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Know how changing mobile wallpaper affects the battery. Advantages and disadvantages of static, dark, live and animated wallpapers, differences between AMOLED and LCD screens, and battery saving tips.
While using a smartphone, the thing we pay most attention to is the phone screen. The wallpaper visible on the screen makes the phone attractive, but the question arises in the minds of many people whether changing the wallpaper has any effect on the battery or not. This question may seem simple, but there are many technical aspects behind it like screen technology, use of GPU, color quality and animation.
Static i.e. photo wallpaper is visible only on the screen. It does not do any new work all the time, the GPU does not process it again and again, so its impact on the battery is very less. Using such wallpapers does not have any direct impact on the battery. During this period, the battery decreases due to screen brightness and use of apps, not due to wallpaper.
Live and animated wallpapers are the biggest enemies of battery. Live wallpapers, i.e. backgrounds with moving, animated or 3D graphics, may be attractive, but they use more battery. In live wallpaper, frames are continuously rendered on the screen. GPU and CPU remain active continuously. In some, sensors are also used and due to animation, the use of RAM also increases. This can drain the battery by 10% to 25%, especially in phones with high refresh rate screens like 90Hz or 120Hz.
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There is a big difference between LCD and OLED or AMOLED, these two technologies. In OLED, every pixel emits light on its own. Therefore in black color those pixels remain completely off, that is, they use zero power. If black or dark colored wallpaper is used, many pixels remain off and power usage is actually reduced. Battery life is improved.
Therefore, dark mode and black wallpaper in phones with AMOLED display is considered more battery-saving. Conversely, in white or very bright wallpapers, all pixels run at full capacity, which consumes more battery.
Wallpaper does not have much effect on LCD screens. LCD screens have a backlight that is always on. Therefore, whether the screen is black or white, the backlight does not turn off. Black wallpaper and white wallpaper consume battery almost the same. The difference is very small, so LCD phone users do not need to worry about battery drain due to wallpaper.
High-resolution wallpapers may have a slight effect. Applying a wallpaper that is too large or has HDR or heavy gradients may put a bit more load on the GPU. This effect is not much, but a slight difference may be felt in old or low-end phones.
In simple language, changing the mobile wallpaper affects the battery, but this effect depends on the type of wallpaper and the technology of the screen. Static wallpapers have little impact on battery. Dark wallpapers help save battery, while light wallpapers consume a little more power. Any wallpaper does not have much effect in LCD screen. At the same time, live or animated wallpapers consume the most battery.
