No, not the brightness settings that you manually set in Settings. I’m talking about the different gradations that watchOS uses automatically based on the light sensor. It seems to me that the Series 5 has many more subtle shades versus the 4.
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Brightness Difference Between Series 4 and 5
- Thread starter asafblasberg
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No, not the brightness settings that you manually set in Settings. I’m talking about the different gradations that watchOS uses automatically based on the light sensor. It seems to me that the Series 5 has many more subtle shades versus the 4.
No discernible difference in brightness in 3 different light settings between my S4 SS on OS5 and my S5 SBSS on OS6, including under magnification with a desk magnifying glass. I just don't see a difference. I don't think the S5 display in dimmed mode is bright enough in bright sunlight though.
There are light meter apps for iPhone. I’m not curious enough to try it tonight though. 😎I expect we'll see some hard numbers soon from someone with a light meter.
Just compared an Apple Watch series 5 display at Target to my Apple Watch Series 5 and the display was definitely brighter - not sure it was because it was a mounted display.
I thought it was just me. A lot harder to see in the middle of the night even on full brightness
Can't tell which models they are. Does your have a sapphire screen? Some say the sapphire attenuates light transmission a little bit....
Okay folks.
Here's my S4 SBSS (no band) and my S5 SBSS. Turned on the Flashlight app. Used the "Light Meter" iOS app.
Same Exposure Value. Thus same brightness.
(don't read anything into the difference in color temperature, that app tends to wiggle around by 300K on different readings of the same thing, so the 210K "difference" shown is meaningless)
Here's my S4 SBSS (no band) and my S5 SBSS. Turned on the Flashlight app. Used the "Light Meter" iOS app.
Same Exposure Value. Thus same brightness.
(don't read anything into the difference in color temperature, that app tends to wiggle around by 300K on different readings of the same thing, so the 210K "difference" shown is meaningless)
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There is a really good video on youtube of a guy comparing the S4 and S5 like for like whilst wearing them on the same wrist using an over head camera view. This shows both the brightness and response times on the watches at the same time. Nice video and very informative so enjoy.
Sapphire crystal definitely doesn't transmit as much light as the Ion-X glass.
Not suggesting this is the only reason for differences between the S5 and others, but it's certainly a factor. The Ion-X watches will definitely look brighter at the same settings.
Good find. I was just about to post about this. I'm noticing the watch is very dim at the brightest settings with very little variance between the 3 original screen settings, unlike S4. And at times its not responsive. I might be going back and returning or exchanging mine. Between a battery that burns 7-10% battery an hour and this dim screen, I'm not sure what I think yet. I might give it another 2-3 days to see if after indexing it settles down, but I'm slightly pessimistic right now.
First thing I noticed is that flashlight produces less light. Later I saw a first review of german magazine “Heise” (Link), stating that they measured - with a calibrated tool - 650 Candela for flashlight on S5, where S4 had 720 Candela. They also mentioned that similar brightness differences would be measurable for watch faces and apps in general.
Speculation from their side is that Apple tries to reduce the risk of wear and burn-in on the screen, due to higher constant strain from always-on.
Speculation from their side is that Apple tries to reduce the risk of wear and burn-in on the screen, due to higher constant strain from always-on.
I imagine they can output the same amount of light, but the S5 seems more aggressive with its auto brightness. This is quite the strange watch between this and battery life being all over the place!
I recall selling all my iPhones all the way back to the 3G and getting >75% back.
I'm seriously considering returning my new 5 because of the brightness issue. The 5 is MUCH dimmer in lower light situations, even though I've got the brightness level cranked to max. It's very easily noticeable compared to the 4.
I found the store display models much dimmer than my actual S5 even at max brightness. For a second I thought it was to dissuade shoplifters.
Personally I trust a calibrated measure tool more than an iOS app. And my personal perception also adds to the impression that the S4 screen either can't be brighter or is restricted accordingly.
The speculation about Apple trying to generally reduce load in order to prevent burn-in, holds some water for me. They probably also want to play it easy on the battery - always-on _does_ have an impact on battery time, no matter how much Apple boasts to have reduced energy consumption by silicon refinements. And customers don't remember whether they used flashlight for an hour straight - eventually they only see reduced battery time and blame Apple (and the always-on screen) for that.
Last but not least, chances are that the ability for 1Hz refreshes (and perhaps generally lower power draw) of the screen comes with greater fragility of the underlying tech. It's kind of a 1st gen Apple product, which have a certain reputation of always suffering from compromises and shortcomings in one form or the other.
*shrug* It's been accurate enough in practice. Your citation indicated a 10% difference, which should be well within the accuracy of such an app.
In any event - You have my photos of them side by side, sample the pixel RGB values and compare the two. A 10% difference should be easily discerned in the pixel values.
For your comparison were you comparing watches with the same screen /display material? The sapphire of the non-aluminum models has long been known to be dimmer than the aluminum watches ion-x glass.
My perception between my S4 & S5 in SBSS is the screens are identical in brightness. I've not perceived there being a difference.
I have, right on the same wrist, a 4 and a 5, both Aluminum space grey. Both are tuned to max brightness, in a living room at low to moderate light. There is a CLEAR difference in the brightness - I would think 9 people out of 10 would notice the difference and be able to point out the dimmer unit.
The series 4 is definitely brighter than the Series 5. I think I am willing to accept the trade off for the the always on, but it is noticeable for sure.
I am running Watch OS 6.1 Beta and the brightness definitely improved and so did the battery life!
I notice that in this video he dims the display or turns it off by placing his palm over the watch. Mine doesn't do this. What is the setting for the action?
There seems to be a misunderstanding from some of this thread, sapphire has a strong reflection due to the coating, therefore the display is _not_ nearly as vibrant in comparison, that’s been noted since Apple released the first GEN Apple Watch with the aluminum Ion-X Glass versus the sapphire on the stainless, and then Apple increase the brightness to a 1000 Nits v.s. 450 Nits. It really depends on the lighting conditions, but I don’t really see it being that much of a problem, but then again, The lighting can be adjusted through future watchOS updates.
Not sure the misunderstanding for me, I am comparing a series 4 SS and a series 5 titanium and a series 4 aluminum. It is a noticeable difference. I understand the trade off, probably software a little bit dimmer to save battery for always on. I am okay with the difference and trade off. To my eye, the series 5 at full brightness is the equivalent of the series 4 at medium brightness. Maybe it is just my eyes, but I see a clear difference, which I am okay with.