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MBP: Glossy screen or matte?

gramtrax

gramtrax

macrumors regular
Original poster
Anyone have advice on regards to what screen type to order with a new MBP 17"?

I would like as much color accuracy as possible, but when I read the apple specs they make it sound like the glossy is better at showing colors.....
 
gramtrax said:
Anyone have advice on regards to what screen type to order with a new MBP 17"?

I would like as much color accuracy as possible, but when I read the apple specs they make it sound like the glossy is better at showing colors.....
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This topic has been beat to death in hundreds of threads in this forum.

Searching the forum with MRoogle will usually find answers to most of your questions:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/739867/
Picture 3.jpg​
 
It all depends on your individual needs. Me personally, I love the glossy screen. The colors do look awesome on it, especially when I'm watching films. However, it is horrible if I'm outside with my laptop or under bright flourescent lights because the glare is just overwhelming. But, I rarely use my laptop under either of those conditions so I'm happy.
 
I owned the glassy uMBP for around 9 months, then sold it and bought the uMBP matte version. Had that for about 4 months.

I feel like a hypocrite, but the glassy has so much more colour and pop in it. The matte screen is fine, but it just seems lifeless sometimes.

Needles to say, when I get the funds, I'm switching to a 13" MBP (and iMac). Looking forward to the glassy display again.

The reflections did irritate me, but the colours and sharpness.. it really is beautiful.
 
Please don't let Shambo see this thread.

Its really down to this. What do you want, matte has better color accuracy, glossy "boosts" the color so to speak, makes it seem more rich, but is less color accurate, not that they can't be calibrated. Matte is preferred among photoeditors, graphic designers, etc because they need the color accuracy.

I would just get what you like best. :apple:
 
Glossy should be fine even for most pro's. Buy a professional EIZO to go with it, if you are serious and must have color accuracy (actually you can calibrate glossy). Matte is an option if you work outside very often.

In my opinion, I went with glossy rather than matte even though I have been using matte in previous MBPs. Silver bezel is ugly. Black glossy framing is hot. Again, in my opinion. 😉
 
prodigee said:
Please don't let Shambo see this thread.

Its really down to this. What do you want, matte has better color accuracy, glossy "boosts" the color so to speak, makes it seem more rich, but is less color accurate, not that they can't be calibrated. Matte is preferred among photoeditors, graphic designers, etc because they need the color accuracy.

I would just get what you like best. :apple:
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Wrong. Matte isn't more color accurate. Bare glass is more "transparent" than matte, by that I mean light can travel through glass largely unaffected. Matte will spread incoming light across the entire display, which makes for inaccurate colors. It's not uber noticeable, but it's there.

Apple's glossy is different from the traditional glossy. Apple uses glass on top of the LCD panel, not screen coating the panel and calling it glossy. Matte is actually a screen coating that goes ON the panel (that's why the bezel is silver). It's also dimmer than bare glass so your argument of "boost[ing]" the colors is negated. One is dimmer, one is brighter. Neither is significantly more color accurate than the other, but in certain conditions (under sunlight) matte will be your friend.
 
SnowLeopard2008 said:
Wrong. Matte isn't more color accurate. Bare glass is more "transparent" than matte, by that I mean light can travel through glass largely unaffected. Matte will spread incoming light across the entire display, which makes for inaccurate colors. It's not uber noticeable, but it's there.

Apple's glossy is different from the traditional glossy. Apple uses glass on top of the LCD panel, not screen coating the panel and calling it glossy. Matte is actually a screen coating that goes ON the panel (that's why the bezel is silver). It's also dimmer than bare glass so your argument of "boost[ing]" the colors is negated. One is dimmer, one is brighter. Neither is significantly more color accurate than the other, but in certain conditions (under sunlight) matte will be your friend.
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You are correct with what you said, but with a "brighter" display the colors appear more saturated than what you print. With the matte, I have found that because the colors aren't as "saturated" or rich, you get a much more accurate color to what you print.

OP if you want to test this theory, if you can print from a calibrated glossy MBP and then from a calibrated matte MBP, on the same printer, which ever looks more like the image on screen, that is display type you choose, if it matters that much to you.
 
I love the black bezel on the macbook pro. I think it goes great with the black keys, but... after seeing the matte 17" in the store I was amazed. It's a very very very nice screen and you can see it from every angle. I know that with my current 15" glossy macbook pro I find myself tilting it a certain way because I see myself. I think my next one will be matte, it's colors are incredible.
 
Hey all, thanks for the opinions. That was what I was looking for -- individual opinions. Obviously it's a matter of personal preference but it helps to hear what other like/dislike.
 
Here's my two [contradictory] reviews on the glassy MacBook Pro and the matte MacBook Pro.

I'm stuck in limbo between the two. I've been recommending matte, but the tables are turning and when I use my friend's glassy MacBook Pro, I remember how poppy the colours were.. something I envy.
 
Don't understand why some people have to be so rude to the OP for asking for 'current' opinions on this debate. 🙄

Anyway I was originally a hardcore glossy fan however that all changed the day I saw the beautiful matte bad boys in-store. My advice is go to a store and see for yourself which you prefer however I suspect you'll opt for matte. 😎
 
shambo said:
Don't understand why some people have to be so rude to the OP for asking for 'current' opinions on this debate. 🙄

Anyway I was originally a hardcore glossy fan however that all changed the day I saw the beautiful matte bad boys in-store. My advice is go to a store and see for yourself which you prefer however I suspect you'll opt for matte. 😎
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This for sure. Try and have a look for yourself to decide. Maybe upload some reference photos to the web and have a look on both laptop screens.
 
I do most of my work in the dark so glossy works just fine for me. I am not a fan of the antiglare option because it makes everything look speckled. Not to mention that the silver bezel on the antiglare makes the new unibody MacBook Pro's look like an antiquated piece of machinery, ie. the previous generation MacBook Pro's.
 
it all comes down to personal opinion. everyone is going to have different views on which is better. it's not so much which is better, but what works for you. the best thing to do is go to an apple store and compare the two. i had a friend bring there MBP glossy and in bright lit areas, it looked i was staring in a mirror. i admit the screen did look a little brighter, but the glare was annoying me. i went with the anti glare and love it.
 
my favorite topic.

here's the ranking

1. glossy (the old glossy which has a anti-reflection film on it. the mba still have it i think, and maybe the new mb too?)
2. matte (the new matte 17 unibody mbp has a really beautiful screen! nothing pale or fuzzy or anything like that.
3. glassy might have a slightly higher percieved brightness and therefore colour richness, but the downside of reflections are not worth it imho.
 
As others have stated, it really depends on your preference and the environment you work in. Both my MBPs are anti-glare, but that's because I tend to work in diverse environments and I didn't want to deal with the reflections. If you have control over your lighting, the regular (non anti-glare) screen is more vibrant. The 24" ACD I have attached to the MBP is really fantastic, but now and then I do see reflections in it. From that comparison, I'm glad that my mobile devices are anti-glare.
 
Definitely just preference and intended usage environment.

I got an Anti-Glare so that when I'm on the go, I don't have the nasty reflections. At the office, I hook it up to the 24" LED Display which is glassy, but in that environment I can work around any reflection issues.

This way I feel like I have the best of both worlds.

As far as the silver bezel?

Frankly, I think it's very classy and elegant.

Something about the black glassy border has always made me feel like it's a Sony laptop or some other PC that's trying too hard to woo you in Best Buy as you walk around the PC section.
 
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