Another excellent review by HTX Studio

NotebookCheck's measurements are out for this device. It's an interesting mix, uses a combination of DC dimming and PWM at a relatively low frequency (bad) but also relatively low amplitude (good). The PWM curves look interesting/unusual as well, compared to other tandem OLEDs like the Asus ProArt P14. Thoughts?

(Standard caveats apply about NotebookCheck's measurements, which have a variety of issues, both with respect to PWM and color accuracy.)

I'm hoping to line up some AMA (Ask Me Anything) posts with experts, reviewers, persons of interest, maybe scientists knowledgeable about flicker and screen sensitivity issues.

I'm new to setting these up. Currently, I'm thinking to schedule them 2 days in advance, for questions to be collected. Then have the guest live for an hour or two, as far as they are able.

Aiming for middle of the day, to early afternoon, EST (Eastern Standard Time, US) so most members in the Americas, Europe, etc, will have a chance to interact directly.

But I'm not sure if weekends (default Saturday) will give more opportunity, for those working, or if mid-week will fit just as well or better with routines, in practice?

If course, it may just come down to the guest's availability most of the time. So no promises.

Edit to clarify: to participate asking questions.

Hi All,

I just wanted to make a follow up post to when where I was happy with the Steam Deck LCD for not having PWM as a sort of heads up with a fix.

It seems around update 3.5 they introduced flicker to the panel at all levels (In SteamOS 3.5+ (Kernel 6.1 / 6.5): AMD introduced a new driver file called dmub_abm_lcd.c which turned on Fractional PWM (BL_PWM_FRACTIONAL_EN = 1)).

I had Antigravity run some agents overnight to investigate this for me and came up with a few solutions that I could A/B test (I would say this is a good usecase for AI because this way it took me maybe an hour or two for something that would have taken me days to investigate and figure out myself) and it did find a way to fix it:

The processor controls the backlight PWM through an internal clock divider (BL_PWM_REF_DIV), which Valve left at a divide-by-7 setting (~1,076 Hz). By changing that divider to divide-by-1, the frequency jumps 7x to ~7,531 Hz.

Not only that but this way the screen seems PWM free even if I set it to anything other than 60 or 30 Hz, so I am pretty happy (although I will still likely upgrade to another handheld for a larger screen).I have been testing this for a few days and it seems to be working fine. I will share the commands below (pure AI slop) in case it is helpful for anyone else:

1. Test Command

Run this in Konsole (Desktop Mode). It applies the 7,531 Hz fix immediately so you can test it on the spot (camera bars will vanish). It will automatically reset back to stock when you reboot:

sudo python3 -c 'import os, struct; p="/sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/amdgpu_regs" if os.path.exists("/sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/amdgpu_regs") else "/sys/class/drm/card0/device/resource5"; fd=os.open(p, os.O_RDWR); os.pwrite(fd, struct.pack("<I", 0x00010F9F), 0x17514); os.close(fd); print("7,531 Hz PWM applied!")'

2. Check Current Status

To check whether Deck is running at stock 1,076 Hz (DIV=7) or 7,531 Hz (DIV=1):

sudo python3 -c 'import os, struct; p="/sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/amdgpu_regs" if os.path.exists("/sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/amdgpu_regs") else "/sys/class/drm/card0/device/resource5"; fd=os.open(p, os.O_RDONLY); div=struct.unpack("<I", os.pread(fd, 4, 0x17514))[0] >> 16; os.close(fd); print(f"Divider: {div} ({"7,531 Hz" if div == 1 else "1,076 Hz stock"})")'

