In recent months, an arms race has been raging over the brightness of smartphone displays. It was Apple that kicked off the race, proudly announcing that the brightness of the iPhone 15 will reach 2,000 nits. Google, not to be outdone, announced that the Pixel 8 Pro will reach 2,400 nits brightness.

And now OnePlus has blown this out of the water with its newly announced OnePlus 12. According to the company, peak brightness can reach 4,500 nits, but what the normal "sitting" brightness in everyday environments is is unknown.

So how do these screen specs compare to Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S24 Ultra? Current rumors suggest this is the case.

As you can see, in terms of brightness, if the rumors are correct, there really doesn't seem to be any competition: the S24 Ultra is rumored to be brighter than the Google Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15, but it seems to be about 2,000 nits behind OnePlus' latest model.

But other than that, there is little that separates them. Both are similar in size, close in resolution, and have a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Aside from this, Samsung's Galaxy S series is known for its excellent displays, so there is a good chance that they will perform better than the specs on paper.

Needless to say, screen brightness is not everything. Certainly, it is convenient to comfortably view the contents of the screen on a sunny day, but there is a reason why Apple, Google, and even Samsung boldly stated in January that OLEDs would clear 2,000 nits of brightness. In fact, phones that support this brightness tend not to reach this high unless it is absolutely necessary in a given situation, as battery life is compromised.

Perhaps our thoughts on this point will change once we get our hands on a review unit of the OnePlus 12. At the moment, however, it is only available in China, with worldwide availability to be announced next week.

Samsung's Galaxy S24 series will reportedly be announced on January 17, and it is quite possible that the two will launch at a similar time and go head-to-head in the battle for the best Android phone of 2024. It is something to keep an eye on.