Wow seems like everyone voted matte here. Argh such a tough decision, gonna have to go to the apple store to try it out. I'm getting my MBP replaced, but right now I have a matte so I can't decide if I should go for the glossy because the colors seem so much more vibrant. I'm just afraid my eyes will get irritated!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Did you get a Glossy/ Matted Screen MBP? (Will buy MBP today, please help)
- Thread starter MiniMini
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I went with a glossy. No light scatter, so the screen is slightly brighter. Colors are not more accurate, but then again, they are capable of being adjusted to being as accurate as the matte version. Higher apparent contrast without the matte coating.
I use it indoors, outdoors, in airports and in the office. Never, not once, have I not been able to move the screen so that reflections are NOT an issue.
Are you a photo editor? If so, see quite a few posts about the screen in the MBP. Neither screen is good for you.
Do you constantly work in a very very bright and sunny environment with your only possible place to sit with the sun behind you? That might be an issue.
I vote glossy.
I use it indoors, outdoors, in airports and in the office. Never, not once, have I not been able to move the screen so that reflections are NOT an issue.
Are you a photo editor? If so, see quite a few posts about the screen in the MBP. Neither screen is good for you.
Do you constantly work in a very very bright and sunny environment with your only possible place to sit with the sun behind you? That might be an issue.
I vote glossy.
Glossy
I was at an airport with a co-worker who happens to have a MBP with a matte screen. I pulled out my MB with glossy screen and he began to regret his decision on getting a matte screen within a few minutes.
There are downsides to both, but overall, I think the glossy is better. This becomes obvious to me when I use my MB for several days, and then go into my office and use my Mac Mini which is hooked up to a 20" Dell widescreen monitor. Glossy seems so much more crisp once you use it for a while.
I was at an airport with a co-worker who happens to have a MBP with a matte screen. I pulled out my MB with glossy screen and he began to regret his decision on getting a matte screen within a few minutes.
There are downsides to both, but overall, I think the glossy is better. This becomes obvious to me when I use my MB for several days, and then go into my office and use my Mac Mini which is hooked up to a 20" Dell widescreen monitor. Glossy seems so much more crisp once you use it for a while.
God coming down from on high and telling me that glossy is better wouldn't convince me of it. To me, it's such a no-brainer that matte is superior that it's barely worth discussing.
Glossy is seductive at first glance, but nothing looks quite as good for the long haul as a matte screen.
Glossy is seductive at first glance, but nothing looks quite as good for the long haul as a matte screen.
I would bet that since God himself couldn't convince him, he has never owned a glossy screen. I own both (a dell laptop for work - matte, and a dell LCD monitor - matte, and a MB with Glossy) and I prefer glossy. Take it for what its worth, but the more vibrant colors, crisp text, and overall sharper image really make other screens look 'old school'.
The more I use the glossy MB, the more I hate going back to matte when I use my other systems (especially the XP laptop for reasons more than the matte finish). I disagree with the above post in this regard. Now that I have owned my MB for 10 months, I am certain that if a glossy screen is available for my ext system, I will buy glossy again. The "seductive" screen has turned into a great long term relationship
The reflection issue is so minimal that I don't even think twice about it. If you find yourself using your laptop outside in bright sunlight more than inside, go matte. Otherwise, if you think glossy looks better, then it does, and you will continue to think so after your purchase. If you go to the store and prefer matte, then go with matte.
Just one data point so take it for what it is worth.
Glossy just seems fake and flashy to me, whereas matte gives you a more realistic view of what you're looking at. I can't stand glossy photographs either, and much prefer matte pictures.
Glossy sometimes gives me headaches - not surprising considering it tricks the eye into thinking it is a sharper image.
I use a matte screen - no reflections and plenty of colour. But I did previously own an HP laptop with a glossy screen and I did find it quite good.
I use a matte screen - no reflections and plenty of colour. But I did previously own an HP laptop with a glossy screen and I did find it quite good.
