Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the colors on the display look unnatural: either too saturated and acidic, or, conversely, dull and yellowish. This is not a matrix defect, but features of the factory color reproduction settings that may not correspond to the individual preferences of the user. Proper screen calibration allows you to achieve maximum realism of images, which is especially important for photographers, designers and those who spend a lot of time watching content.
The process of customizing visual parameters in the MIUI or HyperOS shell is flexible enough to require no Root rights or install complex patches. The system provides built-in tools to change color temperature, saturation, and even allows you to choose a ready-made profile that mimics the standards of other manufacturers. Understanding how gamma correction and white balance work in your device will help turn a mediocre picture into a reference one.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available display customization methods, from basic menu switches to engineering tests. You will learn how to eliminate unpleasant yellow, adjust automatic brightness and check the matrix for broken pixels. Competent tuning will not only improve the visual experience, but can also positively affect the autonomy of the device with the right approach.
Standard Color Scheme settings in MIUI
The first and safest step to improving the picture is to use built-in profiles. Xiaomi by default often activates the Saturated Colors mode, which makes the image bright and contrasting, but not always realistic. → Screen and brightness → Color scheme: Here, the user is given a choice between several modes, each of which changes. LUT-The Look-Up Table of Colors.
Classic or Standard (the name depends on the firmware version) is a color space for sRGB. It is the right choice for everyday use, browsing the web and working with documents. HDR-video, you should pay attention to the modes with extended coverage, but they may require additional manual temperature adjustment.
⚠️ Warning: A sudden change in color scheme can cause an unusual perception of the image in the first hours of use. 1-2 Do not rush back to the old settings if the picture seems faded».
Importantly, the interface may be slightly different in different versions of MIUI, and some HyperOS builds have added the ability to fine-tune each channel separately, which was previously only available through an engineering menu, and remember that the profile you choose affects autobrightness and nighttime.
Manual adjustment of color temperature
If the standard profiles don't work and the screen still seems too warm (yellow) or cold (blue), manual adjustment comes to the rescue. In the Settings menu → Screen and Brightness → Color temperature, you'll find a slider that allows you to shift the white balance. By moving it, you change the ratio of the red to blue channels, which directly affects the degree of the image.
The optimal value for the human eye in daylight is considered to be a temperature of about 6500 K (Kelvin), which corresponds to a neutral white color. Xiaomi factory settings are often shifted to 7500-8000 K, creating a colder picture, or have a yellowish hue due to the technology of LCD-matrixes in budget models. When adjusting the slider, try to achieve a white sheet of paper in natural light.
You can use special calibration apps to fine-tune it, or you can just open a white background in your browser. Move the slider until the white color is visually neutral, without explicitly going yellow or blue. This is especially true for models with AMOLED screens, where the subpixel structure can distort the perception of shades.
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The ideal color temperature is best adjusted in daylight, avoiding direct sun exposure to the screen so that the outside lighting does not distort the perception of colors.
Elimination of the yellow tint and the effect of "Paper"
One of Xiaomi’s most frequent complaints is that it has a pronounced yellow tint, especially visible on a white background or at low brightness, often referred to as the “yellow spot effect” or simply a feature of panel calibration. In addition to manual temperature shifting, the system has a “Read Mode” or “Paper Effect” feature that also affects colors, but it can be adapted.
Some versions of the shell have an Anti-aliasing or similar naming depending on region feature that software compensates for the unevenness of the backlight, which can be found by Settings → Screen and Brightness → Eliminating Yellow. Activating this option can slightly change the gamut to make it more flat throughout the display area, but sometimes adds a light pinkish or greenish tide.
You have to distinguish between programmatic yellowness and physical degradation of the matrix, and if the screen is yellowed unevenly, with spots, or if the yellow color only appears in certain angles when the autobrightness is turned off, it can be a sign of aging. OLED-panel or a defect in the lighting layer in LCD. In such cases, the program calibration will only give a temporary or partial effect.
| Parameter | Impact on the image | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Color scheme | Overall saturation and coverage | Classic / sRGB |
| Temperature. | Balance of warm and cold tones | Neutral (middle) |
| Dark subject matter | Interface color inversion | Scheduled. |
| Frameless regime | Interface scaling | By default. |
Engineering menu and hidden display settings
For advanced users who don’t have the standard tools, the engineering menu is a powerful tool to change parameters at a deeper level, including matrix tests and gamma curve changes. Most Xiaomi devices use the code ##6484## or #4636## in the Phone app to log into the engineering menu.
The CIT (Customer Integration Test) menu that opens will look for a section associated with the display (often called Display, Screen or LCM), which includes broken pixel tests, touch layer testing, and in some cases, recalibration of the screen to factory values. Be extremely careful: changing unknown parameters in the engineering menu can lead to incorrect touchscreen or color artifacts.
What if the code doesn't work?
Resetting the calibration in the engineering menu can help if you've previously installed third-party color-changing apps and now want to return to the original state. However, if the problem is physical degradation of the matrix, software reset will not restore the original brightness and color reproduction. Use these tools only if you understand what each parameter is responsible for.
☑️ Verification of the matrix in CIT
Use of third-party applications for calibration
When the system is not available, Google Play Store apps come to the rescue, and one of the most popular and effective tools is SecondScreen, or specialized calibrators like the Display Calibration Test, which don't change system files, but instead create a corrective layer over the image that changes the gamut and color balance in real time.
Applications like Screen Balance allow you to separately adjust the intensity of red, green and blue channels with high accuracy, which allows you to achieve almost perfect white color, which is impossible with standard MIUI sliders. In addition, many of them have the function of saving profiles for different scenarios: Read, Photo, Movies.
However, it is worth considering that using third-party filters can consume additional battery power and put a strain on the processor. Also on some models with DC Dimming or PWM brightness control, such applications can cause screen flickering or artifacts at low brightness.
⚠️ Note: Apps requiring root rights for deep calibration may cause a conflict with Xiaomi’s security system (SafetyNet), which will cause banking applications and Google Pay to fail.
Diagnostics: Broken Pixels and PWM
Calibration of color will not help if the matrix is physically damaged. Before you spend time adjusting the shades, diagnose for broken pixels. These are points that constantly burn with one color (hot pixels) or remain black (dead pixels). To check, you can run the video with sleepy backgrounds (black, white, red, green, blue) on the entire screen.
Another important characteristic is PWM (pulse-latitudinal modulation). Many of Xiaomi's AMOLED screens use PWM to adjust the glow at low brightness, which can cause eye fatigue in sensitive people. You can check for PWM by quickly swiping the camera of another smartphone in front of the screen: if you see dark stripes, then pulsation is present. Xiaomi's settings often have an Anti-flicker switch that puts the screen into DC Dimming mode, eliminating stripes, but sometimes slightly worsening the color uniformity at low brightness.
If you've found a lot of broken pixels or strong color spots that are not being retracted by calibration, you'll probably need to replace the display module. Software methods are already powerless, and further adjustments don't make sense.
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Regular screen checks for broken pixels and correct brightness settings will help extend the life of the matrix and keep the eyes healthy.