Apple Watch Display Quality Judged 'Excellent', Calibrated to Match iPhone 6

[MacRumors]

DisplayMate Technologies has extensively tested the Apple Watch's flexible OLED display and shared the results today based on several categories, including screen reflection, brightness and contrast with ambient light, color gamut with ambient light, and viewing angle variations. Overall, the company found the Apple Watch to have an "excellent smart watch display" with accurate colors and picture quality.

In a side-by-side comparison with the iPhone 6 display, the display calibration company found that Apple has taken measures to ensure that the Apple Watch display has the same colors, color calibration and color accuracy as the larger smartphone screen. The stainless steel and gold Apple Watches with sapphire crystal displays, however, have much higher reflectance in ambient light and mandatory automatic brightness control to preserve battery life.

"Since the Apple Watch is often used right next to the iPhone 6, Apple has gone to considerable lengths to give them the same colors, color calibration, and color accuracy. The two most significant differences (other than size) are the much higher Reflectance of the Apple Watch with a sapphire crystal (8.2 percent compared to 4.6 percent), and the aggressive Brightness control using a mandatory Automatic Brightness Ambient Light Sensor in order to increase the running time on battery for the tiny watch."

The full-length report offers a comprehensive look at the Apple Watch's ion-strengthened and sapphire crystal displays, and reiterates that enhanced sapphire, which lowers the screen reflectance of sapphire to be much lower than glass, will soon be available for use in smartphones, smartwatches and other mobile devices. Additionally, DisplayMate's previous tests of the Samsung Gear 2 and Sony SmartWatch 2 displays provide good comparisons to the Apple Watch.

Article Link: Apple Watch Display Quality Judged 'Excellent', Calibrated to Match iPhone 6

 

[mgmusicman94]

I'm starting to feel like the Sport model might be outshining the Steel model in more aspects now. The aluminum is harder and more scratch resistant, and now we know the screen looks better under the Ion-X glass than under the sapphire.

 

[JustThinkin']

I care very much about color accuracy.

The Watch is one place I could let it go.



Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that Displaymate continues to test new devices, and keep awareness of color accuracy high.

 

[chumpy34]

It took me about a day and a half but I am now fully 100% an Apple Watch lover. This thing is just fantastic and as I use it more and more and understand its many functions I am just super pleased. Glad I ordered the Sports too, not too much money and works just fine.

It's a bit like the movie, "Her." Last night when I achieved my activity goal, my Watch dinged me and said, "Congratulations!" and I actually looked at my wrist and said, "Oh, thanks Watch." lol

 

[UnfetteredMind]

It took me about a day and a half but I am now fully 100% an Apple Watch lover. This thing is just fantastic and as I use it more and more and understand its many functions I am just super pleased. Glad I ordered the Sports too, not too much money and works just fine.

It's a bit like the movie, "Her." Last night when I achieved my activity goal, my Watch dinged me and said, "Congratulations!" and I actually looked at my wrist and said, "Oh, thanks Watch." lol

Just don't tell anyone you're in love with your wrist

 

[Lazy]

Normally I'm all for stainless steel and sapphire when it comes to watches, but given this about the reflectivity and brightness and honestly, the disposable aspect, I'm thinking the Sport line is looking pretty good.

And the same argument against spending $10k+ on a gold watch that will be obsolete in a few years also applies to stainless vs. aluminum. The difference isn't as great, but maybe I'd rather buy a cheaper watch every two years than keep the stainless/sapphire one for 4-5.

 

[ttss6]

I'm still happy with the Steel model. Sure its more reflective and can scratch more easily, but I spent the extra $200 for the materials themselves. I've just always wanted a nice quality watch without spending into the $1000s

 

[Brian Y]

I'm starting to feel like the Sport model might be outshining the Steel model in more aspects now. The aluminum is harder and more scratch resistant, and now we know the screen looks better under the Ion-X glass than under the sapphire.

It's going to be really easy to scratch the glass though. AC+ is necessity with the sport IMO.

 

[Iconoclysm]

It took me about a day and a half but I am now fully 100% an Apple Watch lover. This thing is just fantastic and as I use it more and more and understand its many functions I am just super pleased. Glad I ordered the Sports too, not too much money and works just fine.

It's a bit like the movie, "Her." Last night when I achieved my activity goal, my Watch dinged me and said, "Congratulations!" and I actually looked at my wrist and said, "Oh, thanks Watch." lol

Yeah, I started out very skeptical...I didn't like the look (which I've now found is because my watch is too small for my wrist) and I was worried about battery life. I don't think I've taken the watch under 40% in 3 days and little things I'd never bothered to think about like the tapping when it was time to take a turn in the car really started to show value I'd underestimated. Finding out the Outlook app was immediately working with the watch was also great.

 

[shk718]

Didn't Nilay say there was a "noticeable air gap" in the display. Clearly there isn't - another example of a blogger pretending to be a reviewer and basically just posting preconceived notions and not actually doing a review. He does say the screen is "simply terrific" but then muddles it with "if not for the air gap".


http://www.theverge.com/a/apple-watch-review

 

[banyanjd]

I used ApplePay on the watch for the first time yesterday and it was a magical experience.

