How to turn off the pulse on the screen Xiaomi Redmi Note

Owners of Xiaomi’s Redmi Note line of smartphones often face an unpleasant visual effect known as screen pulsation, a phenomenon technically called PWM (pulse-latitudinal modulation) that can cause rapid eye fatigue, headache and general discomfort with prolonged use of the device, and a particularly noticeable problem at low brightness levels when the display goes into energy saving mode.

The current OLED and AMOLED arrays that many Redmi models use to quickly turn on and off pixels to adjust brightness. The human eye doesn't always notice these fluctuations directly, but the brain reacts to them, which leads to negative health consequences. Fortunately, the MIUI and HyperOS shells have tools to minimize this effect.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at all the ways you can combat flickering, from built-in software settings to third-party apps, how to activate hidden vision protection features and which refresh rate options are best for your particular Redmi Note model.

The nature of the pulsation on Xiaomi displays

To deal effectively with a problem, you have to understand the technical nature of the problem. LCD-screens where the brightness is regulated by the change in voltage, OLED-The display flashes very quickly, creating the illusion of less brightness by reducing the time of glowing pixels.

At high brightness levels, this effect is almost invisible, because the pauses between flashes are minimal, but as the brightness decreases, the blinking frequency can drop, making the pulsation visible to sensitive users or smartphone cameras, which is why many people notice the stripes on the screen when taking photos.

⚠️ Attention: Long-term exposure to low-frequency PWM can lead to reduced visual acuity and chronic migraines. If you feel a pain in your eyes, change your display settings immediately.

Different Redmi Note models use different types of arrays, and their sensitivity threshold is different. Flagship models often have a higher PWM frequency, making flickering less noticeable, while budget segments may suffer from this effect more strongly.

Activation of Anti-Flicker mode in settings

The first and easiest step to eliminate discomfort is to find a built-in protection feature. Xiaomi engineers have added a special switch that changes the backlight algorithm, which can be called differently depending on the firmware version.

To access the settings, go to Settings → Screen → Vision Protection. You should look for the Anti-Flicker or Flicker Protection option, which is hidden or renamed Read Mode 3.0 in some regions with additional options.

Once this option is enabled, the screen may become slightly dimmer at minimum brightness, but the flicker should fade or become significantly less noticeable.This is due to a change in voltage instead of pulse frequency in a certain range.

It is worth noting that some global firmware versions may not have this feature, in which case users have to look for workarounds or use third-party calibration solutions.

Update frequency and permission setting

Another important parameter that affects image stability is screen refresh rate. Many Redmi Note models support 90 Hz, 120 Hz or even 144 Hz. High hertz not only makes animations smoother, but can also reduce the perception of pulsation.

You can change this setting in Settings → Screen → Update Frequency. You should choose Default mode or force the maximum value if the battery allows, however, in some cases, reducing the frequency to 60 Hz helps eliminate image artifacts.

While lower resolution (e.g. from FHD+ to HD+) primarily affects font clarity, in rare cases, it can change the way the display controller works and affect the way the pixels glow.

Use the DC Dimming function through the Engineering Menu

For advanced users who lack standard settings, it is possible to activate DC Dimming via a hidden engineering menu, which forces the screen to adjust brightness solely by changing the voltage, completely removing PWM.

To get to the menu, open the Phone app and type in the code ##6484##. CIT (Customer Information Test: You can find the display testing or the corresponding item on the menu, but on newer versions. MIUI Direct access may be closed.

An alternative is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) from a computer, which requires a smartphone to connect to a USB device and drivers, and the activation command can vary depending on the model, but often looks like changing the value in the settings database.

adb shell settings put secure dc_dimming 1

It is important to understand that forced activation of DC Dimming can lead to uneven color reproduction at low brightnesses, known as the "dirty screen effect." Black can take on a greenish or grayish hue.

⚠️ Note: Making changes through the engineering menu or ADB This can cause the system to run in an unstable way.

Third-party applications for screen calibration

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t work, Google Play Store apps come to the rescue, and they can’t completely turn off PWM hardware, but they can adjust color temperature and brightness software.

A popular solution is the OLED Saver app, or analogues that overlay a translucent black filter on the screen, which allows you to reduce visible brightness without going into the deep PWM range, where flickering is maximum.

• 📱 Twilight – regulates color temperature, reducing eye strain at night, which indirectly helps with sensitivity to light.
• 🔆 Screen Dimmer – allows you to lower the brightness below the system minimum, using a software filter instead of hardware voltage reduction.
• 👁️ Eye Care Plus is a comprehensive vision protection app that includes blue light filters and reading modes.

Using such programs inevitably leads to increased battery consumption, as the processor is forced to constantly process the image, and there may be a slight delay input (input lag), which is critical for dynamic games.

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Use the “Paper” or “Read” mode in the Xiaomi notification curtain. Not only does it change colors to monochrome, but it often activates a more gentle backlight profile.

Checking the frequency of PWM with a camera

How do you tell if your Redmi Note is pulsating? The easiest way is to use another smartphone's camera, point the lens at the screen and slowly decrease the brightness.

If dark bands appear running on the screen, the frequency of PWM is low. The faster the bands move and the brighter they are, the more flickering is stronger. On devices with high PWM frequency (for example, 1920 Hz or 2160 Hz), the bands may be barely noticeable or absent.

You can also use the slow motion function at 240 or 480 frames per second, which allows you to consider in detail the nature of the backlight in dynamics.

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The absence of bands on the camera does not always guarantee the absence of PWM, but their apparent presence is a sure sign of low modulation frequency, harmful to the eyes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)