Is there a way to keep the screen on during a workout?
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My new Sunnto Race is very hard to read in bright sunlight when the screen dims. I am an 800m runner and often do grass repeats and track intervals. The problem is, when I glance down at the watch to check my splits (for example every 200m) it is too dim to read and I must hold my left arm up for more than a single stride (I run around 85-95 strides/minute) for it to brighten the screen. This is awkward. I certainly could not do that in a race or time trial without it throwing off my stride. The dimming is barely noticeable inside a building, but out in bright sunlight it is dramatically different.
On my Sunnto 9 Peak I could turn on the backlight during hard workouts or races. That worked great to enable me to see the screen no matter what the lighting was outside. Is there any way for me to do something similar with the Race? Maybe set the screen not to dim just when I am working out or racing? Or, maybe there is a way to change the screen from a dark background to a light background?
I would really like to keep the watch (it was a gift), but on my first interval run outside today with the Race it felt like a big step backwards from my Sunnto 9 Peak screen.
My settings:
Display>Brightness>High
Display>Always On>ON
Display>Raise to Wake>Full Wake ModeSoftware 2.33.14
Pictures: 1)dim and 2)raise to wake/brighten
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@Jesse-800m Have you tried AoD turned on in the Control panel as well?
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@EzioAuditore
Yes:
My settings:
Display>Brightness>High
Display>Always On>ON
Display>Raise to Wake>Full Wake ModeSeems this has been discussed already (my mistake for not searching well enough and creating a duplicate, this post could probably be deleted.)
The issue is just that AMOLED screens are not highly visible in bright sunlight unless fully on. In the “Dimmed” state it looks like this, compared the the S 9 Peak…
If there were a way to keep it “bright” during certain situations (ie, races, time trials, interval training) then it would surpass the readability of the S9P MIP display.
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Sadly must return this while I can until (if) this issue is resolved.
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@Jesse-800m I can highly recommend the Suunto Vertical Titanium. It is more expensive but it is the best watch of the market.
The software needs to be pulished a bit to be on pair with the Race (sleep, naps, step counter). But it’s GNSS is the most accurate, It has a very good screen and with an external HR band, you’ll have the best measurements ever.
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@dreamer_ and it s summer offer currently so it’s discounted
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This is a good point you bring up and I would like to follow to see if someone has a good suggestion. I find myself sometimes struggling to activate the raise to wake to brighten the display and would prefer to be able to quickly glance at the watch without an exaggerated raise to wake gesture
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D dreamer_ referenced this topic on
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Hi. I’m new to Suunto, I’ve a Race S, and this problem is the first thing I noticed.
I’m very surprised that there is actually no option to really keep the screen on (not dimmed), it’s a pain to read it when doing intervals, or riding on a bike, etc… My 10 years old Garmin Forerrunner 235 didn’t have this basic problem, for instance…
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@ChanOJ if you want always on you can enable it from the exercise options (AoD).
You are comparing however MIP display on the forerunner with AMOLED. -
@ChanOJ this is not a basic problem. Amoled displays dot hat to save battery life and prevent burn out od the display. This is the sacrifice for the bright and shiny colors of an amoled display.
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@EzioAuditore said in Is there a way to keep the screen on during a workout?:
if you want always on you can enable it from the exercise options (AoD)
Nope. As said in this thread, “Always on” on our watches doesn’t actually mean always on. It actually means “Always DIMMED, or OFF, and ON only when RTW”.
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@OutdoorMan Agree, burning is a risk, but :
- power : we don’t mind, we are grown up adults
- burning : there are strategies for that : e.g make RTW (way) more sensible when AOD is enabled, auto scroll the screen, regular warning display (with auto close of the warning), etc… I mean, if we ask AOD for a type of activity, we actually mean AOD, not unreadable dimmed display. I’m not talking about AOD outside of activities.
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@ChanOJ Yes I know, I wouldn’t also mind. In the end it’s a tool. But I think this is a way for a company to minimise risks and a way to extend the life of the product.
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@ChanOJ I’m not absolutely sure to what extent, but displaying any information on an AMOLED screen shortens its lifespan, which is why the AOD modes are rather minimalistic.
