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evthelegend I purchased a m3 air recently in hopes that it might be okay and it does feel slightly better than my phone but I think I am going to have to end up buying an older device too.
Yeah M3 air is not a good idea, I can't even use the M1 air or a 2018 Air for that long lol.
The issue with modern Apple devices (and a surprisingly large amount of Windows laptops/Android devices too) is how many layers of post-processing are added to the internal display, it's like all of the edge enhancement and adaptive contrast settings on modern TVs but even worse because you don't even have a way to turn at least a few image enhancement settings off.
For example, the feeling that large UI elements are floating in front of the screen in a 3D way, it's created by extra red and blue chromatic aberrations at object edges + very subtle white halos, that try to simulate the way your eyes focus, you don't realize how intense this effect is on Apple devices until you find a good screen and realize how flat it feels. Or when there's multiple repeating large objects on a page, and it feels like you can only bring one into "tunnel vision" focus but the other 2 are blurrier or you have to move your eyes to process the whole page or menu. On the other hand, on a good screen, it feels like you can essentially see everything on the screen at the same time. And, when I go back to a bad screen, all of the "anomalies" to the colors and shading is so visible to me now — those devices feel the exact same as they used to for me though, it's just way more obvious to me why those screens sucked.
IMO here's what you should do:
If you want something ASAP that works out-of-the-box and gives you a total reset of "what a screen can feel like", if you're able to, get an e-ink tablet before you start your device search.
I highly recommend Boox Palma because the price point is reasonable, the touch screen is more responsive than others especially for typing on the virtual keyboard (I'm typing this post from it now at the same speed I would on a phone, no typos!!), and because it's pocketable you can find a ton of interesting use cases for it — instead of only being able to use a larger tablet in certain postures/locations.
E-ink is not perfect, but trying e-ink is what finally gave me an idea of what types of visual patterns and information density I was totally not seeing at all in my bad devices… I started to figure out the precise things I needed in a good screen. Later, I found that one specific 2012 laptop which convinced me that a good backlit LCD is possible, and I finally feel like I'm in charge of my life again, and can comfortably get work done whenever I want. Now I need to find other good devices.
So, after e-ink, then try to find a really old device that doesn't cause symptoms. (It's not just any old device, you still have to search) that lets you get a solid idea of a what a good backlit color screen feels like for you. Then, you can use a remote desktop app on that old device to be able to access a modern computer through it, so you're at least finally able to concentrate and work the way you want. This is currently what I'm doing for 7 months now, and I'm more productive than I've EVER been in my life.
Now, the hard part, work up from there, and try out slightly newer and newer while keeping that idea of what a "good screen" feels like in mind. You might have to get creative, for example swapping a ton of different LCD panels into a laptop that has a user-replaceable screen. But in the meantime, you'll at least have something you can be productive on, and are still able to access present-day performance & apps by "using modern computers through the screen of an old one".
By the way, I'm 22 years old, so compared to the generally older demographic of this forum I'm also able to provide some unique perspectives