Macbook Pro 2016 15" - Keyboard scratches display

[moTo3101]

Hey there,

I was just wondering If someone else encountered the same issues that I found recently. I have been using my MBP for about a month now, carried it with me in a laptop bag and used it in a normal environment under normal conditions. Still, I looked at the display a little bit more in detail today and found several small but definitely visible and noticeable scratches along very straight lines all over the display. The straightness of these scratches can only imply that this comes from the keyboard, or maybe from small dirt particles resting on it.

I actually was kinda shocked that the display of the MPB is that sensible towards dust or the keyboard itself and immediately bought and applied a screen protection, which, of course, looks ridiculous.

Did anyone of you have the same problem, or is my display not properly aligned?

Unfortunately I can not provide any photos since the protective cover is already attached and overlays the scratches.

 

[Reflexiste]

No but i use Keyboard cover https://www.radtech.com/products/screensavrz-macbook-pro-keyboard-cover

 

[xraydoc]

I haven't noticed anything of the sort, but make sure you're not putting pressure on the top lid when it's in your laptop bag.

 

[sn0warmy]

I haven't noticed anything of the sort, but make sure you're not putting pressure on the top lid when it's in your laptop bag.

^ This. The keyboard leaving marks on your screen is not specific to the 2016 models. This has been an issue on the older MBPs as well. It seems that this happens when people throw their MBP in a bag with other crap that puts excessive pressure on the top lid of the computer.

I travel with my MBP often but always put it in it's own travel bag with a couple of cables but nothing that puts pressure on the screen. I have never had any screen scratching issues with my 2013 MBP, 2015 MBP or current 2016 MBP.

 

[moTo3101]

Hm this might be the reason. I guess I need to empty my bag a little then Thanks for your help!

 

[LogiLink]

Yep ! On Early 2015 - many and noticeable scratches.

 

[ice29]

I have the 2015 rMBP - most of the time after a few days/weeks of use, those lines from keyboard is just dirt and grease, and can be easily cleaned with a cloth. But I already have a scratch from spacebar in the middle of the display - guess it happened during travelling, where even though the laptop was in a separate compartment of the backpack, there were still things that pressed on the lid... Use some kind of keyboard cover (any kind of thin cloth) since then, plan to do it also with the new one when I get it

 

[Brookzy]

I was cleaning my screen today and noticed some little scratches. Clearly not from the keyboard because they aren't straight, but it does appear that the screen scratches easily. I've cleaned all my MacBook screens in the same way with microfibre cloths for years and haven't noticed any scratches until now.

Annoying, though unnoticeable during normal use. (Note the photo is with flash enabled and so is not indicative of how it looks in normal light.)

 

[honeybadger1022]

I was cleaning my screen today and noticed some little scratches. Clearly not from the keyboard because they aren't straight, but it does appear that the screen scratches easily. I've cleaned all my MacBook screens in the same way with microfibre cloths for years and haven't noticed any scratches until now.

Annoying, though unnoticeable during normal use. (Note the photo is with flash enabled and so is not indicative of how it looks in normal light.)

View attachment 683855

I just returned a refurbished one a few days ago for screen scratches. Definitely not freeze or lint tech and sat there for 20 minutes trying to get it off. No avail. Paying so much for something like that to happen is not my cup of tea. Still on the Mac train though. Gonna invest in a keyboard cover before I buy a new one.

 

[Brookzy]

I was cleaning my screen today and noticed some little scratches. Clearly not from the keyboard because they aren't straight, but it does appear that the screen scratches easily. I've cleaned all my MacBook screens in the same way with microfibre cloths for years and haven't noticed any scratches until now.

Annoying, though unnoticeable during normal use. (Note the photo is with flash enabled and so is not indicative of how it looks in normal light.)

View attachment 683855

After further reflection I have remembered I had an incident a few weeks ago when cleaning my keyboard with compressed air where the straw came loose and was propelled towards the MacBook (whoops!). I thought it hit the keyboard but I suppose the screen scratch must have been from that. So I should retract my claim that the display scratches easily because it probably wasn't scratched by my normal wiping with a cloth. Be careful when using compressed air people!

 

[fs454]

This happens on all rMBP models 2012 to present, unfortunately. If you stuff your bag tightly, there's pressure on the display from the keys and trackpad area. If you put something inside to protect it, I'd imagine the pressure against the screen would be notably worse in the same situation, albeit pushing into a softer surface. I'm torn on the issue, but I feel like adding thickness in between and then shoving it in my sleeve + backpack worries me about putting more undue pressure on the screen from the inside.

 

[rik7614]

Hey there,

I was just wondering If someone else encountered the same issues that I found recently. I have been using my MBP for about a month now, carried it with me in a laptop bag and used it in a normal environment under normal conditions. Still, I looked at the display a little bit more in detail today and found several small but definitely visible and noticeable scratches along very straight lines all over the display. The straightness of these scratches can only imply that this comes from the keyboard, or maybe from small dirt particles resting on it.

I actually was kinda shocked that the display of the MPB is that sensible towards dust or the keyboard itself and immediately bought and applied a screen protection, which, of course, looks ridiculous.