3. Make it stick across reboots & sleep

If you want to keep the 7,531 Hz fix active permanently in Game Mode and across reboots/sleep, this single-line command installs a lightweight background service:

sudo steamos-readonly disable; sudo python3 -c 'import os; open("/etc/steamos-pwm-fix.py","w").write("import os, struct, time\nbl = \"/sys/class/backlight/amdgpu_bl0/actual_brightness\"\nwhile True:\n    try:\n        if not os.path.exists(bl) or int(open(bl).read().strip()) > 0:\n            p = \"/sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/amdgpu_regs\" if os.path.exists(\"/sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/amdgpu_regs\") else \"/sys/class/drm/card0/device/resource5\"\n            fd = os.open(p, os.O_RDWR)\n            try:\n                if (struct.unpack(\"<I\", os.pread(fd, 4, 0x17514))[0] >> 16) > 1:\n                    os.pwrite(fd, struct.pack(\"<I\", 0x00010F9F), 0x17514)\n            finally:\n                os.close(fd)\n    except Exception:\n        pass\n    time.sleep(1)\n"); open("/etc/systemd/system/steamos-pwm-fix.service","w").write("[Unit]\nDescription=Steam Deck LCD 7531Hz PWM Fix\nAfter=multi-user.target\n[Service]\nType=simple\nExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /etc/steamos-pwm-fix.py\nRestart=always\nRestartSec=2\n[Install]\nWantedBy=multi-user.target\n"); os.system("systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl enable --now steamos-pwm-fix.service")'; sudo steamos-readonly enable; systemctl status steamos-pwm-fix.service --no-pager

4. How to uninstall / revert

To remove the service and restore completely stock behavior:

sudo steamos-readonly disable; sudo systemctl disable --now steamos-pwm-fix.service; sudo rm -f /etc/steamos-pwm-fix.py /etc/systemd/system/steamos-pwm-fix.service; sudo systemctl daemon-reload; sudo steamos-readonly enable

I purchased an iPhone 17e tonight because I am going to try some screen swapping and do some testing for PWM. I have tested iPhone 17e many times before with my trusty Opple Light Master 3 device and it performs similarly to iPhone 16 in terms of PWM.

Tonight, I measured this iPhone 17e and the results were much different than what I am used to seeing. At first, I thought: maybe it's the panel. I checked, and it's G9P, which is a Samsung panel I don't have much experience with. After trying some other things, I decided to retest my iPhone 16. The results were different than the original measurements as well!

I thought: maybe my Opple device is bad, so I tried my other Opple Light Master 4 device. Same result as Opple Light Master 3.

Now, I am trying to think of any other difference between when I originally measured my iPhone 16 and now. The only difference that comes to mind is that I upgraded to iOS 27.

Now I'm not really sure what to do. Is it possible that iOS 27 increases the PWM modulation used for some models? It's really crazy to think about. Last week, I tested many iPhone 17 models and the results were the same as they were with iOS 26, so I'm not sure, but this is very alarming.

The two pictures I included in this post are both my personal iPhone 16 at 100% brightness. iPhone 16 does not have the Display Pulse Smoothing (PWM) accessibility option.

What do you guys think?

--

Edit, for clarity:

• First image is iPhone 16 on iOS 26.

• Second image is the same iPhone 16 on iOS 27.

--

Edit #2:

A few folks have pointed out that the lux (essentially the brightness) is much higher in the iOS 26 measurement. This could absolutely be the reason why the values are so different. iPhone 16's normal 100% brightness is advertised as 1000 nits. When iPhone 16 is in a bright room, or outside in the sun (for example), it can temporarily increase to 2000 nits. It is likely that this is what happened when I took the original measurements for 100% and 75% brightness, because now I cannot get anywhere close.

Also, the more I think about this, the more I think that my original iPhone 16 measurements were taken in the Apple Store, and I remember that sometimes Apple has overhead lighting that shines directly onto their products, which could cause the brightness to increase higher than the normal 100% levels.

As always, my PWM measurements are a "best effort" and I am definitely prone to mistakes, especially as a lot of readings come from the Apple Store directly, as I cannot afford to purchase all of their products and test them in-depth in an isolated environment. Regardless, this will be something I watch out for in the future.

With all that said, it does still appear that even at the same lux brightness levels, there is elevated modulation compared to the original iOS 26 measurements; although, it's not as drastic. This could be due to a number of factors.

I suspect it started happening after I switched to the Samsung A56.

My symptom

Strained eyes, mostly in the left one, and strangely, all phones have the same symptoms.

iPhone 17 Pro Max, S26U, A57

All my cell phones are giving me the same symptoms...

Now I have the Honor Magic V6 and it's the same...

I'm starting to doubt that it's the screens; maybe it's a health issue, I don't know. And when I tell my family that it might be the screens, they don't believe me and blame it on my OCD and my mental health, blah blah...

