Test Shows How Much Battery Drain Your Wallpaper Causes on the iPhone 14 Pro's Always-On Display

With the introduction of an always-on display in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, many users have wondered how much impact the feature has on battery life. A new video takes a careful look at just how much battery drain there is with the always-on display and whether turning off the wallpaper reduces that drain.


At launch, users were unable to customize different aspects of the always-on display, but as of the iOS 16.2 update released last month, Apple has given users options to enable or disable the wallpaper and notifications while the Lock Screen is dimmed.

By disabling the wallpaper, the always-on display is black other than for the clock, date, any widgets you have set up on your iOS lock screen, and recent notifications, if enabled. YouTuber PhoneBuff tested whether or not enabling or disabling the wallpaper impacts overall iPhone battery life.

iphone 14 pro ios 16 battery drain2
In the test, it was found that by having the wallpaper enabled for the always-on display, an iPhone 14 Pro will drain around 0.8% per hour, compared to 0.6% an hour for the wallpaper disabled on the always-on display.

In the video, PhoneBuff also compared the iPhone 14 Pro's always-on display technology to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. One interesting point found in that comparison was that over time, the Galaxy S22 Ultra would move the clock on the always-on display around, presumably to prevent OLED burn-in from a static image being shown on display for prolonged periods.

On the iPhone, no such thing occurs, as time and all other information stay in place. The iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra drained at the same rate during the test, reaching 84% after 24 hours of the always-on display.

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Top Rated Comments

Saladin12 Avatar
33 months ago
This really highlights how efficient Apple's original implantation (see edit), wallpaper included, really is.

That being said, ever since turning off the wallpaper for AOD, I haven't looked back. So much nicer on my eyes.

Edit: that should say implementation not implantation.. ffs
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
philcourage Avatar
33 months ago
You know, if you really want to save battery, cut off the middle man and just shut the phone down and never use it. And don't forget to make a video of your findings, please. Preferably one with a photo of you making a silly face in the thumbnail.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macintosh Quadra 840av Avatar
33 months ago
I have stellar battery life with it on, so I'm not gonna bother turning it off at this point. Always make it through the day with plenty of charge left.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hortod1 Avatar
33 months ago
For me the AOD with wallpaper was a huge distraction. Turning off the wallpaper made a huge difference.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
33 months ago
Regardless of the outcome iPhone 14 Pro Max has an amazing battery life.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmovie Avatar
33 months ago
It is seemingly once again only a vocal minority of tech bloggers (and commenters!) who claim to be "distracted" (come on, really?) by iPhone 14's AOD with wallpaper - likely the same crowd who complained for years about the notch, which no ordinary user minded. To each their own, of course, and it's nice to have the new toggles. As with the notch, those of us who enjoy, or don't think much about, AOD with wallpaper are simply less vocal about it. The feature works exactly as intended, doesn't consume much battery, and - for me - has been a value added over the 13.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)