If you forked over $600 for the stainless steel Apple Watch or even $17,000 for the 18-karat Edition gold model, you may have gotten a short shift.
The displays in this model aren't quite as clear as the face on the Apple Watch Sport, which retails at a comparably cheap $383.
According to Display Mate, sapphire in the pricier models reflects almost twice as much light and washes out the picture in very bright conditions. DisplayMate is a company that specializes in the calibration and optimization of all types of displays, from projectors and HDTVs to tablets and mobiles.
All the Apple Watches actually have the same flexible OLED display, but the Sport model is covered with an Ion-X strengthened glass, whereas other models are covered with sapphire crystal. This material is also used to cover most high-end traditional watches because it is extremely scratch-resistant. The sapphire crystal reflects about twice as much ambient light as glass. This isn't a problem for most watches as their displays work by reflecting ambient light, but it is causing issues in Apple's smartwatches.
"It is a major issue for smartwatch displays because doubling the amount of reflected light will significantly wash out the display's own image light, reducing both contrast and color saturation, and making it harder to see the image," says the review. DisplayMate says that a specially-treated Enhanced Sapphire will soon be available that delivers both high scratch resistance and low reflectance.
Despite highlighting this glitch, the review says that the new watches boast excellent displays that are comparable to the quality on the iPhone 6, saying "the images appeared very sharp on the relatively high pixels-per-inch (ppi) screen."
The only complaint really was how the screen deals with ambient light. The watches have an automatic brightness sensor that "significantly restrains" the brightness of the displays. The only way a user can adjust the brightness is by trying to place the screen in shadow somehow, and of course this flaw is only heightened by the sapphire crystal cover.
So, if you're considering buying an Apple Watch, you might be better plumping for the Sport model, at least until the next iteration when Apple is likely to find a solution to the reflecting glare.
