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Is the screen on the 13" MBA better than the 13" MBP?

O

OceanView

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 16, 2005
1,094
39
I have a 13" MBP and I've been disappointed with the screen.
Has anyone compared the screens with the 13" MBA and is there any difference?
Any better?

Besides the resolution, is the screen less reflective?
I personally dislike the glossy screens but when I was at the Apple store the new MBA's looked as if the screen may be a little less reflective (hard to tell in the store).
 
I love both screens I think they are one of the nicest on the market. My new MBA13 screen looks nicer than my current model MBP13.
 
Besides the resolution, is the screen less reflective?
I personally dislike the glossy screens but when I was at the Apple store the new MBA's looked as if the screen may be a little less reflective (hard to tell in the store).
 
OceanView said:
Besides the resolution, is the screen less reflective?
I personally dislike the glossy screens but when I was at the Apple store the new MBA's looked as if the screen may be a little less reflective (hard to tell in the store).
Click to expand...

You're right, it diesn't have the sheet of glass over the front so suffers from less reflections. Though it is still a gloss screen as opposed to matte.
 
It should be about on par or better than MBP in every respect except for color gamut. Apple hasn't advertised Air's color gamut, so it's likely to be similar to previous generation of MBA's. Color reproduction should be good enough, but MPB's are still probably better in that respect.
 
INEEDANOTEBOOK said:
Everybody says that... :confused: I actually like the vivid colors obtained with glossy screens. I'm about to buy an air, and I wish I could choose a glossy screen to go with it...:cool:
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I've never understood this. You are in the majority, I suppose.

New TVs these days all come with a reflective black bezel around the screen which creates annoying reflections of every light and window in the room. Why?!! Same goes for glossy computer screens. Perhaps colors look prettier and more (over) saturated, but it's not worth it to me. I'm planning to sell my MBP to get an Air, partly because the Air's screen is not quite so reflective.
 
TxMacAddict said:
1280x800 for a 13" is way too low in the age of "retina displays."
Click to expand...

I love sharp displays as much as the next guy, but I also like UI elements that are still displayed at a reasonable size. Of course, once we have functioning resolution independence in OS X, I'd want the highest resolution possible - until then 1280x800 at 13" seems like a good compromise to my eyes.
 
iDave said:
I've never understood this. You are in the majority, I suppose.

New TVs these days all come with a reflective black bezel around the screen which creates annoying reflections of every light and window in the room. Why?!! Same goes for glossy computer screens. Perhaps colors look prettier and more (over) saturated, but it's not worth it to me. I'm planning to sell my MBP to get an Air, partly because the Air's screen is not quite so reflective.
Click to expand...


I confess that the quality of the glossy screen of the Imac is among the main things that decided me to go Apple (from a morose IBM thinkpad). Since then, it has always been a joy to use... And it goes decadently well with my D90... :D
 
iDave said:
I've never understood this. You are in the majority, I suppose.

New TVs these days all come with a reflective black bezel around the screen which creates annoying reflections of every light and window in the room. Why?!! Same goes for glossy computer screens. Perhaps colors look prettier and more (over) saturated, but it's not worth it to me. I'm planning to sell my MBP to get an Air, partly because the Air's screen is not quite so reflective.
Click to expand...

Scientifically pq wise the glossy screens will be 'better' than matte screens. Subjectively most people will say the glossy screens are better. The drawback is the reflection. There are ways for them to minimize the reflection but its a compromise between picture quality, 'reflectiveness' and price.
 
size100 said:
Scientifically pq wise the glossy screens will be 'better' than matte screens. Subjectively most people will say the glossy screens are better. The drawback is the reflection. There are ways for them to minimize the reflection but its a compromise between picture quality, 'reflectiveness' and price.
Click to expand...

most on here prefer antiglare.
 
tmoerel said:
Who are you calling 'most'. I prefer glossy for sure. Much better color rendition and contrast.
Click to expand...

tim100 said:
most on here prefer antiglare.
Click to expand...

Oy Vey, you should use the word "MANY" rather than "MOST" as "SOME" people are so sensitive even though they know what you're talking about. :rolleyes:

That being said, I prefer matte screens but that's not really what the thread is about. The MBA has a glossy screen, period. It's not "slightly glossy" or "matte-ish", it's just plain glossy but not nearly as reflective as the MBP's with a glass overlay.
 
Yep, definitely a glossy fan here. In that regard my 13" Air screen is just as good as my '08 15" MBP. In other regards: of course it looks crisper having the same resolution on the smaller screen; but it doesn't seem to have as good viewing angles, especially horizontally.
 
MartiNZ said:
In other regards: of course it looks crisper having the same resolution on the smaller screen; but it doesn't seem to have as good viewing angles, especially horizontally.
Click to expand...

True. Even so, I personally prefer it to my glassy 15" MBP screen. I don't mind glossy screens, but I'm not a big fan of the ultra-reflective glass-covered screens they're putting on their new products. The OP's original question is of course subjective. Objectively, the MBP screen is "better" in terms of viewing angle and color gamut, but I for one am glad that Macs still exist without this "feature". If I were in the market for the MBP right now, I would choose an antiglare screen. That said, I'm very happy with my ultimate 13" Air's glossy screen.
 
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