Light vs Dark background in terms of battery? (LCD)

[Skulls138]

Is it true that the darker theme/background saves battery life compared to the light one, even when not on an LED screen? I've heard it does, that it doesn't, and that the lighter one is best even on an LCD. WMPoweruser claims that dark saves battery life compared to white, but people argue it isn't a reliable test. I can't speak for myself, my signal is too whacky and I don't have the time for a full-on test. Any opinions/facts? Thanks! (I have a Lumia 1520 with an IPS LCD screen)

 

[Harrie-S]

For an lcd it does not matter which picture you use.
For AM OLED a black picture uses less than a white picture.
But don't expect big differences in battery usage.
Brightness level does much more.
Also if you play a game than this will use much more than the color of your screen.

 

[xandros9]

Theoretically displays like on the 1520 and 920 should have steady power usage regardless of whats being displayed. (only factors being brightness and whether its on or not)
So it shouldnt make a difference.

 

[Ballsak]

What the two above me said. LCD = no difference other than jacking up the brightness.
Amoled on the other hand, actually is a true black display because the LED'S turn off when a black color is on the display, therefore no battery power is being used. ...

Both displays have their good and bad points as a result of this (Amoled has contrast issues due to distinct differences, but LCD has grey instead of black), but not much one can do.

 

[Skulls138]

Awesome responses! Thanks a lot.