A new patent has indicated how a Pixel phone could save battery while displaying images. Google filed the patent this year, but the tech could be deployed in most modern Android smartphones.
Google files patent to help conserve battery while Pixel phones are displaying images
Google launched its latest Pixel smartphones recently. The impressive lineup includes the entry-level Pixel 9 and goes all the way up to the Pixel 9 Pro, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
These devices have several features that rely on Gemini, Google’s Generative Artificial intelligence. (Gen AI). Perhaps this AI tech could help Google control the phone’s internal hardware and conserve battery wherever it can.
Google recently published a patent indicating how the tech giant’s Pixel phones could save their battery, especially when these devices are displaying an image. Specifically speaking, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a 13-page document that details this new tech to conserve battery life.
Google reportedly filed the patent in June 2024. However, the USPTO published the document recently on October 17, 2024.
How can a phone help save battery while displaying an image?
Displays are one of the biggest causes of battery drain. The higher the brightness, the faster the battery drains. In other words, controlling the brightness of the display can help optimize battery consumption.
According to the patent, future Pixel phones could have the ability to “look” at an image. The device would create a bionic image based on its On-Pixel Ratio (OPR). Presumably, the device’s onboard AI would then combine the newly created bionic image with the original image to make a new one.
Future Pixel phones would then display this image on the screen. Needless to say, the new image would keep the relevant areas bright while lowering the brightness in other, less relevant areas.
The simple reasoning behind the patent is that phones light up their screens to display an image. Each pixel on the screen needs power to emit light. By lowering the intensity of brightness, phones could conserve battery life.
Every Android phone could benefit from this technology. Hence, it is possible Google could first allow Pixel phones to dynamically alter images before this tech trickles down to smartphones from other manufacturers via an Android OS update.