wow, great thread, many thanks to the op, haven't seen such attention to details in a long time, exemplary job.
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Glassy vs. Glossy vs. Matte: a 17" MBP comparison with many pics
- Thread starter taphil
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I set the gray point in Taphil's photos I think it shows a few differences. I set the temperature using the palm rest of the macbooks. I set it as the grey point in the photos as it was the most consistent color throughout all the photos. I think the new glossy if you can get it calibrated correctly and are viewing with a screen that is calibrated the 17" UMBP holds up exceptionally well.
Jessica, I agree. Glossy is less of a hassle when calibrated with an external device like an Eye 2 or a Spyder 3.
Personal I am a fan of matte/semi-gloss (never used in an Apple product) but one thing to note with the glossy screens is it depends on if you focus on the screen or if you focus on the reflection. When you focus on the screen the reflections get kind of blurry, as you can see in close to the last pictures the reflection of the light is super sharp but the computer is blurry.
Fantastic photos once again. You seem to take the time to get things right in the photo, which is much appreciated. Like last time, that old 15" MBP sure has a better blackpoint than the new 17" MBPs. Just look at the smoke from the photo of the movie!
Also, I don't know if you said this earlier, but which LCD model is in the glossy, and which screen model is use on the matte?
Also, I don't know if you said this earlier, but which LCD model is in the glossy, and which screen model is use on the matte?
glossy =/= gloss + glass
First, I think similar comparisons need to be made in conditions with more "normal" lighting. Laptops are also for airports, planes, parks, cafes, etc... not just dimly lit rooms.
After that comparison I think people will likely seen the problem... The problem is not about matte vs glossy. I've had both and love both. Glossy screens don't have enough glare to really affect me.
What most people are complaining about when they see the new unibody MBPs is the massive reflections created by the glass shield / cover that's in front of the LED display. These reflections make it almost impossible for me to use the laptop in areas that are well-lit.
Why? Because portions of the screen which are black act exactly like a mirror. So people compare black levels... but any black portion of a screen behind a pane of glass (ok, "acrylic glass") will not look black when it's reflecting your blue shirt back into your eyes.
There are people who love the shiny glass and don't mind viewing the unibody MacBook Pro's glossy LED through the glass portion of the screen... that's fine. But glass will always reflect light whether you are able to ignore it or not.
So again, this debate is completely different than the glossy vs matte debates for other macs / laptops... I'd be perfectly happy with a 15" unibody MBP with the glass removed and a *glossy* LED display, and a black bezel.
I'll most likely get an anti-glare film for mine, since I can't afford (and don't like) the 17" model with "anti-glare" option. But even then, I don't want to view the LED through layers of film and glass. I want it the way it was pre-unibody.
What I find interesting is that the "anti-glare" option (including the mod from TechRestore) replaces the LED with a matte LED. Why? For many users, the "high-gloss" they speak bad about is caused by the glass shield, not the LED display.
First, I think similar comparisons need to be made in conditions with more "normal" lighting. Laptops are also for airports, planes, parks, cafes, etc... not just dimly lit rooms.
After that comparison I think people will likely seen the problem... The problem is not about matte vs glossy. I've had both and love both. Glossy screens don't have enough glare to really affect me.
What most people are complaining about when they see the new unibody MBPs is the massive reflections created by the glass shield / cover that's in front of the LED display. These reflections make it almost impossible for me to use the laptop in areas that are well-lit.
Why? Because portions of the screen which are black act exactly like a mirror. So people compare black levels... but any black portion of a screen behind a pane of glass (ok, "acrylic glass") will not look black when it's reflecting your blue shirt back into your eyes.
There are people who love the shiny glass and don't mind viewing the unibody MacBook Pro's glossy LED through the glass portion of the screen... that's fine. But glass will always reflect light whether you are able to ignore it or not.
So again, this debate is completely different than the glossy vs matte debates for other macs / laptops... I'd be perfectly happy with a 15" unibody MBP with the glass removed and a *glossy* LED display, and a black bezel.
I'll most likely get an anti-glare film for mine, since I can't afford (and don't like) the 17" model with "anti-glare" option. But even then, I don't want to view the LED through layers of film and glass. I want it the way it was pre-unibody.
What I find interesting is that the "anti-glare" option (including the mod from TechRestore) replaces the LED with a matte LED. Why? For many users, the "high-gloss" they speak bad about is caused by the glass shield, not the LED display.
Bravo to the OP. Superb set of comparison photos. Thanks for taking the time to re-confirm my feelings on the coatings:
1. Matte = The best thing since the wheel was invented
2. Glossy = (as per MBA screens).. Livable and the next best thing
3. Glassy = total BS. Why add more weight and fragility when 2. was already working fine
The Glassy screens are a joke. Everytime I go into an Apple store and look at a glassy screen, all I see is my reflection or whats relected in the background. I WANT to see the screen, NOT reflections behind me.
