What does Battery Saver Mode "Extended" actually change? - LG G7 ThinQ Questions & Answers

The battery saver mode page allows for tweaking four settings:
Max brightness
Always-on-display
Disable vibration
Restrict background data
Now, if you disable(!) all of those you still receive minor savings, at least from what the prediction overview (listing all available battery modes) shows. First question: What remains "tweaked" internally to allow for that?
Furthermore, from enabling the items one by one, adjusting max brightness offers a large impact on the predicted runtime. That's no surprise. However, I would have thought that disabling the always-on-display leads to more savings but, looking at the predicted time, it actually doesn't. The impact is close to zero.
Vibration has a minor impact, more than AOD, while a HUGE gain of additional standby hours can be achieved by selecting the "Restrict background data" option. I wonder how that turns out in the everyday use but I think that, if one app would suffer, I would just exclude it and leave the rest in the "saving" position.
Concerning the (assumed) internal changes, I've logged the CPU frequency for a while with the extended battery mode on and off and can't see that throttling is active like I saw with other phones and their battery saver modes, so that's a nice trait. The chipset still clocks to max when needed, same as with the extended mode off.
How are your experiences with that mode? Does it offer more runtime (namely: are the predictions somehow in line with reality?) or is it leading to added lag or other problems? Currently, it seems like taking a lock at that background data option is worth a shot.

BasicallyCP said:
The battery saver mode page allows for tweaking four settings:
Max brightness
Always-on-display
Disable vibration
Restrict background data
Now, if you disable(!) all of those you still receive minor savings, at least from what the prediction overview (listing all available battery modes) shows. First question: What remains "tweaked" internally to allow for that?
Furthermore, from enabling the items one by one, adjusting max brightness offers a large impact on the predicted runtime. That's no surprise. However, I would have thought that disabling the always-on-display leads to more savings but, looking at the predicted time, it actually doesn't. The impact is close to zero.
Vibration has a minor impact, more than AOD, while a HUGE gain of additional standby hours can be achieved by selecting the "Restrict background data" option. I wonder how that turns out in the everyday use but I think that, if one app would suffer, I would just exclude it and leave the rest in the "saving" position.
Concerning the (assumed) internal changes, I've logged the CPU frequency for a while with the extended battery mode on and off and can't see that throttling is active like I saw with other phones and their battery saver modes, so that's a nice trait. The chipset still clocks to max when needed, same as with the extended mode off.
How are your experiences with that mode? Does it offer more runtime (namely: are the predictions somehow in line with reality?) or is it leading to added lag or other problems? Currently, it seems like taking a lock at that background data option is worth a shot.
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Only thing I've noticed is when I have my phone set to Extended and I've set Max Brightness to 80%. However, I've seen my Brightness go over 80% on Auto especially when I was outdoors (saw it hit 100% and Boosted). Under Manual Brightness, I can have it go to 100% too. So that 80% is misleading?

Good find. I was wondering too since the prediction page instantly applies a gain in standby hours (and a significant one at that) by just enabling the "max brightness" feature. Since it can not know when or for how long the display will be on and what range the "auto" feature will use in a given situation, it seems like a very optimistic value, especially if you just use a limit of 95% for example.
But regarding your question, it's indeed strange to see "auto" exceeding the max brightness limit. I mean, the limit is there for the auto mode only. Might be a bug, unless we struggle to see the logic behind acting like that.
Personally, I would leave max brightness alone since it's more useful to have the display ramp up to max in order to actually see something when needed. If "auto" generally sets up the display as being too bright, one can still adjust the slider (even in auto mode) to tune the point of optimal brightness. I think it acts as an offset to the actual (internal) value the automatic comes up with. At least, that's how I perceived the feature on this and other phones so far.

