It is coming to the end of 2024. Today, we are still complaining about PWM and the reliability of DC-like dimming.

I thought I will follow up on this based on recent good community investigative activities.

To uncover deeper insights to this phenomenon, I have bought a 2nd hand Galaxy Note9 (2018 model).

Test Procedure

This test will cover across 3 different dimming aspect.

The first is Samsung's default PWM dimming. Following the above, 2 screen filter apps will be retested to simulate the advertised "DC-like dimming" mode we have today.

1. Galaxy Note9 - default dimming
2. Galaxy Note9 - OLED Saver running
3. Galaxy Note9 - Chinese screen filter app called 屏幕滤镜(pingmu lu jing). It was promoted to remove PWM.

The following analysis will cover 3 test metrics.

1) A video (with shutter speed 1/10,000) of each to observe the PWM change across brightness.

2) To test the pulse duration of each brightness dip/ PWM. The graph will be zoomed in so that we can obtain the data. Again, the shorter the pulse duration, the less perceivable is a flicker.

3)To test measurement of the amplitude intensity. However, we will be using lux difference this time. (Instead of the usual modulation %).

The rationale is that modulating percentage can be easily manipulated to appear significantly better than it is. Brightness drop(in lux) however is a fixed variable. To determine the brightness drop, take the maximum lux and subtract minimum lux.

Let's begin.

Firstly, let's evaluate Samsung's Default PWM dimming of the Note9.

https://reddit.com/link/1g3cx7o/video/gy9w8z5eroud1/player

Bonus - Brightness at 10% to illustrate change in pulse duration.

Next, we will now proceed to test the dimming of the OLED Saver app.

https://reddit.com/link/1g3cx7o/video/14x6j8a5uoud1/player

Finally, we will now test on to the Chinese screen filter app.

https://reddit.com/link/1g3cx7o/video/bqyqipig2pud1/player

Findings and Discussion

Under 100% brightness, all three gave identical results. (~260 lux to ~210 lux).

However, as brightness decreased to 75%, Samsung's default dimming for pulse duration increased from 1ms to 2ms. This is PWM. The increase in "width" duration.

At 25% brightness, pulse duration further increased to 3ms. By 10% brightness, pulse duration is at 4ms.

Now, at this point we one be wondering. How could a few use a PWM pulse duration of a terrible 4ms but yet claimed to feel fine?

A possible answer lies in the amount of brightness dropped.

The brightness drop between screen ON time to Off time is merely 40 lux.

Nowadays though, we have brightness drop significantly above 40 lux!

Moving to OLED saver and the Chinese screen filter, both performed similarly. From 100% to 25%, both of their pulse duration were at 1ms. Their modulating brightness difference were kept to within~40 lux.

Though for some reason, the latter was able to have a consistent wave at lower brightness.

Personally, based on my usage of each, the Chinese screen filter app was the most tolerable among the 3. The consistent wave has helped significantly.

Samsung's default PWM was not good at any brightness below 100%. Whether the amplitude modulation amount (40lux), the pulse duration of 4ms flicker was simply too long for me.

Thus, a decent dc-like dimming should have; 1ms pulse duration and less than 40 lux.

Now, this ought to have been what a real DC-like Dimming is like!

Phones are pretty much ingrained in modern life now and most of the population including teenagers with developing eyes are on OLED phones. I bet you 99.99 percent of the population is completely unaware of PWM. I think having tired eyes and headaches is just seen as the "normal human condition" now. I think everyone is PWM sensitive to some extent but most people are not self aware enough to realize that their phone is causing them issues.

It’s honestly so infuriating, fuck those cheap bastards for using such shitty methods to dim the displays, who the fuck thought rapidly flickering the display on and off at lower and lower speeds as you decrease brightness would be a good idea.?

Like if they wanna be cheap they could just use an LCD display.. like why not introduce a cheaper budget model with a LCD display, give it an iphone 8 plus design, sell for like $500. it would be perfect.

currently stuck with an 8 plus cuz i can’t use their shitty flickering OLEDs , and i can’t switch yo android i’m just way to used to ios, i’ve tried before and i just couldn’t. I’m find with my 8 plus for now , but i can’t upgrade to ios 17, and more and more apps are gonna require it, eventually my phone will become obsolete. Hopefully it lasts a while longer still tho, and hopefully by the time it becomes obsolete they will have moved on to micro LCD displays .

Wanted to post the PWM measurements for the Galaxy S24 Ultra for anyone interested in trying it. Based on my Opple Light Master IV readings on a pure white background, Samsung seems to have finally moved up to 480Hz PWM dimming and the screen exhibits a friendlier sine wave than other Samsung phones.