How much did you pay for her to have a glossy screen? Only seen matte screen's on wifes.
How much did you pay for her to have a glossy screen? Only seen matte screen's on wifes.
LOL.
Yeah... Mine is Matte two. Awesome. Can never replace it with the MacBook's glossy. Too much reflection.
Going from matte from the old powerbook to glossy on the macbook drove me crazy. It's so easy to get marks on the glossy screen, and if you don't clean it correctly, you get these weird streaks that won't go away
I went to the Apple store yesterday and checked them both out. They both look good but for me, I decided to go with the matte finish. The lighting at my work is really bright and causes slight glaring even on matte screens. For use at home, either would have been fine. Honestly, the entire argument is pointless as you really need to just go check out both for yourself. To each their own
my suitemate's macbook screen already has some hairline scratches on it and he bought it a few months after i got my MBP...
but some of it was form improper cleaning techniques (i think he used his shirt occasionally). Now he uses the iKlear kit.
he's the type that would get bothered by even these.
but some of it was form improper cleaning techniques (i think he used his shirt occasionally). Now he uses the iKlear kit.
he's the type that would get bothered by even these.
Glossy is NOT glossy.
Confused? Good. What we call glossy should be called "direct" or without change. The screen has a coating on it to block glare but otherwise transfers light straight out from through the panel no problem.
In the distant past LCD monitors could not be made without a fairly thick glare protector because the backlighting was expensive to make, expensive (in power) to run and not terribly effective. This caused the screen to wash out with even a little bit of light available.
What we call "matte" is only a glare protectant layer, rather than a simple spray/etched coating found in "glossy" screens. This glare layer is a thick peice of plastic that is designed to scatter light not going straight (or at least at greater than x degrees) through it. If you have ever put a glare protector on a CRT sceen, its the same thing only more effective. The benefit is that it stops reflections from appearing either on the outside of the screen, or deeper in at the lcd panel itself. It also helps with washout because it scatters the light evenly around, where washout will happen wherever the external light source is.
By adding a glare coating rather than glare layer, manufacturers were able to remove a bit that was sapping up to 20+% of the maximum brightness produced by the backlights. It also removes the "halo" of scattered light produced in the screen by internal reflections, which make the black levels look deeper. None of that is "fake" or "inaccurate", and in fact it is probably more accurate, at least can be with proper adjustment.
I could turn this into a 3 page discussion on light, but in fact I have posted that before. Search on my posts and look for a glossy vs matte discussion, and read. Talks about light and the colors produced. Unless your environment is one with uncontolled light sources that WILL affect your screen, get the glossy.
If you have headaches because of the screen, get a matte, but somehow I think your headaches are due to something else. It COULD be the refresh rate, and then no LCD will help, at least not until true 120hz screens become available on laptops.
Hmm, now that I think about it, I have to take back that last comment about headaches. I used to get terrible headaches when using this toshiba laptop I had (techra 9800 if I remember right). It had the WORST lcd panel I have EVER seen. Matte with a weird pink cast to everything. White was probably somewhere around 3500k, not 6500k. I tried every trick in the book to get better colors, but the monitor just couldn't do it. 6 bit without dithering...
Try to figure out why you are getting headaches, I think it might help you out, plus it could help out some people here. It could be that *your* lcd ( I mean the one your laptop alone and not that it is glossy or matte) has colors more out of balance than by design. If that appears to be the case, the only way to properly solve the issue is with a spider or some other way to measure the light being produced. Once you run the tests, take whichever color has the least amount of light while maxed, and reset the other two down to that level. This should balance your colors at the white end of the spectum. The lower ends are generally not so much of an issue, but you might need to bump the colors a bit to generate a proper color curve, the spider will help here. Plus then you could use it on your TV and friends tv to set everything PERFECT.
Might help out.
Confused? Good. What we call glossy should be called "direct" or without change. The screen has a coating on it to block glare but otherwise transfers light straight out from through the panel no problem.
