MBP matte screen = freakin' gorgeous

[kis]

I received my matte MBP today (sold my glossy one the second the matte version became available). Man, the difference is MASSIVE. That screen is absolutely perfect - very evenly lit, excellent viewing angle, great colors. I can only recommend it. I also like the silver frame. Makes the whole device look less cheap.

Perhaps I should add that I primarily use the Macbook Pro for image editing for when I need to do so on the go. I hated the glossy screen from the first second and find it a huge relieve to have one with a matte version that actually kicks butt. It's probably the nicest screen I've ever seen on a notebook.

That said - I started the thread to express my happiness with the matte screen and not to start another (now utterly pointless, since everybody has a choice now) flame war. There are plenty of people out there who aren't sure the matte screen's any good - but I can tell you it is. It's an excellent option and not just a cheapo crap panel Apple offered to shut up the glossy-haters.

The aluminum frame is a matter of taste - I personally love it, and that's my honest opinion.

Peter

 

[Shiner]

It's just Apple marketing. A lot of the people who bought a unibody before the matte option was out just feel F'ed in the A and just wanna come defend their purchase on these forums without any decent arguments, that's what it is 🙂.

+1

Most of the posts on this forum consist of people needing to justify their purchase.

 

[wakeborder556]

matte is the best

 

[pmcb]

im glad the matte screens are good, i love the glossy screen on my 13" but would be curious to see the difference in person, the reflections don't really bother me because i just focus on what i'm doin, but then again i'm no photographer 😛

 

[Consultant]

Yes personal preference.

I honestly think both screen types are nice and see why certain people prefer one or the other. Honestly though, the silver border looks like crap. Maybe its the rubber piece that runs along the very outside that throws it off.

It's quite nice in person.

The non-unibody version is alu with a very subtle gray border. That's what I have.

I thought the matte border / frame is fugly in photos, but in person it's nice.

I'm happy the OP is happy but I have to agree with the above poster. Unless you really want to kid yourself colors are bolder and blacks are richer on a glossy screen.

I do a TON of photography and print on glossy paper most of the time. The only way to get the color accuracy I'm after is to edit on my glossy monitor (I have a matte monitor for matte prints, and a glossy monitor for editing glossy prints).

Glossy definitely has the bolder richer colors.

Might want to calibrate your work flow, from calibrating monitor to making printer / paper profiles.

As mentioned, all pro LCD are matte. I had a Lacie CRT back in the day that cost $2000 and it was matte when CRTs are mostly glossy.

 

[Arondel]

"Keep telling yourself that darling" -Jack Sparrow

Captain Jack Sparrow! xD

On topic, I prefer matte/anti-glare due to the conditions I work in. Nevertheless, I believe user choice is the best solution.

 

[superscientific]

I thought that the silver bezel was going to look terrible as well until I saw one in the store. It really is gorgeous! It makes me want to sell my MBP, but until we get some new graphics and processors I think I will stick with my glossy. Next MBP = Matte for sure!

 

[podiki]

Does the 17" antiglare also have the glass? I'm asking cos I guess the lid would be lighter if it didn't have glass. Which would make it wobble less. I'm selling my glossy 17" if this is the case.

 

[HD Fboy]

I am ordering a new MBP next Monday. 3.06, 8gb RAM, 500Gig HD.... Oh yea Anti Glare Display!!! You work outside, you want this. Waited for this and ahh Snow Leopard.

 

[AnotherFanBoy]

It all comes down to personal preference. There are two personal opinions here, does the silver border look better than the black one and is matte better than glossy. Neither question has a correct answer, it's all opinion.

My opinion, I like the glossy screen and I definitely much prefer the black border.

Just stop arguing and accept the other sides choices and their reasons for it.

 

[the1payday]

All of this fighting is ridiculous. Matte is not factually better then Glossy or vice versa. They each have strong and weak points:

The Matte screen has much better viewing angles and dramatically less glare then the Glossy. Unfortunately the screen is not as crisp as the Glossy

The Glossy screen has much deeper blacks and better whites, and overall a better look in general. It's downside is that you've got about a 10% tilt viewing angle to work with before the glare becomes ridiculous.

I've used both for extensive Photo editing and PERSONALLY prefer the glossy because 90% of the time I'm inside or in an environment where I can control the amount of light in the room, to make the Glossy look as nice as possible. Under these conditions I find it a little easier on the eyes. When I use Matte screens, I always find myself squinting and straining my eyes to focus.

I know everyone knows the pros and cons already, I'm just sick of the "Glossy is better then Matte and that's a fact!" crap on these forums. Use what you need it for. Saying one is better then the other is simply impossible to prove, and anyone who tries to do it looks like a dunce.

 

[dyn]

The black bezel around the Glossy display does not look "cheap", in fact it does two things. It makes the MBP look like a more professional product, and it improves color reproduction and color balance for the human eye. The glossy display has greater color balance, better black reproduction, better contrast, and provides a sharper picture than the matte option. Believe me, you do not know more than Apples engineers. The matte display is certainly a downgrade.

