Comparing the resolution on 13" MBP to 15" MBP

[entatlrg]

Does the higher resolution of the 15" display more 'colors' than the 13"? I wouldn't think so -but- when I'm comparing a photo on each a 13 and 15" MBP screen, both mid '09 models the 15" shows not only more detail but also more color or rather more accurate colors.

I thought it was a calibration issue so I recalibrated them both, again and it's the same, the 15" shows not only a sharper more detailed photo but also more and/or greater colors.

Maybe it's common knowledge but I wouldn't of expected so much of a difference until I saw them both side by side.

 

[Jaro65]

That is an interesting observation. I have a 15" MBP and a 17" MBP, so can't really comment re 13" model. Still, I was under the assumption that Apple put the same screen in all MBPs that are manufactured as part of the same product cycle. Now obviously, there would be a difference if your 15" MBP had a non-glare screen, but you wouldn't be wondering here if that were the case....

 

[maghemi]

I wouldn't have thought the resolution would have been the thing causing the issue.

My guess would be that it is just the over all screen quality on the 13" is just not as good.

The other thing is too, it could just be the 13" that you have, and not the whole range.

Perhaps you could take the 13" into the apple store and compare it to the 13" ones they have on display.

 

[maghemi]

I have a 15" MBP and a 17" MBP

Sorry to thread hijack, but you'd be the perfect person to answer a question for me.

I'm in the market for a laptop. I'm currently torn between the 15" and the 17". Which would you say is the best to use as far as screen real estate v weight?

See I'm a user of a 30" dell and I'm worried that if I go with the 15" it just won't be big enough for me.

 

[macuser154]

Sorry to thread hijack, but you'd be the perfect person to answer a question for me.

I'm in the market for a laptop. I'm currently torn between the 15" and the 17". Which would you say is the best to use as far as screen real estate v weight?

See I'm a user of a 30" dell and I'm worried that if I go with the 15" it just won't be big enough for me.

I'm having the same issue as you. A friend of mine has the non-unibody 17" and the weight really isn't that bad. At the end of the day they are both laptops and are just as portable as each other.

And the screen is INCREDIBLE on the 17"

 

[Jaro65]

Sorry to thread hijack, but you'd be the perfect person to answer a question for me.

I'm in the market for a laptop. I'm currently torn between the 15" and the 17". Which would you say is the best to use as far as screen real estate v weight?

See I'm a user of a 30" dell and I'm worried that if I go with the 15" it just won't be big enough for me.

Depends on what you do and how mobile you need your MBP to be. I have both a 15" MBP and a 17" one. I use the 17" more because it is newer, but it is mostly hooked to a 24" ACD. When I travel and I don't intend to do anything graphically intensive, I prefer to take the 15" one. It is easier to handle, especially on the plane. So there. Was that any helpful?

 

[entatlrg]

Sorry to thread hijack, but you'd be the perfect person to answer a question for me.

I'm in the market for a laptop. I'm currently torn between the 15" and the 17". Which would you say is the best to use as far as screen real estate v weight?

See I'm a user of a 30" dell and I'm worried that if I go with the 15" it just won't be big enough for me.

Now why couldn't you start your own thread? Ridiculous.

 

[Thunder82]

Now why couldn't you start your own thread? Ridiculous.

To answer your initial question, no, i don't believe the 15" screen shows more colors than the 13. There are definitely quality differences between the 13, 15, and 17 screens though. The 15" screen is more crisp & bright compared to the 13"'ers that ive seen. The new 17" unibody screen absolutely blows the others out of the water though..

In my opinion, the 13 & 15" screens need to be updated to match the quality and resolution of the 17. Of course, im not talking about slamming a 1920x1080 screen into the 13", but matching PPI would be nice.

 

[Jason Beck]

There is no difference in the amount of colors that they display. The
only difference is the resolution and/or screen glossyness versus anti-glare or
whatever.
Colors no, resolution yes. I had a 13.3" and the display colors were as
vivid as the 17", and equal to if not even better than my 23" monitor. Apple
has nice displays. The 13" was 1280x800 and the higher screen real estate
of the bigger laptops yields larger resolutions, 1440x900 or something. Right?
Someone help me here.

 

[Thunder82]

There is no difference in the amount of colors that they display. The
only difference is the resolution and/or screen glossyness versus anti-glare or
whatever.
Colors no, resolution yes. I had a 13.3" and the display colors were as
vivid as the 17", and equal to if not even better than my 23" monitor. Apple
has nice displays. The 13" was 1280x800 and the higher screen real estate
of the bigger laptops yields larger resolutions, 1440x900 or something. Right?
Someone help me here.

Right, your spot on with the resolutions. I've had all of the current unibody machines side by side and have noticed that the 13" screen was inferior to the rest, although Im sure many will fight me on this. My main issue with the 13 & 15" screens is the extremely poor resolution.

I think the 13" should have a 1440x900 display and the 15 a 1680x1050. This lineup would make a lot more sense in my eyes. PPI would match that of the 17" notebooks as well.

As you can see here - Pixel density of Apples displays The 15" actually has the least/worst pixel density of any of their notebooks.

 

[smc333]

I do know back when they were the Aluminum Unibody Macbooks (w/o Pro label), they had a notably poorer viewing angle. Then like 3 months before they switched over to calling it pro, they bumped it up to a higher quality screen.

The LED in the 13" MBP is noticeably better than the LED in the white MacBook color wise.

 

[shambo]

I do know back when they were the Aluminum Unibody Macbooks (w/o Pro label), they had a notably poorer viewing angle. Then like 3 months before they switched over to calling it pro, they bumped it up to a higher quality screen.

The LED in the 13" MBP is noticeably better than the LED in the white MacBook color wise.

Yet essentially the one and same machine.

 

[entatlrg]

Thanks for the comments so far .... yes we have a few '09 13" and 15" MBP's at our office so its easy to compare

For example with this photo viewing it on the 15" screen you see so much more detail, the darker area's are darker with more detai, around the edge of the moon at the top left you can see kind of a 'greenish hue', shows up on our 24" ACD's beautifully of course and great on the 15" as well, but on the 13" it's colorless, maybe more washed out looking, hard to explain in words.

When I look at a photo like this on my 24" Cinema display it's really clear and crisp, even with the 15" the detail is pretty good, as noted above Mac's do have good screens. The 15" being so good in my opinion you could almost get by without having to hook up to an external monitor for certain tasks, great for field editing for example.

But, the 13" ... not so much, it's pretty hard to feel comfortable doing some tasks on a 13" screen, I am surprised myself the 2" difference in size and slightly higher resolution make such a difference, the 'illusion of more screen real estate' as my friend calls it....

Do you agree with my comments, do you think the 15" screen is a LOT better than the 13" whether it be because of more screen real estate, better screen quality or higher resolution?

I really liked the screen on the 13" MBP's .... until I saw the 15" screen.