Motorola Budget Phones Are Superb

Joise

K-Moss Thank you for posting, this is so helpful!!

Aquila

Moto g 2025 or Moto G54?

K-Moss

Reinhard62 Did you leave alone the IR sensor on your Moto? Also wish to know how to get Android to stop bothering one about updates if one doesn't want to update.

As well, do you think if you did a factory reset after updating to Android 14 that you would have found the screen like on Android 13? I have read one should do a factory reset after every major Android update. Helps the phone run better?

Can also use Bedtime Mode on Android 13+ for a monochrome experience. Then it's more like newspapers and may help some who are sensitive to colors. I think as well the vivid colors on modern screens, esp OLED, makes them much more addictive. The brain gets some kind of dopamine hit from the colors?

When I ask people what they do on their phones that takes so much time, and requires such processing power, it seems to me like they're mostly wasting time yet for whatever reason consider productive enough the time they are wasting. It's like being in a candy shop for them, using those vivid OLED smartphones.

Also, when was Android 14's dithering bothering you? All the time or only doing certain things?

K-Moss

Another positive anecdote:

"Switched to a pretty nice Motorola phone for their high refresh rate LCD panels. I can't stand any Oled screen."

He was asked for more details on his Moto:

"The Motorola Power 2024. Yes I Love the phone. It lasts two full days and even play games on it. Great Phone!"

K-Moss

New anecdote:

Not feeling any headache or brain fog from the moto g55, great success so far

Instantly feeling it when i use the iphone 14 pro though

K-Moss

Another Moto G anecdote:

"I got this phone due to its supposed DC dimming and an online review that showed no screen flicker. I am happy to report that the phone does not disappoint: I've had the screen brightness as low as few percent and it does not strobe at all. Does not induce headaches, dry eyes, dizziness, confusion. Kindest phone screen I've seen in a decade.
Based on some other reviews I thought that the phone would be slow and crappy otherwise (which still would have been a good tradeoff for me), but that is not the case at all. The OS is pretty clean with almost no bloatware, battery seemingly lasts forever, audio is pretty good, screen is excellent, and the phone overall is snappy.
A great purchase honestly."

528491

I got myself a Motorola G55. It's still a bit too early to tell, but I would say that it's not good for me 🙁

K-Moss

__528491__ What is it doing to you, and how do the effects compare to using an OLED phone like the Moto Edge? AND did you try the instructions here? https://ledstrain.org/d/3423-success-in-disabling-temporal-dither-how-to/18

Are you using it with adequate ambient lighting?

528491

K-Moss I don't have a LED to compare to, right now.

The effects seem to be the usual for modern displays for me:

Slight pressure on my temple, also in the left eye.
A strange feeling on my stomach, precursor to nausea.

I didn't try the dithering hack. It seems to take quite some effort, and I don't think dithering ever was the issue for me. I'm light sensitive in general..

Yes, I used adequate lighting.

K-Moss

__528491__ So if you are light sensitive in general, even daylight bothers you?

Generally the antidote for that is going without sunglasses more. Excessive sunglasses use combined with modern indoors living will cause light sensitivities.

Now, did you try using adaptive brightness AND "Extra Dim"? Alternatively you can use some computer glasses.

Addressing light sensitivity is one of the easiest areas to address unless the cause has to do with concussions or eye surgeries.

You can also try making the color profile warmer by going into display settings. Also change Vivid to Natural.

Also will be helpful to know if greyscale bothers you just the same. You can put the phone into greyscale very easily through the Color Correction quick button.

Also, one told me they used a phone that was "horrible" for them the first week, and after that they adapted and haven't had an issue since.

So, don't give up too quickly. The G55 is a very gentle and safe unit. If it bothers you, just about everything else will as well.

Reinhard62

__528491__

I garantuee you: It is the dithering.

My G54 was unbearable before the hack. After applying the instructions mentioned by K-Moss everything is perfect and I can look at the display for hours.

Just try it. Applying them is really simple.

528491

K-Moss

528491 So if you are light sensitive in general, even daylight bothers you?

Correct.

Generally the antidote for that is going without sunglasses more. Excessive sunglasses use combined with modern indoors living will cause light sensitivities.

