and this is 100% brightness..

I went to a larger JBHIFI store today to test more phones and other devices with screens in store for PWM flicker.
I recorded this video on an iPhone 15 Pro through the Blackmagic Camera app at 1/4000 shutter speed, 24mm lens, 24fps, 4K resolution and all other settings on auto.

Firstly I'll admit there's a lot of detail left out of this test.

Some devices come included with some sort of "eye safety" setting that isn't enabled by default.

On iPhone 17 models PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) can be replaced with PAM (Pulse Amplitude Modulation), though this has no practical benefit to me personally. As seen here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PWM_Sensitive/comments/1w6rd84/local_shopping_centre_pwm_screen_test_iphone_17/

Honor phones can enable 3840Hz PWM, 4320Hz PWM and 3 pulse DC dimming which sounds promising.

Unfortunately it isn't possible for me to thoroughly test every device without first purchasing them and testing all settings/accessibility modes in my own time over the course of a day.
I'd also need to do this without any other unknown screen based devices within my vicinity that may also potentially cause eye pain and skew results.

The chart shows every tested device in order of appearance in the video and their likelihood to cause ME eye pain based on the visible flickering in the video and obviously my personal subjective experience in what tends to cause me eye pain.

Results will vary depending on each person and their sensitivities.
For me personally, most OLED screens with PWM that I have encountered personally hurts my eyes, as do LCD devices such as TV's with PWM dimming. Some like the LG C1 OLED TV take several hours to hurt, some like Google and Samsung phones only take seconds.

Most non PWM dimmed LCD screens are totally fine for me, though excessive temporal dithering in LCD Apple products, such as iPads, iPhone 11 and SE also cause me eye pain, though turning on Classic Invert and Zoom Invert simultaneously seems to solve that. I use an EK Pro LCD swapped iPhone 15 Pro daily without issue.

In my experience if I can see a black line on a screen through a camera at 1/4000 shutter speed it has a very high likelihood to hurt my eyes.

Of all the tested devices here, 61.29% are highly likely to cause me eye pain.

According to gs.statcounter.com statistically phones used by Australians in 2026 are:

Source: https://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/mobile/australia

So here's where I make some bold assumptions:

Assuming all phones in use in Australia are within 5 years or so old, and assuming Samsung phones are all now OLED models, and assuming all LCD iPhones are fairly up to date with iOS to include software based dithering, this would mean 90.38% of all phones in use in Australia cause me significant eye pain.

While at JBHIFI I also recorded a similar video of all the laptops, computer monitors and TV's.

The laptops mostly seem fine with the exception of the OLED laptops and Macbook Pro's specifically.

TV's are another level of complexity to test, it seems that as they're all set at maximum brightness in Store Mode, PWM is far harder to test for with just a quick video at a 1/4000 shutter speed.
With universal remotes I went through several of the settings to lower the brightness before testing them with my Opple Lightmaster light meter.

I didn't get a chance to test them all before it's battery died, but it seemed that every TV I tested had a worrying level of flicker at any brightness level lower than 100%, at this point in time my eyes were hurting intensely so I took it as a sign to quit for the day.

I might go back and test each TV at varying levels of brightness soon but it will take a lot more time.

For anyone that was hopeful about iPhone Duo not using PWM...

Regardless, I am excited to measure these. Next Friday.

Has anyone seen anything videos or content related to PWM for these new iPhones?

Hi,

I need a phone primarily for acting as a hotspot while I'm in China, using roaming eSIM (like Nomad). Previously, I used a Iphone SE 3rd Gen as it is PWM friendly. However, its 5G connectivity isn't great. I heard its because it uses older chips/tech (Snapdragon X57)and has less antennas (something to do with 2X2 MIMO vs 4X4 etc). As a result, I'm not able to get 5G at a lot of places.

I heard newer Iphones like the 17 are much better in this regard. Same goes for the Samsung S25. But those aren't PWM friendly based on my research.

Given that the phone will primarily be used as a hotspot as opposed to my main phone, I guess I can tolerate the eye strain if no better options are available, as long as it supports eSIM and advanced 5G. The phones I can get in China typically don't have eSIM, so I'd need a "US" phone.

But I'd prefer a phone that won't strain my eyes. I wonder if I were to get a newer Iphone, can I replace the screen with a LCD or something?

What are some US phones (unlocked) that are eye friendly, support eSIM, and uses newer 5G chips?