The difference between the glass version and the matte version is really easy: the glass and the matte coating. The panel itself is exactly the same, there is no difference in that. It's still a 6-bit TN panel and therefore has a bad colour reproduction, colour balance, contrast en black reproduction. It's fine for reviewing photos but not for editing them (even when calibrated). The only thing that glossy (coating/glass) does is make it look like the panel is better while in fact it isn't. It also adds glare and thus making reviewing pictures difficult since you don't see all parts of the picture due to glare. Matte does not have that glare disadvantage.

Any glossy screen (coating or glass) will only make you think it is a great screen. Glossy is al about fooling the user. The colours "look" vivid while in fact they aren't because the TN panel is not able to display all of them.

BTW, the black bezel really does nothing to the screen itself. The reason why the bezel is black is quite simple: it makes the edges disappear a bit which is really nice when watching a film. It is not something you really need to improve the screen itself.

It's quite humorous to watch though....

It's humorous and sad at the same time since people keep falling into that trap time after time 🙁

Keep telling yourself that. All the photographers will do otherwise.

Photographers only use laptops to review photos. Serious editing regarding colours and such is not something you really want to do on laptop displays since they are 6 bit TN panels that are simply not the best choice for such work. Even with a calibrated TN panel there can be differences in things as the colour.

Glossy displays are also bad for your eyes since they need to refocus an awful lot due to all the glare. This is tiring on the eyes and can cause other eye-related problems (like headache).

Take a look at displays that are aimed at people who do a lot of photo/video editing. They are matte and also have a special casing to reduce the amount of light hitting the screen. It's all about eliminating glare.

In the end it all comes down to whatever you prefer but that doesn't mean glossy is the best option (because it simply is not both technically and ergonomically).

 

[airplaneman]

The difference between the glass version and the matte version is really easy: the glass and the matte coating. The panel itself is exactly the same, there is no difference in that. It's still a 6-bit TN panel and therefore has a bad colour reproduction, colour balance, contrast en black reproduction. It's fine for reviewing photos but not for editing them (even when calibrated). The only thing that glossy (coating/glass) does is make it look like the panel is better while in fact it isn't. It also adds glare and thus making reviewing pictures difficult since you don't see all parts of the picture due to glare. Matte does not have that glare disadvantage.

Any glossy screen (coating or glass) will only make you think it is a great screen. Glossy is al about fooling the user. The colours "look" vivid while in fact they aren't because the TN panel is not able to display all of them.

BTW, the black bezel really does nothing to the screen itself. The reason why the bezel is black is quite simple: it makes the edges disappear a bit which is really nice when watching a film. It is not something you really need to improve the screen itself.


It's humorous and sad at the same time since people keep falling into that trap time after time 🙁


Photographers only use laptops to review photos. Serious editing regarding colours and such is not something you really want to do on laptop displays since they are 6 bit TN panels that are simply not the best choice for such work. Even with a calibrated TN panel there can be differences in things as the colour.

Glossy displays are also bad for your eyes since they need to refocus an awful lot due to all the glare. This is tiring on the eyes and can cause other eye-related problems (like headache).

Take a look at displays that are aimed at people who do a lot of photo/video editing. They are matte and also have a special casing to reduce the amount of light hitting the screen. It's all about eliminating glare.

In the end it all comes down to whatever you prefer but that doesn't mean glossy is the best option (because it simply is not both technically and ergonomically).

The glass doesn't fool you, it lets the colors pop. I agree, if people want to edit photos, an external is the best choice. I just don't get all the glossy arguments though. How would your eyes have to refocus all the time? How does matte reduce the amount of light hitting the screen? It can't. Light is light- lower the blinds to reduce the amount of light. Matte just reduces the reflection. The black bezel is nice because it takes the focus away from the edge and puts it in the center (because it's dark). Anyway... I personally prefer glossy because of the better colors but I can see why the OP thinks it's awesome.

 

[allanibanez]

In terms of cosmetic looks, i think the glossy screen MBP looks much better than the new matte option, one of the main reasons being that apple don't change the rubber sealing from black to grey. The grey bezel with the black rubber looks awful! Given that they are charging extra for this is pretty ridiculous - gloss or matte, it should be the same price...but if they insist on charging extra then the black rubber should be changed as part of that premium.

Gloss or matte, the screens themselves are ok, maybe not the most accurate things in the world, but its a laptop so its never going to be, they are atleast much better than most other laptop screens. My advice get the gloss, save the premium for the matte, and get a fantastically accurate dell monitor. Sorted. If your bothered about using it outside then both are pretty poor, the matte probably slightly better but you're still going to be squinting a lot. If you live in england it will be raining most of the year so good luck going outside with it anyway.

 

[shambo]

He's not. He's right.

He is so. He's wrong.

End of. 🙄

 

[Some Guy 555]

I had a friend who was interested in the matte option and set out to go to an apple store. He arrived there and called me by cell asking me why matte was "such crap" for brightness and colour and I simply told him, thats the price you pay if you want antiglare.