Related

Need more control over the backlight

Is there a way to tweak the behaviour of the auto-brightness backlight? At the moment it correctly goes up to full brightness in sunlight, but it doesn't go as dim as I would like under artificial light. At home, after dark, under electric light, I can manually turn the screen brightness down to the minimum level, and it's still bright enough - the auto setting is much brighter than that(although clearly much dimmer than it is in sunlight, so it is doing something).
Can this be tweaked? Failing that, is there an easier way to control the brightness manually - something I can keep running all the time, and which doesn't require the stylus to change the setting?
Try GLight
http://www.ageye.de/index.php?s=glight/about
JustBored said:
Try GLight
http://www.ageye.de/index.php?s=glight/about
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Thanks, I'll give that a try.
I find Lumos to be more stable and reliable
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=450318
Ok I havn't tried either of them before but I just installed G-Light.
After a bit of config. it's ok. You need to give each backlight number a wider setting.
Otherwise it'll just flip back and forward in brightness.
So far G-Light is proving rather dissapointing. The phone's built-in "Auto" setting works well, apart from the fact that the brightness doesn't go low enough in dim light - in particular, it manages to choose a good level and then stick to it. G-Light, by contrast, keeps changing the brightness up and down all the time.
I think the notion of having absolute brightness bands may be the wrong way to go. You really want a set-up where the threshold values are in different places depending on whether the light is getting brighter or dimmer. So, as the light fades, you cross a threshold and dim the screen - but when the light goes slightly back up over that threshold, you don't brighten the screen again until it gets significantly higher than that. That way, regardless of the light level, the screen brightness will be steady unless the ambient light level is changing a lot. If you use single threshold values then whenever the ambient light happens to be very close to a threshold value you will always get the brightness going constantly up and down.
Edit: some of the things Lumos does (like averaging across multiple readings) sound hopeful, though. I'll give that a try.
Shasarak said:
So far G-Light is proving rather dissapointing. The phone's built-in "Auto" setting works well, apart from the fact that the brightness doesn't go low enough in dim light - in particular, it manages to choose a good level and then stick to it. G-Light, by contrast, keeps changing the brightness up and down all the time.
I think the notion of having absolute brightness bands may be the wrong way to go. You really want a set-up where the threshold values are in different places depending on whether the light is getting brighter or dimmer. So, as the light fades, you cross a threshold and dim the screen - but when the light goes slightly back up over that threshold, you don't brighten the screen again until it gets significantly higher than that. That way, regardless of the light level, the screen brightness will be steady unless the ambient light level is changing a lot. If you use single threshold values then whenever the ambient light happens to be very close to a threshold value you will always get the brightness going constantly up and down.
Edit: some of the things Lumos does (like averaging across multiple readings) sound hopeful, though. I'll give that a try.
Click to expand...
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Let me know how Lumos is.
Yes as I said earlier you need to widen those settings.
For now I have 5 set to 0-81
6 set to 82-200
8 set to 201-600
10 set to 601-1000
All the rest are disabled by setting the values to -1 to -1
HeavyComponent said:
Let me know how Lumos is.
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Click to collapse
Lumos is also proving dissapointing. It's partly the fault of the hardware - the sensor seems to read 0 even in surprisingly bright light, so the app has no way of telling whether you're at a light level where backlight 1 is appropriate or a light level where backlight 3 is appropriate - both read 0 on the sensor. (This is probably why the default auto option doesn't go below 3 in the first place).
As for Lumos, the author needs to realise that perception of brightness is actually based on an exponential curve. That means that all of the values between level 1 and level 5 are somewhere between 0 and 80 sensor reading. The graph interface is useless for editing custom values with that level of precision - it's trying to squeeze over 2000 values into less than 800 pixels of screen space, and the pixels are tiny! I think you can edit the values directly in the settings.txt file, but that's fiddly - there should be spinboxes, really (as with G-Light).
In any case, you don't want to be editing the values directly! What you want to be doing is taking the phone out of your pocket, looking at it, and thinking "hmm, the screen is too bright at the moment" then adjusting the brightness to whatever level is comfortable for the current ambient light level. The programme should then interpolate the curve that you want, and progressively refine it each time you decide it isn't quite right and tweak the brightness.
I haven't tried to Lumos program yet, but I've been using Glight for a few days. At first I had some issues with it but then I realized that you have to turn the auto light adjustment off in settings first. If not, they'll both be fighting against one another.
Also, you have to set your thresholds pretty carefully as has been already stated. Mine is set to go bright only in bright outside and lowest in a dark room with no light at all.
1 0 to 5
3 10 to 799
8 800 to 2500
I've got mine set low for better battery life and the screen is always readable to me no matter what anyway.
Also, if you're using a the snap on rubber protector (I got a T-Mobile one) it will interfere with the light sensor. I just got one and the lighting is all over the place now. Time to order a full body screen protector.
GLight doesn't seem to work for me. keeps crashing, and the settings don't seem to save at all.
I don't want a sliding scale that Lumos has since i don't think the light sensor is all that accurate (sometimes thinks it's too bright and sometimes thinks its too dark). would rather just have a few settings (pitch black setting, super bright setting, and in the middle) as shawndh suggested.
i have the verizon tp2 - not sure if this might be causing some of the glight probs.

