reducing the brightness level on the Fenix 8 Pro AMOLED for daily use

Hi,

I just got my Fenix 8 Pro 47mm AMOLED, upgrading from the Epix Gen 2, and I’ve noticed that even the lowest brightness level on the smartwatch feels too high, especially when not in activities. The brightness could easily be reduced by 50% and still remain perfectly readable indoors. What surprises me is that the watch sometimes dims itself noticeably when navigating menus in very low light, showing it’s capable of much lower brightness levels. 

In short, there’s either room to improve the external light sensor’s calibration or an option to add a fourth level of manual brightness adjustment. Other than that, it’s a fantastic piece of hardware. I can feel the improvements over the Epix Gen 2 like better feeling buttons and much easier menu navigation.

  • I feel the same way. The light sensor in the Fenix 8 was a bit too bright. At times, it was too dark. But since the Forerunner 970/570 and in the Venu X1 and Fenix 8 Pro, Garmin has doubled the nit count, so this also requires adjusting the brightness levels. I think you could get more out of the battery if you prefer a darker screen, like the Fenix 8. Generally, AMOLED versions require better light sensor calibration, and Farmon should address this. There's a topic here, and many appeals for it. It's strange that the manufacturer doesn't want to listen to the majority of users (because if you conducted a survey, you'd find that most want it), because most companies fulfill requests and introduce features that users need because they're functional, while Garmin ignores them.

  • Only 3 brightness levels is absurd. Every other non-Garmin device has a slider with a wide range. It feels like Garmin updated the displays but forgot to update the software to map the levels right. At least offer a wider range, 5 levels with 20 percent steps. I hope this is a misstep and not planned obsolescence to make these watches burn-in faster.