I literally don't see a difference at all. Indoors they are identical to me. Outdoors, if I try hard, maybe slightly brighter. Has anyone else noticed this? It also seems dimmer overall than the AW5 in medium light, it looks like the ambient light sensor is more aggressive. Two features pushed me to upgrade and the increase AOD increased brightness is one and seems to be non-existent at least on mine. Any suggestions on this? Anyone else seeing the same or I am crazy or just need to exchange it for another thinking there is a hardware error?
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AW6 AOD same as AW5?
- Thread starter kwandrews
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The S6 extended the AOD brightness range - so you'll likely only see a difference when it's so bright that the S5's maxed out. i.e. outdoors in full sunlight.
You wouldn't expect to see any difference at levels below the S5's max AOD brightness.
If you've not yet done so, double check that the brightness settings are identical between the watches.
Certainly if you're not happy - if the S6 isn't doing what you expect - exchange to see if it's a individual unit issue.
(BTW, I'm not really seeing any difference in your photo)
You wouldn't expect to see any difference at levels below the S5's max AOD brightness.
If you've not yet done so, double check that the brightness settings are identical between the watches.
Certainly if you're not happy - if the S6 isn't doing what you expect - exchange to see if it's a individual unit issue.
(BTW, I'm not really seeing any difference in your photo)
At least for me I can read it better when it goes dim inside (without pulling out my readers) and it's the same watch face....for me that's a benefit over the AW5 
hmmm....re-read on Apple's site "The Always-On Retina display is now significantly brighter outdoors when your wrist is down." there it is, outdoor. I don't care about outdoors, I was hoping brighter indoors. I'll check outside again later. Funny, lots of reviews I read / watched just said it's brighter and noticeable, but I guess they just didn't mention the outdoor part.
Ex "Brighter always-on display: Indoors, it’s obvious that the Apple Watch 6’s display is brighter than the Apple Watch 5’s, as advertised. Outside, in direct sunlight, the difference is less noticeable." -Tom's Guide.
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Ex "Brighter always-on display: Indoors, it’s obvious that the Apple Watch 6’s display is brighter than the Apple Watch 5’s, as advertised. Outside, in direct sunlight, the difference is less noticeable." -Tom's Guide.
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Yes! That's what I was hoping for tooAt least for me I can read it better when it goes dim inside (without pulling out my readers) and it's the same watch face....for me that's a benefit over the AW5
You should see a difference outside, which is what its for.
and that is inside I can read the face without my readers....it's pouring rain here so I haven't had a chance to test in sunlighthmmm....re-read on Apple's site "The Always-On Retina display is now significantly brighter outdoors when your wrist is down." there it is, outdoor. I don't care about outdoors, I was hoping brighter indoors. I'll check outside again later. Funny, lots of reviews I read / watched just said it's brighter and noticeable, but I guess they just didn't mention the outdoor part.
Ex "Brighter always-on display: Indoors, it’s obvious that the Apple Watch 6’s display is brighter than the Apple Watch 5’s, as advertised. Outside, in direct sunlight, the difference is less noticeable." -Tom's Guide.
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Yes! That's what I was hoping for too
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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i agree especially under the sunlight it makes a huge difference.
It might well be. I literally have only had my new AW6 working for like two hours so I haven't been able to test it much, but on my previous S4 the ambient sensor became super aggressive with wOS7 for some reason and often ran the display at high or full blast when indoors or even in almost pitch black! Really weird. So it feels like a big difference now compared to the S6, which is properly dimming its display when ambient light is lower.
Please don't encourage willy-nilly product exchanges. It's super wasteful, all the packaging, wrapping material, paper manuals and so on. Actual hardware issues are rare. Contact apple support first if something feels wonky, don't just replace your device kneejerk style.
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I agree 100% And not only is there the environmental consideration, but it costs Apple money in terms of lost revenue from the sale of a new device as well as the cost to process and refurb the returned watch. That additional cost is going to be passed on to all of us in the form of higher prices for new products.