Has anyone heard of the LED flickering issue on a matte MBP?

[harperjones99]

I have had it with the flickering on my 15" glossy MBP. Who knows if it is the LED backlighting, the gpu, the display. Seems people have had all manner of stuff replaced with no effect often.

Using the tests on this site using full native resolution I have obvious flickering on 2b,4a and 4b...supposedly this indicates some voltage issue. http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/inversion.php

Clearly if it's the backlighting or anything but the display it self changing to matte won't matter but before I consider the bother I was wondering if anyone with the matte screen had seen or heard of this flicker issue. This is not the blacking out thing but rather a subtle irregular pulsating most noticeable on white backgrounds for example. Due to my location taking it in for service is not an option (which would likely enter the endless loop of it never being fixed since they don't know why it happens)

Before I sell it and take a loss I wanted to do due diligence and don't see anything about the matte screens and this problem using searches. Believe me I would love to keep this laptop as I love everything about it but this but it is becoming unbearable and I don't know if it is just "how they are" or if a matte screen or change of some sort would fix things. I know some people think this is a non existent issue but it is real and irritating. If not for this I really would have no true complaints about this laptop.

 

[7even]

I believe flickering on those is pretty normal with the cheaper LCD panels that are used on laptops...... Anyway, on my matte panel, there's some flickering on 4b, and there's a bit of noticeable flicker on 2b. For what it's worth, my office desktop LCD (NOT a TN panel like the laptop) flickers slightly on 2b and 4b as well.

If it's noticeable in normal conditions (versus fine textures specially designed to show this effect, like on that page), then you may have a case. Does it even affect your normal usage?

 

[harperjones99]

I believe flickering on those is pretty normal with the cheaper LCD panels that are used on laptops...... Anyway, on my matte panel, there's some flickering on 4b, and there's a bit of noticeable flicker on 2b. For what it's worth, my office desktop LCD (NOT a TN panel like the laptop) flickers slightly on 2b and 4b as well.

If it's noticeable in normal conditions (versus fine textures specially designed to show this effect, like on that page), then you may have a case. Does it even affect your normal usage?

Yep it bugs me in normal usage. I found those tests while looking for possible explanations. Clearly some people test with flickering but cant see it in real use so the test itself doesn't mean anything. I dont know how I could have a case with apple because I bought it from a reseller in a country where apple doesnt exist. They said its the resellers problem and the reseller is blowing me off.

 

[Jottle]

Using the tests on this site using full native resolution I have obvious flickering on 2b,4a and 4b...supposedly this indicates some voltage issue. http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/inversion.php

Clearly if it's the backlighting or anything but the display it self changing to matte won't matter but before I consider the bother I was wondering if anyone with the matte screen had seen or heard of this flicker issue. This is not the blacking out thing but rather a subtle irregular pulsating most noticeable on white backgrounds for example. Due to my location taking it in for service is not an option (which would likely enter the endless loop of it never being fixed since they don't know why it happens)

Sorry to hear you're going to sell hj99. That one tick brightness pulsating is too much. I understand. Regarding the lagom lcd test. I wouldn't worry about the flickering. You'll see that all the laptop lcd's will show flickering on these test images to a greater or lesser extent. That's unrelated to the backlight brightness defect that you and I are experiencing.

 

[harperjones99]

Sorry to hear you're going to sell hj99. That one tick brightness pulsating is too much. I understand. Regarding the lagom lcd test. I wouldn't worry about the flickering. You'll see that all the laptop lcd's will show flickering on these test images to a greater or lesser extent. That's unrelated to the backlight brightness defect that you and I are experiencing.

Jottle do you have any theories on this? I was thinking to try a matte model but since they are LED backlit as well that might not make a difference. Initially thought it was a gpu issue but seems there is more evidence for it being LED voltage related.

 

[Jottle]

Jottle do you have any theories on this? I was thinking to try a matte model but since they are LED backlit as well that might not make a difference. Initially thought it was a gpu issue but seems there is more evidence for it being LED voltage related.

I tried out the lagom tests in an apple store, and they all did the flickering on the various test patterns. However, I did not try it on the matte ones there. It could be different, but I doubt it

 

[7even]

Yep it bugs me in normal usage. I found those tests while looking for possible explanations. Clearly some people test with flickering but cant see it in real use so the test itself doesn't mean anything. I dont know how I could have a case with apple because I bought it from a reseller in a country where apple doesnt exist. They said its the resellers problem and the reseller is blowing me off.

If you mean the backlight flickering, then yes, that's really annoying and I had one macbook pro replaced for that very reason (but that was within the first 2 weeks I owned it). It would drive me crazy with the backlight flickering at anything below 50% brightness. The other 4 15" MBPs I've used for an extended period did not have that problem.

However, that kind of flickering and the flickering you have seen in the tests @ the URL are two different and unrelated things.

 

[harperjones99]

If you mean the backlight flickering, then yes, that's really annoying and I had one macbook pro replaced for that very reason (but that was within the first 2 weeks I owned it). It would drive me crazy with the backlight flickering at anything below 50% brightness. The other 4 15" MBPs I've used for an extended period did not have that problem.

However, that kind of flickering and the flickering you have seen in the tests @ the URL are two different and unrelated things.

Yeah I was taking those tests with a grain of salt and not saying the two were without a doubt connected. I usually run mine about 5 bars down on brightness and it flickers regardless of the setting. 50% is too dark to even use the screen for me anyway but I didn't notice an increase when I tried that setting. I wish there was a way to easily tell if it is just my eyes not being compatible with the back lighting or just this particular laptop. It isn't something a few minutes in a store with strong lighting will show. I am trying to convince myself to try the matte screen and see if it's a factor but if they both suck and I have to sell them both I am out 500 bucks minimum on the losses.