use my girlfriend's for casual use without straining my eyes overly. And she has ballistic glass. If I put a matte blue-blocking (skinomi techarmor?) on it, I should be ok for most purposes, I guess? Worth a try, at least.

                  • LG G7 ThinQ. I can use my son's G6 for a few minutes without trouble, and he also has a crystal clear screen protector on it. I am thinking again that Matte might make it workable... especially since we had at least one other person who thought it was pretty comfy. I know that my mom's G3 was usable, never got a chance to see a G4 or G5 but I know we had one person who thought the G5 was ok too.

                  • Buy another HTC One m8 from the Internet, unlock it and downgrade to Lollipop, hope the battery lasts another few months.

                  • OR... get an HTC One m9, downgrade it to Lollipop, and hope it's one of the screens that is ok for my eyes?

                  Thoughts?

                    Gurm You said the Galaxy S9 might be usable? It's a very nice phone if your eyes can handle it.

                      Gurm I would try to get the battery replaced in a local store first.

                        I have Sony xperia E5, and bought second one, it is a best phone for me, there is no issues, I have been tried other Sony phones: XA1, ZX1 and there are unusable.

                        • KM likes this.

                        So my htc m8 officially died. tried the htc 10 and i felt eye strain right away and my eyes got red really fast, although the phone doesn't have pwm on any level and i downloaded a blu light blocker app. I really don't know what to do and worse than that i don't know what the cause to my eye strain is (blu light, pwm, screen type, hardware ect.). If anyone here has some good advise it will be much aprreciated. Btw i tried my brothers note 9 on max brightness so and a screen dimmer app and it wasn't helpful either.

                        • andc replied to this.

                          shimmyzv
                          Please try HTC 10 with sRGB color mode and colors set to warmer (around quarter of warmth bar in color settings). I had strain issues while in vivid colors mode, but with sRGB it came back to normal and it's perfectly fine for me. Of course your issue may be different as well as the screen used in these two units may differ, as usual these days.

                              andc Thanks for the advise but unfortunately i already tried that option for a couple of days and it didn't improve my situation

                                7 days later

                                iPhone 6 with iOS 10. My wife had this and it was the best I could use for a long time. Now we updated to iOS12 and it seems that it got worse.

                                  JTL I'm really surprised to see this reach mainstream models, I really thought it was just gonna be a one off thing. A huge step backwards but I guess they are planning to funnel as many people on to XR anyways. $1100 CAD in 2k18 for the same ppi as a 2010 iPhone 4

                                    degen I was using iOS10 on my 6S for over a year with no problems, mild discomfort after long use but it is a bright display.

                                    Upgraded to iOS11 recently and strain was much worse and the same with iOS12, everything doesn't seem as sharp (the calendar text and clock look fuzzy), text isn't as legible as before.

                                    Hopefully this will pick up momentum and prompt Apple to resolve the issue.

                                        diop This trend of "newer is worse" is happening with all of us across all platforms from phones to desktops...it has to be the same root cause.

                                          dev