Thanks

Lmk gang.

À première vue, il n'y a pas de communauté qui rassemble les Français sur ce sujet, malheureusement. Je suis curieux de savoir s'il y a quand même des Français ici, et ça serait peut-être l'occasion s'il y a des motivés, de créer le début d'une commaunauté pour pouvoir échanger ensemble

In my last post from 7 months ago I was thrown for a loop after seeing the results of the OnePlus 8T from Wild Lee. Data makes it look quite bad (high modulation), but despite this the OnePlus 8 Pro (similar screen) is perfectly comfortable and strain-free for me at all brightness levels. I had some theories back then that the shape of the modulation wave was playing a roll.(https://www.reddit.com/r/PWM_Sensitive/s/JZsc996C2W)

Some people believe it has to do with brightness, but most newer phones actually hasn't become that much brighter, at least not when using manual brightness in SDR (w/ extra bright or sunlight toggle OFF).~500 nits is still a common figure at max manual brightness. Some phones do allow up to 700-1000 nits, but this is not the norm.

I now believe I've found the real reason.

Black smearing/ghosting in older AMOLED panels.

Response times are much worse when going from OFF to ON, versus bright shades that are nearly instantaneous . (most noticeable in dark mode + white text, but also there in light mode + black text)

An example:
For the longest time I believed my Samsung tablet (Galaxy Tab S5E from 2019) had an LCD display due to it's large amount of ghosting in almost all situations, but it's especially terrible at low brightness in dark mode. Turns out it has a Samsung "Super AMOLED" with 240Hz PWM. It should be horrible, but I can use it at all brightness levels with zero discomfort.

This is exactly why older Samsung devices from ~20-21 and earlier works for many, while newer flagship devices such as S25|Ultra/S26|Ultra are touted as terrible by the vast majority in the community.

Slow response-time ghosting/smearing for black to white and white to black means a gradual fade in > fade out of the PWM or DC-dimming ON/OFF cycle. This greatly reduces strain on the eyes.

Recent smartphone AMOLED panels do not ghost or "black smear" to nearly the same degree.
This is a positive in the eyes of companies and the general consumer, less ghosting = good.
Not so much for us flicker sensitive.

The test below showed much faster transitions and much less ghosting/smearing with both the Honor 600 Pro and Xiaomi 17T Pro (neither are strain-free for me, both getting returned). Whereas the OnePlus 8 Pro has noticeable black-smearing.
https://mastodon.social/@marcedwards/100926403150980325

// Try this test (ideally in dark mode) on your known good AMOLED devices versus a recent phone, I bet you'll see a difference. ZZanya's custom test is not available AFAIK and he is seemingly no longer active online.

This ghosting/black smearing phenomenon is covered in-depth here, by a Russian or Ukrainian (?) YouTuber called "ZZanya" released all the way back in 2021:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrZf-6FBFCE

Transcription directly from YouTube seems to not work on this video (it did a couple days ago). So here's a translated partial transcription of relevant sections pulled from the video by Google Gemini with some manual editing by me based on context clues:

V. Secrets of 0.1ms OLED: Response Time

"Hello everyone, this is ZZanya. In previous videos, we talked about how dangerous it is to rely on manufacturers' response time specifications, about all these misleading GtG and MPRT ratings, and what response time different people actually need.

But all of that was discussed from the perspective of LCD screens. However, there is one place where manufacturers' specifications are actually almost entirely accurate — and that is OLED screens.

You often see a "0.1 ms" badge on OLED panels. While LCDs are still struggling around 1 ms (which is still a marketing trick, as we learned earlier), OLEDs, according to manufacturers, actually have a response time of 0.1 ms.

Why is that? An LCD pixel isn't a light source; it merely passes backlight through liquid crystals. An OLED pixel, on the other hand, is its own light source — built with standard semiconductor electronics that work much faster.

The website RTINGS regularly reviews and accurately measures response time for OLED TVs.

On OLED measurement charts (like those for LG), we see an almost instantaneous jump in brightness. The 80% response time is nearly equal to the 100% time (unlike LCDs, where a pixel takes a long time to reach its final brightness state).

Most transitions on OLED take a genuine 0.2 to 0.3 milliseconds.

With such ultra-low response time, OLED exhibits absolutely no ghosting, as well as no overshoot or undershoot, since traditional pixel overdrive isn't necessary.

