A general conversation about the future of MIP for our watches..

That and I think we as a human don't have same specs in our eyes Granted needed to get my first glasses this year, but the thing I usually look at side eye is just the time and I have easily readable watchface for that. Like full numbers, not just the outer lines.

My biggest issue with AMOLED is that the AOD mode isn't really Always On like MIP displays. It's a very bland dimmed out black mode. For 24/7 usage (watch face) and activity usage (data screens), I much prefer MIP displays.

Yes, AMOLED looks better when scrolling through widgets, but I do that very rarely, for like 30 seconds during the morning report.

haha... i do have old eyes such that i can no longer use watch faces with the tiny fonts. thankfully Big Easy works well for showing a lot of data and the time (and data in fact) are easy to see even with these 54 year old eyes.

i hope MIPS sticks around, but i'm guessing when i'm due for a replacement of my 955 solar in 2-3 years, i will have to go with AMOLED. it will be an adjustment and i will definitely use the AOD becauase my habit is definitely to glance/"side eye" my watch without any gesture. been doing this for years with regular watches and all my Garmin daily drivers (didn't start wearing my garmin daily until the 735XT).

I have got quite adapted to the 965 AMOLED now, after being quite hesitant at the outset. I have AOD off (apart from activities) and have got used to a small wrist flick gesture to see the watchface during the day etc. I do wish there was a way to adjust the sensitivity of the gestures though.

For running its been great generally and the resolution and clarity of the screen makes a difference to my old eyes also. I can see the issue with AOD/gesture during some types of activities though but in my use case it is great.  I think I would be hesitant to go back to the MIP unless the clarity of it improves over time also.

Very interesting thread...

I am completely in love with the MIP screens, in addition to usability which I find to be better than Amoled in summer, but honestly worst in winter, it is actually the looks of it that I love... the fact that they make the watch look more like a watch than a subsidiatry to my phone. And I am still a bit pissed at myself for choosing a solar version when changing my 47mm fenix 6, to a fenix 6x, the clean natural look of the "non sapphire - non solar - non touchscreen" base fenix 6 was the best ever (though the backlight was ugly.... but still gave it a very distinct personality, as a old casio from the 70's or 80's... charming!)

But again... I do understand this is really personal, and just as a disclaimer... coming from a guy which is somewhat seriously thinking to change his android tablet with a e-ink alternative merely for the looks of it... apparently I am just a guy that really loves ugly screens

This is clearly a thing where peoples' preferences differ. But out of genuine interest, why would a display technology make a watch look like a "subsidiary to ones phone"? 

sorry it is possible that the expression I used does not really translate good to English (I am not a native English speaker).

What I meant was that an AMOLED watch to me looks like a shiny, colorfully, bright little smartphone instead of looking like a... Watch!

It's again just personal taste,I really don't like a watch that is either pitch black or shines out its own ligh (even a deem light in "always on" mode)

I am thinking to add to the collection an instinct crossover just because "acts" more like a watch... Unfortunately its plastic while I prefer the Fenix metal build (I would actually prefer a marq build with mip, but in the end... AMOLED and too expensive, so with this Garmin saved me some thousands buck LOL)

Ok, I see what you mean.  But then, I think what you are describing is inevitable. A smartwatch is primarily not a watch, it's a small wearable computer, which can be used to tell the time also. Just like 10-15 years ago most people wouldn't have though that an amoled watch would have looked like a phone, since phones didn't look like that (they were supposed to have physical buttons and a small display to see 160 character text messages).

But let's hope there's enough choice in the future so that everyone (or at least the vast majority) is happy!

Fair point... my take would be... similarly to a lot of people I enjoy "regular" watches (they still produce stuff like the Rolex watches, right?) but also want the tracking features that come with the Garmin watches and similar, so I try to merge the 2 things (and I do it better than a friend of mine, that wears a rolex on the left arm and a sports / smart band on the right one... not joking!)

But in the end you are right, AMOLED is the direction of current tech development, however... hopefully they will still produce something that appeals to me as well