Auto brightness does not go all the way to High

I use the Auto setting as it seems to work very well except when out in direct sunlight. It will adjust up to 80-90% but not go all the way. If I am in direct sunlight and switch from Auto to High the screen definitely brightens a bit (and vice versa), does this happen to any one else?
While we are at it, a simple Toggle or Live tile to get to the brightness would be nice. Having to go through Settings etc. is a pain.
What setting do you have brightness set to when Auto is enabled? I believe that Auto also uses the Low/Medium/High settings to determine the range of what Auto will change to. So, there are really six different brightness settings: Low/Med/High with and without Auto.
ElNino77 said:
What setting do you have brightness set to when Auto is enabled? I believe that Auto also uses the Low/Medium/High settings to determine the range of what Auto will change to. So, there are really six different brightness settings: Low/Med/High with and without Auto.
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High. Try this please, set your phone on high brightness, go outside and then toggle the 'auto' switch on and off, you should see a difference. Thanks for the reply though!
I highly recommend you do not use auto brightness setting. It guzzles the battery. Use Low inside and Med outside to maximize your battery life. Use High outside if really needed.
Seed 2.0 said:
I highly recommend you do not use auto brightness setting. It guzzles the battery. Use Low inside and Med outside to maximize your battery life. Use High outside if really needed.
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Click to collapse
Oh, do I understand that! High will devastate the battery in no time but.... When I'm outside I need to actually see the display so high it must be. Just wish Auto would actually set it to High instead of "sorta High"
I see exactly the same thing. It seems to be by design.

At what brightness auto level you keep your phone.

I used to have it at 100% now doing 50%. does it really affect battery?
Adjusting the brightness in general does affect battery life. Although I'm not sure how much adjusting the %, while still using the "Auto" feature will work out. My thought on adjusting the % (while still using Auto) is not so much about battery life, but rather to have some more customization on how bright you like the screen. Many folks will criticize that Auto brightness algorithms are often insufficient and too bright or too dark for the given situations.
If battery life is your concern, I would suggest ditching "Auto" altogether. Reason being, being on Auto constantly polls the light sensor which in itself uses some battery
I haven't experimented with this phone, in particular. But on a previous device, I found anecdotally that turning off Auto and manually having it set to 40% brightness increased the battery life by around 30-40%. Of course, you mileage will vary, and it will depend on how you use your phone and other factors; as well as what brightness level you prefer.
eduardmc said:
I used to have it at 100% now doing 50%. does it really affect battery?
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redpoint73 said:
Adjusting the brightness in general does affect battery life. Although I'm not sure how much adjusting the %, while still using the "Auto" feature will work out. My thought on adjusting the % (while still using Auto) is not so much about battery life, but rather to have some more customization on how bright you like the screen. Many folks will criticize that Auto brightness algorithms are often insufficient and too bright or too dark for the given situations.
If battery life is your concern, I would suggest ditching "Auto" altogether. Reason being, being on Auto constantly polls the light sensor which in itself uses some battery
I haven't experimented with this phone, in particular. But on a previous device, I found anecdotally that turning off Auto and manually having it set to 40% brightness increased the battery life by around 30-40%. Of course, you mileage will vary, and it will depend on how you use your phone and other factors; as well as what brightness level you prefer.
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I've always manually adjusted autobrightness and generally leave it set at around 40% and adjusting when I need to, which typically isnt a great deal each day. Very rarely go anywhere near 100% brightness. It may be worth experiementing and monitoring your battery life for auto and manual over say a week to see the results.
I was under the impression that the slider position was irrelevant if Auto was selected. So setting the slider on Auto sets the upper limit the algorithm uses?
bruce7373 said:
I was under the impression that the slider position was irrelevant if Auto was selected. So setting the slider on Auto sets the upper limit the algorithm uses?
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Your second point seems to be the case, yes.
You will notice even if "Auto" is selected, moving the slider back and forth will make the screen dimmer/brighter for the given ambient lighting condition.
On older devices, your first point was true. Selecting one would override the other. If I remember properly, manually selecting a brightness level would deselect the "Auto" feature.
My understanding has always been that the slider sets the MAX brightness the screen will go up to when set to auto. So if you put it on 50% and go outside in bright sunlight the screen will only go up to 50% which may not be enough. I set mine on 100% and that way if I am in direct sun the screen will go as high as it can and still go down as low as is needed when in a dark room. I will also say that of all the phones I have ever owned this one has the best auto brightness implementation of them all as a stock feature.
jaseman said:
My understanding has always been that the slider sets the MAX brightness the screen will go up to when set to auto. So if you put it on 50% and go outside in bright sunlight the screen will only go up to 50% which may not be enough. I set mine on 100% and that way if I am in direct sun the screen will go as high as it can and still go down as low as is needed when in a dark room. I will also say that of all the phones I have ever owned this one has the best auto brightness implementation of them all as a stock feature.
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That's what I thought but it's the opposite! From HTC website: "With the*Automatic brightness*option selected, drag the slider to set the maximum brightness level.*This sets a LIMIT on how bright the screen will be when*Automatic brightness*is selected"
Source: http://www.htc.com/us/support/htc-one-m8/howto/465124.html
This means that it will only affect the lowest brightness level, not the highest, meaning you can have it a 0% and it will always go to maximum brightness when in direct sunlight. I've tested this and can confirm it's empirically true.