Until two years ago, I had never used sunglasses in my life.

Now, did you try using adaptive brightness AND "Extra Dim"? Alternatively you can use some computer glasses.

Didn't know about the "extra dim" option, thanks. Will try it and see how it goes.

Also change Vivid to Natural.

Yes, I had already made those changes.

K-Moss

__528491__ Consider ordering a new Edge 2025 from Amazon and compare it against the G55. Amazon has a great returns policy. I doubt the Edge is any better for your eye and brain comfort.

StaticLCD

Reinhard62 what exact model is your G54? there are apparently multiple editions for different regions and they are different, not just LTE bands.

528491

After disabling the dithering settings, it's clear it makes no difference for me.

As I said previously, I'm light sensitive in general. Are we going to say my light sensitivity towards the sun is caused by its dithering, lol?

I think people in this forum overfixate on their own conditions, expecting whatever works for them to be the silver bullet for everyone else. Some years ago, the obsession on this forum was BVD, as one member apparently was diagnosed as such. At the time, all solutions to light sensitivity in the forum then had to be interpreted under that lens. Some years later, it was all about closing the dominant (or was that the non dominant?) eye. Now, it's the dithering.

There's most likely no single solution to the LED issue, as most likely peoples symptoms are generated by different factors. Everyone agrees there's something off about LED screens, but the specific symptoms tend to vary. There are people that are prone to migraines in general, independently of LED sensitivity, there are others that are not. There are people that are light sensitive in general, others apparently only to LED. Some other PWM sensitive, others not really (I have no proof to this day that PWM is an issue for me..).I know to be sensitive to blue light, that's for sure.

K-Moss

__528491__ Light sensitivity from what? Presumably from too much indoors living as well as too much lenses/sunglasses use. I see people wearing dark sunglasses everywhere, always. Of course that is going to cause light sensitivity. This isn't rocket science. Beyond that, people spend most of their time behind plane glass of some kind. Their eyes are kept out of the naked daylight. What would you expect but light sensitivity from 'pampering' the eyes as such?

People in general are paranoid of natural daylight into their bare eyes. I see it everywhere.

ensete

__528491__ I think people in this forum overfixate on their own conditions, expecting whatever works for them to be the silver bullet for everyone else.

This is a big reason so much of this forum is unusable really. My triggers have absolutely nothing to do with flicker or dithering of any kind whatsoever. But 99% of the people hear have convinced themselves that's all that matters so it's all that gets discussed.

528491

K-Moss you're again proving my point.a couple of posts before you theorized my issue was caused by the use of sunglasses, something I've never used until fairly recently.

I highly doubt my light sensitivity was caused by too much indoor time, as I was raised in the countryside where my typical day as a youngster was playing in nature. Plus, I have been light sensitive and prone to migraines (triggered by light as well as other triggers such as certain types of food) for as long as I can remember. For a variety of reasons, including a deviated septum, I suspect the originating issue to have been a concussion as a baby.

I understand people are trying to be helpful here, but this "one size fits all" approach is counterproductive.

K-Moss

__528491__ Well, if you had a major concussion as a baby, why not say so when stating you have light sensitivity? How was I to know? Concussions can create many visual issues.

That said, I do imagine light sensitivity is very common because of the habits of everyday people. Aldous Huxley touches on this in "The Art of Seeing." He said the dark glasses gaining some popularity during his time used to be worn only by those with a major sickness. The eyes were never intended to sit behind dark sunglasses during normal daylight.

In general, we see a fear of nature and instead a powerful level of confidence in man's artificial creations. For example, we assimilate narratives such that the sun causes all kinds of damages while the sudden smartphones are 100% benign. It is like nature is highly suspect and dangerous while the creations of man are beyond reproach.

Reinhard62

StaticLCD

It is the G54 5G which is available in Europe. I don't know what the equivalent phone is on the American market.

It definitely doesn't have PWM and with the instructions from here Instructions you can permanently eliminate the dithering.

The first phone since many years that I can use all day long without any eye problems whatsoever.

StaticLCD

K-Moss how to find where the IR sensor is? I only see the front camera opening.

K-Moss

StaticLCD You will need a second phone using slow motion video to see the blinking at the top of the device.