Android: no, dark mode is not the miracle solution to gain autonomy
Dark mode makes the display less tiring on the eyes, but it is also presumed to save battery. A study now shows that we actually don’t gain much on Android, at least with automatic brightness activated.
Dark mode is very trendy right now. Some people use it because it is more restful on the eyes, others because it is prettier. Some use it to save battery. The latter may be disappointed by the study from Purdue University (Indiana), which indicates that this feature does not save that between 3 and 9% of battery in normal use on Android.
We could have believed that the dark mode is a real asset for the autonomy of our phones. It is true that OLED technology makes it possible to turn off each pixel to display black, which would suggest a lower power consumption compared to the classic mode.
The researchers conducted a study on several smartphones (Pixel 2, 4, 5 and the Moto Z3) and out of six applications in total (Calculator, Calendar, Maps, News, Google and Youtube) using the Per-Frame OLED Power Profiler tool. They thus analyzed the autonomy of the terminals on these apps in light mode and in dark mode.
Dark mode saves between 3 and 9% battery
Several tests have been carried out. The academics first tested with automatic brightness activated (indoors). It therefore fluctuates between 30 and 50%. In dark mode, the user does not gain much, from 3 to 9% battery over the same period.
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Tests were also carried out with the brightness pushed to the limit. Here, the dark mode is more effective, since a user can gain between 37% and 47% battery over the same amount of time. However, cases where the brightness must be maximized are rare (such as outdoor use on a bright day) and this test does not really reflect reality.
Such a gain with the screen set to 100% is not so surprising, after all, since the higher the brightness, the more energy is consumed, and a pixel that is off (in dark mode, therefore), does not not consume. This is an average calculated on a sample of phones, but remember that they do not all have the same brightness. The study therefore gives only a vague idea, no more.
Source: Purdue University