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I love the brighter Always-on Display of the Apple Watch S7!

haruhiko

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Original poster
Sep 29, 2009
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Above: AOD and ’activated’ mode, indoor. Band: Apple Link Bracelet

The screen is really not that dimmer in the AOD mode, even at an angle it’s very clear. Coupled with the larger display I think it’s finally a mature product and I can genuinely use it as a normal Watch plus all the bells and whistles, the best being Apple Pay + Express Transit and all the health stuff. A bonus for me is that my residential area also uses the local Travel card as entry card so my Apple Watch can be used to access the gate and the lift too.

456BD7C4-3DE8-4842-9D12-3B87130EB8EB.jpeg9D1F7B41-BA45-4BF0-90FC-85A42A6D04CE.jpeg
Above: ‘activated’ mode outdoor / AOD mode indoor. Band: custom leather strap from a local workshop

Any impact on Battery life? Not noticeable in my case. I usually take it off the charger at 07:30 in the morning, and put it back to the charger at around 23:00, usually with around 40-50% left.
 
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I agree on the display brightness. My only small annoyance is that all watch faces revert to black background in the wrist-down mode (as depicted in OP's first photo above). I end up configuring all my watch faces with black background just to avoid that constant change of background color throughout the day.
 
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yepp said:
I agree on the display brightness. My only small annoyance is that all watch faces revert to black background in the wrist-down mode (as depicted in OP's first photo above). I end up configuring all my watch faces with black background just to avoid that constant change of background color throughout the day.
Click to expand...

If you want colour in the AOD mode, try the Stripes watch face. All colours you choose will stay the same, only dimmer (of course).
 
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haruhiko said:
View attachment 1903146

The screen is really not that dimmer in the AOD mode, even at an angle it’s very clear. Coupled with the larger display I think it’s finally a mature product and I can genuinely use it as a normal Watch plus all the bells and whistles, the best being Apple Pay + Express Transit and all the health stuff.

Any impact on Battery life? Not noticeable in my case. I usually take it off the charger at 07:30 in the morning, and put it back to the charger at around 23:00, usually with around 40-50% left.
Click to expand...
That is GREAT to hear, as I am upgrading from a Series 4 SS, and going from 9am to 23:00 I’m usually down to 30-40%. And if it’s a gym day, I burn straight up 30% in just under two hours with my heart-rate and workout tracking. On those days I have to drop my watch on the charger in the late afternoon so that I’m sure the battery won’t get too low while I’m at the gym. But, the watch is 3 years old! Anyhow, I’ll be excited to see how useful the AOD is when working out. ?
 
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FriendlyMackle said:
That is GREAT to hear, as I am upgrading from a Series 4 SS, and going from 9am to 23:00 I’m usually down to 30-40%. And if it’s a gym day, I burn straight up 30% in just under two hours with my heart-rate and workout tracking. On those days I have to drop my watch on the charger in the late afternoon so that I’m sure the battery won’t get too low while I’m at the gym. But, the watch is 3 years old! Anyhow, I’ll be excited to see how useful the AOD is when working out. ?
Click to expand...
Hopefully it will be good!
 
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I turn my screen setting to the lowest brightness, which is bright enough for me. I also turn off always on display because I bet the battery life doubles. Do you guys prefer always on display versus double battery life? Why?
 
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rishiomedia said:
I turn my screen setting to the lowest brightness, which is bright enough for me. I also turn off always on display because I bet the battery life doubles. Do you guys prefer always on display versus double battery life? Why?
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For me, I would rather have the brighter display since it always goes on the charger each night anyway and the watch already easily lasts a full day.
 
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rishiomedia said:
I turn my screen setting to the lowest brightness, which is bright enough for me. I also turn off always on display because I bet the battery life doubles. Do you guys prefer always on display versus double battery life? Why?
Click to expand...
I don’t think the battery life “doubles”. Probably just 10-15% or so but you lose a very important feature. Raising the arm to see the time is a very impolite and awkward gesture.
 
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Boardiesboi said:
Is the “brighter” display on the S7 on by default? Or do you have to select the max brightness setting to notice it?
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I don’t think this is needed. It’s only brighter when the ambient lighting is weaker i.e. indoor. In bright outdoor situation the max brightness should be the same.
 
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haruhiko said:
I don’t think the battery life “doubles”. Probably just 10-15% or so but you lose a very important feature. Raising the arm to see the time is a very impolite and awkward gesture.
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Since when? People have been raising their arm to check the time for decades. It's literally the way people check watches. It's not as if you have to shove it up to your face like an idiot.
 
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JBGoode said:
Since when? People have been raising their arm to check the time for decades. It's literally the way people check watches. It's not as if you have to shove it up to your face like an idiot.
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Lol I don’t know and don’t care about what culture you come from but from mine, raising the arm to check the time during a date or gathering means that you have something else to do next and want to leave. And guess what… you can glance on your watch to check the time instead if you don’t want to be impolite.
 
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Boardiesboi said:
Is the “brighter” display on the S7 on by default? Or do you have to select the max brightness setting to notice it
Click to expand...

There is a setting that allows you to set the default screen brightness. I set mine to the lowest and never have a problem with screen brightness. I assume it improves the battery life significantly.
 
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haruhiko said:
Lol I don’t know and don’t care about what culture you come from but from mine, raising the arm to check the time during a date or gathering means that you have something else to do next and want to leave. And guess what… you can glance on your watch to check the time instead if you don’t want to be impolite.
Click to expand...
Who's talking about a date or social gathering except you? People often check the time when they are by themselves or have to get to that date or social gathering. And if I have to get home to my kid or something more important than that date or social gathering, I don't give a rat's ass who's company I'm in I'll surely check my watch if I have to.
 
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Mr.Blacky said:
Battery life sure as hell does not double if you turn off AOD. ?
But if you think so...
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I wish there was a test in this because I would think it does. The screen uses a lot of the power. If you think it doesn’t, then you can believe that. If you know of any test, I’m open to being wrong. I just upgraded the S7 from an S3, so it’ll take me some time to figure out my gains. The S3 wasn’t cutting it for me in terms if battery life but the S7 is significantly better and I think it’s because I turned off AOD.
 
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