What is Nits Brightness? How Many Do I Need for Displays?

When shopping for a new PC monitor, TV, or smartphone, you’ve probably come across the term “nits brightness” in the specs. But what exactly does that mean—and how much brightness do you really need? Whether you’re a gamer, a designer, or just want a screen that looks good in any light, understanding brightness nits will help you choose the right display.

How Nits Brightness Is Measured

In simple terms, nits (also expressed as cd/m², or candelas per square meter) measure how bright a display can get. The higher the nit count, the brighter the screen. Brightness is a key factor in display quality, affecting everything from clarity in sunlight to color vibrancy and HDR performance. A display with 400 nits brightness emits 400 candelas per square meter.

Manufacturers measure nits using precision photometric tools in controlled environments. However, real-world brightness also depends on factors like ambient light, screen reflectivity, and viewing angles. This is why a monitor with lower rated nits might look brighter in certain conditions than a higher-rated one.

Recommended Nits Brightness for Different Needs

So how many nits do you actually need? That depends on where and how you use your device. Here's a quick comparison:

For example, a 400 nits LCD monitor is great for general office work or casual home use. But if you're editing HDR video or playing games with deep shadows and highlights, 800–1000 nits will make a noticeable difference.

Factors Affecting Display Brightness

While nits brightness is a direct measurement of a screen’s luminance, how bright a display appears to the human eye is influenced by several deeper technological factors. These go beyond just the nit rating on the spec sheet.

1. Display Technology: Light Source and Modulation

The type of display technology used determines how efficiently light is produced and controlled across the screen.

• LCD (LED-Backlit)
  LCD panels don't emit light on their own—they rely on a backlight unit (BLU). The brightness is influenced by the intensity of this LED backlight and how well the liquid crystals modulate it. Traditional edge-lit LCDs may suffer from inconsistent luminance across the screen due to backlight diffusion limitations, and backlight bleeding reduces contrast and effective brightness in dark scenes.

• OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)
  OLED pixels are self-emissive, meaning each subpixel generates its own light. This allows for perfect blacks and infinite contrast, but peak brightness is often limited due to the risk of burn-in and thermal constraints—driving OLED pixels too hard can shorten their lifespan, especially in larger panels.

• Mini-LED
  This is an advancement in backlight tech using hundreds to thousands of local dimming zones, enabling better control of brightness in localized areas. Mini-LED displays can reach much higher peak brightness than standard LCDs, while maintaining deeper contrast ratios and minimizing blooming effects.

2. Panel Type: Light Transmission and Angular Uniformity

For, LCD displays, different panel types transmit light differently due to variations in the structure of their liquid crystal alignment and polarizers:

• IPS (In-Plane Switching)
  IPS panels allow light to pass through more evenly across wide angles due to the parallel alignment of liquid crystals. This ensures uniform brightness and accurate color from various viewpoints, though the light transmission rate is lower than TN, requiring a stronger backlight to achieve the same brightness level.

• VA (Vertical Alignment)
  VA panels align crystals perpendicularly when off, offering deep blacks and high native contrast. However, this vertical alignment can lead to narrower viewing angles and non-uniform luminance, especially at the edges or corners.

• TN (Twisted Nematic)
  TN panels are the most efficient in terms of light transmission—this means they can achieve high brightness with less backlight intensity. However, their poor color reproduction and extremely limited viewing angles often reduce the perceived brightness unless viewed directly head-on.

3. Surface Reflectivity & Ambient Lighting: Perception vs Reality

Even a display rated at 800 nits can appear dim if it's not optimized for real-world environments.

• Reflective Coatings: Displays with glossy or highly reflective surfaces reflect ambient light, which interferes with the light coming from the screen itself. This causes glare and reduced perceived brightness, especially in daylight or under overhead lighting.

• Anti-Glare and Matte Finishes: These treatments diffuse external light rather than reflecting it directly back, helping maintain clarity and contrast even in bright conditions. They don’t increase the actual nits, but they significantly improve visibility and perceived brightness.

• Human Eye Adaptation: Our eyes adjust to ambient brightness. In brighter environments, your eyes naturally expect higher luminance to perceive something as “bright.” A screen that looks vibrant in a dark room may feel washed out outdoors unless it pushes 800+ nits.

Tips for Great Viewing

Even the brightest screen can look dull if not set up correctly. Try these tips:

• Adjust brightness to match your environment or enable auto-brightness if available.

• Maintain ideal viewing angles, especially with non-IPS panels.

• Enable HDR mode if your content and monitor support it—it unlocks higher peak brightness and dynamic range.

NPC Products You Might Be Interested In

Here are three handpicked monitors from NPC, a trusted display brand under Guangzhou Xianyou Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. - a company known for delivering high-performance screen solutions to gamers, professionals, and home users alike.

Each monitor is built to serve different needs—from ultra-wide immersion to high-speed competitive gaming and everyday productivity.

1. NPC-Q4986B-11

• 49-inch VA Panel, UHD 5120×1440 Resolution

• 1500R Curved Design | 144Hz Refresh Rate | 1ms Response Time

• HDR10 Certified (HDR400 Brightness Level)

• Adaptive Sync | Tilt Adjustable | DisplayPort + HDMI

With HDR400-level brightness and a cinematic 1500R curvature, the NPC-Q4986B-11 brings immersive gameplay and multitasking to a new level. The ultra-wide screen paired with high contrast VA technology delivers vivid detail, deep blacks, and smooth motion—ideal for sim racers, multitaskers, and immersive AAA gamers.

Brightness Range: ~400 nits (HDR-certified)
Best For: Professional gamers, immersive content creators, multi-window productivity

2. NPC-WF2433-K4

• 23.8” QHD 2560×1440 | IPS Panel | 240Hz Refresh Rate

• 1ms Response | HDR10 | sRGB 95% | DCI-P3 95%

• FreeSync Premium + Adaptive G-Sync | Dual HDMI + DisplayPort

• Customizable Nits Brightness (Tailored to your lighting needs)

Designed for competitive esports and color-accurate content, the NPC-WF2433-K4 is a high-speed monitor with a professional-grade IPS display. The unique feature? You can customize the brightness nits level to match your gaming setup—whether you’re under studio lights or in a dark room, you’ll always see every frame clearly.

Brightness Range: Custom-configurable (ideal range: 350–500 nits)
Best For: Pro gamers, designers, streamers, and users in mixed lighting environments

3. NPC-Mx3208

• 32” Full HD 1920×1080 VA Panel | 165Hz Refresh Rate

• HDMI + VGA | VESA Mountable | Frameless Design

• Ergonomic Tilt | Eye Care Features | 250 nits Brightness

The NPC-Mx3208 offers the perfect balance of size, speed, and price. With 250 nits of brightness, it's well-suited for indoor environments like offices and home setups where controlled lighting makes brightness demands lower. The 165Hz refresh rate still ensures smooth gaming, while eye care features protect during long usage hours.

Brightness Range: 250 nits
Best For: Budget-conscious users, office multitaskers, casual gamers

Conclusion

Understanding nits brightness helps you find the display that fits your lifestyle, whether you're working under office lights or binge-watching your favorite HDR series at home. While 400 nits is fine for many users, power users may benefit from higher brightness levels for better clarity, color depth, and overall experience.

Next time you're shopping for a PC monitor, keep brightness in mind - not just resolution or size. With the right nit level, you can enjoy a truly vibrant viewing experience wherever you are.