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AOD doesn’t really look brighter on S6

Donnation

Donnation

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Original poster
Nov 2, 2014
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So I’m comparing the always on display for my Series 6 vs. my Series 5, and I just don’t think that there is really a difference in the brightness when the always on display is on. It certainly isn’t 2.5X brighter in my opinion. A little disappointed in that. Are you guys seeing the same?
 
How are things brighter in direct sunlight but not indoors? (Just wondering)

edit: I’m slow, nvm.
 
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Donnation said:
No, they didn’t. They said 2.5X brighter.
Click to expand...

They said 2.5x brighter outdoors with Always-On Retina display.

To me that means that the range of brightness is broader, and it can go up to 2.5 brighter than the S5 outdoors / in sunlight. That doesn't mean, to me, that the AOD is brighter indoors or in dim conditions where it's not hit the limit of brightness that existed in the S5. I wouldn't want it any brighter indoors, but brighter outside would be good.

From: https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/15/live-coverage-september-2020-apple-event/

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deeddawg said:
They said 2.5x brighter outdoors with Always-On Retina display.

To me that means that the range of brightness is broader, and it can go up to 2.5 brighter than the S5 outdoors / in sunlight. That doesn't mean, to me, that the AOD is brighter indoors or in dim conditions where it's not hit the limit of brightness that existed in the S5. I wouldn't want it any brighter indoors, but brighter outside would be good.

From: https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/15/live-coverage-september-2020-apple-event/

f1600190414.jpg
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Yes I’m aware. I just don’t really see any difference outdoors either.
 
That is too bad. Except for Oxygen session, not sure it is worth the upgrade from Series 5, unless you need faster charging too.
 
deeddawg said:
. Wasn't clear from the text.

I don't have an S6 at this time. The Appleinsider video shows a pretty clear difference.

Click to expand...

Yeah. I’m not saying its not there, just don’t know about it being double the brightness and a half. I realize its semantics and probably nitpicking. Love the watch don’t get me wrong.
 
Donnation said:
Yeah. I’m not saying its not there, just don’t know about it being double the brightness and a half. I realize its semantics and probably nitpicking. Love the watch don’t get me wrong.
Click to expand...

Just guessing, but perhaps there's something to do with our perception of brightness tending to be logarithmic rather than linear. What might be a linear increase of 2.5x may not be perceived as 2.5x.

en.wikipedia.org

Weber–Fechner law - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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I'll take some photos, but outside unless you are looking at a bright colored face, there is zero difference in the brightness in sunlight. I have the tachometer slate face and its the same as the five. Colorful faces are very slightly brighter but not enough to make a difference in the sunlight.
 
Part of the problem is that humans do not perceive brightness (or noise) on a linear scale.
Consequently, a logarithmic scale is often used, such as decibels, where every 3 decibels is a doubling of the sound pressure (or intensity of light).
Humans have a dynamic range of about 90dB for light, which is a ratio of about 1,000,000,000:1.
2.5 times the brightness is only about +4dB. We do not perceive 2.5 times the light intensity as 2.5 times as bright: we only perceive it as slightly brighter.
Likewise we do not perceive twice the sound pressure as twice as loud: we only perceive it as slightly louder (+3dB).

Edit: like @deeddawg just said
 
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wilberforce said:
Part of the problem is that humans do not perceive brightness (or noise) on a linear scale.
Consequently, a logarithmic scale is often used, such as decibels, where every 3 decibels is a doubling of the sound pressure (or intensity of light).
Humans have a dynamic range of about 90dB for light, which is a ratio of about 1,000,000,000:1.
2.5 times the brightness is only about +4dB. We do not perceive 2.5 times the light intensity as 2.5 times as bright: we only perceive it as slightly brighter.
Likewise we do not perceive twice the sound pressure as twice as loud: we only perceive it as slightly louder (+3dB).

Edit: like @deeddawg just said
Click to expand...

Translation: 2.5X brighter is just a marketing term and it really isn't any brighter in direct sunlight (because it really isn't).
 
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richard371 said:
I wouldn’t want it brighter indoors and in dim areas. That would be too distracting And unnecessary battery drain it’s 2.5x brighter where it’s needed.
Click to expand...

You think the watch realizes that its in sunlight vs. indoor light?
 
Donnation said:
You think the watch realizes that its in sunlight vs. indoor light?
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The watch has an ambient light sensor and adjusts display brightness accordingly whether on AOD or active.

Now if your indoor lighting has a similar intensity to sunlight, ~100,000lux (lumens/m^2), then the watch probably wouldn’t detect the difference.

Within more typical indoor lighting of ~1000lux, then yes I expect the watch can discern the difference
 
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deeddawg said:
The watch has an ambient light sensor and adjusts display brightness accordingly whether on AOD or active.

Now if your indoor lighting has a similar intensity to sunlight, ~100,000lux (lumens/m^2), then the watch probably wouldn’t detect the difference.

Within more typical indoor lighting of ~1000lux, then yes I expect the watch can discern the difference
Click to expand...

Yeah I guess, but to me, the difference is negligible.
 
deeddawg said:
That goes back to the comments by @wilberforce

Human vision has a HUGE dynamic range, and our perception adjusts to conditions remarkably well. Even across three or four orders of magnitude changes in light intensity.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've read the science supplied by people in here. That doesn't really mean anything to me. When Apple says its 2.5X brighter I expect it to be noticeably brighter, and its really not.
 
deeddawg said:
That goes back to the comments by @wilberforce

Human vision has a HUGE dynamic range, and our perception adjusts to conditions remarkably well. Even across three or four orders of magnitude changes in light intensity.
Click to expand...
You and Wilbur come into the thread and all but killed a well intentioned disappointed rant with your science nerd talk. Gah. :p

On a serious note, I appreciated learning something new. Thanks to you both.
 
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