Apple Watch in Direct Sunlight

[gmanist1000]

Was taking a walk yesterday afternoon and I pulled my phone out to check the Health app. I quickly realized I couldn't see a darn thing in the direct sunlight and stuck my phone back in my pocket.

Will the Apple Watch be any different in direct sunlight? Is the screen technology different in anyway?

 

[Mascots]

The Apple Watch has an AMOLED screen while the iPhone has a LCD. You should expect a better picture from AMOLED in bright sunlight.

Edit: Removed that link, it stated the opposite of the claim I meant to make, so if anyone wants to expand on this to make sure I am right and/or provide more details, that'd be nice.

 

[JohnApples]

The Apple Watch has an AMOLED screen while the iPhone has a LCD. You should expect a better picture from AMOLED in bright sunlight.

Edit: Removed that link, it stated the opposite of the claim I meant to make, so if anyone wants to expand on this to make sure I am right and/or provide more details, that'd be nice.

I'm not an expert on the different screen technologies, but from what I understand, AMOLED is actually worse in direct sunlight, with the exception of Samsung's "Super AMOLED" technology which is actually better.

However, I think it's safe to say that Apple has created some sort of their own AMOLED technology so that it too is more easily viewed in sunlight. Although they haven't mentioned it, it wouldn't make sense for them not to have a "sunlight friendly" screen, considering how much they stress the fitness aspect of the Watch (and how virtually all of the pictures of the watch being worn on their website are taken outdoors).

Here's a picture depicting the 3 technlogies (from left to right: "Super" AMOLED, AMOLED, and LCD)

Though these phones are now outdated, I'm pretty sure that LCD still comes out on top when it comes to outdoor viewing. Again, I'm sure Apple has addressed the AMOLED-in-sunlight issue.

 

[Julien]

Unfortunately one of OLED's weakness is absolute brightness. It is hard (or near impossible) for any active light technology to compete with direct sunlight and OLED will be less able than traditional LCD like in the iPhone. One advantage is it will be easy to cup your hand to shield the small screen.

 

[gmanist1000]

Unfortunately one of OLED's weakness is absolute brightness. It is hard (or near impossible) for any active light technology to compete with direct sunlight and OLED will be less able than traditional LCD like in the iPhone. One advantage is it will be easy to cup your hand to shield the small screen.

Good point, I was actually thinking a smaller screen would be easier to view because of the smaller footprint I would have to view things. It's even harder to view my iPad outside than my iPhone.