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Is retention still an issue on the 2015 rMBP?

K

KimHansenDK

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 29, 2011
366
40
So I am considering buying the new 2015 rMBP to replace my 2012 rMBP. I remember all the swapping of machines because of the retention issue - it was kind of a lottery. Is retention still an issue? Or have the fixed it for good on the new machines. This and yellow screens are the only things holding me back :)
 
I asked one of the Apple people about this specifically at the weekend and he told me it was only really an issue with one particular batch from one particular supplier on the first generation. So far as they were aware, Apple haven't had any issues with IR (on that scale) since. I know the people in Apple stores are hardly Tim Cook or even technical but you have to see the truth in it: Apple wouldn't continue relationships with suppliers who continually produce dodgy equipment.
 
You're right. I just read somewhere that a few people have experienced retention on the 2015 rMBP (I think it was the 13-inch model).
 
What!??

You have clearly not experienced the endless swapping due to retention when the rMBP was released!
 
New 15" MBPr w/ dGPU here. No image retention issues, this screen is beautiful. My 2012 MBPr had that issue tho, that was not cool
 
In a word: no.

I've owned every 15" rMBP iteration, including 2012s with both first and second gen LG panels.

My 2012 with first gen LG panel had severe retention issues that grew progressively worse over time. No model since then has had had even a hint of retention.
 
I just tested my 2015 high-end 15" rMBP (dgpu model, not BTO)

Set background to dark gray, opened single safari window to google.com, set screen to full brightness - left it for 15 minutes (screen turn-off disabled)

Hid safari, no hint of the word "Google" on the background.

My first mid 2012 retina model failed that test, as did my second one. I ended up having the display assembly replaced under Applecare in the second one and got a samsung display, which did not exhibit the issue.

The previous terminal command for getting display model number doesn't work on this model, so I don't know who makes it, but it does not exhibit the problem.
 
dmccloud said:
Neither have most people, myself included...
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That is simple not true. The 2012 model with LG panel (quite a few) all had this problem. So you must have been lucky getting a machine with Samsung panel in your first try.

----------

It sounds like this is no longer an issue. Great. Thanks! :)
 
KimHansenDK said:
That is simple not true. The 2012 model with LG panel (quite a few) all had this problem. So you must have been lucky getting a machine with Samsung panel in your first try.

----------

It sounds like this is no longer an issue. Great. Thanks! :)
Click to expand...

Even then it was not the majority of the userbase, so what I said was true.
 
dmccloud said:
Even then it was not the majority of the userbase, so what I said was true.
Click to expand...

If all LG panels (let's say 50% of all panels) in the first rMBP had this problem, and we might actually assume this, then what you said is not true.
 
KimHansenDK said:
If all LG panels (let's say 50% of all panels) in the first rMBP had this problem, and we might actually assume this, then what you said is not true.
Click to expand...

The LG panel in my second one did not exhibit the problem until about a month after I'd purchased it.

Most people would be unaware that they had this issue, in my opinion.
 
Andrmgic said:
The LG panel in my second one did not exhibit the problem until about a month after I'd purchased it.

Most people would be unaware that they had this issue, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree. Most people would not notice it - especially if it develops over time.

Well I would just like to get a screen that does not suffer from retention when spending a lot of money on a new machine. And because I spend most of the time in the same apps - with dark grey backgrounds where the retention is most noticeable :)
 
I have a 2012 15" rMBP purchased in November 2012. It had the LG screen and developed bad IR after about six months. Apple replaced the screen with a Samsung and I've had no IR at all over the 2+ years I've had it since. I haven't heard too much about it (but haven't been looking for it either) on the newer machines so maybe it's not a big issue anymore.

May I ask why you're thinking about replacing your 2012? When the new 2015 models came out I briefly thought about it as well, but then realized my 2012 is running so smoothly and continues to meet all my needs. I think I might upgrade in a year or two, perhaps if they do a redesign. But the 2012 has been, and continues to be, a great machine for me.
 
Acronyc said:
I have a 2012 15" rMBP purchased in November 2012. It had the LG screen and developed bad IR after about six months. Apple replaced the screen with a Samsung and I've had no IR at all over the 2+ years I've had it since. I haven't heard too much about it (but haven't been looking for it either) on the newer machines so maybe it's not a big issue anymore.

May I ask why you're thinking about replacing your 2012? When the new 2015 models came out I briefly thought about it as well, but then realized my 2012 is running so smoothly and continues to meet all my needs. I think I might upgrade in a year or two, perhaps if they do a redesign. But the 2012 has been, and continues to be, a great machine for me.
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Mainly because of the better battery and much faster SSD. The new Force Touch trackpad is just an extra bonus. But I am also considering go 'down' to the 13-inch as it would probably handle my web design/app design needs just fine when hooked up to a Thunderbolt display or 4K display (clamshell).
 
