I'm happy with the brightness, which is adjustable, on the 296. The resolution could be a little better, but is still good. Mine is an older one which I bought used on Ebay. There are good deals to be found there, but watch out for the dishonest people selling new ones at "too good to be true" prices. Garmin posts operating system upgrades on their website for free so there is no disadvantage in buying a used one. Incidentally, the terrain update, which is usually $295.00 is free this cycle! There is a beta version of the next operating system available, but I'll be waiting for them to work the bugs out.