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iMac Pro iMac Pro 2017 - Backlight Bleed

S

shadow82x

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 11, 2012
445
193
New Jersey
I touched on this briefly in my hands-on topic, but does anyone else notice backlight bleed on their 2017 iMac Pro? Comparing my MacBook Pro to my iMac Pro, it appears the iMac has substantially more backlight bleed.

It's apparent on darker screens with darker backgrounds (such as black) and in some darker applications/websites. Also it appears the color temperature is definitely warmer compared to my MacBook Pro. (Not an issue though, the iMac color temperature is probably more accurate.)

Normally I wouldn't have an issue with minor backlight bleed but this is a $7500 computer.

Debating whether to exchange/return or do nothing.
 

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Backlight bleed is a normal condition for all IPS displays.
You can always return it and play the lottery game until you get a screen which has the least backlight bleed.
If the backlight bleed is too much for you to handle than consider returning it for another one.
 
I'd for sure exchange or return it. As you said, it's a $7,500 machine. Consumers who are going to pay that kind of money can't let Apple think they can get away with quality issues like that.

edit: as the other post said, yes bleed is normal but that one looks really bad
 
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The picture makes it seem a bit worse than what it is, I tried to capture it on video, but even this was difficult to see.

 
I would not worry about that. All ISP displays exhibit backlight bleed. Yours, from the video, doesn’t seem that bad. I’m sure the photo you posted, with the exposure it was taken at, is slightly exaggerating the issue.

You can return it if you’re unhappy, but as mentioned above: you’ll be playing the lottery.
 
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I'm in the same boat as you. I received my iMac Pro yesterday and noticed severe backlight bleeding immediately upon boot up in a well lit environment. I'm going to try swapping 1 or 2 more times before I wait out for the modular Mac Pro.
 
Here is a better pic of it. Still debating whether or not to swap. I don't believe this is IPS glow.

Thoughts on exchanging? Other than this, I absolutely love the iMac Pro.
 

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shoebobs said:
I'd for sure exchange or return it. As you said, it's a $7,500 machine.
Click to expand...
floridaman said:
For a machine that costs $5000 plus that is totally unacceptable.
Click to expand...

Price does not matter. 27" LG panels have had backlight bleed for a decade and it's been no different for the 27" 5K panels. It has been an issue on the 5K iMac since launch as well as the Dell 5K displays (even when they were $2500) and the LG Ultrafine displays.
 
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I owned the LG Ultrafine 5k Display and I really didn't observe any backlight bleed. I did notice some IPS glow, but no bleed around the corners regardless of the viewing angle.
 
The panel quality Apple uses in all iMacs are rubbish. Cheap LG crap. Backlight bleed is normal for IPS displays but you can get ones with acceptable levels. This is why Backlight technology cant die soon enough, Micro LED and OLED all the way.
 
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CWallace said:
Price does not matter. 27" LG panels have had backlight bleed for a decade and it's been no different for the 27" 5K panels. It has been an issue on the 5K iMac since launch as well as the Dell 5K displays (even when they were $2500) and the LG Ultrafine displays.
Click to expand...
Price has everything to do with this issue. The fact that this technology has been around for so long and we are still dealing with backlight issues makes absolutely no sense to me. Yes Imac has had this issue for a long time and I can attest to it because I exchanged multiple machines until I found an acceptable one. There are 5K Imacs out there that have minimal backlight bleeding. I don't care what the technology is you shouldn't have backlight bleeding in a machine that costs $5000 or more.
 
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shadow82x said:
Thoughts on exchanging? Other than this, I absolutely love the iMac Pro.
Click to expand...
Is that the normal screen color when you’re using the machine? If not, you’ll likely never see the backlight bleed. I know I wouldn’t return the computer.
 
floridaman said:
Price has everything to do with this issue. The fact that this technology has been around for so long and we are still dealing with backlight issues makes absolutely no sense to me. Yes Imac has had this issue for a long time and I can attest to it because I exchanged multiple machines until I found an acceptable one. There are 5K Imacs out there that have minimal backlight bleeding. I don't care what the technology is you shouldn't have backlight bleeding in a machine that costs $5000 or more.
Click to expand...