I blame for all these threads. IF they offered all the options for buyers we wouldn't be reading these threads.
The only good thing glassy screens are for, are so you can see who's coming up behind first so you have time to switch or close your dubious screen content
1. Matte = The best thing since the wheel was invented
2. Glossy = (as per MBA screens).. Livable and the next best thing
3. Glassy = total BS. Why add more weight and fragility when 2. was already working fine
The Glassy screens are a joke. Everytime I go into an Apple store and look at a glassy screen, all I see is my reflection or whats relected in the background. I WANT to see the screen, NOT reflections behind me.
I blame for all these threads. IF they offered all the options for buyers we wouldn't be reading these threads.
The only good thing glassy screens are for, are so you can see who's coming up behind first so you have time to switch or close your dubious screen content
This confirms what I thought originally.
I have had glossy, matte, and now the glassy mbp.
I was thinking, glossy didn't really bother me that much. I can live with it. Then I got the glassy mbp and I sold it in 48 hours.
Watching a movie on the glassy screen, esp. with a dark scene, = reflection. You can't 'ignore' it. In an office environment, you're going to get reflections everywhere and it's just completely needless.
I also don't believe that the glass adds anything to the picture at all. My matte screen is wonderful and really there's no reason for this glassy nonsense.
I have had glossy, matte, and now the glassy mbp.
I was thinking, glossy didn't really bother me that much. I can live with it. Then I got the glassy mbp and I sold it in 48 hours.
Watching a movie on the glassy screen, esp. with a dark scene, = reflection. You can't 'ignore' it. In an office environment, you're going to get reflections everywhere and it's just completely needless.
I also don't believe that the glass adds anything to the picture at all. My matte screen is wonderful and really there's no reason for this glassy nonsense.
Some of the glossy screens you see in laptops these days remind me of watching an episode of CSI Miami.
With the show's producers yelling at the DI (digital intermediate) operator: "Let's see if that saturation slider goes beyond 200%! It'll look even better! And crank up the contrast while you're at it!!"
Such a forced colour palette. Are we still representing reality here? I wonder......
Thanks to the OP for his concise review.
With the show's producers yelling at the DI (digital intermediate) operator: "Let's see if that saturation slider goes beyond 200%! It'll look even better! And crank up the contrast while you're at it!!"
Such a forced colour palette. Are we still representing reality here? I wonder......
Thanks to the OP for his concise review.
100% agreed. I have an MBA w. standard glossy and it's just fine. This coming from previous matte PB/MBP's. The killer on the reflections in the new MBP's is that infernal glass Apple is all hot on. Even when the display is bright enough to dampen reflections on display area, the oversized glass black bezel still picks them up which is very distracting.
If you have your brightness above the half-way marker, there is little to no noticeable reflection in an artificially lighted room. Apple stores have an outrageous amount of lights. Perspectives from a store and home are two completely separate things.
Apple should have a matte option, but the glass screens do have vibrant and beautiful colors and are great for most of the consumers. Maybe I'm just lucky with my lighting, but I don't have a single problem with reflections on my screen. For my needs, I'd take the glass screen over the matte screen.
EDIT: This thread is OLD!
If you have your brightness above the half-way marker, there is little to no noticeable reflection in an artificially lighted room. Apple stores have an outrageous amount of lights. Perspectives from a store and home are two completely separate things.
I like how everyones defense for the glass is "well its not that bright at home" but places like starbucks, barnes and noble, college libraries, classrooms are. I still think you have to half blind to see that the old glossy is def. the best all around screen, you get the color sat. plus it not near as reflective as glass.
It's really not bad at all. My light source is behind the monitor so if the screen is actually on, there won't be much glare. Even in bright places, the screen doesn't reflect enough to bother you if you boost the screen brightness, which makes viewing more comfortable anyways.
Glossy is indeed a nice compromise though, but the colors on the glass are impressive, but I'm sure LED plays a factor too.
I also love how a lot of the glass screen haters don't even own a unibody MBP. You do get used to the minimal glare. If you have an obscene amount of glare the simple fix is increasing the brightness. This conversation shouldn't even be taking place if Apple gave consumers a simple option.
This simple "fix" only works (to a degree) when light coloured content is displayed on the screen. Anything darker than mid grey and this rationalisation goes out the door. The screen backlighting could be 5 times as bright as it is now, but black is black and will always show any reflections on the screen more clearly than white... which simply camouflages any reflections.
Besides I personally don't always like to have my eyes blasted by the full power of the LCD backlighting.
Anyway... I agree though, Apple should just give users a choice. I certainly wouldn't want glossy owners to be deprived of their choice even though it's not for me.
Besides I personally don't always like to have my eyes blasted by the full power of the LCD backlighting.
Anyway... I agree though, Apple should just give users a choice. I certainly wouldn't want glossy owners to be deprived of their choice even though it's not for me.
They didn't, it's just marketing drivel to help you justify your 'big purchase'. I hope most people don't believe half of the stuff that apple claims to do.