I have an early 2012 15" rMBP and recently purchased the new 15" which I returned 2 days later. It had a screen that was not as white or bright as my 2012 model (Samsung) and some unevenness with yellow and pink hues. It wasn't appreciably faster for what I use the computer for (mainly web surfing). I did like the new force touch trackpad and may try another one later. Right now I'm just happy to look at my white screen.
 
bevsb2 said:
I have an early 2012 15" rMBP and recently purchased the new 15" which I returned 2 days later. It had a screen that was not as white or bright as my 2012 model (Samsung) and some unevenness with yellow and pink hues. It wasn't appreciably faster for what I use the computer for (mainly web surfing). I did like the new force touch trackpad and may try another one later. Right now I'm just happy to look at my white screen.
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Yeah. I also hate those uneven and yellowish screens. I don't understand why there are such a big difference between the screen. Is it a quality control problem or??
 
KimHansenDK said:
Mainly because of the better battery and much faster SSD. The new Force Touch trackpad is just an extra bonus. But I am also considering go 'down' to the 13-inch as it would probably handle my web design/app design needs just fine when hooked up to a Thunderbolt display or 4K display (clamshell).
Click to expand...

That's true, those are good reasons, especially if you need the speed and battery life. I noticed I don't seem to get as much battery life out of my 2012 even though it only has 114 cycles, but I still get between 5 and 6 hours which is good enough for me. SSD is nice, but I don't do anything that requires it, so I think I'll wait another year or two and see what Apple comes up with. I've also thought about downsizing, either to the 13" or even 12" MacBook. These models are definitely nicer to use when traveling. that's only turned into a few times a year now for me instead of a few times a month, so I'll stick with the 2012 for now. Having a computer without a decent dGPU is also a bit of a worry for me (my other Macs are a 2012 and 2014 mini).

If you do end up getting a 2015 15" or going to a 13" I'd be curious to hear about your experience and how the new Mac compares to your current one. Either way, enjoy! New Macs are always fun.
 
I thought it was interesting that I thought my 2015 13" rMBP had a shockingly warm and unevenly tinted screen when I first got it, even after calibration (I need accurate screens for my work).

I googled the issue and found many posts on this forum about it without prior knowledge of the issue. I think that is pretty good proof that people aren't imagining this along with the fact that the screen is very obviously not a good screen. It takes only a few comparison photos and measurements between this and my 15" rMBP to show that the LG screen on this thing is greatly inferior. I think the problem has been more common with the LG panels, but I haven't seen any hard statistics, so the Samsung ones might have issues too.

The only reason I didn't bring mine in for replacement is because a) I don't think I'd get a good replacement panel, and b) I don't have the time as of late to do a ton of replacements, unfortunately (would if I could!).

In addition, I work on other machines most of the time, and they have good screens— a 15" 2014 rMBP a lot of the time, along with nice Dell monitors at work. So it isn't a HUGE issue for me to live with this. But for people who depend on color accuracy and for whom the 2015 rMBP is their primary laptop, it is a really big issue that should not be trivialized.

The color problems with this screen are not minor like having a few dead pixels. I'm talking an entire screen being FAR too warm after calibration, and half the screen being very noticeably off-tint from the other. In fact, a corner of my screen is even noticeably DARKER than the rest.
 
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dmccloud said:
But it never was "all" LG panels, and LG wasn't even 50% of the total production run anyways.
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I have not heard about one single LG screen from the first 2012 model that did not show the retention after testing for it. Sure there might be a lot of people not noticing it but still... And how do you know that it was not 50% when most people did not get Samsung screens to begin with and had to swap a lot of times to get one?
 
Is it primarily an issue with the 13-inch 2015 or is it also an issue for the new 15-inch. I'm takling about the yellow and uneven screens??
 
I can't speak to whether it is an issue or not as I can only report one screen purchased and returned by me because it was slightly yellow on the left and pink on the right and overall wasn't as bright or white as my 2012 rMBP. It seems like a lot of members here are negative about this model because there wasn't an upgrade to the processor and it may not be widely purchased or commented on as a problem on this forum for awhile even if it is a widespread issue. Since Apple has a generous return policy I would try getting one and if you aren't happy with it just return it within 14 days. I'm very picky about screens and it seems like getting one I'm happy with is a lottery for the most part, but I'll probably try again at some point.
 
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