HI John,
It's kind of hard to answer your question without physically seeing what you are referring to. In general I would not consider the backlight dim. If you activate it in daylight, it is hard to see, however in darkness, I think you would find it certainly bright enough to contrast the display. If you are really concerned about the brightness, it may be best to take it back to your retailer of purchase and compare it to another. This should tell you whether it is on par. Another option would be to replace the battery and see if that makes a difference.
I hope this helps some.
Best,