Nearly a year after launch, the Google Pixel 9 lineup still impresses with its display brightness and quality. The Pixel 9 Pro and its XL sibling can go as high as 2,000 nits while displaying HDR content. While impressive, some flagship Android phones can hit an even higher peak brightness. And Google is ready to challenge them, as it reportedly plans to boost the display brightness by 10% across the entire Pixel 10 lineup.

Android Authority reports that all members of the Pixel 10 family will feature updated display panels that can hit a full-screen peak brightness at least 200 nits higher than their predecessors. This even includes the base Pixel 10 and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

For comparison, Google rates the Pixel 9’s full-screen HDR brightness at 1,800 nits. A 200-nit boost would mean a brightness of 2,000 nits — the same as the Pixel 9 Pro. As for the Pixel 10 Pro and XL, their displays will reportedly deliver an HDR brightness of 2250 nits, up from 2,050 nits of their predecessor.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold will benefit the most from this brightness boost, with its inner display capable of reaching 1,850 nits of peak HDR brightness. That’s up from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s 1,600 nits, which, while impressive, can feel lacking in some cases. Even the outer display will get a similar 250-nit brightness boost, going up to 2,050 nits when the situation and content demand.

Full-screen brightness matters more than peak brightness

Close

Note that the report talks about full-screen HDR brightness and not peak brightness. That number is considerably higher for the Pixel 9 lineup, with the Pro models capable of hitting 3,000 nits. However, this is only for a small portion of the display and not the entire screen.

So, the Pixel 10’s full-screen 200 nits brightness boost will be more useful than you might think, especially when watching HDR content and in super-bright conditions.

This is not the only display-related improvement Google’s upcoming Pixels will pack. They’ll also support a faster PWM dimming rate, which could help reduce eye strain and headaches for sensitive users. It would even supposedly support iPhone-like True Tone feature.