diff --git a/kitty_tests/fonts.py b/kitty_tests/fonts.py
index 9e8278f7f..c9f1db988 100644
--- a/kitty_tests/fonts.py
+++ b/kitty_tests/fonts.py
@@ -412,7 +412,8 @@ class Rendering(FontBaseTest):
         cells = render_string('\U0001F40D', 'monospace', 48.0, 96.0)[2]
         pixels = array.array('I', b''.join(cells))
         coverage = sum(1 for p in pixels if p) / max(len(pixels), 1)
-        self.assertGreater(coverage, 0.5, f'color emoji coverage {coverage:.2f} too low, likely shrunk (#10144)')
+        del cells, pixels
+        self.assertGreater(coverage, 0.3, f'color emoji coverage {coverage:.2f} too low, likely shrunk (#10144)')
 
     def test_shaping(self):