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Are you familiar with PWM (pulse width modulation)? Even if it’s not something you’ve encountered before, this flickering issue could still affect you. Fortunately, the upcoming iPhone 17 seems to offer a solution to this long-standing problem.
PWM Disabling Feature on iPhone 17 Models
Until now, I hadn’t come across the term PWM. However, after researching on the popular subreddit ‘PWM Sensitive’, which attracts over 16,000 weekly visitors, I learned that PWM is a common issue that has persisted for years.
Pulse width modulation is a technique used by smartphones when adjusting screen brightness. Essentially, the OLED display maintains full brightness for all pixels, but when reducing brightness to around 50%, the display rapidly flips pixels on and off in a way that most users don’t notice.
However, this flickering can lead to eyestrain or even headaches for some individuals. Fortunately, Apple is addressing this with the iPhone 17, as uncovered by Aaron Perris.
“The iPhone 17 Pro (and possibly other models) features a new setting to disable PWM. This setting stops pulse width modulation, offering an alternative way to dim the OLED screen, potentially resulting in a smoother display at low brightness levels. Note that disabling PWM might affect low-brightness display performance…” — Aaron (@aaronp613), September 10, 2025
Perris later confirmed that this new toggle will be available across the entire iPhone 17 series, as reported by MacRumors.
If PWM has been an issue for you, how impactful do you think this new setting will be? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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