Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

617aircav

Suspended
Original poster
Jul 2, 2012
3,975
818
I'm considering the 13 air or 13 pro non retina. I read reviews that the air has a better higher display than the pro. What do you think.
 

Kafka

macrumors 6502
Mar 10, 2011
342
46
Pro screen is better by far but feels cramped. Air has a higher resolution. Basically it depends what's more important to you.
 

tredstone

macrumors regular
Aug 25, 2010
166
0
Glossy screens do tend to make the colors pop a bit more, but irritate some (if not many) people who find them unusable or annoying under sunlight due to their reflectiveness.

I think you should check out both side by side at an Apple store. I personally find the screens are comparable enough that there's no clear winner (unlike say, comparing it to a retina model), and the other factors probably come into play more (e.g., weight, disk space, DVD drive, etc).
 

Kafka

macrumors 6502
Mar 10, 2011
342
46
Yes go check them out in person.

A higher resolution means everything is displayed smaller, so you have more room on the screen.
Forget about retina it's a whole different technology, not relevant in this case.
 

617aircav

Suspended
Original poster
Jul 2, 2012
3,975
818
There is no apple store here, and the store that sells them only have the 11 in air, so I can't compare to the mbp
 

corruptshadow

macrumors newbie
Apr 15, 2010
10
0
SF Bay Area
The air has a better resolution and is thus able to display more content at a given time. However, the screen on the air has less color accuracy, and sharpness, it also has a much less forgiving viewing angle. All are still pretty good though with the exception of the viewing angle. Anandtech did a complete review of the air and I would advise you to read it. http://www.anandtech.com/show/6063/macbook-air-13inch-mid-2012-review


Both machines are very good, but which is all around optimum for your needs should compare all the features not just the screens. If you do go with the air try and see if the place you get it from will let you see if it has a samsung display, read "The Display" section in the review as to why.
 
Last edited:

Stetrain

macrumors 68040
Feb 6, 2009
3,550
20
I thought a higher resolution screen means better screen as with the retina.


Not always. Contrast, brightness, color accuracy, black levels, and viewing angles can all make a difference in the quality of a display.

13" non-retina MBP:
- Lower resolution (1280x800)
- More reflective (glass layer over screen)
- Better colors and viewing angles

13" Air:
- Higher resolution (1440x900)
- Less reflective (display is glossy but no extra glass)
- Lower quality colors and viewing angles.
 

Kafka

macrumors 6502
Mar 10, 2011
342
46
Anandtech did a complete review of the air and I would advise you to read it. http://www.anandtech.com/show/6063/macbook-air-13inch-mid-2012-review


Both machines are very good, but which is all around optimum for your needs should compare all the features not just the screens. If you do go with the air try and see if the place you get it from will let you see if it has a samsung display, read "The Display" section in the review as to why.

Well if you actually read the display section, you'll see that the author says he can't tell which is which after calibration.

Shortly after that review, Mountain Lion came out with new default profiles, greatly improved for the LG screen.
That issue is over now, and you'll notice that the corresponding thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1389918/ has been dying slowly since then.
 

tredstone

macrumors regular
Aug 25, 2010
166
0
Never had an experience with a keyboard cover for the Air, but on the Macbook Pro it would leave an imprint on the screen which was rather annoying.
 

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
Well if you actually read the display section, you'll see that the author says he can't tell which is which after calibration.

Shortly after that review, Mountain Lion came out with new default profiles, greatly improved for the LG screen.
That issue is over now, and you'll notice that the corresponding thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1389918/ has been dying slowly since then.

Apple's stock profiles are absolutely terrible, so this doesn't surprise me. If you look up their instruction set in a profile viewer, It's quite odd. Also going with one for two differing display designs is kind of a bad idea.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.