In the distant past LCD monitors could not be made without a fairly thick glare protector because the backlighting was expensive to make, expensive (in power) to run and not terribly effective. This caused the screen to wash out with even a little bit of light available.
What we call "matte" is only a glare protectant layer, rather than a simple spray/etched coating found in "glossy" screens. This glare layer is a thick peice of plastic that is designed to scatter light not going straight (or at least at greater than x degrees) through it. If you have ever put a glare protector on a CRT sceen, its the same thing only more effective. The benefit is that it stops reflections from appearing either on the outside of the screen, or deeper in at the lcd panel itself. It also helps with washout because it scatters the light evenly around, where washout will happen wherever the external light source is.
By adding a glare coating rather than glare layer, manufacturers were able to remove a bit that was sapping up to 20+% of the maximum brightness produced by the backlights. It also removes the "halo" of scattered light produced in the screen by internal reflections, which make the black levels look deeper. None of that is "fake" or "inaccurate", and in fact it is probably more accurate, at least can be with proper adjustment.
I could turn this into a 3 page discussion on light, but in fact I have posted that before. Search on my posts and look for a glossy vs matte discussion, and read. Talks about light and the colors produced. Unless your environment is one with uncontolled light sources that WILL affect your screen, get the glossy.
If you have headaches because of the screen, get a matte, but somehow I think your headaches are due to something else. It COULD be the refresh rate, and then no LCD will help, at least not until true 120hz screens become available on laptops.
Hmm, now that I think about it, I have to take back that last comment about headaches. I used to get terrible headaches when using this toshiba laptop I had (techra 9800 if I remember right). It had the WORST lcd panel I have EVER seen. Matte with a weird pink cast to everything. White was probably somewhere around 3500k, not 6500k. I tried every trick in the book to get better colors, but the monitor just couldn't do it. 6 bit without dithering...
Try to figure out why you are getting headaches, I think it might help you out, plus it could help out some people here. It could be that *your* lcd ( I mean the one your laptop alone and not that it is glossy or matte) has colors more out of balance than by design. If that appears to be the case, the only way to properly solve the issue is with a spider or some other way to measure the light being produced. Once you run the tests, take whichever color has the least amount of light while maxed, and reset the other two down to that level. This should balance your colors at the white end of the spectum. The lower ends are generally not so much of an issue, but you might need to bump the colors a bit to generate a proper color curve, the spider will help here. Plus then you could use it on your TV and friends tv to set everything PERFECT.
Might help out.
I bought the glossy this weekend.. The store had a matte and a glossy side by side..
The Glossy is so much more stunning.. I was totally taken back by the beauty of the screen.. Very sharp, very stunning. Very happy with my decision. My office has very bright fluorescent lamps, and I don't have any reflection issues, either.
The Glossy is so much more stunning.. I was totally taken back by the beauty of the screen.. Very sharp, very stunning. Very happy with my decision. My office has very bright fluorescent lamps, and I don't have any reflection issues, either.
I don't see how glossy screens are any more "sharp" - I've seen them every time I've gone into the stores and they look terrible.
I don't care what the science behind it is - it looks ridiculous. You're never going to convince me that seeing myself in the screen while I'm looking at it is better. Even if you type 3 pages.
I don't care what the science behind it is - it looks ridiculous. You're never going to convince me that seeing myself in the screen while I'm looking at it is better. Even if you type 3 pages.
I'm glad to see there is such a mix of people on each side of the fence on this. Hopefully Apple will continue offering both matte and glossy since there seems to be such a divide on this issue. It is nice to see Apple offering a computer with a screen for everyone's taste
I'm glad to see there is such a mix of people on each side of the fence on this. Hopefully Apple will continue offering both matte and glossy since there seems to be such a divide on this issue. It is nice to see Apple offering a computer with a screen for everyone's taste
I agree!