View browser-rendered gradients and reported color-depth values to look for banding. Browser values do not prove your display panel's maximum hardware bit depth.
Shows your display's color depth and renders gradient patterns to reveal color banding.
On an 8-bit display you should see a smooth transition. On a 6-bit panel you may see visible steps.
Each row shows a gradient from black to full saturation. Banding appears as visible steps rather than a smooth sweep.
This compressed range reveals banding most clearly. If you can count individual steps, your display may be using dithering or is a 6-bit panel.
How many distinct steps can you see in the banding test above?
Color depth determines how many distinct colors a display can show. The progression from 6-bit to 8-bit to 10-bit represents exponential increases in color precision: 6-bit panels can show 262,144 colors, 8-bit panels show 16.7 million, and 10-bit panels show over 1 billion. This matters most for smooth gradients, HDR content, and professional color-critical work.
The gradient tests on this page reveal whether your display and browser can render smooth color transitions. For best results, view the gradients in a darkened room at your monitor's native resolution and default gamma setting.
Learn about monitor color accuracy, bit depth, and display calibration.