Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?

[MiniForklift]

I turn 50 next year and have noticed a decline in my eyesight over the last couple of years. Nothing too bad, mainly just with focusing and needing to read things at a further distance away so it’s not blurred. I’m still on my V1 which I’ve had for 3 years, still no issues at all with legibility and I don’t struggle to read anything whilst I’m running on road or trails. I do a lot of running in the dark and I find the display with the backlight fantastic; I don’t have a V2 to use as a reference point, but one of my training partners has an AMOLED (Garmin). It is simply way too bright for me, so maybe there’s a degree of personal preference with AMOLED versus MIP

[VoiGAS]

Bought a used Vertical1 after having problems with the RaceS AMOLED in the sun.
Vertical is a lot better in the Sun, Race S “From dusk till dawn” and indoor.
I’ll keep both, switching watches is quite easy in the App.

But I think AMOLED could completely replace MIP with better adaptive reactions to movement and sunlight. Max brightness is good already on RaceS

[safari]

@VoiGAS I still haven’t sold my Vertical 1.
It’s doing well compared to Vertical 2.
The sun’s contribution to charging is 5% under my conditions.
Vertical 2 finds satellites much faster in wooded areas.
The only downside is that my battery consumption is higher compared to Vertical 1.

[elbee]

@VoiGAS said in Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?:

But I think AMOLED could completely replace MIP with better adaptive reactions to movement and sunlight. Max brightness is good already on RaceS

Amoled will completely replace Mip. Mainly for commercial reasons. They sell way better.

There is a small (but loud) group who prefer mips because of readability in direct sunlight, battery usage and/or real always on display without any delays in turning on or needing a wrist gesture. (I’m in this group)

Some people find amoled better readable. Most have either had a sapphire mip display or have a gazillion datafields on their watch. For their use they have a valid point.

But the biggest group just find mip displays looking old fashioned and prefer a shiny gadget. So they buy an amoled watch

[VoiGAS]

@MiniForklift Good point - enabling backlight on the Vertical 1 should solve the issues in the shadows I guess. Just always forgetting to do it…

[cosme.costa]

@VoiGAS Because the solution is raise to “iluminate” only in activities. Older watches used to have it and the old S5P still has it. I’ve been and continue asking for this until I get it or change the watch

[VoiGAS]

@cosme.costa Yes, I am also struggling with the settings. It is available on the RaceS, but not on the Vertical 1. I am suprised and confused…

So not really a solution so far. Its possible to “enable” backlight on the V1, whatever that means. Always on, adaptive to the sun? But then the battery lifetime is cut in a half(!)

Edit: I think I found it. In the general display settings there is a “Standby” option. This enables adaptive backlight for activities - and unfortunately also for Watchface usage. @cosme.costa I now understand what you mean…

[freeheeler]

@elbee said in Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?:
(I’m in this group)

welcome to this group

[sky-runner]

@VoiGAS said in Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?:

But I think AMOLED could completely replace MIP with better adaptive reactions to movement and sunlight. Max brightness is good already on RaceS

The market thinks otherwise. The supply of MIP is dwindling because there is not enough demand, and as I understand currently there are only one or two producers of small round MIP displays for watches.

Another problem with MIP is that displays are thicker and require a wider bezel, which is not what most customers want.

[duffman19]

@sky-runner said in Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?:

The market thinks otherwise.

The original discussion here is whether a demand for MIP exists, not what the market says. Obviously the trend is towards AMOLED, but, also obviously, there is a small subset of consumers who appreciate the technical and aesthetic benefits of MIP technology.

Simply looking at device sales isn’t a great way to gauge what people actually want. Technology trends are often the results of what will make the most money for the companies selling the tech. Look at cell phones as an example. Remember the race to make smaller and smaller phones in the late 90s and early 00s? Think Derek Zoolander. Having a phone on you at all times was convenient, but people wanted it out of the way when they weren’t using it. Tiny phones were cool.

Fast forward past the Blackberry to the introduction of the iPhone. Normally, technological advances result in smaller, more efficient devices. However the opposite has happened with smart phones. They’ve only gotten larger and more power hungry. Why? Because now the money is in media consumption. Bigger screens, more eyeball time.

My personal phone is an original iPhone SE with a 4 inch screen. I love it because it’s small, easily repairable, and does everything I need it to do. I often get comments when people see it wishing they could have a smaller phone, but they simply don’t have the option anymore. “The market” has determined that giant phones are the trend.

All of that to say that we all know AMOLED watches are the future because they’re big, bright, cheap, and pretty to look at. If you have failing eyesight or just prefer this sort of display, great! I’m glad you have the option. But that doesn’t mean there is no longer a market for a more subtle display technology. It’s more that we’re a smaller, less vocal subset.

We’re also well aware that MIP displays no longer make financial sense for companies like Suunto. Personally, I’m okay with what I currently have (9PP for everyday wear, SV1 for big adventures). My worry is that once these devices die, there will be no new options for someone with my taste. Maybe by then the trends will have shifted and low-tech will be in again.

[duffman19]

To add one more thing, there’s been some talk about how the top finishers at this year’s London Marathon all wore relatively old, entry-level, mostly MIP watches.

https://lifehacker.com/health/these-are-the-cheap-running-watches-worn-by-the-london-marathon-winners

Not that marathon and road running is Suunto’s wheelhouse, but this points to the fact that there are many athletes who just need a watch to track the basics.

[OutdoorMan]

@duffman19 I have a very unpopular opinion about this - the more serious you are about sports, the less you care about having the latest tech, etc. I’ve seen some people who shout and complain about everything do almost nothing, just track occasional walks. Different people have different priorities I guess.

[2b2bff]

@OutdoorMan said in Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?:

the more serious you are about sports, the less you care about having the latest tech, etc

It depends, but yes, there are certainly a lot of excellent runners (that’s my bubble) that use older watches. Garmin FR 735, Fenix 6 and so.

[Stavrogin]

@2b2bff I think you are correct. There are a ton of people out there that use older tech. There are the early adopters, the tech insane and those that just do the work with what they have and that means Fenix 5s, 745s and even old Coros watches.

That is not to say that I agree that if you are serious about sports you care less about tech. I think it is very individual.

[MiniForklift]

Hence the phrase…

All the gear, no idea