Adaptive brightness too dramatic?

I've seen a couple posts about delays with adaptive brightness, but this is a different item. I'm seeing that the adaptive brightness alters the brightness a little too dramatically. In a somewhat dark room (not pitch black) the brightness will be at absolute minimum even when the brightness is about 1/3 up on the slider. In a moderately bright room that same brightness setting will be near maximum.
Does anyone else notice this as an issue? I'm just wondering if it's normal (ie, software calibration issue) or if the brightness sensor might not be seated correctly.
It's normal. Or at least it sounds like it is working the same way mine is. And yes, IMO it is a little too sensitive. The Lux app works beautifully if you want an alternative. Also, the goog is known for tweaking this feature over time with updates.
I've noticed this too. The biggest thing for me is walking down the street at dusk (so not dark out yet) I can't read the screen as it turns it all the way down, then, when I walk under a street light, it turns it all the way up to full! It's one extreme or the other, there seems to be no middle ground.
In other words "adaptive brightness has mind of its own!"
This is why I have always kept this setting off. The brightness just changing on its own always annoyed me.
When it works properly (and it should) for ones uses, it's great, it's automatic, what's not to like? It's a pita to always have to change brightness manually just to see a phone display depending on ambient lighting which varies immensely for many users.
jbdan said:
When it works properly (and it should) for ones uses, it's great, it's automatic, what's not to like? It's a pita to always have to change brightness manually just to see a phone display depending on ambient lighting which varies immensely for many users.
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I agree. I have it set to maybe around 15-20% (centered over the WiFi symbol below it) and I never need to touch it. Gets dark enough for night driving and bright enough to read outside. Never found it stuck on one or the other when it shouldn't be.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
If you buy the app Lux you can customize how it adapts your brightness. The free version is good to but you have to use mostly default settings. By default it only adapts brightness when the screen turns on.

Question Adaptive Brightness - Disable maximized "Sunlight Mode"?

Hello!
I bought a Base S22 a few weeks ago and so far, I'm loving this device. But one thing that bothers me is the adaptive brightness implementation from Samsung, because its not really "adaptive". Even on some cloudy days, the brightness gets maximized and I can not change it to a lower level, because I always get the "maximized for best viewing in bright light" notification. In all other scenarios the adaptive brightness algorithm works perfectly.
Is there a way to disable this kind of behavior?
My current solution for sunny days is a Bixby routine to quickly disable adaptive brightness when I'm longer outside to save some battery.
Use manual brightness control. Adaptive brightness never worked right... no surprise it still doesn't.
You can manually lower the brightness even in adaptive mode, and hopefully it will adapt to you too.
Another options are:
- Battery Saving mode has optional "10% lower brightness "
– Battery Guardian module of Good Lock (with dependencies!) may be configured to lower brightness when phone's temperature is high
MakaanPL said:
You can manually lower the brightness even in adaptive mode, and hopefully it will adapt to you too.
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That never works right either... The only draw back to full manual is finding the slider in bright light to jack it up. Auto is easier to temporarily use then. That said using the device in direct sunlight should be limited to seconds not minutes. Avoid whenever possible.
50% or less is best for battery and AMOLED conservation.
Using manual brightness control saves battery, display and your retinas
MakaanPL said:
You can manually lower the brightness even in adaptive mode, and hopefully it will adapt to you too.
Another options are:
- Battery Saving mode has optional "10% lower brightness "
– Battery Guardian module of Good Lock (with dependencies!) may be configured to lower brightness when phone's temperature is high
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that the phone puts the brightness to the maximum and locks it there in bright light. Even when I use battery saving to lower the brightness by about 10%, it doesn't let me change the brightness to a lower level.
I don't know if this is just a thing on Samsung phones, because I heard that they use the adaptive brightness algorithm with KI from Google.
Mayamos said:
The problem is that the phone puts the brightness to the maximum and locks it there in bright light. Even when I use battery saving to lower the brightness by about 10%, it doesn't let me change the brightness to a lower level.
I don't know if this is just a thing on Samsung phones, because I heard that they use the adaptive brightness algorithm with KI from Google.
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Click to collapse
Which is why I use full manual control almost always. Invariably auto is many time too bright and has a tendency to "jump" around. Lol, human vision in much more adaptable and its nearly seamless.
The brightest stars burn the quickest... my plan is to have a display that's perfect for the life of my heavily used devices which likely will be in excess of 4+ years. Batteries are easy and cheap to replace, the displays aren't. Samsung's plan is to sell you a new phone every year.

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