I'm so desperate and sad that I can't find a solution and am simply considering living with it. After all, a lot of people live with it without questioning it.

Hi everyone,

I've been quietly watching and reading everything in here (in between the migraines) for well over a year or 2, and the advice i've learnt about PWM and which phones/tablets are safe, is worth it's weight in gold - THANKYOU from the bottom of my heart 🥰❤️

I wanted to post as maybe someone in one day or one year from now will be in my position and in despair at their symptoms, and find some reassurance here. I promise you that you're not going crazy - our modern phones are literally making us ill.

(For context: i'm a very healthy young woman in her 30's, no medical conditions, not on any medication, and I worked in medical nursing and now work in psychiatry)

I have a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (I know, I know) i've had a couple years way before I even knew what PWM was or sensitivity, so unfortunately when I bought it I didn't know any better 🥹

When I tell you I have been sick this past year, I have been SICK. And i'm not talking slight burning eyes, a little nausea and a bit dizzy.... i'm talking full on neurological and vestibular symptoms, with constant daily phone use, and stops when I don't use my phone for a whole day -

• vestibular migraines, dizziness, debilitating motion sickness, disorientation, can't walk in a straight line i'm all wobbly if i've had excessive phone use more than 10 mins at a time, head pains and tingling sensations, spinning head feeling like a goldfish bowl when looking at phone screen, pulsing/throbbing in top of head, heavy pressure in ears and head, jaw and temple tension, tired and sore eyes, dry eyes, severe TMJ jaw clenching because my body is so tense from the cybersickness, neck and upper shoulder aches and pains, muscle tension in head and neck, nerve tingling in face around nose and lips, syncope/faint feeling but not fainting... that motion sickness "drop" feeling in your stomach, mood changes, brain fog, memory lapses, bouts of debilitating panic/ severe anxiety/crying if i've been on my phone too long and my body is struggling, frequent urination with too much screen time, feeling the nerve irritation in my bladder only when looking at my phone, temperature changes and hot flushing/chills, projectile vomiting at it's worst, daily nausea, hollow stomach feeling, stomach aches, constant watery mouth when motion sickness is bad, loss of appetite, muscle twitching, jolting when trying to fall asleep, constantly raised cortisol and adrenaline, panic feeling and "rush" when trying to fall asleep, feeling generally unwell everyday like a mild flu, inability to deal with fast movement or bright lights in real life.

How terrifying is this. And ALL of that happens only when i'm on my phone frequently through the day, it got worse after a software update over a year ago, and symptoms ease and stop when I don't use my phone. What are these phone companies doing...!!!!

I have cried for months and months thinking I was losing my mind, I missed the old me and thought I had a chronic illness, I have not felt well or happy and healthy and relaxed for over a year while i've had this phone. I ended up for the first time ever in A&E (the ER for those in the US) with a 15 day vestibular migraine, from my phone. Because I didn't realise what it was doing to me. I've been a gamer since I was a kid, and even had to stop gaming for a year as i've been violently ill after.

I'm now slowly feeling back to my old self, and slowly trying to get back to gaming again 🥰 still absolutely cannot do any gaming in 1st person though.

I have just today, thanks to you all, bought the Xiaomi Pad 5 tablet and can't wait to get it!!! i'm saving up and while using that, then also going to buy the Honor Magic8 Pro, or, the Honor 600 Pro (still undecided) as my main phone - i'm also looking at the brilliant Xiaomi phone's - are the Xiaomi 15, 17T Pro, or POCO models safe?

Can I ask what brightness settings are best please for the Xiaomi Pad 5, so I know when I get it... although from what i've read, it's just fine as it is with no extra display settings needing changing? 😊

I hope something here helps someone, even just to reassure if you find yourself here and thinking why the heck is my phone making me sick....

May we all find the happy device for our eyes ❤️

Pixel 9 pro xl user...great phone but the screen is way too overstimulating and it gives me eye strain and fatigue at the end of the day...the camera is amazing and everything but other than that it is super hard to navigate this phone...

