iMac 24" backlight bleed/IPS glow

[coffeym]

I got a 24" iMac last summer. Out of the box I noticed what I felt was significant IPS glow, but more-or-less pacified myself that this was normal. As time has gone on, it hasn't got worse, but it annoys me more and more. For reference, my office is generally quite dark, and certainly dimly lit in the evening, which is my preference.

So...is the attached picture normal or ridiculous? It's taken with all lights off, and brightness set at around 25-30%, showing what should be a pure black screen. Compared to the Studio Display, well...there's no comparison. It's really bad.

Not much I can do now, but just interested in your thoughts.

 

[Puonti]

I think you're referring to backlight bleed - the light emanating from the corners of the display in the photo?

IPS glow refers to the fact that IPS LCD panels can't produce a pure black, so what you see instead in a dark room is a grey color. The "+" shape in the middle of the display in your photo is IPS glow (it's present in the corners, too, but overpowered by backlight bleed). IPS glow comes with the territory, so if it bothers you you'll want to look for other display tech, like OLED (of course, there's no iMac with OLED).

Backlight bleed on the other hand is caused by minute frame imperfections at the edges of the display, where the backlight / edge-light finds a way to leak to the front of the display. While it's possible to come across a unit that shows very little of it, it's quite common unfortunately and can develop over time as well. Sometimes it's accepted as grounds for a return (if it's really obnoxious), but it really depends on the vendor. I've had one iPad Pro exchanged due to extreme backlight bleed, and my current one has developed some over the years (but I live with it).

Your photo shows pretty uniform backlight bleed, which I'd say is the best kind you can have if you're going to have it. I can't really say if it's extreme or not, as a photograph can exaggerate the brightness.

 

[Iliketheapples]

Probably should just turn the room lights on instead of living in a bat cave. Probably won't notice it then.