A $5000 computer of which the panel probably makes up $500 of the cost.

There are "perfect" 27" LCD panels out there from companies like Eizo, though they're 2.5K as opposed to 5K and at $2500 are half the price of the iMac Pro (or more than a 5K iMac).
 
CWallace said:
A $5000 computer of which the panel probably makes up $500 of the cost.

There are "perfect" 27" LCD panels out there from companies like Eizo, though they're 2.5K as opposed to 5K and at $2500 are half the price of the iMac Pro (or more than a 5K iMac).
Click to expand...
I think you are missing my point here. I don't care if the screen costs only $100. Someone who buys a new IMac isn't thinking about the cost of the screen. They are thinking about the overall cost of the machine. Apple is all about these quality products so they should get rid of the backlight issue or in the case of the IMac Pro should have used an OLED screen. Apple is a great company but they really make some poor design decisions especially in the case of the IMac Pro. The screen is what you are looking at, not the space grey and if you can see backlight bleeding then that isn't acceptable. There is also the argument that can be made where you can't see this in regular viewing but when you view something with a black background and you can see it then that is a problem IMO.
 
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Does anyone know what causes this 'backlight bleed' and why doesn't every screen suffer as much from this phenomenon?
 
As I mentioned previously this is noticeable in day-to-day activities. Evident in game loading screens, startup (boot selection + loading), dark websites, dark applications, videos.

I hate playing the screen lottery. Especially with a device this huge, exchanges aren't the easiest thing.
 
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floridaman said:
I think you are missing my point here. I don't care if the screen costs only $100. Someone who buys a new IMac isn't thinking about the cost of the screen. They are thinking about the overall cost of the machine. Apple is all about these quality products so they should get rid of the backlight issue or in the case of the IMac Pro should have used an OLED screen.
Click to expand...

Apple doesn't make the panel so it's LG's issue to resolve. And since LG is the only manufacturer of 5K panels, Apple has no choice but to use them.

As for OLED, Dell had a 30" OLED 4K display that was $5000 when they announced it and $3500 when they shipped it over a year later, but they stopped selling it within a few months so I am guessing there were either issues with it or nobody bought it because of how expensive it was.

So assuming Apple could have gotten an OLED panel for the iMac Pro, it would have doubled the price and considering how people are losing their minds over the current price, they would be apocalyptic with double that.
 
shadow82x said:
As I mentioned previously this is noticeable in day-to-day activities. Evident in game loading screens, startup (boot selection + loading), dark websites, dark applications, videos.

I hate playing the screen lottery. Especially with a device this huge, exchanges aren't the easiest thing.
Click to expand...

I assume your replied to my post. I am aware that the 'backlight bleed' can be visible in the screen, depending on the image/background displayed. I would like to know what the technical cause of this 'backlight bleed' phenomenon is.
 
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Double-Slit said:
I assume your replied to my post. I am aware that the 'backlight bleed' can be visible in the screen, depending on the image/background displayed. I would like to know what the technical cause of this 'backlight bleed' phenomenon is.
Click to expand...

I recently got a 27" Eizo for my photography - it's BEAUTIFUL (I have a "lower-end" (well, it's cheaper than the even higher end Eizos) model CS2730 - around $1200 and 2560x1440, not 5K)... A really good display is night and day over a conventional display. I have it next to a decent Dell monitor, and you can see the difference from across the room - with both screens calibrated.
There is no way the conventional iMac could have an Eizo-class display - but I think the iMac Pro actually should have one. Why put a monitor in a $5k+ (in some configurations $10k+) computer that much of the intended audience will use as a palette monitor (audio engineers will, of course, use it as a first monitor, but most photo and video folks will be using Eizo and NEC). I'm considering an iMac Pro, but if and when I get one, the internal monitor will be a secondary display (I'll sell the Dell monitor) - and I'd rather not pay for it or have it blocking my RAM slots.
 
My question is, is it noticeable under normal everyday circumstances or affects anything?
I’ve seen light bleed on everything from iPhones, iPads to the iMacs, to varying degrees. But with content or editing it’s barely noticeable if at all. Dead and stuck pixels would be more irritable imo.
 
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