Matte = cheap plastic layer vs expensive Glass (glossy).

Since he was still at the store he asked an employee if he could get a discount on the matte ones if he wanted to purchase one. They told him its $50 extra to get a matte one.

He told me that he never laughed so hard in his life and walked straight out the door. I personally don't blame him.

 

[Eshyn]

I had a friend who was interested in the matte option and set out to go to an apple store. He arrived there and called me by cell asking me why matte was "such crap" for brightness and colour and I simply told him, thats the price you pay if you want antiglare.

Matte = cheap plastic layer vs expensive Glass (glossy).

Since he was still at the store he asked an employee if he could get a discount on the matte ones if he wanted to purchase one. They told him its $50 extra to get a matte one.

He told me that he never laughed so hard in his life and walked straight out the door. I personally don't blame him.

Expensive glass??

You people crack me up.

 

[shambo]

I had a friend who was interested in the matte option and set out to go to an apple store. He arrived there and called me by cell asking me why matte was "such crap" for brightness and colour and I simply told him, thats the price you pay if you want antiglare.

Matte = cheap plastic layer vs expensive Glass (glossy).

Since he was still at the store he asked an employee if he could get a discount on the matte ones if he wanted to purchase one. They told him its $50 extra to get a matte one.

He told me that he never laughed so hard in his life and walked straight out the door. I personally don't blame him.

Amateur.

 

[Some Guy 555]

Amateur.

Expensive glass??

You people crack me up.

Please do yourself the favour of saving humiliation and look up prices of glass.

Look for 15" X 10". It's in and around $60 upwards of $200. The cost of a sheet of 3M (matte screen) is ~$5.

Glass gets exponentially more expensive as the size of it increases. Ever had to replace a rear or side window panel on a car? It can be up to $1500 JUST for the cost of the glass.

Simply put, plastic will never be a more expensive material than glass.

People must work in the sun LOTS to really want cheap stuff like a matte screen.

 

[GAS]

Please do yourself the favour of saving humiliation and look up prices of glass.

Look for 15" X 10". It's in and around $60 upwards of $200. The cost of a sheet of 3M (matte screen) is ~$5.

People must work in the sun LOTS to really want cheap stuff like a matte screen.

Just because something is cheaper doesn't mean it isn't better suited to the job.

 

[Some Guy 555]

Just because something is cheaper doesn't mean it isn't better suited to the job.

That statement is quite true, that I cannot argue against. If you are working outside with floodlights aimed directly at your screen, which apparently every matte user must due to there complaining of glare, then by all means you better have a matte to fight that intense light!

 

[GAS]

That statement is quite true, that I cannot argue against. If you are working outside with floodlights aimed directly at your screen, which apparently every matte user must due to there complaining of glare, then by all means you better have a matte to fight that intense light!

Even inside, glare affects me big time.

 

[Shiner]

Please do yourself the favour of saving humiliation and look up prices of glass.

Look for 15" X 10". It's in and around $60 upwards of $200. The cost of a sheet of 3M (matte screen) is ~$5.

Glass gets exponentially more expensive as the size of it increases. Ever had to replace a rear or side window panel on a car? It can be up to $1500 JUST for the cost of the glass.

Simply put, plastic will never be a more expensive material than glass.

People must work in the sun LOTS to really want cheap stuff like a matte screen.

I have re-read this post like five times and can not for the life of me figure out what the hell you are talking about.

You have a glossy screen MBP and you like it, great! Move on and enjoy your computer. Why do you feel compelled to post on the forum a pathetic attempt to justify your purchase.

Do you think that apple only adds the 5$ matte without placing any glass in front of it? Or are you joking?

 

[Some Guy 555]

I have re-read this post like five times and can not for the life of me figure out what the hell you are talking about.

You have a glossy screen MBP and you like it, great! Move on and enjoy your computer. Why do you feel compelled to post on the forum a pathetic attempt to justify your purchase.

Do you think that apple only adds the 5$ matte without placing any glass in front of it? Or are you joking?

... where did I make a post about justifying my purchase?

... re-read it five times and still cannot understand anything? Oh dear... is English your second or first language? I thought I put it in English but sometimes it comes out French... still don't know how that happens.

I will summarize the post for you down to one single sentence: Glass is a more expensive material than plastic. I think that is clear... if you still cannot understand what I am talking about there then I'm afraid I cannot help you.

This debate is about matte vs glossy and not about who justifying what for whatever reason.

 

[shambo]

I have re-read this post like five times and can not for the life of me figure out what the hell you are talking about.

You have a glossy screen MBP and you like it, great! Move on and enjoy your computer. Why do you feel compelled to post on the forum a pathetic attempt to justify your purchase.

Do you think that apple only adds the 5$ matte without placing any glass in front of it? Or are you joking?

He resents his purchase since the matte option came out yet cannot afford to upgrade. Basically he's angry. 😀