Glossy vs Anti-Glare

[dnenciu]

AG is actually brighter than the glossy, just that the colors on the glossy pop more. At night, when lights are off and dim.... glare and gloss is not an issue on the glossy display as it is minimized...

colorwise... it will look much more vibrant since well... its glossy. AG will look good, but it won't pop as much as glossy. At night with low light.... the only disadvantage of glare, is removed. Having a light source behind where I sit... turned on sometimes... the reflection is apparent.

Why do people say that the Glossy is fine at night? On any dark background the lit up keys get reflected in the screen I know as I had one and was really annoying to see keys reflected.

I think Glossy vs Matte is really a question of wether or not you are bothered by reflections. If you are not than the glossy is easier to clean, less likely to scratch, a bit more saturated, a bit better contrast, and a bit sharper. On the other hand if you are bothered than stay away from glossy as the apple glass is worse than any other reflective glossy screen you ever tried.

 

[kappaknight]

I bought the 15" and the 27" external display. Since the display is glossy, I decided on AG for the 15" so I could compare images. The 15" arrives tomorrow. Hopefully, the AG wasn't a mistake!

I have an 2008 MBP w/ a glossy screen and till recently, the 24" matte ACD. The colors on the ACD was slightly washed out but I could always work on it even with bright Sun coming into the room.

A couple of weeks ago I upgraded the external display to the 27" ACD and while my Apple products look uniform now, the glare is really starting to bug me - to the point I don't even use half of the 27" monitor cause that's the part the window reflects from.

Went to the Apple store today and compared the screens and I honestly think the AG screen is great if not improved from the older matte screens. Colors seem just as vibrant and the fact I CAN see the screen compared to the glossy ones in the store is a big thumbs up.

I think what I'm going to do is rearrange my home office so that the new external display will be facing away from all windows. As for the laptop I never considered the AG option before but I think it makes sense for me to get it since I do travel with it and having to adjust how you sit in the coffee shop or anywhere else is very annoying.

*Sigh* more money out the wallet.

 

[Luba]

Oh the 2011 AG is better than 2010, will have to check it out!

I think it still has that narrow gap versus the flush glass of the glossy?

For certain if it were the 2010 anti-glare... I would have definitely gone glossy having seen it in the store. The 2011 AG feels much improved and definitely looks good.

I totally agree under ideal conditions it would look great, preferably dim room in evening... but its nice I guess to be able to use a black/dark wallpaper without seeing yourself clearly in the background. Not that it bothers me much, but it would be nice.

Cleaningwise... poking a glossy screen does seem a lot safer than poking at a matte.

 

[kappaknight]

I always have AG but I actually like the Glossy lol. Other than deeper blacks and vivid color, the Glass is much easier to clean without worrying about damaging the panel. I never bought a Glossy for myself but at night I wish I had the glossy. I bought the Glossy for the g/f and shes never complained.

The glossy IS easier to clean but it also picks up finger grease from the keyboard more when you close the laptop. I'm hoping the AG will not get as dirty since the screen is slightly recessed.

 

[gymacscuba]

Consistency with ACD and Anti-Glare MBP

Already have an ACD and love it as my work area doesn't have any reflected lighting.
By purchasing an anti-glare MBP would editing photos in LR3 on either display look different when viewed on the other?

 

[kknet]

I just ordered my base MBP 15", and was torn in the Glossy vs AG decision. Money was not an issue, since I was going for HiRes anyway.

My previous laptop was a white MB (2007) c2d (brilliant little machine btw), and I had no issues with the glossy setup on it, except that it was useless outside in sunny weather. Compared to the new ones, the glass ads some extra reflection.

I crawled these forums, and watched some videos wich compared them. And the fact that the only downside with the AG beeing somewhat less "vibrant and alive" colors, I decided to go with AG. I usually watch movies on my TV, so no issue there. No hardcore game either.

So, since I only felt it an upgrade to choose AG, I know there would be a good chance that I would regret it, if I chose glossy.

None of our local retailers had the AG on stock, so I haven't seen it live yet. My machine is due to arrive sometime next week, and I can't wait

And, since I'm a student and want to be able to use my computer all around the campus (mostly indoors though, but some lecture halls are really bright) I went with AG.

Hope this helpes somebody

 

[teflonsheep]

I actually purchased the 17" glossy, but later exchanged it for the AG screen.

1) The glossy was getting annoying with reflections.

2) The glossy screen had much worse light bleed issues for me than the AG screen.

I really think the AG is superior.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the AG version is noticably lighter than the glossy version.

 

[vipergts831]

Ive been using my 2011 15in MBP AG and love it. The colors are spot on for editing images and i never have to worry about the lighting around me affecting that. I test runned a glossy screen and hated it! I mean lets face it everywhere we are there is a light source and even when your in the dark the glossy screen reflects you lol. In my opinion the glossy screen is an ascetically pleasing quality but not useful for my purposes.

 

[Whitelightning]

Why do people say that the Glossy is fine at night?
I think Glossy vs Matte is really a question of wether or not you are bothered by reflections.

It is fine as night as the reflection is subtle to care, of course that depends on whether you are bothered by reflections. To me, the iPad and iPhone reflections are perfectly fine as well as any other glossy display, but the glass I must admit does push the limit.

The AG display looks nicer at the apple store simply because you can see everything with no reflection from lights.

 

[richlee111]

The AG display looks nicer at the apple store simply because you can see everything with no reflection from lights.

