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.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...
Future M5 Chip Devices

M5 Chip Rumored to Debut in These Five Apple Products Later This Year

Friday July 4, 2025 9:14 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation M5 chip is expected to debut in five new products later this year, including the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac. M5 chips will reportedly be manufactured with TSMC's latest third-generation 3nm process, which should result in slight performance and power efficiency improvements over M4 chips fabricated with its second-generation 3nm process. ...

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)