Some owners say the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is giving them headaches and dizziness, and a few are returning it. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display measured 240Hz flicker at brightness settings of 99 percent and below, while a 2024 mini-LED MacBook Pro measured 14,880Hz.
One owner who posted on Reddit about sending a MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display back said Apple support had no fix for the symptoms, and other owners in the replies described the same headaches and nausea. Notebookcheck ran the test on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display and M5 Pro, and says sensitive users may get eye strain. If you are choosing between the two screens, the mini-LED MacBook Pro is still on sale for $400 less.
MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display Flickers
OLED screens lower their brightness by switching on and off many times a second, which is called pulse width modulation, or PWM. At 240Hz, the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display repeats that cycle 240 times a second. Most people cannot see the flicker, but some people feel it as eye strain, headaches or dizziness.
Notebookcheck measured a 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display and M5 Pro at 240Hz with an amplitude of 56 percent, which describes how deep each dip in brightness is. The flicker was present at every setting below full brightness, even though the screen also uses DC dimming. The 2024 mini-LED MacBook Pro with M4 Pro measured 14,880Hz, which is 62 times faster.
The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display went on sale on November 6, and most reviews called the screen the best yet. Plenty of owners in the replies said they have no symptoms at all, so the flicker bothers some people and not others.
Notebookcheck measured the iPhone 16 Pro at a similar 239Hz, and Apple added a setting to turn PWM off on the iPhone 17 Pro with iOS 26. The switch sits in Accessibility settings, and Apple warns that it may affect display performance at low brightness.
Your Options if Your Eyes Hurt
Every MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display costs $400 more than the matching mini-LED model. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 starts at $1,999, which is $900 less than the cheapest MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display.
A few commenters said they felt a headache within about 10 minutes of trying the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display at an Apple Store. You can try the screen in an Apple Store before you order one.
If you already own one and get headaches, Apple gives you 14 calendar days from delivery to return a Mac. Orders received between November 6 and December 25, 2026 fall under the holiday return policy and can go back until January 8, 2027.
Try the screen in an Apple Store for 10 minutes before paying $2,899 or more for it. Many owners report no problems, so the flicker is not a reason to skip it on paper, but a sensitive pair of eyes will tell you within minutes.
