Nits are a way to measure how bright a screen is. Imagine a standard candle you might light in a dining room or on the side of your bath tub. One nit is roughly the amount of light given off by one candle shining on one square meter.
So, if a screen has a brightness of 300 nits, it’s like having 300 candles shining on each square meter of the screen. The higher the number of nits, the brighter the screen will appear.
Why is Brightness Important?
- Visibility: In bright environments, like outdoors on a sunny day, a screen with more nits will be easier to see. Think about trying to use your phone in direct sunlight – a brighter screen helps you see the content clearly
- Image Quality: Brighter screens can make colors look more vibrant and the picture more clear, especially for things like High Dynamic Range (HDR) content in TVs and monitors
Think of it like the volume on a speaker – nits are like the “volume” of light coming from your screen. You need enough “volume” to see clearly in different situations. For using a device indoors, a brightness of around 200-400 nits is usually enough. However, if you’re using it outdoors in bright sunlight, you’ll want a screen with 600 nits or more to be able to see properly.
NITS Examples:
TVs:
- Normal TV: A typical modern non-HDR TV might have a brightness in the range of 250 to 400 nits. This is generally sufficient for comfortable viewing in most indoor lighting conditions
- High-End TV: High-end TVs, especially those supporting HDR (High Dynamic Range), can reach significantly higher brightness levels. Some premium LED and OLED TVs can have peak brightness levels ranging from 1000 nits to over 3000 nits. This higher brightness helps to display HDR content with greater contrast and more vibrant highlights, and also improves visibility in bright rooms. For example, some of the latest high-end TVs in 2025, like the Samsung S95D OLED, can reach peak brightness of over 3000 nits
Monitors:
- Normal Monitor: A standard office or general-purpose monitor typically has a brightness between 250 to 350 nits. This is adequate for everyday tasks, web browsing, and general productivity in an indoor environment.
- High-End Monitor: High-end monitors, particularly those designed for gaming or professional work like video editing, often have higher brightness. Gaming monitors can range from 400 to 600 nits or more, enhancing the vibrancy and visibility in games. Professional HDR monitors can even exceed 1000 nits to accurately display HDR content. Some sunlight-readable monitors designed for outdoor or very bright indoor use can go even higher, reaching 1000 nits to 2500 nits
Cell Phones:
- Normal Cell Phone: Typical smartphones have a maximum brightness ranging from 400 to 700 nits under normal conditions. This is usually sufficient for indoor use and decent visibility outdoors in moderate lighting
- High-End Cell Phone: High-end smartphones often boast much higher peak brightness levels, especially when in High Brightness Mode (HBM) or when displaying HDR content. Some of the latest flagship phones can reach peak brightness levels between 1500 nits and up to 6000 nits (though the very high numbers are often for a small portion of the screen). For example, phones like the Honor Magic 6 Pro and Realme GT 6T advertise peak brightness around 5000-6000 nits. This high brightness is crucial for excellent outdoor visibility even in direct sunlight. For typical manual brightness, high-end phones operate between 1000-2000 nits
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