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Merkava_4

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 4, 2010
751
94
California
2012 (1680 x 1050) Anti-Glare Screen compared to a 2015 (2880 x 1800) Retina Screen?

Big difference in visual clarity?
 
2012 (1680 x 1050) Anti-Glare Screen compared to a 2015 (2880 x 1800) Retina Screen?

Big difference in visual clarity?

Night and day.

Edit: ofc, it is also a personal thing, how much do you notice certain things. My comment is my personal experience. Advice: go to a store and check it out for yourself.
 
For me - Night and day as well...
You can go into some shop to compare retina maybe.
 
Retina is amazing, absolutely. However, gloss screens are diabolical. You get richer colours and deeper blacks, yes, but at the cost of looking into a mirrored surface. I've just swapped my (glossy) Thunderbolt display for an Asus 27" in my office, and it's like having a new computer - one I can work at with the blinds open!
 
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Advice: go to a store and check it out for yourself.

I've been there. They have the store lit up so bright, the MBP screens look dim. The first thing I did is check the brightness level. They were all turned up to full max.
 
There are no more Anti Glare screens anyway, so the only way forward if you want a new Mac is the glossy Retina.

That said, they're not half bad. As long as you have no direct light shining onto the screen you'll see everything just fine, and the surface itself has greatly improved over the years. It's no longer as reflective as it used to be.
 
It also has to be said that the new glossy MBP screens are much less glossy than what glossy screen was in pre-retina days ;)
 
I made the transition from the 2012 anti-glare to 2014 retina and I have to say I do not look back. Yes there is more reflection, but the clarity of the image is simply so much better that it outweighs the loss. But I guess it depends how often do you use your computer outside in the sun ?
 
Yep, night and day. Upgrading from an old 17" MBP (1920x1200), my mind was blown away. You'll never look back.

I do agree that glossy pre-retina screens were almost unbearable when sitting in daylight, but things have improved a lot since then.
 
The new screens are just about the best you can get for a balance of clarity colour and brightness and the anti-glare coating is just about the best available.

Whether you like it or not is another matter but you won't find anything better amongst the glossy offerings and maybe a few business laptops still sporting matte screens.
 
The matte screens are nice, but the viewing angles aren't that great on the older screens, which are TN I believe. They switched over to IPS screens on the retina models(like on iPads/iPhones). The colors get washed out quickly when you move around too much on the older screens.

I was using a 2012 15" matte mbp until I switched over to a late 2013 15" rmbp. The reflections aren't too bad compared to the matte screen. The viewing angles and colors are excellent though and I really enjoy the IPS screen.
I still have a 2009 17" glossy mbp and the reflections on the rmbp aren't even close to it.
 
Everything is much more clear on the retina screens. If you do a lot of reading on the screen, you'll appreciate how much easier it is on the eyes.
 
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