Dark Mode may be more than just an aesthetic preference. According to Google, turning it on saves battery life compared to using a default white theme.
That's not really surprising. Most people have known for quite a while that dark themes can prolong battery life on smartphones with OLED screens. That's true on both Android and iOS. Why? Well, individual pixels on OLED displays have to do less work when displaying black, even less so when displaying "true black."
It's Official: Dark Mode Saves Battery
Google confirmed as such during the recent Android Dev, showing several slides that compared the power draw of several different color modes. At maximum brightness, white uses the most battery. However, black uses the least. Those results prompted Google to acknowledge the prominence of white on most of its apps and Android in general.
Although Google doesn't seem intent on switching over to Dark Mode completely, the company at least acknowledges its value. Some of its apps, including YouTube and Android Messages, already offer an option to toggle it. In addition, Google is also bringing the feature to its Phone app and is currently testing it in the mobile Google Feed.
Similarly, Android bears splashes of Dark Mode as well. Users can set the quick settings pulldown and app drawer to a darker theme, although Google has yet to offer a system-wide implementation. Why the option isn't there remains to be explained, although considering Google's attitude toward Dark Mode now, it wouldn't be surprising if it eventually came via future updates.
Dark Mode On Phones
Other manufacturers are at least seriously considering it. Samsung, for instance, has recently unveiled its revamped user interface called One UI, and not only will it support Dark Mode, it'll also come on various flavors that'll correspond with the color of the handset.
To be clear, the above-mentioned power draw differences are courtesy of testing phones with OLED panels. Whether the same can results can be said for phones with LCD displays remains to be seen. LCD and OLED are entirely different technologies, so there's bound to be differences. But the message is clear. For OLED phones, turning on Dark Mode not only gives the entire interface a visual oomph, but also drains battery slower.
Thoughts on Dark Mode? Have you personally noticed your battery life being longer because of it? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound them off in the comments sections below!