 

[jefbond]

@Macrumors

@Macrumors -

The images in the article don't show the headers for the columns, so without opening the full article, it's not easy to tell which column is which

 

[meaning-matters]

I'm missing table column names.

 

[chumpy34]

Yeah, I started out very skeptical...I didn't like the look (which I've now found is because my watch is too small for my wrist) and I was worried about battery life. I don't think I've taken the watch under 40% in 3 days and little things I'd never bothered to think about like the tapping when it was time to take a turn in the car really started to show value I'd underestimated. Finding out the Outlook app was immediately working with the watch was also great.

So cool...just takes a bit to get used to it. Guy from USA Today must be a bit slow, he's still saying it's useless after 3 days. Yes, after first 12 hours or so I was questioning my decision to buy one but then when the 2nd and 3rd day came around and I was answering texts, sending emails, making calls and doing some of these things with my phone at my house and me 5 miles away at my GF's house, I was in Watch heaven.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Yeah, I started out very skeptical...I didn't like the look (which I've now found is because my watch is too small for my wrist) and I was worried about battery life. I don't think I've taken the watch under 40% in 3 days and little things I'd never bothered to think about like the tapping when it was time to take a turn in the car really started to show value I'd underestimated. Finding out the Outlook app was immediately working with the watch was also great.

That sounds neat, but $350 worth of neat?

I'm not sold yet. I am getting closer everyday. But right now I can only justify ~$200. I'm expecting next year Apple will release something even cheaper and with even more features - I might be able to justify buying that.

 

[Four oF NINE]

Does this mean we'll be getting sapphire crystal display for iPhone 6S ?
Great news!

 

[RDeckard]

It's going to be really easy to scratch the glass though. AC+ is necessity with the sport IMO.

Actually, the Ion-X glass will be easier to scratch than sapphire, yes -- but I wouldn't say it would be really easy to scratch the glass.

OK, I get that the Ion-X glass will "scratch easily" for those who get their jollies by scratching their watches with sandpaper... But I'm gonna bet most people won't be doing that.

 

[Rogifan]

I'm starting to feel like the Sport model might be outshining the Steel model in more aspects now. The aluminum is harder and more scratch resistant, and now we know the screen looks better under the Ion-X glass than under the sapphire.

Except when you do scratch the aluminum then what? You can't buff them out like you do stainless steel. I'd be curious to know how many of the steel watches have deep scratches that can't be polished out.

----------

So cool...just takes a bit to get used to it. Guy from USA Today must be a bit slow, he's still saying it's useless after 3 days. Yes, after first 12 hours or so I was questioning my decision to buy one but then when the 2nd and 3rd day came around and I was answering texts, sending emails, making calls and doing some of these things with my phone at my house and me 5 miles away at my GF's house, I was in Watch heaven.

What's really said is that USA Today review is the top trending Watch review on Google. Sigh.

 

[KPOM]

I'm starting to feel like the Sport model might be outshining the Steel model in more aspects now. The aluminum is harder and more scratch resistant, and now we know the screen looks better under the Ion-X glass than under the sapphire.

Actually the steel is harder. The display reflectiveness matters only in direct light. Scratches can be polished out of stainless steel, and the sapphire won't scratch as easily as glass.

 

[sjinsjca]

That sounds neat, but $350 worth of neat?

People readily spend $350 and much more on mid-line watches by Seiko, G-Shock, Citizen, TAG Heuer, Fossil, etc etc, for far less functionality. Why does no one ask if those are $350 worth of neat?

...Or maybe they do, and so they buy a cheaper Armitron or Timex, if all they want to do is tell time. Nothing wrong with that, but there's nothing wrong with spending $350+ on something a little fancier and/or more functional.

 

[imax2k2]

I'm starting to feel like the Sport model might be outshining the Steel model in more aspects now. The aluminum is harder and more scratch resistant, and now we know the screen looks better under the Ion-X glass than under the sapphire.

Every aluminum watch that I have ever seen, scratch way easier then Stainless Steel.

 

[bobob]

Didn't Nilay say there was a "noticeable air gap" in the display. Clearly there isn't - another example of a blogger pretending to be a reviewer and basically just posting preconceived notions and not actually doing a review. He does say the screen is "simply terrific" but then muddles it with "if not for the air gap".


http://www.theverge.com/a/apple-watch-review

That "review" was a subtle hatchet job from the word go - - it noticably threw a negative spin on early media coverage.

 

[Four by Six]

Flexible OLED?

Why does the Apple watch use a flexible OLED? It looks flat to me. Is there a slight curve to the face? If not, then why take the risk and yield hit of the flexible substrate. To get experience for the next versions that will curve more? Just wondering...

 

[NoahK17]

Since I use my watch mostly outdoors, I'm glad more than ever that I picked up the SPORT model.

 

[mw360]

The stainless steel and gold Apple Watches with sapphire crystal displays, however, have much higher reflectance in ambient light and mandatory automatic brightness control to preserve battery life.

I believe this is an error. The sapphire has a higher reflectance than the glass, but the comments about the brightness control are specifically comparing the watch to the iPhone, not comparing the sapphire to the glass. All the watches have the same brightness control.