Related
Options
This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Too low brightness in low ambient light.

Istvan
9 months ago

Hi,

Just received my Fenix 8 AMOLED 51mm and sadly noticed its new feature, which significantly decrease the brightness in low ambient light. Not to be confused, I do not mean the configurable timeout (4, 8 or 16 sec) or focus or red shift either.

Imagine I am in a dark room. Brightness is set to maximum, battery saver is off, gesture is on. When I raise my arm, the screen comes up, but it is too dark. If I illuminate the watch display by a flashlight, the brightness goes up automatically. When I switch off the flashlight and keep the display busy, the brightness goes down again after a few seconds.

In this dark mode I hardly see the display, and can not see the small letters/numbers at all. I had no this issue with EPIX, of which brightness was independent form the ambient light.

Unfortunately I did not find any settings to get rid of this kind of dimming.

Any thoughts?

Best regards,

Istvan

Top Replies

All Replies

  • +1 1 month ago in reply to Garmin-Laurie

    Update April 25, 2025: 

    Our engineers investigated concerns about the ambient light sensor dimming the watch too dark. They have determined this behavior is by design. 

    Your watch has an ambient light sensor that will dim the display in low light so that it is not blindingly bright. Your watch will also automatically brighten in bright light conditions to make your screen easier to read. 

    Your watch also behaves differently based on your Always On setting:

    • Always On Display Mode is On:
      • After your set display timeout period, the watch will dim to low power mode. In this mode, the watch is conserving battery and extending the life of the display. 
      • It may be difficult to read at times once it has dimmed to low power mode. To resolve this, press the Light (top right) button to brighten the display to full power mode. Alternatively, you can use gesture, or press buttons if you have those options turned on in your display settings. Once the display has brightened it will remain bright for the length of your timeout period, and will then dim again. 
      • If your watch is not detecting heart rate (for example you are not wearing the watch), the display will turn off after your timeout period instead of going to low power mode. 
    • Always On Display Mode is Off:
      • The display will turn off after your set timeout period. 
      • To brighten the display, press the Light (top right) button. Alternatively, you can use gesture, or press buttons if you have those options turned on in your display settings. Once the display has brightened it will remain bright for the length of your timeout period, and will then turn off again.

    You can learn more about your display in this FAQ: Understanding Always On Setting for the fēnix 8 AMOLED Watches