What is a nit? Screen brightness explained
Why nits decide whether you can read your screen in the sun — and how much you actually need.
By the Let’s Compare Editorial Team · 1 min read · Updated September 21, 2026
Phone, TV and monitor makers all quote brightness in 'nits', and the numbers keep climbing. Here's what a nit actually is, why it matters most outdoors and for HDR, and how much brightness you really need.
Brightness by use
| Screen / use | Comfortable brightness |
|---|---|
| Indoor monitor | ~300–400 nits |
| Phone outdoors | ~1,000+ nits (sustained) |
| TV, bright room (HDR) | 1,000+ nits |
| Dark-room OLED TV | Lower peak is fine (perfect blacks) |
What a nit is
A nit is a unit of brightness — technically one candela per square metre (cd/m²). The higher the nits, the brighter a screen can get. Brightness matters most in two situations: beating glare, where a brighter screen stays readable in sunlight, and HDR, where bright highlights (a glint of sun, a lightbulb) need real brightness to 'pop'.
Sustained vs peak — the marketing trap
Watch the wording. 'Peak brightness' is a best-case number a screen hits on a small patch of HDR content for a moment; 'sustained' or 'full-screen' brightness is what you actually get across the whole display, and it's much lower. A phone advertised at '2,000 nits peak' might sustain 800–1,000 nits in everyday use. For real-world readability, the sustained figure is the honest one to compare.
How much do you need?
Rough guides: a phone wants around 1,000+ sustained nits to stay easily readable in direct sun; an indoor monitor is comfortable at roughly 300–400 nits; a TV in a bright room benefits from high brightness (1,000+ nits) for HDR and glare, while a dark-room OLED can look stunning at lower peak brightness thanks to its perfect blacks. More isn't always better — beyond what your room needs, extra nits mostly serve HDR highlights.
Sources & further reading
This article is original analysis grounded in independently verified references, including non-English outlets. The facts above are sourced so you can check them yourself.
- Candela per square metre (the nit) — Wikipedia
- High-dynamic-range television (brightness & HDR) — Wikipedia