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Save battery power on your AMOLED display with Pixel Filter for Android

Christine Ottoni • February 15, 2018

Get Pixel Filter to save battery power

As screens get bigger and with battery life always at a premium, even AMOLED screens can use a little help.

AMOLED (active-matrix organic light emitting diode) screens are inside a wide variety of phones, from the original Moto X to the latest Samsung Galaxy 8, 8+ and Note8. AMOLED differs from LCD in that each pixel is its own light source. With traditional LCD screens, the pixels need to be lit from behind. Counterintuitively, in LCD, pixels are backlit even when they’re trying to show black.

If you’re wondering whether your phone has an AMOLED display or not, check out this handy Wikipedia list (just click Show to expand the list).

AMOLED screens are capable of showing off a greater range of colors and displaying vibrant images. One cool thing about AMOLED is that when a pixel is black, it’s off and so doesn’t draw power.

Maybe you’re already dimming your screen when your battery starts to run low but that’s only part of the battle. Pixel Filter is a smart little app that lets you take things a step further. Download it for free in the Google Play Store.

Pixel Filter for Android

The free Pixel Filter app for Android lets you create a custom pixel pattern that will turn off a portion of the individual AMOLED pixels on your screen. Consider this a much more granular and more effective approach to screen dimming.

It’s a bit hard to explain. A picture is worth 1000 words, and an animated GIF is worth considerably more than that. Here’s how it works.

Choose your pixel pattern

The first time you open up Pixel Filter, select a pixel pattern. The higher the pixel pattern percentage you choose the more pixels you’re turning off.

Keep in mind, your display will show a lower quality image. So while you’re saving battery, you are sacrificing on image presentation to a degree.

After you leave the app, all you have to do to enable your pixel pattern is tap on the Pixel Filter icon on your home screen. To reopen the app and show the settings, tap on the icon three times.

Increase screen time

When you’re using Pixel Filter, you’ll actually increase your screen-on time. When fewer pixels are in use, your battery will be able to power your screen longer.

If you’ve got a phone with an AMOLED screen (see all AMOLED phones on Wikipedia, then click Show to expand the list), Pixel Filter can help you eke out every last minute of available battery life.