Iphone screen in sunlight

I live in coastal Carolina. It’s sunny. I don’t leave the phone in direct sunlight but if my iphone 12 mini (iOS 15.7) senses more light that it likes, it dims beyond useable foe this 50 something year old. It’s not only annoying, it presents a strain on my eyes and in some casws renders the phone unusable. I have read a lot of posts on here as well as elsewhere and there seems to be no solution but to turn the phone off and back on which often helps, but maybe there’s something I haven't found. This is my fourth iPhone and possibly my last now that I live in a sunny location.