Here's how to dim the screen on any Android device to an absolute minimum brightness

In this day and age, where 5"+ handsets are common and going to bed with a smartphone / tablet in hand is a regular thing, manufacturers and consumers have both realized that the display's minimum brightness is an important feature to pay attention to. Displays that go all the way down to between 1 and 5 nits (luminance measuring unit) are not uncommon among high-end devices, making them greatly usable in the dark. Going up to 10 nits starts to introduce slightly uncomfortable viewing, and above 15 can get harsh for prolonged usage.

Unfortunately, a dim screen is not as much of an important feature, it would seem, as devices below the top-shelf class can often suffer from mediocre, or just plain unbearable, minimum brightness levels. And even if you choose to not use the handset for bedside media consumption, there are still occasions when you'd wish that the screen would be darker; for example – checking your texts while in a dimly lit bar could sometimes look like you're pulling out the power of 10 suns from your pocket and directing it straight to your face.

Luckily – the Google Play Store has a few apps to remedy this. Today, we will use one of the most straightforward, simple, and reliable ones – aptly named Screen Dimmer. Check out the slideshow below for a step-by-step.