And that's exactly it. If you are looking to take your laptop around and will be in different environments where you can't control the lighting and don't know what to expect, the AG is sooo helpful. I found that more times then not, carrying a laptop out in public areas of work like classrooms, offices, cafes, or bookstores; the fluorescent lighting just washes out the Glossy display w/ the reflections. I encourage people who live near an Apple store to check out the AG and glossy side by side, and you will see what I mean.

 

[Blu101]

Guess if you use it outsidea lot, or sit right next to a south-facing window, the antiglare might be good. But for me, the colors sure are brighter and nicer on the glossy screen.

Same here.

 

[dnenciu]

I like AG and will probably continue using AG but there are some drawbacks one of them I just had to deal with.

I received yesterday my BTO 17" AG and it had scratches in the middle of the screen. So I had to send it back and now I wait for a new one.

 

[azentropy]

I much prefer AG/Matte screens and in fact will not purchase another glossy/glassy screen again. However, I am also extremely disappointed that it isn't available on the 13" models or on the lower res 15". After checking out it yesterday at the Apple Store, I realized that the 1680x1050 on the 15" is just too hard on my eyes. Not as hard as a glossy/glass screen is, but still uncomfortable for me to use for more than 10 minutes at a time.

 

[ozreth]

Someone at the Apple store told me that the Anti-glare is popular only with older people, college students prefer the glossy more because of more vibrant colors and deeper blacks. XD

The 13" MBP is the most popular computer apple had right now. Most college students get it because its the most portable and the cheapest. Those people don't have an option when buying a 13", it's glossy or nothing.

Also, many younger people and those who aren't as familiar with apple products as us here at macrumors.com likely don't even know that there is a matte option, or what that would even mean. They see apple laptops everywhere they go with the black border and bright shiny screen and assume that is just what you buy.

 

[JoJoCal19]

Ok, so I've not only been using my MacBook with glossy screen for almost 5 years, but I've also used the glossy iMacs and MacBook Pro's, with the glass front. I've been set on getting a glossy MBP for a while and never once even considered the AG screen because the "glossy looks better". Well after seeing this poll and researching it and finding past polls, all showing AG receiving better feedback and also outnumbering glossy, I decided to see what all the excitement about the matte screens were.

I proceeded to do about a good 20+ hours worth of internet research over the course of a week, looking at every link and picture I could find. The matte screen really started to peak my interest so I decided I had no choice but to go to the Apple store and look for myself. Last night I went to the Apple store and had one of the guys pull the glossy and matte MBP's together. I then proceeded to spend about an hour alone with the AG high res high end 15" model they had there.

I've got one word....WOW!!!!!

All of the internet pictures and praising testimonies in the world cannot do the matte screen any justice. It HAS to be seen in person. I'm stunned at the quality of the AG display. The sharpness, colors and amount of detail are unmatched by the glossy screen. Yes I will say the glossy screen pops at you more and seems more vivid, but the matte display is gorgeous and is very very sharp. Pictures show more details on the matte screen. I pulled up the same image in iPhoto on both screens while side by side, you can tell more details, especially where shadows are concerned, on the matte screen. Looking at the matte screen, it doesn't readily jump out at you that you are even looking at a matte screen. Only against a gray background could I really tell. The screen is super bright and extra sharp. And oh yea, it was much less strain on my eyes. I also tilted the glossy screen down away from the lights of the store and I could still see reflections of myself.

The glossy display still looks great and the colors do pop at you more, so if you care more about watching movies on your MBP, the glossy will be great. For everyone else I highly recommend the trip to the Apple store to see the AG display in person.

Consider me another glossy to AG convert. I will be placing my order for a high end 15" with high res AG, in a couple of weeks.

 

[serenesam]

Gosh, I can't help but to remind myself of the beauty of the AG screen particularly the dark shades of blacks I can't seem to see on the glossy.

Not to forget about the gorgeous shadows I can't see on the glossy but can see on the AG.

 

[sparkie7]

I really think the AG is superior.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the AG version is noticably lighter than the glossy version.

Its b/c there's no glass to add extra weight, nor the added risk of smashing it

 

[Whitelightning]

Lets see if this changes with now that people with glossies have seen them and AGs have been able to use them.

 

[sparkie7]

Lets see if this changes with now that people with glossies have seen them and AGs have been able to use them.

emm, you mean people who already own glassy MBP's? - not sure if they would change them out at a loss, unless they bought it within the last 2 weeks and say they didn't know AG option existed etc..

the problem is  stores don't usually have the AG options on display so a lot of people just think glassy displays is the only choice. also AG is usually an online order option unless some stores stock AG machines knowing people will order them so have them in stock, but its not standard store practice AFAIK

 

[serenesam]

Lets see if this changes with now that people with glossies have seen them and AGs have been able to use them.

I doubt this will happen due to the confirmation bias.

 

[tim100]

anti glare seems to win this polls. i have posted a few in the past.

 

[hystery]

Can't you make Glossy one anti-glare by removing the glass by using the tool you see in Mission Impossible?

 

[MultiMediaWill]

Can't you make Glossy one anti-glare by removing the glass by using the tool you see in Mission Impossible?

No

 

[eaf7s]

I doubt this will happen due to the confirmation bias.

Yay Psych 101!

 

[serenesam]

anti glare seems to win this polls. i have posted a few in the past.

I don't know, I could have sworn that anti-glare has always been around 60-65% even back in 2007 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iry1ayxDJR8