Nits are a unit of measurement for brightness, specifically luminance, used to describe various sources of light. One nit is equivalent to one candela per square meter (1cd/m2) . The ability of the human eye to perceive brightness is often communicated in terms of candela versus the actual amount of light given off being stated in lumens. The more nits, the brighter and more luminescent a screen can be.

The amount of lumens (light given off by the screen), number of pixels, and pixel pitch (how close the pixels are to one another) all impact how much light the eye can perceive. Because this measurement is based on what the eye perceives, it has several different input factors. Not having enough nits will leave your content looking like shadows on a screen.

Nits are important for a variety of reasons. They help us to understand the true brightness of a display. Most displays are not capable of reaching the full range of human color vision, so nits provide a way to measure the amount of light that is actually reaching our eyes. Nits have a profound impact on how consumers perceive displays today. The majority of consumers are unaware of the term “nit”, but its effects are visible in every display that emits light.

The brighter your environment, the brighter your digital display should be, and vice versa. Displays meant for outdoor usage require higher nits than screens intended for indoor use. Technically, a device starts counting as “sunlight-readable” when it hits at least 1,000 nits, but very few mobile displays go that high.