Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A new Pixel 8 Pro mod allows users to dramatically boost the screen’s PWM rate.
- Some people are sensitive to screens with a low PWM rate, resulting in headaches, eye strain, and nausea.
- This mod requires some advanced tinkering that can result in a bricked phone if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Many modern smartphones use one of two methods to control brightness, namely DC dimming or the more common pulse-wave modulation (PWM). Some phones, like the Pixel 8 series, use a low PWM rate, which isn’t great for people sensitive to flickering. Fortunately, there’s a mod for the Pixel 8 Pro that dramatically increases the PWM rate.
A new Pixel 8 Pro mod by developer updateing and spotted by Android Central allows you to crank up the Pixel 8 Pro’s PWM rate from the low default of 240Hz all the way up to 4,800Hz. That’s great news as some people report headaches, eye strain, and nausea when viewing screens with a low PWM rate, even if they don’t notice the flickering.
Either way, Google is way behind rivals in this area. The HONOR Magic 6 Pro flagship phone has 4,320Hz PWM dimming, while the OnePlus 12 serves up 2,160Hz PWM dimming. Even the Galaxy S24 series has a 480Hz rate that’s low but still higher than the Pixel 8 range. Rival brands like HONOR, Xiaomi, and OnePlus also feature more eye-care options like dynamic dimming and blue light reduction tech.
Installing this Pixel 8 Pro mod isn’t a walk in the park
The bad news is that this Pixel 8 Pro mod requires some advanced tinkering and isn’t for most owners, especially if this is your primary or only device. There’s a good chance you’ll brick your phone if you don’t know what you’re doing (don’t say we didn’t warn you). You’ll need to root your phone, flash Sultan Kernel, flash the custom boot image from the aforementioned developer, and then use ADB commands to enter the desired PWM rate. The latter step needs to be repeated every time you reboot the device.
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Android Central also reported a green tint when running this mod at the increased PWM rate and night light functionality that’s too yellow. Furthermore, the outlet reported inconsistent colors when using the dynamic refresh rate, so you’ll need to choose between 60Hz and 120Hz. There are clearly some notable downsides to this mod.
In any event, we hope Google implements a higher PWM rate on future phones like the Pixel 9 series so users don’t have to go through these hoops.
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