Redmi 9 series smartphones have proven to be affordable and reliable devices, but over time, users may notice that the display color reproduction has changed or become less comfortable for the eyes. Screen calibration is a process of adjusting the color profile and sensitivity, which helps to return the picture to natural and saturated. Unlike flagship models, budget devices often do not have built-in automatic tools for fine-tuning colors, which requires the owner to dive deeper into the settings of the system.
There are several reasons why you might need to tamper with your display settings: it can be either a software glitch after you update your firmware or a user's individual perception of color temperature. Often, standard MIUI settings seem too cold or too warm. Hardware calibration at Redmi 9 doesn't always take into account individual preferences, so manually adjusting through hidden menus is the most effective solution.
In this article, we will take a closer look at all the ways you can improve your device’s image. We won’t use third-party apps with dubious reputations, but will focus on the regular Android features and proven engineering menu techniques. Proper tuning will not only improve the visual experience, but can also positively affect the autonomy of the device if you reduce the brightness to a comfortable level.
Standard Color Scheme settings in MIUI
Before we get to the tricky side of things, we need to learn the basics of the operating system. The MIUI shell on Redmi 9 offers a flexible enough tool to customize the image first. Most users are limited to the brightness slider, overlooking the finer settings that can dramatically change the way they perceive the image.
To access the basics, go to Settings → Screen → Colors and saturation. Here you will see several preset profiles, such as "Saturated", "Standard" and "Classic". Selecting a "Classic" profile usually leads to the most accurate color reproduction, close to the sRGB standard, which is especially important when viewing photos or editing documents.
But standard profiles aren't always perfect. Some firmware versions have Advanced Settings, which allows you to adjust the color temperature separately. Shifting the slider to blue makes the image cooler and to yellow warmer. White balance is a key parameter that affects how white the screen looks.
⚠️ Warning: Changing color temperature affects all apps at once.If you set a warm hue for comfortable reading, in games, colors may look unnaturally yellow.
You should also look at the Reading function, or Eye Protection Mode, which adds a yellow filter over the entire image, and for calibration, it's best to turn off this mode to see the real picture, and only turn on when you're working with text for long periods of time in the dark.
Using the Developer Mode for Calibration
If standard settings are not enough, you can take advantage of the hidden capabilities of Android. Developer mode provides access to system functions that are usually hidden from the average user. In particular, we are interested in the function of color scheme simulation, which allows you to force change the way colors are displayed at the system level.
To activate this mode, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI version seven times. After the message "You became a developer" appears, go back to the main settings menu and select Additional → For developers.
You can choose "Monochrome" to check pixels or "Fix deuteranomaly" to correct color blindness, but for calibration, "Enable color correction" is important. Activation of this feature allows you to switch color profiles on the fly, which is useful for testing different use cases.
Using developer mode requires caution. Incorrect settings can make the interface difficult to read. If you accidentally select the wrong setting and the screen has become black and white or inverted, just restart the device in Safe Mode or reset the settings through the developer menu.
- 🔹 Go to the hidden developer menu after 7 clicks MIUI.
- 🔹 Find the section "Hardware acceleration rendering" or "Simulation of color space".
- 🔹 Experiment with the "Deuteranomaly Correction" settings to change the gamma.
- 🔹 Don’t forget to turn off the simulation after settings are complete to return normal colors.
Calibration through CIT Engineering Menu
The deepest level of customization is available through the CIT (Customer Integration Test) engineering menu, which is designed for service centers, but can be used by advanced users to diagnose and reset display settings, where you can check each pixel and reset factory color settings.
To get into the testing menu, open the Phone app and dial the code ##6484##. If the code doesn't work, go to Settings → About → All settings and click on "Kernel Version" a few times. The menu will open where you want to select the item associated with the display or Display.
From the CIT menu, select the Color Bar or Display test, where you can see test images of different colors, which helps you detect broken pixels or uneven backlights, and if the screen has a noticeable yellow or blue hue compared to another device of the same model, you can also reset the calibration here.
It's important to understand that the Redmi 9's engineering menu may not have sliders for manually adjusting RGB, like on TVs. The main function here is diagnostics and factory reset. If the factory calibration was broken by software, the CIT reset will return the original values.
| Parameter | Description | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Color Temperature | Color temperature (heat/cold) | 6500K (Standard) |
| Gamma | Brightness curve of average tones | 2.2 (Standard) |
| White Point | White Point (RGB balance) | D65 |
| Brightness | Maximum brightness of the backlight | Feelings (400 nits) |
Reset screen settings and eliminate errors
Sometimes color problems arise from accumulated errors in the system cache or conflicts after updating applications. In such cases, the most effective solution is to completely reset the screen settings to factory values. This action will not delete your personal data, but return all display parameters to their original state.
You can reset via the Settings Restore menu. Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset. Note that a full phone reset (Wipe Data) will delete all files, so use the Settings Only Reset option if available in your version of MIUI, or pre-back up.
The alternative method is the use of ADB-commands to reset specific settings in the settings database, which requires a computer connection and an Android Debug Bridge installed. screen_brightness_mode 0 It can help to reset automatic brightness, which often conflicts with manual tuning.
⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-Introducing the wrong command can lead to unstable system operation or loss of access to screen settings.
If the problem remains after the reset, it may be the hardware part. LCD-Redmi 9's sensors are sensitive to temperature changes and mechanical stress. If there are spots or stripes on the screen, software calibration will not help.
Third-party applications for fine-tuning
When built-in tools aren't enough, Google Play Store apps come to the rescue, allowing you to create a color profile that overlaps over the main image, and one of the most popular and secure solutions is Screen Balance, or root-free apps.
The way these programs work is simple: they create a translucent layer of a certain color to make up for the excess of a different shade on the screen. For example, if your Redmi 9 goes green, the app will add a purple filter to neutralize that shade. This is a software emulation, but the visual effect is very close to hardware calibration.
To use these utilities, you need to give them permission to display on top of the other windows. Once you run, you'll see Red, Green, Blue sliders. You can move them around, you can get perfect white on test images. This is especially true for budget matrices, where factory quality control might miss deviations.
Keep in mind that these apps only work in the Android interface and may not be activated in some games or video players with their own rendering. Also, when you reboot the device, the application must start automatically to save the settings.
- 🔹 Download a proven calibration app (e.g. Screen Balance).
- 🔹 Open the test image with a white background.
- 🔹 Adjust sliders RGB pre-color.
- 🔹 Save the profile and add the app to the autoload.
The effect of brightness and refresh rate on perception
Calibration of colors is only part of the equation. The perception of an image is highly dependent on the brightness of the backlight and, to a lesser extent, the refresh rate. Redmi 9 features a feature of the same color. IPS-60Hz screen, which is standard, but brightness settings can distort colors greatly.
Low brightness. IPS-The matrixes often lose saturation and contrast, the colors fade. At maximum brightness, there may be light and black bleaching. Optimal calibration is possible only at medium brightness, in the range. 40-60%.
Also worth mentioning is DC Dimming (if available in your version of the firmware via hidden settings) which reduces screen flickering at low brightness, making the picture more stable and pleasing to the eye, although it may have a slight effect on the uniformity of the color field.
Don't forget the light sensor. The automatic brightness in MIUI sometimes doesn't work correctly, dramatically changing the image settings. For stable color reproduction, it's better to turn off the autobrightness and set a static value that is comfortable for your eyes in specific lighting conditions.