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Glossy or Antiglare--- Need help NOW!

R

Richard Johnson

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 14, 2008
32
0
MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Glossy Widescreen Display

MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Antiglare Widescreen Display

Whats the differences, which ones better?
 
Aside from looking at the glossy/anti-glare threads and postings....

I can see the advantages of both. If you are mainly using it outdoors a lot... anti-glare would be the way to go. If not.... glossy is definitely a candidate for consideration.

Glossy Pros
- Text is more easy to read due to more vibrant colors, having read both text on the anti-glare and the glossy... I definitely felt i could read much faster on the glossy.
- Photos and colors pop more.. example is to open up iphoto and look at the dropshadows on the icons... glossy looks better and packs more punch.
- The black glass makes it look very high quality and expensive

However, on the anti-glare, photos could potentially be better because you can definitely see the entire photo without any reflections on the glass (this is apple store experience, which all the fluorescents are turned up)

Note that despite being anti-glare, lighting can still effect the display as the light is simply diffused on different parts of the screen. So if you wave your hand around it, you can see light blurry shadows that are very subtle, but you can tell light is definitely getting spread out in a way.

Being a fan of HD movies, the glossy display clearly looks better when watching any movie.

So.... really its just a matter if your OK with the reflections due to light, note that if the color is not black on the screen, you wont see your own reflection, only light from a window if your indoors.

Note that another option would be to keep the glossy display and get an external antiglare monitor to hook it up to.

Having looked at them both and working with both... the reflections in the apple store didnt bother me at all, but in terms of photos I did like how I could see the entire photograph on the anti-glare versus having to deal with some reflections in the glossy. However, the photos on the glossy did have an interesting "pop" effect that felt like they were much more lively.

Colors on both I think are very close, I dont do any image printing... though I do do a lot of photoshopping and I dont think it would really have any major negative effects during photo manipulation as badly as others may say.

So basically tradeoff of better looking glossy is reflections, or anti-glare not as good looking (both view and bezelwise), but can see entire screen.

So in the end the choice is yours... please let us know what you pick!
 
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Whitelightning said:
Aside from looking at the glossy/anti-glare threads and postings....

I can see the advantages of both. If you are mainly using it outdoors a lot... anti-glare would be the way to go. If not.... glossy is definitely a candidate for consideration.

Glossy Pros
- Text is more easy to read due to more vibrant colors, having read both text on the anti-glare and the glossy... I definitely felt i could read much faster on the glossy.
- Photos and colors pop more.. example is to open up iphoto and look at the dropshadows on the icons... glossy looks better and packs more punch.
- The black glass makes it look very high quality and expensive

However, on the anti-glare, photos could potentially be better because you can definitely see the entire photo without any reflections on the glass (this is apple store experience, which all the fluorescents are turned up)

Note that despite being anti-glare, lighting can still effect the display as the light is simply diffused on different parts of the screen. So if you wave your hand around it, you can see light blurry shadows that are very subtle, but you can tell light is definitely getting spread out in a way.

Being a fan of HD movies, the glossy display clearly looks better when watching any movie.

So.... really its just a matter if your OK with the reflections due to light, note that if the color is not black on the screen, you wont see your own reflection, only light from a window if your indoors.

Note that another option would be to keep the glossy display and get an external antiglare monitor to hook it up to.

Having looked at them both and working with both... the reflections in the apple store didnt bother me at all, but in terms of photos I did like how I could see the entire photograph on the anti-glare versus having to deal with some reflections in the glossy. However, the photos on the glossy did have an interesting "pop" effect that felt like they were much more lively.

Colors on both I think are very close, I dont do any image printing... though I do do a lot of photoshopping and I dont think it would really have any major negative effects during photo manipulation as badly as others may say.

So basically tradeoff of better looking glossy is reflections, or anti-glare not as good looking (both view and bezelwise), but can see entire screen.

So in the end the choice is yours... please let us know what you pick!
Click to expand...

What would be better for gaming?
 
Gamingwise, having loaded up videos of SC2 on both anti-glare and glare during my hour-long at the Apple Store... side by side... I definitely preferred the glossy, the visuals were just so much cooler.

Of course, at the apple store with the heavy fluorescents, there was some reflection versus no reflections whatsoever on the anti-glare... though visually, there wasnt that "pop" or "woah, this mothership looks soooo cool" type feel. The glossy to me felt like despite there were being reflections due to lighting at the apple store... there was more depth.

So you could pick the anti-glare with the idea of definitely being able to see the whole screen without reflections should you game in an environment like the apple store...

Or you could pick the glossy with the idea of really cool HD quality graphics that make the graphics pop and more immersed despite some reflections should your environment be like the apple store.

If you don't have many big lights thus minimizing reflections (aka. a "controlled environment").... the glossy is definitely going to look better for gaming.

Simple terms: Seeing entire screen in not the best quality, VS some glare, but seeing everything in awesome perfect quality.

Of course aside from actual display quality, not that it should matter, but the black bezel of the glossy to me looks better than the silver, though both I think are OK physically on the outside, the black bezel with white text does look better imo... not that it should matter much, but its a bonus..

if I had to make some reference to gaming on this issue... I would say in SC2 terms if the Macbook Pro display was a Carrier....

Anti-Glare is like a Carrier..
Glossy is a Carrier overloading its powersupply increasing its power... it can look cooler than the standard carrier and perform better, but at the cost of some health/glare. Depending on the environment... the glare/health loss can be minimized.
 
Last edited:
Whitelightning said:
Gamingwise, having loaded up videos of SC2 on both anti-glare and glare during my hour-long at the Apple Store... side by side... I definitely preferred the glossy, the visuals were just so much cooler.

