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Xiaomi advertises a top brightness of 1500 nits for the HDR10+ certified AMOLED panel of the 12S Pro. The same also goes for the flagship smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. However, our display measurements don’t confirm these values. In the realistic APL18 test, we measure a maximum brightness of 952 cd/m² for the Xiaomi 12S Pro, and a very similar 983 cd/m² for the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Our two test units don’t even come close to their advertised 1500 nits in our measurements.
However, Xiaomi isn’t alone in this, and other manufacturers show the same problem – for example OnePlus or Oppo. In terms of display brightness, the AMOLED panel of the OnePlus 10T only reaches a maximum brightness of 873 cd/m² in our APL18 measurements, and the top OnePlus 10 Pro model only reaches 799 cd/m² but measured with the APL50. While the APL18 still leaves some room on top, the advertised 1300 nits aren’t reached here either. The same goes for the Oppo Find X5 Pro. At 816 cd/m², the OLED display is as bright as the OnePlus sibling models, but we are still unable to tickle the advertised 1300 cd/m² from the smartphone, not even close.
Possibly the displays of these smartphones might reach the advertised brightness of far above 1000 cd/m² in some specific scenarios, but in everyday usage, this is hardly relevant. That things can be done differently is shown by Samsung. At 1,788 cd/m² in our APL18 test, the Galaxy S22 Ultra reaches almost exactly the advertised manufacturer specifications of 1,800 nits. And Honor also comes much closer to its spec sheet (1,000 nits) with the 956 cd/m² we measure for the Magic4 Pro, even if this brightness is at a much lower level than that from the Korean manufacturer.
If you value a powerful upper-class smartphone and are not afraid of importing one, you can get a detailed impression of the Xiaomi 12S Pro in our extensive test of the Xiaomi smartphone.
I have always been very passionately interested in mobile technologies, especially smartphones. Being a tech enthusiast means the half-life of my devices isn’t exactly long, and being the latest hardware is not enough to suffice as the manufacturer and operating system play a minor role – the most important aspect for me is that the device is state-of-the-art. After posting for Mobi Test I joined Notebookcheck in 2016, where I have been pursuing my enthusiasm for technology by reviewing the latest smartphone, tablet, and accessory trends.
Translator: Mark Riege – Translator – 353 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018
Having worked as a programmer for 20 years (medical devices, AI, data management systems), I’ve been following the computer scene for many years and especially enjoy finding out about new technology advances. Originally from Germany but living in the US, I’ve been working as a translator more recently, with Notebookcheck allowing me to combine my interest in new devices and translation. Other interests include Buddhism, spending time in Tibetan monasteries, and translating ancient Tibetan texts.