There is a problem with the new 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro...

[JohnHerzog]

The maximum brightness output for the new Macs is 1000 nits sustained and 1600 peak. The caveat is that this brightness threshold is only attainable whilst viewing HDR content - That means the rest of the computer's interface is capped at the previous threshold of 500 nits from earlier-generation machines. This poses the question: How do you achieve the 1000-nit sustained brightness output capacity for SDR content on the MacBook Pro?

 

[rmgbenschop]

It is really simple: you cannot.
For all SDR content the maximum brightness will stay 500 nits.

Could you tell my why you want 1000 nits of brightness? In a normal environment (even with direct sunlight) 1000 nits will laser your eyes. 500 nits is more than sufficient.

 

[JohnHerzog]

But you can

 

[JohnHerzog]

500 nits is insufficient

 

[leman]

Apple considers 500nits sufficient for SDR content (whether it applies to your specific use case is a different question), so that's what they are shipping. The 1000+nits of these new displays are only there for achieving higher contrasts for content in extended gamut range. So it's not a problem, it's operating as designed.

So @rmgbenschop is spot on: you cannot, at least not officially. There might be some sort of hidden setting or hack you can use, but it's not supported, not intended, and not encouraged.

 

[mcnallym]

Typing on an iPad 9.7” iPad Pro which is 511nits then 500 nits is perfectly fine.

 

[JohnHerzog]

I suspect it has less to do with Apple having identified 500 nits as the 'optimal brightness level' and more to do with power consumption optimization - Or minimization rather

 

[JohnHerzog]

I personally prefer the maximum brightness output possible even at night. I would use 1000 nits to surf the web

 

[Pressure]

The problem is more that you can't display correct color values at higher brightness for SDR content because clipping will occur.

You will just end up clipping highlights and shadows leaving you with overexposed content because the color profile doesn't hold the required data. There is nothing whiter than white, you would just push anything near white into being fully white removing highlight detail in the progress. The crushed blacks will simply turn greyish, expose noise and remove contrast. The same goes for tones of red, green and blue.

If you do print and photography you usually calibrate the display around 90-120 nits depending on output format. Meaning you also have to control the room lighting to get proper calibration.

If people started using DCI-P3 or Display P3 (Apple's default color profile) instead of sRGB for content output that may change at some point.

Here is some examples of various wide-gamut images compared to sRGB.

 

[Wando64]

I would use 1000 nits to surf the web

I suppose it might have the added advantage of giving you a tan ?

 

[TechRunner]

I know everyone's vision is different, but I can't imagine casual use of a laptop at 1000 nits. I have a 500 nit screen, and at 75% brightness my eyes start to water.

 

[Chevysales]

The maximum brightness output for the new Macs is 1000 nits sustained and 1600 peak. The caveat is that this brightness threshold is only attainable whilst viewing HDR content - That means the rest of the computer's interface is capped at the previous threshold of 500 nits from earlier-generation machines. This poses the question: How do you achieve the 1000-nit sustained brightness output capacity for SDR content on the MacBook Pro?

You may wish to read up on this on Dpreview.com one of the best photography sites around that deals with hardware. Their review and testing of this machine does the best job of explaining how this works and what is happening in its pretty thorough review.

Apple M1 Max MacBook Pro (2021) review: Back with a vengeance

Apple's flagship M1 Max MacBook Pro offers a combination of performance, efficiency, build quality, and screen quality that you cannot find in any PC on the market, full stop.

m.dpreview.com

 

[leman]

You may wish to read up on this on Dpreview.com one of the best photography sites around that deals with hardware. Their review and testing of this machine does the best job of explaining how this works and what is happening in its pretty thorough review.

Apple M1 Max MacBook Pro (2021) review: Back with a vengeance

Apple's flagship M1 Max MacBook Pro offers a combination of performance, efficiency, build quality, and screen quality that you cannot find in any PC on the market, full stop.

m.dpreview.com

Yep, Apple's software implementation of HDR is simply phenomenal. Like with many graphics-related things before (font rendering, HiDPI rendering), they just do things the right way here. The entire graphics stack is wide-gamut aware and will seamlessly display the correct image. They can even do limited HDR on SDR displays if your brightness is not set to max (they will temporarily increase the brightness and dim the SDR content so that it looks the same, which creates the illusion of HDR content being brighter). Very cool tech.

Wanna see a whiter white?

Wanna see a whiter white? CSS trick/bug to display a brighter white by exploiting browsers' HDR capability and Apple's EDR system

kidi.ng

 

[MajorFubar]

Congratulations on the clickbait title.

 

[3Rock]

The maximum brightness output for the new Macs is 1000 nits sustained and 1600 peak. The caveat is that this brightness threshold is only attainable whilst viewing HDR content - That means the rest of the computer's interface is capped at the previous threshold of 500 nits from earlier-generation machines. This poses the question: How do you achieve the 1000-nit sustained brightness output capacity for SDR content on the MacBook Pro?

If you did a little research you would find there’s a whole thread on this over a month ago

 

[Larabee119]

I would use 1000 nits to surf the web

Then you have the iron eyes. Even 500 nits make my eyes feel like burning at the end of the day. The majority of apple target market don’t need anything more than 500 nits.
Here I am running it at 120nit with additional calibration for printing design

 

[collin_]

In a normal environment (even with direct sunlight) 1000 nits will laser your eyes. 500 nits is more than sufficient.

Uh, not in my experience.

 

[collin_]

I made a thread on this earlier. Nobody has found a solution yet, but I’m pretty confident that we will eventually — even if it’s really messy.

 

[Fomalhaut]

I personally prefer the maximum brightness output possible even in a dimly lit environment. I would use 1000 nits to surf the web

Perhaps time to visit the optometrist to ensure you don't have cataracts developing? 1000 nits is extremely bright when used indoors, unless you are sitting directly in front of a window looking at the sun.

There *is* a use case for having very bright displays when used outdoors, e.g. for camera screens. However, this is very much an edge-case for most laptop computer usage. If you really do need to use your laptop in very bright surroundings there are "sun-shades" to help improve visibility.

 

[MayaUser]

I personally prefer the maximum brightness output possible even in a dimly lit environment. I would use 1000 nits to surf the web

good one...and after 2 months of using in dim light 1000nits...you will check your eyes with your doc

 

[MayaUser]

When the retina's light-sensing cells become over-stimulated from looking at a bright light, they release massive amounts of singling chemicals, injuring the back of the eye as a result.
Also the high contrast between a bright screen and dark surroundings may cause eyestrain or fatigue that could lead to a headache.

 

[TinyMito]

Might as well stare at the sun directly.

 

[metapunk2077fail]

The maximum brightness output for the new Macs is 1000 nits sustained and 1600 peak. The caveat is that this brightness threshold is only attainable whilst viewing HDR content - That means the rest of the computer's interface is capped at the previous threshold of 500 nits from earlier-generation machines. This poses the question: How do you achieve the 1000-nit sustained brightness output capacity for SDR content on the MacBook Pro?

All SDR content will have very inaccurate colours and blown out areas at higher nits.

Man I wish people would take the time to read a few wikipedia articles and YouTube vids before making posts. It only takes 1 or 2 days of searching and education.

 

[JohnHerzog]

The iPhone 13 has 1000 nits

 

[metapunk2077fail]

The iPhone 13 has 1000 nits

Go read what nits and candelas are, how they are calculated, and then you won't make the mistake of comparing the measurements on a 16 inch screen versus 6 inch screen.