I have zero issues with brightness. I am wondering if there are specific machines with issues.
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Macbook air 2018 screen brightness
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I have zero issues with brightness. I am wondering if there are specific machines with issues.
Depends on the room lighting. Or if you're outside. People use 600 nits iPhones outside at maximum brightness for example.
OTOH, if all the lights are off in your basement at night, 300 nits is way too bright.
Just to close this out: After a lot of consideration --- including even more side-by-side comparisons --- I decided to go with the Macbook Pro 13" with TB. This afternoon, I found my exact config in a 2018 MBP with TB (i5/16GB/512GB) on the Apple refurb site for $1869. Given that the MBA same config was $1799, this was a no-brainer for the $70 difference: faster CPU, brighter screen, etc.
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People's eyes are likes ears. To one person, a device looks or sounds perfect, and to another, it's not a good fit. For example, research shows that as you age, you eventually need 3-4 times of light to read, etc.
Fair to say the issue anyone has (including me) with the new MBA screen is not due to some random manufacturing defects.
Fair to say the issue anyone has (including me) with the new MBA screen is not due to some random manufacturing defects.
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Well now my WiFi is on the frits..... Disconnected twice today and the only way to solve it is a reboot... I am going to do a reset and see but this might be going back if it persists.. If it does nTB here I come.....
And it's back at the mothership... Sadly, I am tossing in the towel on the Air and am heading to Best Buy to snag one of their Black Friday Pro deals....
I just don't want to deal with this as it's been 2 1/2 days of struggles and trying to convince myself I could live with it for touchID......
While serious overkill for my needs, I am considering the nTB i7 / 16 / 512... They have it for $1999 which is $200 off. I'll either snag it or an i5 / 8 / 256..... With the 4 year KB warranty I won't have anything to worry about...
I just don't want to deal with this as it's been 2 1/2 days of struggles and trying to convince myself I could live with it for touchID......
While serious overkill for my needs, I am considering the nTB i7 / 16 / 512... They have it for $1999 which is $200 off. I'll either snag it or an i5 / 8 / 256..... With the 4 year KB warranty I won't have anything to worry about...
I'm torn. I'm switching from 2017 MBP 13" with TB. Battery life on MBP is horrible and TB is useless (I originally had got the non TB option but had 3 defective keyboards in a row so Apple upgraded me for free which turned out to be a worse machine). There is HUGE difference in brightness with the new MBA, I'm not sure if the people who are saying it's not noticeable are not comparing side to side (or frankly are blind). In addition, MBA text just isn't is as crisp which may make my eyes more tired over the course of day (I don't know yet since I just got mine last night)? I am going to use for next week or so before deciding but very disappointed in the screen (we shall see about the battery). Have no problems with the keyboard.
From reading you would think the backlight is being supported by actual candlelight. I have no issues with mine. My machine is always plugged in at home so I have it on max setting and it's very bright indoors. Text looks crystal clear to me as well. Maybe my expectations weren't as high as some but I wasn't expecting the screen to match the $1800 Pro model.
If you think the screen is not bright enough, then you have the option of getting the '17 non TB Pro or the '18 Pro. Those are discounted on Bestbuy.com as part of an early Black Friday promo.
If you think the screen is not bright enough, then you have the option of getting the '17 non TB Pro or the '18 Pro. Those are discounted on Bestbuy.com as part of an early Black Friday promo.
1) It’s not just the Pro model that is brighter, but the 12” MacBooks as well. If it was as bright as the 12” MacBook, this matter may have been put to bed
2) You don’t need to spend $1800 to get the brighter screen, far less
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-air-2018-screen-brightness.2153000/page-3#post-26782358
This is MacBook 12” vs new MBA by a technical reviewer today.
Agree.... and to add, the Air I just sent back to the mothership was $1800 ---> i5 / 16 / 512 model...
Then people can also buy the 12" Macbook. Apple decided to cut corners for this particular Air and not much we can do about it outside of buying or not buying.
You said you wasn’t expecting the screen brightness to match an $1800 Pro, what about a 12” MacBook? Was you expecting them to cut corners to the point it can’t keep up with a year old 12” MacBook?
I'm not whining about the display. When I purchased the Air, I never wondered if it had a better screen than the Macbook. I'm not going to return it even if that's the case. Apple's only concern is they improved the old Air's display with a Retina screen.
When I'm using the machine, my focus isn't 300 nits or how it's supposed to compare to other Apple laptops. I'm just..using it like most people are.
