The true carbon cost of dark mode and whether it actually saves energy

Short summary

Dark mode only saves battery on OLED/AMOLED screens where pixels turn off; on LCD displays (most laptops and budget phones), it saves almost nothing. A Purdue University study found dark mode at typical indoor brightness saves just 3–9% of phone power, contradicting Google's widely-cited 63% claim. Energy savings depend on screen type, brightness, and user behavior.

• •Dark mode saves energy only on OLED/AMOLED screens; LCD displays consume identical power regardless of color scheme
• •Real-world energy savings at typical indoor brightness are 3–9%, not the often-cited 63% figure
• •Product teams should measure dark mode impact for their specific apps and user brightness patterns

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.