The Truth Behind the Dark Mode Boom
Dark mode on smartphones and computers has exploded in popularity over the past few years. iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and countless websites and apps now support dark mode. "It's easier on the eyes," "it saves battery," "it looks cool" - it's praised for many reasons, but are these claims actually true?
Is Dark Mode Really Easier on the Eyes?
The short answer is: the scientific evidence says "it depends."
Advantageous in Dark Environments
When using your smartphone at night or in a dark room, a white background feels glaring. Dark mode reduces the overall screen brightness, which can help reduce eye strain in dark environments.
Sometimes Worse in Bright Environments
Multiple studies from 2024 found that in bright environments, "black text on white background" (light mode) is more readable and allows faster reading comprehension. This is because human eyes are optimized for reading dark text on a light background.
Additionally, reading bright text on a dark background for extended periods can cause a "halation effect" (where bright text appears to bleed into the dark background), and people with astigmatism may find it particularly difficult to read.
The Blue Light Connection
It's sometimes claimed that "dark mode reduces blue light," but this is only partially true. Dark mode reduces the overall light output from the screen, which consequently reduces the total amount of blue light. However, it doesn't selectively filter blue light. If you want to reduce blue light specifically, your OS's night shift feature (which shifts the color temperature to warmer tones) is more effective. Interestingly, your dark mode preference is one of many signals that contribute to your browser fingerprint.
Battery Impact - It Depends Entirely on the Screen Type
Whether dark mode saves battery varies dramatically depending on the type of display.
- OLED/AMOLED: Black pixels are completely turned off, so dark mode can significantly save battery. Google's research showed up to 63% savings at maximum brightness
- LCD/IPS: The backlight is always on, so battery consumption barely changes even with a black screen
Since most modern smartphones use OLED displays, the battery-saving benefits of dark mode are increasingly noticeable. However, older smartphones and many laptops use LCD screens, where the effect is limited. For more tips on optimizing your smartphone settings, check out our guide on mobile privacy.
The History of Dark Mode - It's Actually a Return to Origins
Computer screens were originally dark mode. Computer terminals in the 1970s-80s displayed green or orange text on a black background as standard. The green cascading text from the movie "The Matrix" is inspired by terminals from this era.
In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh and introduced the "black text on white background" paper metaphor. This was the beginning of "light mode." For over 30 years, white backgrounds were the standard, but around 2018, dark mode made its comeback. In other words, dark mode isn't a "new trend" - it's a "return to origins."
Dark Mode Support for Websites
For websites to support dark mode, they use the CSS prefers-color-scheme media query. The browser detects the OS's dark mode setting and automatically switches styles. This is just one example of how browsers mediate between the OS and websites - for a deeper look at how browsers protect you, see our article on browser isolation.
IP Check-san also supports dark mode. When you change your OS settings, the color scheme switches automatically.
Summary
Dark mode isn't a silver bullet. It reduces eye strain in dark environments and saves battery on OLED screens, but readability in bright environments is inferior to light mode. Rather than one being "the right answer," the best approach is to switch based on your environment.