Did anyone of you have the same problem, or is my display not properly aligned?

Unfortunately I can not provide any photos since the protective cover is already attached and overlays the scratches.

Hi,
Yes definitely there is a problem with the new macbook pro i have a single hair line print on my macbook pro 2016 13" module. I have changed the whole display 2 times and still i am getting the line.
I went to the apple authorised care centre and one of the technician even said that its because of some pressure of some heavy press on my lid that is so unreal because i don't carry my macbook pro anywhere it's just home use.
i have changed for 2 time and now it's same they don't replace the whole laptop and i am tried of visiting them again and again leaving my laptop to them for the repair.

Worst decision of my life that i moved from Linux to Mac.

 

[malekjaroslav]

Hi,
Yes definitely there is a problem with the new macbook pro i have a single hair line print on my macbook pro 2016 13" module. I have changed the whole display 2 times and still i am getting the line.
I went to the apple authorised care centre and one of the technician even said that its because of some pressure of some heavy press on my lid that is so unreal because i don't carry my macbook pro anywhere it's just home use.
i have changed for 2 time and now it's same they don't replace the whole laptop and i am tried of visiting them again and again leaving my laptop to them for the repair.

Worst decision of my life that i moved from Linux to Mac.

Did they replace it free of charge or you paid for the 2 displays?

 

[Cloudane]

AFAIK the rMBPs have a coating on them. I imagine the scratches will be in that, since obviously a coating is not as robust as the glass it's sitting on. It's called a "microscratch" and is a developed imperfection in the coating not a scratch to the screen itself. The way to tell is if you can't really see it if the screen is on and only spot it if you're looking at various angles in bright daylight (i.e. only if you're looking for it) then it's a microscratch.

Phones and tablets suffer from this a lot, no matter how careful you are with them - your fingernails can scratch it, the insides of your pocket can, everything. It's best not to worry yourself over it, since they're only visible when you're purposely looking for flaws.

For phones I use a tempered glass screen protector (mostly so I can say it's immaculate when it comes to eBay time and not worry about trying to explain microscratches in the description in case I get a fussy buyer, as this confuses people and they avoid bidding), not sure I'd trust a giant 15" one not to pull the coating off when it's removed though!

 

[Rocko99991]

It's called a "microscratch"

Making up new names for something doesn't change what they are. It's a scratch. Whether it's in the coating or the glass, does not matter.

 

[peraspera]

Hi,
Yes definitely there is a problem with the new macbook pro i have a single hair line print on my macbook pro 2016 13" module. I have changed the whole display 2 times and still i am getting the line.
I went to the apple authorised care centre and one of the technician even said that its because of some pressure of some heavy press on my lid that is so unreal because i don't carry my macbook pro anywhere it's just home use.
i have changed for 2 time and now it's same they don't replace the whole laptop and i am tried of visiting them again and again leaving my laptop to them for the repair.

Worst decision of my life that i moved from Linux to Mac.

I know of two people who have run into having keyboard marks on their screens when there was no question of the issue being caused by pressure on the lid. Apple did replace the screens but offered no insight as to what had happened.

My guess is that there are two possibilities. One is that residual heat from the keyboard hastens screen delamination. The second is that off-gassing of the acidic oils that everyone's fingers secrete is etching the surface coating of the screen with no direct contact between the keys and screen needed for the damage to occur. Heat would make that problem worse as well.

Both of these people have had success in preventing the problem by waiting until their MBPs cool down before closing the lid and by using microfiber keyboard covers. However, there is a chance that the microfiber can absorb a sufficient amount of skin oil to transfer to the screen although neither have run into this problem. Also, they have mentioned that their MBPs close slightly less tightly but neither have run into that causing any hinge issues.

I use a clear keyboard protector when using my 2015 MBP which I remove before closing it after it is cool. My screen is pristine. However, most fast typists who need to do a lot of typing without benefit of an external keyboard understandably don't find keyboard protectors to generally be a good solution.

 

[orthorim]

It's so annoying.

I have a 2012, screen replaced in 2015, it's so scratched it's hard to make out colors or fine details on websites.

Of course it's way out of warranty now.

I think Apple is coating the screen with anti-reflective coating, and that then comes off when you, errrrrmmmm, carry the laptop around in a bag. Not exactly an exotic use case. I know people with pristine screens too but they take great care not to put pressure on the laptop.

I just cram mine into the bag, and sometimes the bag is full - oh well!

My previous laptop - unibody 17" from 2009 - did not have this issue. The LCD was covered by gorilla glass. Yes, people were complaining it was too reflective. However, I would take the reflectiveness any day over scratches. That screen was used and abused and looked like new 3 years later when I gave it away. Not a single scratch. I also loved I could just rub it down with a sponge and remove dirt from it - it's glass so it doesn't scratch.

About to get a new laptop and I am disappointed, but not too surprised, that they still have this issue. I'll just get it replaced for the next 3 years.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Hm this might be the reason. I guess I need to empty my bag a little then Thanks for your help!

