Xiaomi’s smartphone screen has become dim, and standard brightness settings don’t help? You’re not alone – many users find that even at maximum values, the display looks faded, especially in direct sunlight or in well-lit rooms. The reasons may be covered by software constraints. MIUI, and in the hardware features of a particular model (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ s AMOLED-The screen behaves differently than POCO X5 s IPS).
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can improve your brightness, from basic settings to hidden engineering menus and color calibration, how to bypass manufacturer limitations, turn on high brightness modes (including HBM for AMOLED), and what to do if the screen suddenly dimmed after the MIUI update. And also why sometimes “maximum” in the settings does not mean the actual peak brightness of your display.
We warn you right away that some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights, which can be insecure, but most solutions are safe and work out of the box — we've singled them out. Let's start with the simplest one!
Basic brightness setting in MIUI: What are you missing?
It seems that the brightness adjustment in Xiaomi is limited to a slider in the notification curtain? In fact, MIUI has several additional parameters hidden that affect the real visibility of the screen. For example, the function Adaptive brightness often works incorrectly, underestimating the values in brightly lit rooms.
To adjust the brightness correctly:
- 📱 Open the Settings. → Display.
- ☀️ Turn off Adaptive Brightness (if it’s on) – it often “cheats” the light sensor.
- 🔄 Move the brightness slider manually to the right. Note that sometimes the screen becomes brighter for a split second and then dims again after that, a sign that Auto Brightness Limiter mode is activated (about it below).
- 🌓 Check out the Dark Theme settings – in some versions MIUI It is forced to reduce the brightness of 10-15%.
If the screen is still not bright enough after this manipulation, the problem may be temperature restrictions. Many Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro) automatically reduce brightness when the processor or battery is heated. To check this, run a resource-intensive application (such as a game) and watch the changes in brightness in real time.
2. Hidden brightness modes: HBM, DC Dimming and engineering menu
Manufacturers often hide the real-world capabilities of displays. For example, Xiaomi limits peak brightness in everyday use to save battery life. AMOLED-You can activate High Brightness Mode (HBM), which increases the brightness to 800-1200 nits instead of the standard 400-600.
How to turn on HBM:
- For the Xiaomi 12/13 series, Redmi K50 Pro and the new POCO F5: ##36446337##, select HBM Mode → Enable from the menu that opens.
- For older models (like the Mi 11), try: ##6484## Then go to MBR Test → Brightness Test and set the Manual → 255 value.
⚠️ Attention: Regime HBM significantly increases battery consumption and can lead to pixel burnout AMOLED-It is recommended to turn it on only when necessary (for example, outside during the day).
Another useful mode is DC Dimming, which reduces the flicker of the screen, but can indirectly affect the perceived brightness, to activate it:
- 🔧 Go to Settings. → Display. → Additional display settings.
- 🔍 Find the option. DC Dimming (on some models it is hidden - see spoiler below).
How to turn on DC Dimming if the option is not on the menu?
You should also check out the manual calibration engineering menu.
- Enter the code ##4636##
- Go to Hardware Testing → Display.
- Try changing the Brightness and Contrast settings (but be careful – incorrect values can lead to artifacts!).
3. Color calibration and contrast: why the screen seems dull
Sometimes the problem is not brightness, but color reproduction, such as activated Reading or Vision Protection, which adds yellowness, making the screen feel dim, and some MIUI firmwares have sRGB mode enabled by default, which limits color coverage (and thus contrast).
How to adjust colors for maximum visibility:
- 🎨 Go to Settings. → Display. → Color mode.
- 🔘 Choose Saturated or P3 (if available, instead of standard (sRGB).
- 🌡️ Turn off Vision Protection and Read Mode in the Notification Curtain.
- 🖼️ Some models (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra) have Manual Calibration available – experiment with Color Temperature settings (try to shift the slider towards Cold»).
