2025-04-29 17:00:00
www.androidcentral.com
When the Google Pixel 9a launched earlier this month, it ushered in a brand new design and a number of enhancements that made it one of the best Pixel experiences so far. Chief among the improvements is the display’s spec sheet, which now looks identical to the more expensive Pixel 9 series in nearly every way.
While that’s great for most users, a subset of the population cannot use any Pixel display without getting serious headaches, and the Pixel 9a didn’t do anything to help that. When I asked the company if it would consider upgrading the PWM dimming rate or adding a flicker-reduction accessibility option, I fully expected to get the standard “we’ll look into this,” but never actually hear back. Instead, six weeks later, Google returned an amazing statement I didn’t expect.
“Google…indicated their teams are aware and investigating this. You can expect updates later this year,” a Google representative told me.
Here’s why this is significant. Since I’ve been writing about PWM dimming over the past two years, many companies have been willing to discuss PWM dimming and how their products are working toward improving displays for everyone, including those with accessibility needs.
Google and Samsung have been completely silent on the issue, no matter how many times I’ve asked, so this marks the first time that stance has changed for at least one of these companies. And while Google didn’t explicitly mention the Pixel 10, it seems quite possible that any updates coming “later this year” regarding displays could line up with the Pixel 10 launch.
Why this matters
I’m sensitive to phones that use slow PWM dimming rates and have been for at least the past few years. Every single Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, or Apple iPhone with an OLED screen uses PWM dimming. That means the only phones I can use daily without headaches are from brands like OnePlus, Honor, Nothing, and a handful of other brands that have begun to prioritize eye health over pure display quality tests.
For too many years, displays have been made to ace display quality tests instead of paying attention to the humans who have to use them every day. This includes tricks like slow-rate PWM dimming — often 240Hz or 480Hz — as they allow manufacturers to push brightness levels and color accuracy of OLED screens beyond what was considered feasible just a few years ago. As you might gather, this causes health issues among people who are “allergic” to PWM dimming, as I’ll refer to it.
It’s worth noting that I have no medical history of headaches, migraines, epilepsy, or other issues that might cause light sensitivity. I’ve also never worn glasses until summer 2023 when I was diagnosed with an astigmatism in my left eye. In other words, there was no reason to think I would be someone susceptible to flickering lights.
Last summer, I got in contact with a custom kernel developer who was able to find the line of code to change the Pixel 8 Pro’s PWM rate. It made the phone usable for me again, but rooting a modern phone isn’t a great option if you like making NFC payments or using 2-factor authentication apps, as it violates most app security protocols.
So, the only real option anyone like me has of using a Pixel phone full-time again is if Google gives users a way to adjust the PWM rate or disable it completely. While some users care more about having top-notch display quality at any cost, I’d rather switch to a minimalist E Ink phone and forego display quality if it means saving my eyes and avoiding physical pain every day.
Thankfully, I don’t have to do anything that extreme. Phones like the OnePlus 13 and Honor Magic 7 Pro offer dimming rates 8-16x faster than what Google’s latest Pixel phones offer, but Google’s change in stance could finally reverse that gap in the spec sheet.
What to expect from the Pixel 10’s display
There’s no reason to think that Google will suddenly deprioritize display quality as its foremost concern for the Pixel 10. I fully expect the Pixel 10 to either stick with 240Hz PWM dimming or go the Galaxy S24/S25 Ultra route and upgrade that to 480Hz as the default display configuration. But this new stance from Google could mean one of several things.
Google could be adding a new accessibility mode for flicker-sensitive people that reduces the amount of display flicker. Motorola did this with its Motorola Edge Plus 2023 phone and has included a “flicker-reduction” feature on every single OLED-equipped phone since then, even the latest Razr 2025 phones. Motorola’s full DC-dimming method was unique until Xiaomi and OnePlus offered a similar option a year later, but have yet to offer that option outside of China.
Google could also offer a hybrid dimming mode that utilizes DC dimming at high brightness and high-Hz PWM dimming at low brightness. This has become the new industry standard among most smartphone brands in 2025, including Nothing, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Honor, Vivo, RealMe, and plenty of others.
It’s also possible that Google simply upgrades the PWM rate across the board and at all brightness levels. Google, Apple, and most Samsung Galaxy devices currently use PWM dimming at all brightness levels, and while companies like Vivo offer similar “Full PWM” modes, they do it at rates as high as 2140Hz. Again, 5-8x faster than the big three offer.
Either avenue Google takes is going to be a positive step for all users, not just those of us who have already become sensitive to the harsh PWM dimming associated with some lights and displays. User-selectable options and customization have long been staples of the Android world, and it’s always good to see Google considering options for users who need them, not just things we might want.
Of course, the final possibility is that Google could do nothing and that I’m just being overly hopeful. That said, we will have to wait and see what we get when the Pixel 10 launches.
If you don’t feel like waiting for Google to get it together and offer a more eye-friendly phone, the OnePlus 13 checks all the boxes and includes a better performance, faster charging, industry-leading waterproofing, and amazing features that you’re going to love. Plus, of course, a display that offers dimming options for most users.
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