Apple released iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max with a feature that has never been seen on an iPhone before — the always-on display. Over the past few months, the company has tweaked how the always-on display works on iPhone 14 Pro by adding the ability to individually control notifications and wallpaper display. But does disabling the always-on display on iPhone 14 Pro save battery life?
In a recent test, YouTuber PhoneBuff compared the battery drain of the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display with and without a wallpaper, as well as with the feature turned off completely. He even compared the battery drain of the iPhone 14 Pro with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the results are quite interesting.
During the initial 8 hours of the test, both versions of the iPhone with the wallpaper setting enabled and disabled showed similar results, with the battery falling to 98%. However, over the course of 24 hours, a noticeable difference emerged, with the battery of the iPhone 14 Pro with wallpaper enabled dropping to 80% while the other iPhone retained 84% of its charge.
When compared to its Android competitor, the iPhone 14 Pro and the Galaxy S22 Ultra both had similar battery drain for their always-on displays, with both phones ending the 24-hour test at 84% charge after starting at 100%. It is worth noting that Samsung and Apple have different implementations of the always-on display, with the S22 Ultra’s clock moving around the display to prevent burn-in while the iPhone 14 Pro’s clock stays in one position.
The Phonebuff test concluded that the always-on display had a minimal impact on battery life. With the wallpaper setting enabled, the feature caused an additional 0.8% drain per hour, whereas, without a wallpaper, it caused an additional 0.6% drain per hour. If you’re concerned about preserving battery life, you can always disable the wallpaper or notifications for a more subtle, Android-like always-on experience.
Do you use the always-on display on your iPhone 14 Pro? How has it affected your battery life? Let us know in the comments below.
