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I had to let go of my Macbook Pro M2max because my eyes do not support the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) used by the screen.

So I'm back looking for an Intel Laptop (which is what I've been using for years). Specs needed are

  • i9 (or i7) h processor, 13th gen (ex: i9-13900h)
  • Dedicated GPU with min. 8GB of Memory (Ex: RTX 2000 ada // or RTX 4060)
  • 15" - 16" Display
  • Resolution min. 3200 x 1800px/2000px (4k would be best)
  • 32 GB RAM (or more)
  • SSD 1 TB or more (ideally 2 TB)

While I've ruled out OLED Displays, the Issue is that some IPS displays use PWM anyway. So I need to have either a review or tech specs, or confirmation from the OEM that the display uses continuous lighting.

Concretely, I've been looking at the Lenovo Thinkpad P16v Gen 1 which is available with a

16.0" (3840x2400) IPS, 800nits, 100% DCI-P3, Dolby® Vision™, HDR 400

Display. But I cannot find any review or tech specs which tell more about the technology used.

Can anyone confirm that specific display does not use PWM, or direct me to an alternative product ?

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  • I have a Framework 13 which doesn't use PWM brightness controls (just tested) but it doesn't have a lot of stuff you need like the gpu? The 16 does but uses a different display but I don't have that version so I can't test that...
    – Irsu85
    Commented Nov 13, 2023 at 16:12
  • That is a weird request. What do you mean, your eyes does not support PWM? Surely your eyes can not even tell if it's a PWM or analog, as long as the frequency is above 40-60 Hz.
    – not2qubit
    Commented Nov 23, 2023 at 12:52
  • @not2qubit it's not an immediate aware sensation. But with prologed use, eyes tire out, vision becomes "flat", ability to focus diminishes. With the Macbook Pro (2023) I even got violent headaches (screen set to sdr 60Hz). The problem grows over time. At the moment I can't use my old galaxy smartphone no longer. I am now convinced pwm will let your eyes grow old sooner, requiring glasses because overall stress is much higher. Once you think about it, it's a no-brainer: in front of a dim screen, your iris will open, but your cells will receive the same "signal strength" --> Damage!
    – 1NN
    Commented Nov 23, 2023 at 18:55

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... found the answer myself: according to this spec sheet on the lenovo website, the WQUXGA display of the Thinkpad P16v uses DC Dimming.

So, what is to look for is, in effect, DC dimming.

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