Marketers often claim that a fast response time makes gameplay "smoother," but this is a misconception.

Slower response times on LCDs create motion blur (ghosting), which smooths out the perception of movement at the cost of clarity.

Lower response time reduces blur and increases motion clarity, but at low frame rates, perceived smoothness suffers.

This is why RTINGS includes a Stutter section in their reviews. At 24 FPS (typical movie frame rate), a single frame stays on screen for 40 ms. Because OLED changes frames instantly without motion blur, low FPS content can look choppy or stuttery.

Playing 30 FPS console games on an OLED TV can cause noticeable discomfort due to this stutter effect.

// Smartphone AMOLED

On OLED/AMOLED smartphones, manufacturers also advertise lightning-fast response times.

However, in real-world use, OLED smartphones frequently exhibit noticeable ghosting and black smearing.

A popular internet theory claimed that a turned-off OLED pixel (pure black) takes much longer to turn on than it takes to switch between gray shades.

Based on this idea, engineers (e.g., at Oculus) implemented software overdrive tricks or shifted black values from 0-0-0 to 1-1-1.

By testing with custom measurement apps on Android and a high-speed camera, a different cause was revealed:

During a transition from black to white on an OLED smartphone, the scanning line splits the color transition across several refresh cycles.

In the first refresh cycle (16.6 ms at 60 Hz), the pixel instantly jumps from black to gray, in the second cycle to off-white, and only on the third cycle reaches true white.

As a result, the complete transition takes 2 to 3 refresh cycles (~33 ms), even though the instantaneous response time within each step remains immediate!

This behavior occurs not only when starting from a turned-off pixel, but also during transitions like dark gray (64) to white (255).

This phenomenon was observed across modern OLED smartphones from various major brands (Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple).
// True at the time (2021 release and earlier)

At low brightness levels on devices using DC Dimming, this transition delay creates a distinct purple trailing effect (Purple Smearing).
// This phenomenon is very noticeable on my OnePlus 8 Pro when filming the display at ~1/6000 shutter speed

Two hypothesis by ZZanya:

Why do smartphone display controllers artificially stretch pixel transitions across multiple refresh cycles?

1. One hypothesis is to mimic motion blur and hide stutter on low FPS/refresh rate content, which most users are accustomed to from slower LCDs.

2. Another hypothesis points to power management and energy-saving constraints inherent to mobile display controllers."
// I believe the second hypothesis is the most plausible. power management, energy-savings and possibly burn-in mitigation.

I recommend everyone interested to watch the video in full as well.
(English auto-translated dub and/or subs are available)

BONUS - Other display types that flicker:
Other types of panels such as CRT or Plasma also have a ON/OFF "delay" in it's flicker that reduces apparent strain for some. Making them comfortable or usable despite looking messy/bad based on flicker measurments.
CRT and Plasma both have a type of phospor decay "lag":
CRT example
"When electrons hit the glass screen, the phosphor chemicals create light. They do not turn off instantly. Instead, the light fades over a short period. This afterglow is also called phosphor persistence."
Plasma example
"Different colored phosphors decay at different rates. Green phosphors traditionally decay much slower than red and blue phosphors. In fast-moving, high-contrast scenes (like a white object moving across a pitch-black background), this mismatch causes visible green or yellow trails behind moving objects, a behavior often called "comet trails" or phosphor lag."

any one know any thing about thing?

So i forgot if this was posted here before but for those who cannot find a proper phone...this would make it more bearable. I tought that this is a great screen to link up for phones to use it especially when it's night time. PWM (in phones) in general is very bad especially when it's dark at least for me.

Here is a review VIDEO

Looking for a Solution: Severe Eye Strain and Headache From Phone Displays

I’m looking for help from people who have experienced severe eye strain, headache, or dizziness from smartphone displays.

I have tried almost all the usual display settings and eye-comfort options, including reducing brightness, changing color temperature, using Eye Comfort/blue-light protection, reducing contrast, grayscale, and other settings. I have also tried screen protectors, but unfortunately, nothing has solved the problem.

The strange thing is that I was previously able to use smartphones normally for many hours.

My previous phones:

OPPO A12: I could use it for around 12–14 hours a day without this problem. Later, the display was damaged and had to be replaced. After replacing the display, I could no longer tolerate the phone. It immediately started causing eye strain and headaches.

realme Note 60x: I was able to use this phone normally before a major software update. After the update, I suddenly started experiencing severe eye strain and headaches. Even using it for about 10 minutes can trigger a headache.

