Once upon a time, all smartphones used DC dimming to control the brightness of their displays. These days, far too many phones rely on the use of PWM dimming to flicker the display quickly and fool your eyes. If you’re anything like me, flickering displays can give you headaches, eye aches, or even make you nauseous and dizzy.
Thankfully, companies like OnePlus are listening to complaints and have brought back DC dimming on their latest phones. The OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R are two amazing phones with fantastic displays, but you can only bring out their most eye-friendly nature by enabling DC dimming.
Oddly enough, the same method doesn’t work on both phones. I’ve broken this down per device, so scroll down to the one you use and follow the simple instructions to enable DC dimming on your OnePlus 12 or OnePlus 12R.
How to enable DC dimming on the OnePlus 12
The OnePlus 12’s display is one of the brightest in smartphone history, and while it supports DC dimming, it’s not easy to understand what the display option means. Out of the box, the OnePlus 12 uses a triple-pulse PWM dimming method that keeps modulation low but still flickers at a 720Hz rate.
OnePlus calls this special algorithm “Ultra anti-flicker” and while it’s better than the Galaxy S24’s PWM rate, it’s still using display flicker to control brightness. Disabling this setting returns the phone to DC dimming above 25% brightness. Here’s how to do that:
1. Open system settings by tapping the settings icon in your app drawer, or swiping down on the status bar and tapping the hexagonal gear icon in the top right.
2. Select display & brightness from the list of options.
3. Select eye comfort and sleep from the list of options.
4. Scroll down and disable ultra anti-flicker.
Now you can enjoy a more eye-friendly DC dimming method at brightness levels above 25%. Bringing the PWM/flicker sensitive phone’s brightness below 25% switches to 2,160Hz PWM regardless of this setting. Typically, though, 2,160Hz is comfortable for most people.
How to enable DC dimming on the OnePlus 12R
The OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R use a very similar screen with identical maximum brightness levels and PWM rates, but OnePlus hid the DC dimming option behind the developer options menu. Don’t worry, though. Enabling developer options is easy and doesn’t require any sort of phone modification.
Here’s how to enable developer options:
1. Open system settings by tapping the settings icon in your app drawer, or swiping down on the status bar and tapping the hexagonal gear icon in the top right.
2. Scroll down to and tap about device.
3. Tap version.
4. Tap the version number field several times until you see a toast notification telling you that developer options have been enabled.
Once you have developer options enabled, disabling high brightness PWM is easy. Here’s how to enable DC dimming on the OnePlus 12R:
1. Open system settings by tapping the settings icon in your app drawer, or swiping down on the status bar and tapping the hexagonal gear icon in the top right.
2. Scroll down to and tap additional options.
3. Scroll down to and tap developer options.
4. Scroll about halfway down the page and select one-pulse EM mode under the display section. It’s the only option under the display section.
No more headaches or eye strain
Now you can enjoy single-pulse DC-like dimming on the OnePlus 12R above 25% brightness. Be aware that setting the brightness level below 25% will toggle 2,160Hz PWM dimming regardless of this setting. Most people should feel comfortable with that high of a refresh rate but there are still some that will find it uncomfortable.
If you need lower brightness but want to avoid PWM completely, we recommend using a screen dimmer app to artificially lower brightness by adding a grey overlay to the screen.
A proper S24 challenger
The OnePlus 12 is a fabulous phone in many regards, but especially so when it comes to displays and PWM sensitivity. If you’re a PWM-sensitive individual, this device will bring you much joy and comfort.
how-to-enable-dc-dimming-on-the-oneplus-12-and-oneplus-12r