Apple warns of iPhone X screen burn-in problems

The iPhone X launched to much excitement last week, and Apple's latest handset has received glowing reviews. But the company has issued a warning about the Super Retina display -- despite describing it as the "best OLED display that has ever shipped in a smartphone."

Just like Google's Pixel 2 XL, Apple warns that the iPhone X could suffer from "burn-in" issues. The company also refers to "slight visual changes" such as "image persistence" that may follow extended long-term use -- but offers up a few tips to minimize the problems.

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Apple is quick to point out that the issues it highlights are "characteristic of OLED" and should be considered "normal behaviour." On its support pages, the company says that: "If you look at an OLED display off-angle, you might notice slight shifts in color and hue."

But it is the risk of burn-in which is likely to be of most concern to iPhone X owners. Apple explains:

With extended long-term use, OLED displays can also show slight visual changes. This is also expected behavior and can include "image persistence" or "burn-in," where the display shows a faint remnant of an image even after a new image appears on the screen. This can occur in more extreme cases such as when the same high contrast image is continuously displayed for prolonged periods of time. We've engineered the Super Retina display to be the best in the industry in reducing the effects of OLED "burn-in."

Apple has a few tips which it says will help to improve things:

• Update your iPhone X to the latest version of iOS. When a new update is available, you'll see a prompt to update. You can also check for updates in Settings > General > Software Update.
• Use Auto-Brightness to automatically adjust the brightness of your display based on the ambient light in your location. This setting is on by default. To check this setting, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Display Accommodations.
• Set your iPhone X to turn off the display when you aren’t using it. Choosing a shorter time is recommended. To adjust this setting, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto Lock.
• Avoid displaying static images at maximum brightness for long periods of time. If you have an app that keeps your display on when you aren’t actively using your iPhone X, you can temporarily reduce the brightness level using Control Center.