[M2 MBA] Shadows on the screen

[Populus]

I’m keeping my preorder in place for now but may consider going the replacement route before giving up.

Because you value the lighter weight of the Air, right?

I can see where are you coming from. Weight is important for me as well, that’s why, tired of waiting for a 12” MacBook, I went the iPad Pro route.

Please let us know how the replacement goes, if you finally do it.

BTW is nice to see such a warm smile on an internet forum.

 

[LeahJoFoxtrot]

Because you value the lighter weight of the Air, right?

I can see where are you coming from. Weight is important for me as well, that’s why, tired of waiting for a 12” MacBook, I went the iPad Pro route.

Please let us know how the replacement goes, if you finally do it.

BTW is nice to see such a warm smile on an internet forum.

The weight, the thinness, and the color (Midnight). That said, I'm very hesitant to even start the "exchange merry-go-round" though. Part of me wants to take delivery of the M2 Pro MB I ordered (see above). It'd be great to have the mini-LED display and ProMotion but it feels like overkill if I want a decently powerful Mac desktop. I'm in a struggle right now trying to find the perfect powered Macbook AND a perfect powered desktop Mac. Up until this screen issue I was VERY satisfied with the MB Air. I'd bought the base model Mac Studio as a desktop with is more than I'll ever need really. Fortunately stuff is still in the return period so I can figure it out.

Also: Thank you for the kind words

 

[Populus]

If I can help with my advice, despite not knowing what tasks are you going to use it for (but I don’t want to dive too deep into it, because it would be off-topic):

MacBook: If you really value the weight and thinned, the MBA is the optimal choice. Especially if you are going to have a powerful desktop. I think going through the exchange process is well worth it. Just so you know it, they will make you open it in front of them to check if there are shadows there as well.

Desktop: with the new M2 Pro, I’d rather get a M2 Pro mini than a M1 Max Studio. However, if you rely heavily on the GPU, then the Studio is still a better option.

That’s my 2 cents.

 

[LeahJoFoxtrot]

If I can help with my advice, despite not knowing what tasks are you going to use it for (but I don’t want to dive too deep into it, because it would be off-topic):

MacBook: If you really value the weight and thinned, the MBA is the optimal choice. Especially if you are going to have a powerful desktop. I think going through the exchange process is well worth it. Just so you know it, they will make you open it in front of them to check if there are shadows there as well.

Desktop: with the new M2 Pro, I’d rather get a M2 Pro mini than a M1 Max Studio. However, if you rely heavily on the GPU, then the Studio is still a better option.

That’s my 2 cents.

Thank you for your advice, I've been leaning that way too. As far as what I'm going to use either Mac for, I have no real excuse to have any Mac lol. I just love them, but about as "productive" as I am on one is reviewing bank statements or doing my taxes. I didn't know they'd let me open it to check. I just hope I can still see the shadows in the bright lights of the Apple Store. I was thinking I'd return the Studio for the Mini, cancel / return the MB Pro, and exchange until I get a flawless screen on the Air. It's such a great "just messing around" laptop!

 

[Populus]

Thank you for your advice, I've been leaning that way too. As far as what I'm going to use either Mac for, I have no real excuse to have any Mac lol. I just love them, but about as "productive" as I am on one is reviewing bank statements or doing my taxes. I didn't know they'd let me open it to check. I just hope I can still see the shadows in the bright lights of the Apple Store. I was thinking I'd return the Studio for the Mini, cancel / return the MB Pro, and exchange until I get a flawless screen on the Air. It's such a great "just messing around" laptop!

Be careful, at least on my country (not USA), after the first exchange they get a bit suspicious and they won’t allow more than 3 exchange. If they let you open them on the store, I don’t think you’ll have that problem.

However, opening it on the store is a double edged sword, because they will ask you if everything is fine on front of them and, as you said, under the bright lights of the store maybe it’s difficult to spot. They can say afterwards “you opened it on the store and said everything was fine”.

So in this case I cannot advise you any more than follow your intuition.

 

[LeahJoFoxtrot]

Be careful, at least on my country (not USA), after the first exchange they get a bit suspicious and they won’t allow more than 3 exchange. If they let you open them on the store, I don’t think you’ll have that problem.

However, opening it on the store is a double edged sword, because they will ask you if everything is fine on front of them and, as you said, under the bright lights of the store maybe it’s difficult to spot. They can say afterwards “you opened it on the store and said everything was fine”.

So in this case I cannot advise you any more than follow your intuition.

The tech agreed there was a problem and I was told I could return or replace it, so I said I wanted to replace it. I was left to sit for like 20-25 minutes before a guy came and asked me if he could help me. I told him I wanted to exchange my laptop, he told me the model I had was out of stock and showed me on the phone they were out. I ultimately ended up returning it, but now I have to wait for my money to come back before I can get another Air. Meanwhile I have the Pro coming on Tuesday and I’m thinking seriously about just keeping it. That creates a dilemma though about getting a more powerful desktop without going into insane specs and price. Fun times.

 

[mi7chy]

I noticed this last night and in an "panic" (not literally) I just said screw it and preordered the 14" M2 Pro MB Pro. I had the M1 Pro MB Pro before the Air (I wanted a smaller, lighter form factor and Midnight color). I am of the belief that I could easily end up with another messed up one so I'm just returning the Air and keeping the Pro.

Looking forward to your feedback if the 14" M2 MBP display is worth the upgrade from the 13" M2 MBA.

 

[LeahJoFoxtrot]

I was able to get another MB Air delivered today and I'm happy with the screen! So I will be returning the MBP. I will however be getting a Mac Mini Pro for my desktop.

 

[physics123]

Hi everyone.
Today I got my new (replaced one) MBA M2 and the screen is perfect, no black shadow.
Thanks.

 

[LeahJoFoxtrot]

Hi everyone.
Today I got my new (replaced one) MBA M2 and the screen is perfect, no black shadow.
Thanks.

So happy to hear. Same here! I just got the 14" MB Pro M2 Pro but its going back. I ordered a Mac Mini custom but I might cancel it while I still can and nab just a base model. Its the 512gb SSD that always holds me back from those. It's more principle than anything. Also my M2 Macbook Air has 1tb lol

 

[papbot]

Hi everyone.
Today I got my new (replaced one) MBA M2 and the screen is perfect, no black shadow.
Thanks.

Second time’s the charm! My replacement which I got at the Apple Store was perfect as well. I’m very happy with it. Was leery of trying to get a replacement shipped to me fearing that if it also had a defective screen I’d just go through more drama. But I am convinced Apple had a bad batch of screens and hopefully they will make the replacement process as smooth as possible.

 

[xtremesniper]

I've had the exact same issue over three brand new M2 Airs, all replaced with a new one within the 14 day return window spanning from Dec to Jan (because my config seems to always be backordered).

While I'm happy to hear that I'm not going crazy and that others have seen the same issue I've experienced, I'm more happy to hear that some of you have had luck with your replacements. But so far no luck for me!

I have also noticed that the issue temporarily gets better when I "massage" the screen a bit using a microfibre cloth, but it always eventually comes back. This leads me to believe the theory that it's some sort of screen adhesive/layering issue.

I've tried to live with it but honestly I can't unsee it. I'm going to have to try one last replacement. Wish me luck!

 

[xtremesniper]

I've tried to live with it but honestly I can't unsee it. I'm going to have to try one last replacement. Wish me luck!

No luck. Apple isn't letting me exchange for another one and if I return this I'll lose the promo I had for it. I'm not planning on re-buying for the original price just because they can't deliver a quality product. To say I'm disappointed in Apple is an understatement.