2011 MBP glossy screen not as nice as 2008?

[richard13]

Hey guys. I recently upgraded my late 2008 MBP to an early 2011 MBP. This is the 15" 2.2Ghz Hi-Res Glossy with SSD. I usually do not buy things via internet stores where the "looks" matter but I couldn't find a local B&M Apple Store with the Hi-Res Glossy on display.

Anyway, I sold my 2008 so I no longer have it around to really check but it seems to me like the screen on this 2011 isn't as bright/sharp (Model 9CB6). When compared to the screen on my 2010 iMac there's no contest at all.

Have any of you noticed this?

I'm still within the 14 day return period so I'm thinking of bringing it in to compare it to the normal resolution glossy and the Hi-Res AG.

Any advise?

Thanks!

 

[animefanotaku]

I only have a 2008 low-res 15" glossy to compare to the 17" 2011 glossy.
The brightness and quality seem to be the same. Although it is hard to compare the two very different resolutions.

 

[iDemiurge]

I can't say anything about the glossy ones, but I had a 2010 Hi-Res Anti-Glare and now I have a 2011 also HR AG. The screen on the 2011 struck me as a lot better than the one I had before. Colors are more vibrant and blacks are a lot deeper.

Apparently Apple uses more than one supplier for what should technically be the same part. I guess there are already some threads on this. Check them out.

 

[idunn]

ditto

ditto.

My understanding that not all the screens Apple uses are created the same, or with the same appearance. Various threads here discuss that in detail.

If in any doubt, now would be a fine time to look into this issue closely, possibly also investigating the look of comparable screens at an Apple store. You might, possibly, also take that opportunity to easily switch to something more pleasing in that 14 day window.

 

[thermodynamic]

Hey guys. I recently upgraded my late 2008 MBP to an early 2011 MBP. This is the 15" 2.2Ghz Hi-Res Glossy with SSD. I usually do not buy things via internet stores where the "looks" matter but I couldn't find a local B&M Apple Store with the Hi-Res Glossy on display.

Anyway, I sold my 2008 so I no longer have it around to really check but it seems to me like the screen on this 2011 isn't as bright/sharp (Model 9CB6). When compared to the screen on my 2010 iMac there's no contest at all.

Have any of you noticed this?

I'm still within the 14 day return period so I'm thinking of bringing it in to compare it to the normal resolution glossy and the Hi-Res AG.

Any advise?

Thanks!

Apple revamped the screens for the mid-2009 MBPs. From what I can tell, the 2011's are the same as the mid-09s. And what preceded the 09s were bad.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-10041-10146
(great article)

 

[richard13]

Ok, so I went to my local Apple Store yesterday and here's what I found:

The tech at the Genius bar didn't see the "yellowing" that I see but this might be because I wasn't very specific. I also think this is because I haven't calibrated the screen yet and the temperature is a bit on the warm side (at least I hope that's it).

The tech also ran diagnostics and my MBP didn't show any defects.

When I compared my MBP to the 15" AG screen on display I was pretty impressed. The AG screen was bright and colorful, nearly matching my screen. However, I did notice that the matte background did look a bit "dirty" as they all do by nature of the product. I also noticed that the text on the screen still wasn't as sharp as the glossy screen on my MBP. That said, I believe I could get used to both of these qualities if I had gone for one. I can see why people like these screens.

When compared to the 15" normal resolution glossy screen I found that in spite of the fact that everything is "bigger" on this screen, the hi-res glossy is still a bit easier to read due to the clarity of the higher resolution. I was very surprised by this as I thought I would find the normal resolution screen easier to read due to "larger" screen elements. Again, I think I would have been happy if I had gone with this version but I don't see a reason to exchange for it.

So, if I can figure out how to calibrate my screen without purchasing a bunch of hardware I'll never use again I think I'm going to be happy. If any of you have advice here I'd appreciate it.

I'm still a bit on the fence on whether I will keep this laptop. However, I'm a lot less concerned than before my trip to the Apple Store.

Thanks to all that have responded so far and thanks to those that can offer any advice on calibration.