The OnePlus 10 Pro is great but this feature annoys

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OnePlus 10 Pro’s always-on screen has been bothering me a lot recently

image via pocketlint

For the last several weeks, I’ve been using the OnePlus 10 Pro and I’m really enjoying it. This phone has a fantastic display, lots of power for gaming and other jobs, and the images are better than before.

However, there is one thing that has bothered me about the phone, and that is its always-on display.

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Even when your phone is locked, you can see the clock, alerts, and other useful information on an Always-on Display (AOD), which is a common feature on many Android phones, including previous OnePlus models. As a result of this, the AOD clock and notification widget on the OnePlus 10 Pro seem to flicker in darker environments (like my home without any lights on shortly before sundown). Picking up the phone makes the flicker worse since it leaves a strange trail behind it.

I tried updating my iPhone and all of its applications, altering the brightness and refresh rate of the display, and resetting the phone a few times, but the problem persisted. To get an idea of what it looks like, check out the video clip below, but keep in mind that the video was shot in the dark and has a scrolling black bar due to a syncing issue with the refresh rate.

(Image credit: Future)

It turns out that I’m not the only one who’s seen this flickering. On the OnePlus forums, there are at least two reports of people reporting this strange phenomenon. The good news is that one of the participants in the conversation may have figured out what’s going on.

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The OnePlus 10 Pro’s always-on display has a refresh rate of 1Hz, which isn’t well publicised. The lower refresh rate of a 1Hz AOD means that it uses less power than a higher refresh rate, which is critical for a function that drains your phone’s battery even when you aren’t using it. In the dark, it’s simple to detect a low refresh rate, but it’s hard to discern with the naked eye.

You may want to check out this Reddit post and another user’s remark, which suggests that this may be a problem that has been seen on the OnePlus 9 Pro. For my own testing, I took out my 9 Pro to see if I could recreate what I saw on the 10 Pro’s AOD on that of its predecessor.

A unusual visual experience on the OnePlus One may have been caused by its 1Hz AOD function, so we reached out to OnePlus for feedback. This post was published with no response from OnePlus at the time of publication, but we’ll update it if a representative gets in touch.

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The OnePlus 10 Pro has an odd-looking always-on display, but it’s hardly a dealbreaker. Because it only occurs in low light, you won’t see it very often, and if it’s a huge deal to you, you can turn off the AOD totally. When you begin to appreciate the screen, cameras, and performance, it slips into the background. I can already tell you that I’ll continue to use and appreciate the 10 Pro even after I finish writing this review. ‘

Although I don’t know for sure, I still believe that OnePlus made a mistake here. To reach 1Hz AOD is an impressive technological feat, but the flickering may need OnePlus to increase the refresh rate in certain lighting circumstances. It’s one of the company’s slogans, “Fast and Smooth.”

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