Best 2024 Smartwatches for brightness

#1 Polar Vantage M3
4.9

Brightness is excellent, with reviewers highlighting the screen as very bright and clear.

Pros: value for money, GPS accuracy

Cons: heart rate accuracy, companion app quality

#2 Coros Pace Pro
4.9

Brightness was consistently excellent, with reviewers praising the 1,500-nit AMOLED for night use, sunlight, and general readability.

Pros: battery life, GPS accuracy

Cons: heart rate accuracy, smartwatch features

#3 Amazfit T-Rex 3
4.7

Brightness was consistently praised, especially the high-nit AMOLED screen for outdoor and sunny use.

Pros: value for money, mapping and navigation

Cons: heart rate accuracy, recovery insights

#4 Suunto Race S
4.7

Brightness is consistently praised, with reviewers describing the screen as bright, vibrant, and easy to view in demanding conditions.

Pros: value for money, battery life

Cons: heart rate accuracy, onboard music storage

#5 Garmin Forerunner 165
4.7

Brightness was strongly praised in sunlight and adaptive lighting conditions.

Pros: value for money, GPS accuracy

Cons: recovery insights, onboard music storage

#6 Fitbit Ace LTE
4.7

Brightness is strong, with reviewers saying the display was bright enough for daylight and outdoor use.

Pros: coaching features, value for money

Cons: battery life

#7 Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5
4.6

Brightness is widely praised, with reviewers repeatedly calling the AMOLED panel bright enough for outdoor use and high peak brightness.

Pros: battery life, display quality

Cons: smartphone notifications, sleep tracking accuracy

#8 Xiaomi Watch 2
4.6

Brightness was praised as sufficient, including in direct sun or sunny-day use.

Pros: value for money, smartphone notifications

Cons: battery life, operating system experience

#9 Apple Watch Ultra 2
4.5

Brightness was praised for the 3,000-nit upgrade and outdoor readability, though a few reviewers found the improvement subtle in practice.

Pros: battery life, voice assistant quality

Cons: value for money, mapping and navigation

#10 Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
4.5

Brightness was a strength, with reviewers describing the screen as bright, vibrant, sharp, and readable.

Pros: smartwatch features, health tracking accuracy

Cons: value for money, software smoothness

#11 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2024)
4.5

Brightness was widely praised, especially the 3,000-nit display and strong automatic brightness behavior in direct sun.

Pros: battery life, sleep tracking accuracy

Cons: wellness insights, style and design

#12 Google Pixel Watch 3
4.4

Brightness was widely praised for the 2,000-nit Actua display and better sunlight readability, though one reviewer said dim-room AOD could be too dim.

Pros: battery life, display quality

Cons: GPS accuracy, charging convenience

#13 Garmin Fenix 8
4.3

Brightness was generally strong on AMOLED, though one reviewer tied always-on use to noticeably higher battery drain.

Pros: battery life, GPS accuracy

Cons: value for money, call handling

#14 Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
4.1

Brightness is mostly praised for a vibrant, readable display, though reviewers noted caveats such as a too-bright nighttime screen or harder underwater visibility.

Pros: value for money, wellness insights

Cons: battery life, cross-platform compatibility

#15 Apple Watch Series 10
4.0

Brightness was generally good, especially for glancing and always-on use, but several reviewers said the off-angle improvement was subtle.

Pros: charging speed, display quality

Cons: battery life, water resistance

#16 Garmin Enduro 3
4.0

Brightness was improved, especially versus older solar MIP designs, though AMOLED displays remained brighter in many conditions.

Pros: battery life, value for money

Cons: smartwatch features, size options

#17 Garmin Lily 2 Active
4.0

Brightness is generally acceptable, with one reviewer noting easy viewing, while another says the screen itself is not ultra-bright.

Pros: battery life, GPS accuracy

Cons: onboard music storage, mapping and navigation

#18 Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro
4.0

AMOLED brightness was generally praised, though one reviewer found outdoor comfort limited by glare and another focused praise on strong max brightness.

Pros: battery life, value for money

Cons: operating system experience, voice assistant quality

#19 Ticwatch Atlas
3.8

Brightness is usually acceptable or strong outdoors, but some reviewers found the screen less vibrant or dimmer than premium rivals.

Pros: battery life, display quality

Cons: operating system experience, voice assistant quality

#20 CMF Watch Pro 2
3.5

Brightness was adequate to good for many reviewers, but auto-brightness and peak brightness were not consistently satisfying in all lighting.

Pros: value for money, battery life

Cons: GPS accuracy, sleep tracking accuracy

#21 Polar Grit X2 Pro
3.5

The AMOLED panel was praised for brightness, though one review noted dramatic dimming at very low battery during workouts.

Pros: GPS accuracy, mapping and navigation

Cons: value for money, companion app quality

#22 OnePlus Watch 2R
3.5

Brightness was adequate but not perfect in one review, which wanted a bit more brightness in direct sunlight.

Pros: battery life, value for money

Cons: companion app quality, charging convenience

#23 Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 Lite
3.0

Brightness was mixed: the screen itself could be bright, but lack of auto-brightness frustrated multiple reviewers.

Pros: display quality, battery life

Cons: sleep tracking accuracy, voice assistant quality

#24 Xiaomi Redmi 5 Active
2.8

Brightness was mixed, with strong praise for brightness in one review but repeated criticism of missing or awkward auto-brightness.

Pros: call handling, smartwatch features

Cons: display quality, value for money

#25 Garmin Lily 2
2.4

Several reviewers wanted the monochrome display to be brighter, especially through the patterned lens or outdoors.

Pros: battery life, style and design

Cons: sleep tracking accuracy, workout tracking variety