Old thread but a good one

The clearance between the screen and keyboard is very small. Any pressure on this very thin screen forces it into the keyboard. It is part of we pay for Apple’s obsession with thin!

 

[orthorim]

Old thread but a good one

The clearance between the screen and keyboard is very small. Any pressure on this very thin screen forces it into the keyboard. It is part of we pay for Apple’s obsession with thin!

Less thin would not solve this problem either, unless you had a massive gap.

A scratch-resistant screen would solve that problem.

But I guess Apple took the tradeoff towards a non-glare screen that gets scratched up.

Also guess it probably has to do with most people never having this issue. Apple surely has rather extensive warranty logs on this problem. And while me, and many others here will constantly run into this problem and get really annoyed with it and have our screens replaced every year, I guess the vast majority of users will never have the problem because they don't carry their laptops in backpacks around the world, they just have it in a briefcase or sitting on a desk most of the time, or they don't notice the scratching... either way, if it was creating a signfiicant loss for Apple they'd fix it, but they haven't... do it doesnt...

 

[Newtons Apple]

Less thin would not solve this problem either, unless you had a massive gap.

A scratch-resistant screen would solve that problem.

But I guess Apple took the tradeoff towards a non-glare screen that gets scratched up.

Also guess it probably has to do with most people never having this issue. Apple surely has rather extensive warranty logs on this problem. And while me, and many others here will constantly run into this problem and get really annoyed with it and have our screens replaced every year, I guess the vast majority of users will never have the problem because they don't carry their laptops in backpacks around the world, they just have it in a briefcase or sitting on a desk most of the time, or they don't notice the scratching... either way, if it was creating a signfiicant loss for Apple they'd fix it, but they haven't... do it doesnt...

I guess if you put a 100 pounds of books on it, you might be right. Hard to make the screen less reflective without giving it some “texture” to stop reflections. I will take a non-glare screen any day over one that was not.

The problem is well known, as you stated, so if you squeeze your laptop between a bunch of books, expect there to be a problem. Apple should not cover it under warranty.

 

[orthorim]

I guess if you put a 100 pounds of books on it, you might be right. Hard to make the screen less reflective without giving it some “texture” to stop reflections. I will take a non-glare screen any day over one that was not.

The problem is well known, as you stated, so if you squeeze your laptop between a bunch of books, expect there to be a problem. Apple should not cover it under warranty.

No books but the laptop is in a backpack year in year out and sometimes you just end up carrying other things in the backpack and sometimes these are heavy and pushing into the computer. Like when I'm traveling and carrying clothes or whatever. Not doing this intentionally either!

We differ on the glare / non glare thing because for me a non-glare screen that's scratched it way worse than some glare, particularly with the new super bright screens. A computer built from glass and an aluminium unibody is just really rugged, and I'd love that.

Alas the majority seems with you, preferring the more fragile anti-glare coating.

Probably because they don't go places.

 

[Newtons Apple]

No books but the laptop is in a backpack year in year out and sometimes you just end up carrying other things in the backpack and sometimes these are heavy and pushing into the computer. Like when I'm traveling and carrying clothes or whatever. Not doing this intentionally either!

We differ on the glare / non glare thing because for me a non-glare screen that's scratched it way worse than some glare, particularly with the new super bright screens. A computer built from glass and an aluminium unibody is just really rugged, and I'd love that.

Alas the majority seems with you, preferring the more fragile anti-glare coating.

Probably because they don't go places.

I had a Panasonic field computer long ago. It was almost 3 inches thick but you could drive a truck over it and it would still work. Anything in a back pack "year in and year out" is going to take a beating.

 

[Rocko99991]

No books but the laptop is in a backpack year in year out and sometimes you just end up carrying other things in the backpack and sometimes these are heavy and pushing into the computer. Like when I'm traveling and carrying clothes or whatever. Not doing this intentionally either!

We differ on the glare / non glare thing because for me a non-glare screen that's scratched it way worse than some glare, particularly with the new super bright screens. A computer built from glass and an aluminium unibody is just really rugged, and I'd love that.

Alas the majority seems with you, preferring the more fragile anti-glare coating.

Probably because they don't go places.

On my 2011 MBP just picking it up holding the top and bottom causes the screen to touch the keyboard. A microfiber may be the best solution.

 

[thurstanh]

I would say a keyboard protector would potentially make things worse due to less space, perhaps being rubbery may help though. Would be interested to know how that works out.

I've noticed significant bumps and abrasions after having my battery replaced(required replacing entire upper including keyboard trackpad etc.). I had three small bumps over the past few years and have been careful, but was cleaning it yesterday and noticed what was usually just oil marks from the edges of the keys were now bumps and scratches. Anybody else had this after a battery/keyboard change?

Any tips on how to proceed to get this fixed? It is a mid 2012 retina laptop that has basically all been replaced due to logic board issue (gpu blanking), screen/upper replacement due to image retention issues of early manufacturing and most recently the battery/upper replacement.

I'm not so keen on moving to the new macbook until better usb c docks are available and am still not keen after trying the new keyboards. If I continue to stay apple my next 'mac' may be an ipad.