Instead of talking over each other and throwing anecdotal knowledge, let me provide you with the hard data taken from notebookcheck.net reviews. According to their masurements:
- the 2018 Macbook Pro has the brightest screen in the whole lineup (504.4 cd/m² average)
![Pro 2018.png]( "Pro 2018.png")
- the 2017 Macbook has the second brightest screen (358 cd/m² average)
![Macbook 2017.png]( "Macbook 2017.png")
- the 2018 Macbook Air has the least bright screen (315.4 cd/m² average)
![2018 Air.png]( "2018 Air.png")
As a point of reference, here are the results for the 2018 1080p Dell XPS 13 9370 (405.2 cd/m² average):
![XPS 13.png]( "XPS 13.png")
And last but not least Asus ZenBook UX430UN (302.6 cd/m² average):
![Zenbook.png]( "Zenbook.png")
In my opinion, after using the 2013 Macbook Air for the last five years, the 300 cd/m² is more than enough for indoor use. However, if you plan to use your notebook outdoors, you might want to reconsider your options.
- the 2018 Macbook Pro has the brightest screen in the whole lineup (504.4 cd/m² average)
- the 2017 Macbook has the second brightest screen (358 cd/m² average)
- the 2018 Macbook Air has the least bright screen (315.4 cd/m² average)
As a point of reference, here are the results for the 2018 1080p Dell XPS 13 9370 (405.2 cd/m² average):
And last but not least Asus ZenBook UX430UN (302.6 cd/m² average):
In my opinion, after using the 2013 Macbook Air for the last five years, the 300 cd/m² is more than enough for indoor use. However, if you plan to use your notebook outdoors, you might want to reconsider your options.
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You are missing the point - your stance is too fanboyish to think we are whining. You already set a benchmark by saying you don’t expect it to beat the Pro, but aren’t happy to create a benchmark against the 12” MacBook - you’re not being objective and are trying to justify your purchase.
We don’t see why such an expensive machine isn’t competitive not just against the competition, but it’s old products. The old Air being being worse is almost irrelevant as it’s truly ancient, the slightest of changes would be an upgrade from it.
No one is saying don’t buy it or don’t enjoy your machine - but objectively, you can’t be surprised that’s people are underwhelmed by this machine on spec and price point. As I said before, this machine is only relevant due to macOS, not because Apple created a great laptop imo.
12" 2015 Macbook vs 13" 2018 Air
Can't see much in the pic, but there is a massive difference in brightness. Not too bad on dark screens, but on pure white (Macrumors, Yahoo, Google, etc..) its night and day.
Still trying to decide whether to keep this (Keyboard is FANTASTIC!) or exchange for a 2017 TB MBP from B&H (same price as Air 256gb w/no tax)
I'd have to agree with you...![G6V7hIk.jpg]()
12" 2015 Macbook vs 13" 2018 Air
Can't see much in the pic, but there is a massive difference in brightness. Not too bad on dark screens, but on pure white (Macrumors, Yahoo, Google, etc..) its night and day.
Still trying to decide whether to keep this (Keyboard is FANTASTIC!) or exchange for a 2017 TB MBP from B&H (same price as Air 256gb w/no tax)
"Can't see much [difference] in the pic"
I had the nTB Pro 2017 and returned it for the Air, there is definitely a noticeable difference in screen brightness. That being said, I don't plan on ever using this thing outside and it's still a great screen, so I'm happy with it.
On a side note, the keyboard also feels noticeably nicer to use. The key condoms do seem to have had a nice effect. I guess I'll wait and find out if it improved reliability, I hope so!
On a side note, the keyboard also feels noticeably nicer to use. The key condoms do seem to have had a nice effect. I guess I'll wait and find out if it improved reliability, I hope so!
Just picked up a 2018 256gb Air at micro center tonight. Bought it because it was on sale for the same price as the 128gb Air I received on Wednesday direct from Apple. So yes, I now have two Airs, but the 128gb Air is going back to Apple this weekend. To get on with my story, both Airs side-by-side, same brightness, same everything, the 256gb Air is noticeably brighter than the 128gb Air, which leads me to believe that Apple is using a variety of panel manufacturers for the new Air. One being inferior to the other? Don't know, but the screen on my 256gb Air is perfect. Crisp and bright. I'm very happy with it.
I'm super pleased with mine... I got the 512GB Air. Of course I'm coming from a 2012 and 2013 MBA. I never liked the display on the Airs. I know it was my own vision issues, but I was one of the mob begging for Retina. This is soooo much better than what I was using. I have it set a little higher than halfway and everything is much crisper than the old Airs. I have no complaints. And that 2012 with the same size SSD and only 8GB RAM (I got 16 on the new one) was a lot more money than the 2018. I got what I was asking for. The Gold color is a total bonus.
That's interesting to hear, I wonder if this is an issue that will be corrected so that it's not hit or miss eventually.
Key Condoms ha says...haha
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My 256 is fine too.
No it’s not. It has 600 nits and the screen has to be turned down for me or it’s too bright
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This exactly! Not being “picky” about a dim screen. I need the extra brightness to comfortably see the damn screen. I first noticed this when my kids would hand me their phones, and I would need to turn up the brightness to read what they were showing me. Age may affect the level of dimness that an individual finds acceptable. I love having to turn on my flashlight at a restaurant to read the menu. Getting old sucks.
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