Screen flicker, explained.
Many screens dim by switching their light on and off hundreds of times a second. Dimsome keeps the backlight at full power and dims the picture instead.
How PWM dimming works.
A screen can be made dimmer in two ways. It can lower the current to its light, or it can switch the light fully on and off very quickly and change how long it stays off. The second way is called pulse-width modulation, or PWM. At full brightness the light is on almost all the time. Turn the brightness down and the off-periods get longer, so the screen flickers more the dimmer it is.
Which screens use it.
Many OLED phones use PWM at low and medium brightness, and so do many laptops and monitors, including some with mini-LED and OLED panels. Makers rarely say so. Reviewers who measure screens with a light sensor are the best source for a specific model.
How Dimsome avoids it.
With the flicker guard on, Dimsome holds the backlight at full power, where PWM is lowest or off, and makes the screen dimmer by darkening the picture itself. Your brightness keys still work: Dimsome turns each press into picture brightness. In the evening the same picture dimming also takes blue and green light out, so you get a dark, warm screen without turning the backlight down.
What it cannot do.
Dimsome cannot change the hardware. A few screens flicker even at full brightness, and some external monitors do not let apps set their brightness. On those, Dimsome still dims and warms the picture, but the backlight stays as the screen decides.
What people ask.
What is PWM flicker?
PWM flicker comes from a screen dimming its light by switching it on and off hundreds of times a second. The dimmer the screen, the longer the off-periods.
How can I tell if my screen uses PWM?
Turn the brightness down and look at the screen through your phone camera, ideally in slow motion. Dark bands rolling across the picture are a sign of PWM. Reviews that measure flicker with a light sensor are more reliable.
Does Dimsome remove flicker completely?
It keeps the backlight at full power, where most screens flicker least or not at all, and dims the picture instead. It cannot change screens that flicker even at full brightness.
Does night mode cause flicker?
No. Colour filters like Night Shift do not change the backlight. Flicker comes from turning the brightness down, which is what Dimsome's flicker guard avoids.
Tonight can look different.
Get your key, set two times, and let the evening come to your screen slowly.
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