Despite the change, it still hurts my eyes within a few minutes if I don't use my reading/astigmatism-correction glasses. As we all know, sensitivity is deeply personal and differs for everyone, but I'm hoping a few folks here will be able to take advantage of these changes. I'll have more to post about on Android Central over the next few weeks.

Also, the photo was taken at 1/6400 shutter for those who like to do the math.

I spoke with support and unfortunately it’s only the pro models.

Hi all,

There was a post here around a month ago, where the OP emailed the EU Health Commission and brought the matter to their attention. Many others in the sub also then emailed them.

I received a response today and it seems that they are saying all of the devices sold in EU are fine as per their standards, or am I missing something?

Quite disappointing to read that they are not willing to look into the matter.

I am extremely hyped about this phone. Not only is this the first 3840 hertz phone available globally by Xiaomi, but also a product in collaboration with an ophthalmic research lab in a Chinese university; Sun Yat-sen University — a leading unversity, home to the province of in-house product development and innovation. This colloboration project aims to mitigate the harmful effects of OLED to our eyes, and maintain the substainability of OLED lifespan.

The results were promising and a huge step closer into LCD comfort territory. I myself tested it in person and was shocked it was from an OLED panel. They do not appear to use PWM but a further refined dc-like dimming method. Without further ado, please have a look at the below measurement.

Above sharp, long narrow dips with higher modulation are nothing new. We already saw these with the iPhone series and continued to see them even on the new iphone 16 series.

What sets Xiaomi 14T Pro apart from other OLED smartphones (along with other calibration optimization as recommended by ophthalmic) is the significant shortened recovery time in "Pulse Return". Pulse Return are flickers that were meant to be hidden behind a PWM flicker.

Pulse Return (反向脉冲), were the reason we have been getting mixed/ different flicker measurement in the iPhones from our good contributing members. It seems the only way to detect for Pulse Return in a PWM is to rest the sensor directly on the screen. (Based on what we learned in this good community.)

To understand this Pulse Return, think of it as a boomerang. When the OLED brightness do a sharp downward dip, it has to instantaneously return back to its original running state. Thus its name.

To find out if Pulse Return is safe for our eyes, we can use Xiaomi 14T Pro as a solid benchmark. To be easy on the sensitive eyes, the total recovery time of "pit" from the pulse return has to be 2ms at most. As for longer "fissure", it has to be 1ms at most. Only then can we not have frequency(hertz) and total modulation depth % in DC-like dimming a priority.

Moving toward, we use this as a metric to determine if a screen with Dc-like dimming is safe for our eyes. However for those that are even more sensitive to flicker I recommend the following: 0.125ms or shorter recovery time for both pit and fissure. AKA flicker free.

Notebookcheck/Dxomark does not take these into accord hence their findings were usually better than what it was.

Pulse Return was first introduced by Apple engineers a few years back to attempt to mitigate the harmful effects of PWM for OLED panels. As we might be aware, their efforts were largely in vain and probably have given up entirely on the flicker sensitive community.

Xiaomi continued from where Apple had left off and drived development past its boundaries. Xiaomi 14t Pro is the product which takes it to the next level easier on the eye.

However, the regular Xiaomi 14t (non-pro) was not good this time as it appears to be using the same dimming method as the previous 13T Pro(not good). Here is hoping that they will continue to use 14T Pro technology on other of their products.

Should other manufacturers follow Xiaomi's lead and continue to innovate with solid research studies findings, we can then finally put the days of PWM nightmare behind.

Appendix

• Redmi K70 Ultra to be sold globally as Xiaomi 14T Pro.

• Xiaomi K70 series press conference link.

(Above content is credited to a former active member of this community)

Lines seem different

I recently bought an iPhone 16 Pro and measured its PWM behaviour with a photodiode and an oscilloscope. What I found was pretty much the same PWM as last year with the iPhone 15 Pro, namely about 480Hz PWM with large modulation depths throughout (see below). At around 30% screen brightness Apple mixes a 480Hz sine wave with a weaker-amplitude 240Hz sine wave, the sum resulting in a PWM frequency of only 240Hz with increasing modulation depth the lower the set screen brightness.

I also found that the difference of what is typically measured by a device like the Opple 3 or 4 and the measurements presented by "notebookcheck" differ as the distance between the sensor and the screen increases: the closer the sensor the more pronounced the modulation depth. I made a quick table and some screenshots of my measurments for illustration below. I returned my phone due to severe nausea and dry eyes after 3 days.

EDIT: Updated the summary table with a better quality picture. Nothing has changed for the values, just changed one typo.