If the color changes are non-natural, go back to the standard profile, but often it's saturated mode that makes the screen subjectively brighter by increasing contrast.
Adaptive brightness turned off
Eye protection modes turned off
Brightness slider in maximum position
Checked the engineering menu for restrictions
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4.The issues after the MIUI update: why did the screen dim?
One of the most common reasons for the sudden brightness drop is a firmware update. In new MIUI versions (especially 14+), Xiaomi is actively implementing power saving features that forcefully limit brightness. For example, after upgrading to MIUI 14.0.5, many Redmi Note 10 Pro users complained about a gray screen even at 100% brightness.
How to get back to the old brightness:
- Reset the display settings: Settings → Display → Reset the display settings.
- Turn off battery optimization for system applications: Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization → All apps → Find “Settings” and “MIUI System UI” → Turn off optimization.
- Check the developer settings: Activate Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone), then go to Settings → Additional → For Developers and turn off Background Limitation for Brightness.
If the problem persists, the new firmware may have activated kernel-level power saving mode, which can only help by rolling back to the previous version of MIUI or manually editing system files (requires root).
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After updating MIUI, always check Settings → Battery → Power Modes. Sometimes the system automatically switches to Energy Saving, which limits brightness to 70% of the maximum.
5. Hardware causes of a dim screen: when iron is to blame
If the software methods didn't work, the problem could be in the hardware, and here are the most common reasons:
| Reason. | Signs. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Wearing backlights | The screen fades gradually, especially around the edges, visible on a white background. | Replacement of the display module (in the service center). |
| Bad plume contact | Brightness “jumps” when you tap the screen or change the position of the phone. | Reconnect the plume or replace it. |
| Failure of the illumination controller | The screen is flashing, the brightness changes arbitrarily. | Diagnostics in the service, it is possible to replace the motherboard. |
| Battery discharge | The brightness drops when the charge level is below 15-20%. | Replace the battery or turn off the energy saving. |
⚠️ Note: If your Xiaomi has fallen or been in water, do not try to adjust the brightness programmatically - this may be a sign of a short circuit on the board.
To check for hardware problems, use the display test:
- Enter the code ##232338##
- Select Display Test and check the uniformity of the backlight on all colors.
6. Alternative methods: applications and root solutions
If standard methods don't work, you can try third-party tools, but remember, most of them require unlocking the bootloader or root rights, which voids the warranty.
Safe applications (without root):
- 🔦 Lux Auto Brightness – allows you to fine tune adaptive brightness more than the standard Xiaomi sensor.
- 🌈 Screen Balance – Adjusts color reproduction to improve visibility.
- 🔍 Display Tester – helps to identify hardware problems with backlighting.
Root solutions:
- 🛠️ Kernel Adiutor – allows you to change the parameters of the core, including maximum brightness (/sys/class/leds/lcd-backlight/max_brightness).
- 📝 Build.prop Editor – editing system properties, for example, ro.lcd_min_brightness.
Important: On some models (e.g., the POCO F4 GT) after changing the brightness parameters through build.prop, the screen may start flashing or displaying artifacts.
7. Frequent User Mistakes: What NOT to Do
In an attempt to brighten the screen, many people do things that only make things worse.
- ❌ Use Google Play's brightness amplifiers, and most of these apps are empty ones that simply put a white filter over the image, putting more strain on the processor.
- ❌ Manually edit system files without backup. An error in build.prop can lead to bootloop ( looped boot).
- ❌ If the phone heats up at maximum brightness, it's a sign that the system will force it to lower in a few minutes.
- ❌ Resetting to factory without checking. It won't help if the problem is in the hardware or firmware.
Also, you should not believe myths like “wiping the screen with alcohol to improve brightness” or “overclocking the processor to increase backlighting,” these methods are not only useless, but also dangerous for the device.
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If the screen is dim after all the manipulations, it's probably hardware, and 80 percent of the time, either a worn-out display module or a backlight controller on the motherboard is to blame.