Does the warning also apply in case I keep a low brightness always?

Background:


I usually sit indoors for any kind of work on my laptop. And my lighting conditions also usually remain stationary. The only change is day and night, where I would turn on the lights as the day ends.


I have witnessed that if I keep the setting "Automatically adjust brightness" as "ON", then the brightness keeps on changing when some kind of light falls on the laptop. Earlier I thought it must be because I am looking away from the screen or may be because the ambient light directly falls on its sensors or something.


However, recently I found that even with no change in the lights in the room, the brightness goes dimmer. Then I increase the brightness and then start typing or working, and again the brightness goes dimmer while I am typing. So, this is not due to inactivity.


Further, even with lights in the room on, I'd like the brightness to be reasonably low. That's how I find the screen to be comfortable to look at.


So, I turned the setting to "OFF".


Outcome:


System showed following warning message:


Question:


The warning says that "energy usage may be higher". I am assuming that that will only happen when the brightness is kept at a high position, even when a low brightness could have done the job. So, I am comfortable with that, as I will have better control over the brightness.


However, the next line says "Display and battery performance may be reduced". How so?

If I keep the brightness low most of the time and I control it manually, how does that affect my display or battery performance?


Please guide me whether this is just a warning applicable to people who keep their brightness at full all the time or am I missing something here?



[Edited by Moderator]

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.0

Posted on Oct 19, 2025 5:15 AM

Reply
3 replies

Oct 19, 2025 8:57 AM in response to meet_v

FYI - to get the most from your battery:

• Let the OS and charging circuits manage the charging.

• Plug in when using the computer near available power.

• Use on battery when ac is unavailable or when you must be mobile.

• Don’t subject the computer and battery to extreme temperatures.

• Don’t allow the battery to regularly discharge deeply before plugging in. Yes, it may happen from time to time, just don't make it a habit.

• Don't obsess over battery life and/or health.  



Here is Apple's guidance on the subject.

Batteries - Maximizing Performance - Apple Support

About battery health management in Mac laptops - Apple Support 

If battery charging is paused or on hold on your Mac - Apple Support



❝Worry is the misuse of imagination.❞ – Zadra

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Does the warning also apply in case I keep a low brightness always?

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