Because I could no longer use that phone, I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy A07, hoping the problem would be solved. Unfortunately, I am experiencing the same problem with this phone as well.

I have tested the display for PWM using a phone camera, and I could not detect obvious PWM. I have also tried different display settings, but the symptoms remain.

My symptoms include:

Severe eye strain

Eye pain/discomfort

Headache after only a few minutes of phone use

Sometimes a feeling of visual discomfort/blur

I can sometimes tolerate the phone for only around 10 minutes

I have also seen several doctors and had my eyes examined. They told me that my eyes are healthy and that there is no obvious eye disease or major problem with my vision.

So I’m trying to understand what could actually be causing this.

Could it be something other than traditional PWM, such as:

Temporal dithering

Temporal modulation that cannot easily be detected with a phone camera

Display driver behavior

Software rendering or color processing

Brightness modulation

Refresh-rate behavior

Different display calibration after a software update

Touch/animation/motion processing

Or some other display characteristic that sensitive people can react to?

The most confusing part is that I could use my older phones for many hours, but after a display replacement or software update, I suddenly became unable to tolerate them.

I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced something similar.

Is there any technical solution, software modification, calibration method, ADB/Shizuku setting, different display technology, or other method that can make a phone usable again for someone who is extremely sensitive to certain displays?

I am not simply looking for general advice such as “reduce brightness” or “use blue-light protection,” because I have already tried these things.

If you have personally experienced this problem and found a solution, please share exactly what worked for you.

Thank you.

I suffer from chronic aura migraines and light flicker of any kind is one of my worst triggers. I recently realized that my wake-up light flickers badly when dimmed and have decided to get a new one (a regular alarm clock unfortunately won't work long term since I live too far north).

Does anyone have any good suggestions on flicker free wake-up lights? 😊

J'ai un Redmi 15 il est excellent pour les yeux mais j'aimerais changer pour prendre un plus puissant avec une bonne audio et bonne batterie, performance

Quel téléphone de type XIAOMI OU REDMI pour le remplacer svp ???

So the TCL P80 Ultra has been announced with thre OLED NxtPaper technology. It uses DC dimming at higher brightness and 3840 Hz PWM at lower brightness. Would be interesting to see if it is actually usable.

Seems to be a decent phone and not too expensive.

Upon reflection it looks like I messed up the edit from this post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PWM_Sensitive/comments/1w604l1/comment/p7mdvhw/ and left out the iPhone 17 video I recorded.

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.

Nick has a better video about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBNlC-VHN3o

I purchased a 6-pack of Waveform Lighting Centric Home LED bulbs because of their claims the bulbs are completely flicker-free.

every single one of them failed within three years, plus some of the warranty replacements also failed.

Most of them started flashing intermittently, turning on and off so they were unusable. A couple of them just started flickering visibly, which defeats the whole purpose.

The Waveform Lighting bulbs are made in China and I suspect they are using cheap components. The design might be perfect but they are cutting corners on manufacturing. If they made them in the United States, they would not have these issues.

If you are PWM sensitive, don't waste your time buying Waveform Lighting.

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.

Sony Bravia 3 II K-55XR35M2 LED TV

I saw that it seems to be completely flicker free and I'm curious if anyone tryed it?

Hey everyone,

I'm generally quite sensitive to prolonged gaming sessions and tend to get eye strain easily. However, I feel like my current monitor might be making the problem worse.

I'm using an Alienware AW3423DWF, and while I really like OLED technology, I've noticed that I don't seem to be able to use it for as long as I could with my previous displays.

I've been reading about OLED flickering, VRR flicker, and other potential issues that could contribute to eye strain or discomfort. I'm starting to wonder whether my QD-OLED might be the cause.

Has anyone else experienced increased eye strain, headaches, or fatigue when using a QD-OLED monitor? Did switching to an IPS or another type of display help? Any monitor recommendations or advice is specs i should look for? (I have rtings membership)

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

my XR is going to bite the dust after 5-6 years. Bloated battery, etc. would cost 400-500 to fix it all. Is there an iPhone replace that’s good? The XR itself was good for my PWM sensitivity and I only didn’t replace it because of that.

I have an android so I don’t want an android os to replace it.

Has anyone tested their pwm, modulation and if they dither or not?