It gave a surprising battery life figure. Changing from light to dark mode reduces the phone's power consumption by 42% at 100% screen brightness. When the brightness level is 50%, switching from light mode to dark mode saves 9 % of the battery, and when the brightness level is 30%, the saving is only 3 %.
It was thus found that the dark mode can significantly save battery life in peak brightness, usually employed by smartphone users in outdoor conditions under sunlight.
Dark mode setting has become an increasingly popular battery-saving feature in smartphones. But the option is unlikely to make a big difference in extending a phone's battery life as promoted by both Android and iOS, according to a study by Purdue University.
While dark themes may be better suited for the night, they aren't necessarily helping you read better or saving your eyes from digital strain, or even saving a lot of juice on your device. You may also want to avoid dark mode altogether if you start noticing eyesight issues or increased sensitivity to light.
Dark mode doesn't directly reduce eye strain, but it can offer some relief. For example, in a dim setting, a bright screen has your eyes working harder. On the contrary, a dark screen in a brightly lit room will have the same effect.
Cons: Dark themes are not always better for eye strain. In bright light conditions, the text appears washed out, increasing eye fatigue. Long pieces of content or text are more challenging to read in this mode.
Battery efficiency
At 100% screen brightness, the dark interface is saving a whopping 60% of screen energy. While OLED screens are mainly used by Android devices, lately there has been some good news for iPhone users also.
Conclusion and advice
Studies have shown that people with normal or corrected vision have a better performance, however, people with stronger visual disorders will tolerate Dark mode better. But Light mode has a cost associated to the better performance, and it is the long-term risk of eye disease.
Conversely, in a brightly lit environment, a darker screen can actually force your eyes to work harder. If truly concerned about eye strain or dryness, you might be better off investing in artificial tears or a matte screen for your device.
No. Dark mode is an system setting used to limit the lighter display of your phone in order to save battery life to extend its number of hours of operation. It doesn't consume any spaces in both RAM and ROM, so it is very impossible for a dark mode setting to slow down your phone.
Should you use it? If you look at your phone screen for a substantial amount of time each day, there's a chance you could benefit from using dark mode. For the best results, try enabling Dark Mode and Night Shift (Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift) to reduce as much blue light as possible.
Dark mode displays gray-ish or light text on a dark background instead of dark text and graphics against a white background, as is typical for most apps. Dark mode's aim is to reduce the glaring white light that may be distracting in the evenings. It may even be easier on your eyes than a traditional screen setting.
According to a 2021 study by Purdue University, if you keep your OLED phone's brightness level around 30%-50%, you can expect only around 3% to 9% of power savings. However, if your phone's always at 100% brightness, the dark mode will save you around 39% to 47% of your battery.
The only time only using night mode all the time may lead to eye problems is if it's the ONLY light source available (i.e., you shut yourself in your dark room for days at a time, your phone being the only source of light and no other true source of blue light, like flourescent light bulbs and being outside daytime).
In other words, in users with normal vision, light mode leads to better performance most of the time. Why is light mode better for performance? These findings are best explained by the fact that, with positive contrast polarity, there is more overall light and so the pupil contracts more.
The key difference between night mode and dark mode is while dark mode switches the UI background to a darker shade along with any corresponding color scheme flips, night mode changes the color being emitted by the screen to a warmer color.
In fact, it could make eye strain more likely for certain individuals. While dark mode does lessen the screen's overall brightness, which may seem easier on your eyes, it also causes your eyes to dilate. Since there is less light to take in, your eyes have to work harder to see clearly.
Reduces eye strain at night and cuts glare
Reading on a bright screen can increase eye strain in low light and cause us to squint. Dark mode users find reading easier in low light with less eye strain. They also claim it helps them fall asleep quickly and stay asleep longer.
Apps that currently support dark mode for Android, iOS, or both include Feedly, Reddit, Pocket Casts, the Amazon Kindle app, Evernote, Firefox, Opera, Outlook, Slack, Pinterest, Wikipedia, Pocket, Instapaper, and just about every app developed by Apple or Google.
Though dark mode may not help to protect vision, it may help you fall asleep more quickly if you often use electronic devices before bed. Using devices emitting blue light at night may increase your alertness, making it harder for you to fall asleep.
The consensus is that the "non-colours", white and black, and the colours yellow, green, and orange are generally most acceptable. These colours (yellow, green, orange) are in the middle of the visible spectrum (the range of colours that our eyes can detect) and are the easiest for the eye to see.
Aside from the possibility that a black screen might trigger negative emotions, there are a number of other reasons why people might not want to use dark mode. In some cases, Goldberg explained, dark mode "can actually make it more challenging for our eyes to resolve smaller fonts."