The Matter of Brightness Negotiation
The screen's automatic brightness is enabled. The screen's brightness has been adjusted manually four times today anyway.
The automatic brightness setting exists to solve the brightness problem.
The brightness problem is: the correct screen brightness changes as ambient light changes, and adjusting it manually requires noticing the change and acting on it. Automatic brightness removes this requirement. The sensor measures the light. The sensor adjusts the screen. The person looks at the screen.
The automatic brightness was enabled in 2023. The manual adjustments have also been active since 2023.
The Negotiation
The sensor and the person are in a sustained negotiation about brightness. The sensor makes a decision based on measured data. The person reviews the decision and, if it does not match their preference, overrides it. The override is manual. The sensor eventually makes another decision. The cycle continues.
This is not a malfunction. Both parties are operating correctly. The sensor is providing brightness based on light measurement. The person is overriding with a preference that includes factors the sensor cannot measure: how tired their eyes are, whether they are reading text or looking at images, whether the light in the room is from a window or an artificial source with a quality the sensor cannot distinguish.
The Current Status
The screen is at 71%. The sensor's last recommendation was 78%. The 7% difference represents the gap between what the light requires and what the person prefers.
Both are right. The negotiation continues.
The battery is at 43%. Manual brightness adjustments consume marginally more battery than allowing the sensor to operate. This has not been calculated. It would not change the behavior.
The screen is at 71%.