Sony SupportXperia 1

Article ID : 00377309 / Last Modified : 17/02/2026Print

Xperia Screen Issues: Discolouration, Flashing, or Flickering

How to check settings such as White balance, Night Light, colour filters, and brightness

    Symptoms: Screen discolouration, flashing, or flickering
    Applies to: Xperia smartphones
    Common causes: Display/Accessibility settings, refresh rate or brightness behaviour, or a third-party app
    What to try: Check settings, run a display test, try Safe mode, then perform a factory reset or software repair if needed.

    Before you start

    • Make sure your Xperia has the latest software version available. To check for an update, go to Settings → System → Software update, then follow the on-screen instructions.
    • Your Xperia is equipped with an OLED screen. To reduce the risk of image retention, avoid displaying the same image on the screen for extended periods.
    • Screen brightness and colours can change if the brightness is set too high or the screen stays on for a long time.
    • Slight colour or brightness shifts at certain viewing angles are normal for OLED screens and are not a fault of the phone.

    Troubleshooting by symptom


    Discolouration (tint, colour shift, inverted colours)

    Try these settings first:

    Then try:

     

    Flashing or flickering (brightness or image pulsing)

    Try these settings first:

    Then try:

    These settings control colour gamut, contrast, and brightness. If the screen looks tinted or colours appear different than expected, adjust the settings to check whether they're causing the discolouration.

    White balance changes your phone's screen tone. If the screen looks too warm (yellow) or too cool (blue), adjust this setting to check whether it's causing the tint.

    Night Light adds a warm yellow (amber) tint to the screen. If your display suddenly looks yellow/orange, turn this feature off to check whether it's causing the discolouration.

    High refresh rate increases the refresh rate for smoother scrolling. If the screen flickers or the tone looks different, toggle this setting off to check whether it's linked to the issue.

    Colour inversion reverses the colours on your screen like a photo negative. If colours look inverted (for example, light areas appear dark), turn this feature off to restore normal colours.

    Colour correction applies a colour filter (such as red-green or blue-yellow) to your screen. If the screen looks colour-shifted or filtered, turn this feature off to check whether it's causing the discolouration.

    Brightness level controls how bright the screen appears. If the display flashes or flickers (brightness pulsing), first turn Adaptive brightness off (if available), then adjust the brightness to check whether the issue remains.

    Dark theme changes menus and supported apps to a darker background. If flickering happens mainly when switching apps or menus, toggle this setting on or off to check whether it's causing the issue.

    The Developer options feature includes advanced display settings (such as Simulate colour space) that can change how colours appear. If it's enabled, turn it off to check whether it's causing the discolouration.

    Run a display test to check for missing pixels or abnormal colours. This helps determine whether the issue is related to the display itself.

    Use Safe mode to check whether a downloaded app is causing the issue. If the problem doesn't occur in Safe mode, an installed app is likely responsible.

    A factory data reset restores default settings and removes downloaded apps that may affect the screen (including discolouration or flickering). Perform a reset if the issue continues after checking the settings and using Safe mode.

    If the issue still occurs after completing the steps above (including in Safe mode), perform a software repair. If that doesn't help, contact us for further assistance.