Of course, at the apple store with the heavy fluorescents, there was some reflection versus no reflections whatsoever on the anti-glare... though visually, there wasnt that "pop" or "woah, this mothership looks soooo cool" type feel. The glossy to me felt like despite there were being reflections due to lighting at the apple store... there was more depth.

So you could pick the anti-glare with the idea of definitely being able to see the whole screen without reflections should you game in an environment like the apple store...

Or you could pick the glossy with the idea of really cool HD quality graphics that make the graphics pop and more immersed despite some reflections should your environment be like the apple store.

If you don't have many big lights thus minimizing reflections (aka. a "controlled environment").... the glossy is definitely going to look better for gaming.

Simple terms: Seeing entire screen in not the best quality, VS some glare, but seeing everything in awesome perfect quality.

Of course aside from actual display quality, not that it should matter, but the black bezel of the glossy to me looks better than the silver, though both I think are OK physically on the outside, the black bezel with white text does look better imo... not that it should matter much, but its a bonus..

if I had to make some reference to gaming on this issue... I would say in SC2 terms if the Macbook Pro display was a Carrier....

Anti-Glare is like a Carrier..
Glossy is a Carrier overloading its powersupply increasing its power... it can look cooler than the standard carrier and perform better, but at the cost of some health/glare. Depending on the environment... the glare/health loss can be minimized.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this, so what you are saying is:

If I'm buying this to watch movies on, Glossy is the way to go
If I am gaming and want great graphics Glossy is the way to go
 
As long as you are in a controlled environment and dont mind glare when you are not, then yes, glossy is definitely the way to go when you want great graphics and movies.

But if the glare really does matter, and you'd prefer to always be able to see the entire screen without any glare at the sacrifice of a little quality.. then Anti-Glare may be the way to go. it depends on your priority. If your ok for the better picture quality at the sacrifice of the degree of glare... glossy.
 
It comes down to personal preferences. Both have their pro's and con's. Your best bet is to go to your local apple store and see which one you like best.
 
Glossy or Antiglare--- Need help NOW!

Okay I am ordering the MBP tomorrow with the following specs:

2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
512GB Solid State Drive

I will be using it for the following:

Gaming
Movies
App Dev
Photoshop
Sometimes outdoor

Which screen is best to get for what I will be using it for
Glossy or Antiglare
 
Richard Johnson said:
Which screen is best to get for what I will be using it for
Glossy or Antiglare
Click to expand...
There are literally hundreds of threads on this topic, and they all have the same answer: it's a matter of personal preference. Some prefer glossy; some prefer anti-glare. Neither is better. What matters is what's better for YOU. Go to the Apple Store and look at both, if they have any anti-glare available. Then decide. You'll get nothing but "Glossy is better!" or "Anti-glare is better!" responses here, and none of those posters have to use your Mac every day. You do.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/896633/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/911303/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/884177/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/901919/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1004895/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/924606/
ScreenCap 8.PNG​
 
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Glossy wont be too bad if your going to be inside most of the time. Just make sure you dont have any overhead lights because it tends to glare a little. But If your eyes are not accustomed to the glare then I would recommend the anti-glare. It only costs an extra $150 or so, and I personally like the anti-glare screen; just my preference though. Another suggestion is that you could go to the apple store and check out the display models, the stores have both Anti-glare and glossy models for you to see.

Good luck :)
 
I prefer Anti-Glare, but for your purposes Glossy will do fine too, unless if you are outside often and don't like reflections of your surroundings visible on your screen. Btw, MRoogle will show you dozens of threads on "glossy vs. antiglare".
 
If you're doing anything outdoors and the sun is up, I would highly recommend getting the antiglare, unless you want to spend a couple thousand on a mirror.
 
The anti-glare display is anti-glare. The difference between it and the glossy is night-and-day. If you are going to be in situations where glare would be an issue (for me this is basically always, since I can't stand glare), then buy the anti-glare.
 
Just refer back to the previous thread you created:

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=12025758

Glossy -> Better picture at cost of glare, so may not see everything perfectly depending where you are.
Anti-Glare -> No Glare, See Everything

Pick your tradeoff.

If you pick one, don't like it, or its bothersome, you could always try it out for a few days and return it and get the other one.
 
Keep in mind that AG film will never be as good as a matte display, since when you want to ensure anti-glare, the best thing to do is treat it as close to the screen as possible. Film on the glass may help, but quality and aesthetics(may be minor bubbles, noticable film) will be degraded. Image quality will definitely not look as good as if you got an AG display if you put film on it.

Then again on the bright side... you get to keep the sleek looking glass black bezel.
 
Richard Johnson said:
MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Glossy Widescreen Display

MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Antiglare Widescreen Display

Whats the differences, which ones better?
Click to expand...


I just got my 15" MBP with Antiglare.

After having had a couple others with glossy screens and a few Macbooks too, I am happy I can get the antiglare again.

It's not as "brilliant" perhaps - I did notice this immediately - the screen now looks like matte paint on a car. But it's the way to go for sure. No more reflections of the kitchen lights on my screen, and other reflections. Good riddence!

The shiny glossy displays might be nice for brilliant appearance and movies or something, but flat is the way to go 100%. I will never go back I don't think.

I have had every Macbook Pro made, and the last 2 were forced to me with glossy display. Glad the choice is back!

Hope this helps.
 
I was having the same dilemma myself... I went with the anti-glare and I am extremely happy. The one thing I can say is that Anti-glare will feel like the screens you are used to looking at. The glossy can be very clear, but I don't like the glare and smudges it have easily.

Go Anti-Glare if you like regular looking screens :]
 
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