Android 15 will allow you to make your Pixel’s display more dimmer than normal

Many of us are guilty of indulging in late-night phone use, despite the knowledge that it can strain our eyes. However, achieving a comfortable display brightness for nighttime viewing isn’t always straightforward. According to Android Authority, the “even dimmer” option in Android 15 might help tackle this widespread pain point for Pixel and other users.

For those unfamiliar, adaptive brightness utilizes your device’s light sensor to automatically adjust the screen’s luminosity based on ambient light levels. However, display panel capabilities vary greatly. High-end panels boast wider brightness ranges compared to their budget counterparts. Additionally, the mapping between light levels and brightness differs across devices. Consequently, a phone might achieve a comfortable brightness in low-light conditions that another simply cannot replicate through automatic adjustments.

Recognizing this disparity, Android 12 introduced the “extra dim” feature nestled within Accessibility settings. This functionality offers an extra layer of dimming beyond a phone’s minimum brightness. Technically, it achieves this dimming by applying a transformation matrix that reduces the intensity of bright colors displayed on screen. Since “extra dim” is intended for accessibility purposes, it’s readily accessible through both the Settings menu and Quick Settings, enabling quick toggling when needed.

Android 15 “even dimmer” feature could be designed for continuous low-light comfort

In contrast, Android 15’s “even dimmer” feature appears to be designed for continuous use rather than on-demand adjustments. While currently absent from the Android 15 Beta 1, glimpses of its functionality can be found within the Settings > Display menu, positioned below the “adaptive brightness” setting. The feature’s description succinctly conveys its purpose: “Allow device to go dimmer than usual.”

Digging deeper into the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code unveils a description for the flag controlling this feature, indicating its role in “extending the brightness below the traditional range.”

Based on this and discussions with mobile display analyst Dylan Raga, Mishaal Rahman posits that Android 15’s “even dimmer” feature empowers the existing adaptive brightness to delve even deeper into lower brightness levels, specifically under extremely low-light conditions. This would eliminate the need to manually activate the “extra dim” feature at night for further dimming.

It’s important to acknowledge that the “even dimmer” feature’s exact functionality remains shrouded in a bit of mystery due to its absence in the current Beta version. The current understanding is primarily based on code analysis, which holds a possibility of misinterpretation.

Inline image source: Android Authority