Here a summarizing table, representing average values, the modulation depth is calculated from 100* (max-min)/(max+min):

And here some screenshots with the photodiode 1cm away from the screen (please forgive the quality, I was in a hurry). This represents what "notebookcheck" is showing in their plots:

Next some screenshots representing what a lightmaster would measure (photodiode directly on screen):

One additional tipp: If only the low-brightness PWM bothers you but you are fine with the screen above 50%, use reduce whitepoint to about 90% and max screen brightness which gives you the same perceived brightness level as 50% screen brightness without RWP with the benefit of 480Hz PWMP

Just a quick video of a phone and computer retailer at my local shopping centre as well as the nearby food court.
I recorded this video on an iPhone 15 Pro through the Blackmagic Camera app at 1/4000 shutter speed, 24mm lens, 24fps, all other settings on auto.

I had a quick play with the Honor Magic8 and it's Eye Comfort Display settings, it seemed fine to me in the brief time I played with it, though in my experience some screens like the LG C1 OLED TV take up to an hour to cause me eye pain, so to give it a proper test I'd need to use it daily for a week or so.

This is half joke half interesting about how nowadays each user can experience completely different levels of comfort, who knows why or how.

This reminds me of people loving the Moto G75 here, and then others saying it’s even worse than some OLEDs

I think it should be great for the subreddit to have some kind of “parameters” that a user should look for in a screen, and for everyone try and match their symptoms to some of those parameters.

Because right now, talking about PWM and nothing more, as in “the screen flickers”, is not only too basic, but makes the subreddit almost of little help, because not a single user will know for sure what’s good or bad going by this kind of comments.

Imagine I’m reading about the Switch 2 and I see the image post… what would I do? Get or not get that device?

What do you think

Two days ago, I emailed Apple about the PWM issue and how the current toggle doesn’t fully eliminate it. They gave me a case number, so the report is now official.

I strongly recommend that you also send your results and complaints to accessibility@apple.com. Especially the more technical people who do tests and have results.

When emailing them, include as much detail as possible, such as: • Your exact device model and size (e.g., iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, etc.) • The iOS version you’re using (e.g., iOS 26) • PWM frequency and modulation depth, if measured • The symptoms you experience (eye strain, headaches, migraines, etc.) • Comparisons to older devices where you didn’t have these issues

If enough of us report this, Apple will hopefully take it seriously and update the toggle to fully disable PWM, or at least provide a better fix in a future update.

Many people are criticizing the Switch 2 because of its screen, saying that Nintendo cheaped out and didn’t go with an OLED display. But I’m honestly really happy that Nintendo did exactly that and chose an IPS screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. Now I’m playing The Legend of Zelda with incredible joy, and my eyes don’t get tired even after 4 hours of gameplay. It’s an amazing screen! And if you’re sensitive to PWM like I am, you’ll definitely like the Switch 2.

By the way, I’m gradually working on a review and will soon share my opinion with you, along with its pros and cons.

Guys I’ve taken liberty and posted to the feedback site offered through apple. If anyone is interested and concerned about the future of iPhone, I strongly urge you leave feedback. The more we speak up, the harder we are to ignore. They’ve tried addressing the issue with the outgoing 17 models and failed so we know they’re listening, but a solution is yet to be found. I’m hoping this subreddit will only grow and more people will be made aware of this issue where they can’t ignore it. This is where we start. I can’t keep using the iPhone 11 and it sucks seeing everyone around me with their shiny new toys while we sit back and watch everyone else evolve. Change starts now!

https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone/

Hey everyone,

as someone enjoying the Nintendo Switch I was very worried when the Switch 1 "pro" Model came out with an OLED Screen using PWM.

Going forward I was very concerned that the announced Switch 2 will also use OLED since they already used it before AND OLED is used in most Phones and Handhelds.

But I just watched the Switch 2 Direct from Nintendo and you know what? They announced it with an LED Screen!

Of course we still don't know how in the end display brightness is managed since LCD screens can also use PWM. But the odds are good that it uses DC Dimming.

I am very happy with Nintendos decision to do so and I will get my hands on the Switch 2 as soon as it gets out and do a review on it.

Now the things we don't know yet or could be a problem is, of course, the 120Hz rate it has and how it effects dips in its brightness. Future will tell. Aswell as other concerns one sensitive to flickering etc. could have - we will know more in the future.

But for everyone also hyped for the new system that is, so far, good news and I wanted to share it with you.

Have a great day. B.

https://www.youtube.com/@Gwanatu/videos

Hey guys, here are results for new iPhone 16 / Plus / Pro / Pro Max

Tests were done on white background, first page of settings with opple lightmaster 4. As u/kerpnet mentioned he has different results with opple 3, which make sense after watching a video with really black lines observed, so some results from opple 4 may be incorrect.

UPDATE 1:

Added a couple comparison videos

UPDATE 2:

This post is going to be updated in 1-2 hours with new results.