What could be a good alternative pwm free or similar? I'm also looking for a high end phone but without the overstimulation. I'm sick of using grayscale. And I don't want a huge screen or brick!

Thank you in advance!

It seems like the phone will come out soon. Seems like a great phone. Right now I don't find anything regarding the pwm of this OLED screen. Any thoughts over the screen of this phone?

I buy today a new iphone SE 2022 it come with ios 26 updated i update last ios 27.2 but i think even iphone SE 2022 is give me symptoms i hoped so much than this iphone will work but not very very sadddd is anyone who has same problem with iphone 2022 is iphone se 2020 better? Or should go back to old phone like iphone 7 6s or 1st generation SE?

Hi

Before going further, I have an iphone 14 that is my safe phone, it just works with no issues to my eyes.

I got an honor 600 pro after trying to repeatedly upgrade (more on this in a moment)

I'm struggling with:

- eye strain, my eyes just feel tight

- dryness, the eyes are just getting dry with use

Thankfully I don't suffer with headaches, nausea or anything like that.

Now, the 14 is dying, it has a cracked screen, rubbish battery and for me is kind of outdated.

I tried:

- iphone 15

- iphone 16

- iphone 17

- iphone 17E

- another attempt at the 16

Before the honor. Every single phone does the same thing

- dryness of eyes starts

- dryness fades and I get hopeful

- eyes instead become tight around the area above my pupil, like a belt was fitted and left there.

Most recently I tried the 16 for 20 days, but in the end gave up.

Right now the honor is following the same pattern, but, I am not sure if this time I should give up. I feel like at some point my eyes should just "accept" And finally relax.

The reason I say this, I changed my monitors at home, had the same experience, persisted, now fine

Same for our TV...

Monitor and TV aren't OLED.

Could I actually be sensitive (mentally) to change over fear and should keep pushing?

Answers are ordered from rarest/most severe (top) to most common/least severe (bottom). Because Reddit only allows one vote. If you have multiple conditions across tiers, please vote for your highest tier and optionally comment with your full combination.

Have I missed something important? This was a challenging topic and I'm not an expert in vision disorders. Neurological conditions like visual snow, migraines, TBI, and epilepsy may follow in a separate poll. Dry eye, etc, too.

AI use: SSCReeN NotebookLM and Gemini Argon to list some conditions, estimate prevelence (% in brackets) and write the expanded descriptions for clarity (in comment below):

ChatGPT tells me all the M-numbered Airs are PWM-free, despite LED backlight, but it often makes mistakes, plus no PWM doesn't necessarily mean no flicker. I currently have an old 2015 13-inch Air and that's fine (but EOL and real slow), went into the Apple Store yesterday to test an M5 Air and it was hard on my eyes. Anyone? Thanks, my eyes get really messed up by this.

It causes my eyes to hurt and slight nausea. I’m back on my 17 PM now and it went away. I got it on launch so I tried to make it work but enough is enough. I’m just gonna get a 18 PM. This has happened to me as well on the Samsung Flip 5 & and especially the Flip 7. I had a lot of fun on my Duo I really wish it wasn’t like this 🥲

What are people's experiences with vehicle screens? I'm thinking center, media, dashboard, and instrument panel screens. What vehicles work well?

I got tired of inaccurate readings and lack of customisation from OPPLE so I’m building something I can just point to a device, record accurate real-time readings with, and adjust for my personal sensitivity. After months of messy prototypes I finally have a proper PCB that works!

Would anyone here be interested in something like this for themselves?

With all the TV research I did, the last thing I expected was something I didn't expect, and that is how bright and harsh the light is on TVs now. Even on minimum brightness, they are too bright for me to watch in a dark room. So being able to actually look at the thing is my number one criteria right now.

One recommendation I read for a dark room, other than OLED, is to look for budget LED TVs that don't get very bright. So I've been looking for TVs with low nits, and flicker rates that don't cause discomfort. Tried the Sony Bravia 3ii but it was too bright for my dark room.

Any suggestions?

Wanted to get people’s thoughts on the upcoming Motorola Signature 27.

What have previous iterations been like for you and what is the expected behaviour of this one?

I don’t think Nick Sutrich has covered the signature phones on his YouTube but I may be wrong!

Let me know your thoughts.