What you need to know
- A Nothing spokesperson confirmed to Android Central that the retail software release of the Phone 3 features a PWM rate change.
- The company states the device's rate has changed from 2,160Hz to 960Hz to improve its screen's picture quality at low brightness.
- Nothing Phone 3 recently hit "open sales" earlier this week, with pricing starting at $799.
Nothing has detailed an update to the PWM rate on its latest flagship that's said to be beneficial for the device and the user.
Earlier this morning (July 18), a Nothing spokesperson confirmed to Android Central's Nicholas Sutrich that it has dropped the PWM rate of the Phone 3. In their statement, the company said its PWM rate has dipped from 2,160Hz to 960Hz; however, this only goes into effect at low brightness. Nothing adds that while the display is still capable of the original rate (2,160Hz), this change should benefit the display's performance at lower brightness levels.
The spokesperson states, "...we found display performance at low brightness produces the best quality picture with this updated rate, so we have prioritised picture quality for the final retail software."
The reasoning for this, on a technical level, wasn't expressed by the Nothing spokesperson at this time. Sutrich states he is looking into it, but there wasn't anything concrete in time for publication. Curiously, this isn't the first time a company has decided to drop its PWM rate on a device for its final retail software. Google did this before, too, with the Pixel 8 Pro.
Sutrich states that during the timeline around launch, the review unit he received used 480Hz PWM. Once the final rate software was released, things dipped to 240Hz.
In the interest of your eyes
PWM, otherwise known as "pulse width modulation," is a technology used by brands to rapidly turn the display on and off to trick your eyes into thinking the screen's brighter or dimmer. It's this flickering that can cause grueling problems for people who are PWM sensitive. Some people can suffer from eye straight, headaches, dizziness, a sense of vertigo, nausea, and a whole host of other uncomfortable feelings.
There are some solutions if you've felt anything like this after using your phone for a while. Sutrich suggests locking your phone's display refresh rate, not using it in a completely dark room, and (probably most importantly) visiting the optometrist.
While the Phone 3's 2,160Hz PWM rate is eye-friendly, the Phone 3a and 3a Pro also received similar treatment.
Nothing's confirmation of its PWM rate change comes shortly after the company's open sales began for the Phone 3 in the U.S. The device starts at $799 with 12/256GB and a 16/512GB RAM/storage configs. Nothing said it has leaned into the flagship appeal of the phone, popping in the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip with 50MP camera lenses and a 5,150mAh battery.
Around launch, Nothing confirmed that it has committed to even more software updates for the Phone 3. The device will receive five major Android OS upgrades and seven years of security updates.
The Phone 3 is Nothing's "true flagship," boasting notable CPU and GPU improvements over the company's past-gen model. With a trio of 50MP cameras, and a suite of AI features.
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