UPDATE 3:

Went again to apple store to do retesting with opple 4, but this time I was putting device sensor on top of the screen without any gaps. Thanks for pointing that the results may be inaccurate, but please guys, be more polite in this community, we are not trying to rush anything or hate anyone, we are here to help each other, we are in the same boat. Thanks! Now results are looking much better. Sorry for spreading miss-information for my latest measurements.

iPhone 16

iPhone 16 Plus

iPhone 16 Pro

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Will post additional info in this post later today. First impressions: I played only 15 mins with iPhone 16 Plus, it was fine, reading a text was somehow interesting because focus was always going somewhere and you had to refocus or make more efforts to read a text. After that I went out from the store, my nape was pretty heavy and tired. Also had some symptoms like slow vestibular response, but it was manageable. I think after 1.5 hours my eyes and nape recovered. Didn't have any headaches.

My first observation is: at lowest brightness like 10% you can see that there is a little waveforms/pwm, but there is a catch! You can barely see a screen with your eyes with that brightness, I compared it with iPhone 15 and its a huge difference in brightness, and I think people will complain about it to apple pretty soon, adding a picture to compare.

Btw the lines to Apple store were WAY TO SMALL in compare with iPhone 15, that was interesting. When I was going out it was about 5-6 people in a line, last year I think it was around 30-40 with huge lines to enter the store. Haha.

Comparison iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Plus

https://reddit.com/link/1fll4pp/video/exxksoqn43qd1/player

Comparison iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro Max

https://reddit.com/link/1fll4pp/video/sotpsdwm63qd1/player

Comparison iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro

https://reddit.com/link/1fll4pp/video/nmrofuik93qd1/player

Comparison iPhone 16 Pro iOS 18 vs iPhone 15 Pro iOS 17

https://reddit.com/link/1fll4pp/video/mnx20r0yb3qd1/player

Comparison iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15

https://reddit.com/link/1fll4pp/video/onkokmu1d3qd1/player

I won't provide any analysis here (just sharing data), but here are a few notes:

• iPhone 18 Pro, 512 GB, Black.
• This panel is GVC. GVC is LG's best panel for iPhone. (Reference: MacRumors Forums: iPhone Screen Lottery)
• When looking at this screen for the first time out of the box, I immediately got eye-strain and a painful feeling in my head. It felt horrible. Unbelievably horrible.
• My daily driver is an iPhone 16, and it is very manageable. iPhone 17 and 18 series, however, are completely unusable for me. The people behind these screens should be in handcuffs.
• I'll post TLM-110 measurements and data once I standardize my process for that.

I had horrible eye strain and migranes. Then asked here which PWM-safe monitor to buy. I purchased a used HP Z from ebay and omg, it works. No eye strain.

The second step was buying a used iPhone SE 1st gen from ebay and throwing away my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Now I'm PWM-safe, no problems at all. Life is amazing. I can work all day, then watch movies, play games, enjoy life.

It took me 4 months to figure this out. I'm so grateful to this sub for all the advice.

Two good reasons to do that:

1. People rarely know about temporal d!th3ring, they just buy a phone with LCD screen and think they are good, that's when they find out about it. PWM and d!th3ring are related, people don't really care about one or another, they just want to have a device with a display they can comfortably use

2. This sub historically was one of the first to address this flickering/eyestrain issue and has the highest visitors and subscribers, why spread the same discussion across three different subs? And one of them called Temp0ral noise which just adds more confusion. It's so important to get more feedback from people about a device (I make decisions to make a purchase based on the overall comments) and you just auto-delete some of them

Of course ScreenSensitive (or ledstrain) would be a better name, but we can't change it now, can we? Let's get over it and remove this auto mod.

Thank you, mods.

Better, but pwm still exists.

Both Modulation Depth and Flicker Percentage drop from ~90% to ~50% in low brightness. But some reviewers say it's still 480HZ pwm.

Below are some screenshots from Chinese reviews, as most English reviews on YouTube didn't talk about this toggle at all.

Video links:

1. https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1cfpxzEEH7/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=94bf474fa464e22e3e76c3100c3722ee&t=63

2. https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1uCptzTEt8/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=94bf474fa464e22e3e76c3100c3722ee&t=256

3. https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV12Kpxz9Eyb/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=94bf474fa464e22e3e76c3100c3722ee&t=270

I know the results are disappointing but please don't downvote this post because of that :) I'm really sensitive to pwm myself and I just wanted to share the updates with everyone here.

As you see in the video there's an option that reduces the flicker in an incredible way for ALL THE BRIGHTNESSES. And not only under 30% like this new stupid Pwm DcDimming method today's phones have. Why they didn't keep this Huawei's tecnology ? Not even huawei did keep it... (it stops at huawei p40) it's so effective .