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[Merged] Hi-Res Glossy or Hi-Res Antiglare?

It's wonderful how so many people focusing on this topic reach directly opposite conclusions, but there is no right answer here I think. Personally, I never use my computer outside or in a car - or anywhere expecting to generate "wash out glare" on a machine. Except for 10 minutes a day my normal work spaces have no outside glare and all the interior lighting is indirect. I can't see needing any antiglare treatment.

I have read several times that the glossy is better for precise color rendition and better white / black balance. I do much Photoshop and video editing so it seems like glossy is a better technical choice to help me get the colors right. A few photographers I respect have said the same thing.

On my work PC laptop I have not only an antiglare treatment but a 'privacy screen' that narrows the angle of view to only the user. It blobs and blurs the image so much I just take it off. At 53 I can't be bothered not seeing what I am working on.

Peraonally I doubt I am going to rail against high glare situations. More than likely I will rail against the lack of color precision or image quality from the anti-glare treatment.

Also, I plan to buy a MBP in part because of the design and style aspect - and the silver bezel just doesn't cut it against simple flat and beautiful glass as your viewing surface.

No need to tell me I'm wrong - I understand why others have their opinions. This is just mine, that's all... ;)
 
Calibration

Hey guys,
I know this is kinda lame and I'm new to all this..a number of you guys have mentioned the option of calibrating the screen..I would really appreciate it if someone explained how this is done..Thanks heaps in advance!
 
joven1 said:
Hey guys,
I know this is kinda lame and I'm new to all this..a number of you guys have mentioned the option of calibrating the screen..I would really appreciate it if someone explained how this is done..Thanks heaps in advance!
Click to expand...

I have a Huey calibrator, but you can easily do it by eye in System Preferences:

4527379182_9cba40e55d_o.png
 
Im still debating between the two... Id prefer the antiglare, but just the e2e glass is almost enough for me to pick the glossy :(
 
JerseyBill said:
I have read several times that the glossy is better for precise color rendition and better white / black balance. I do much Photoshop and video editing so it seems like glossy is a better technical choice to help me get the colors right. A few photographers I respect have said the same thing.
Click to expand...
This is absolutely not the case.

If anything, colour will be less accurate on the glossy panels. It can appear to be more vivid (though I believe the gamut is roughly the same on both panels) which a lot of people do like for things like watching videos but that is the opposite of what you want for photo/image editing.

Black can appear to be darker with a glossy panel, though this comes at the expense of being able to see detail in the darker regions of an image. With a matte panel, black may not appear to be quite as dark, but you are able to see much more detail in the darker areas of the image which is, again, more accurate.

I would be surprised if brightness is really any different between the two panels, though you constantly need to have a glossy panel up at a higher brightness level to try and overpower reflections.

JerseyBill said:
On my work PC laptop I have not only an antiglare treatment but a 'privacy screen' that narrows the angle of view to only the user. It blobs and blurs the image so much I just take it off. At 53 I can't be bothered not seeing what I am working on.
Click to expand...
This is nothing like the 'antiglare' option Apple offers.

The glossy screens use an LCD with a high gloss finish with a glass panel placed on top.
The 'antiglare' option removes the glass panel over the LCD and uses a matte finish LCD panel, which is nothing like an antiglare treatment film.


I do agree with you that the black bezel and the glass panel over the LCD looks nicer - but only from a design standpoint rather than for a computer I'm going to be using.
 
If I bought a Hi-Res glossy would it say that its Hi-Res on the box if not, how would I know it's a Hi-Res? Is the Hi-Res glossy worth it?
 
Glossy FTW! I ordered the 15" HR-Glossy screen. I think the colors pop out way more than the matte. Just looks better overall! and I don't ever take out my computer and use it under the sun like that so I don't mind
 
I completely disagree. I ordered a core i7 hi res anti glare and wouldn't go any other way for numerous reasons (not worth going into here).
 
I think the glossy display is more aesthetically pleasing in terms of how it looks with the MBP's overall design. However, I have no choice but to go with the matte option when I order my new MBP, as I'll be using it for live music, where stage lights would render a glossy screen useless.

Apple is anticipating a small(er) demand for the antiglare Macbooks which is why they charge an extra $50 "premium" to get one. The general public is wowed by the glossy displays and the majority of buyers will likely stick to that default configuration. The price difference has nothing to do with the cost of materials or production.

It's interesting to see how evenly-split the opinions seem to be here, though. You can't really go too terribly wrong, as both displays are pretty stunning.

It's nice to have the choice, but sometimes choosing sucks!;)
 
Photo of MBP 15" Hi-Res Anti-Glare v. MBP 15" Std Res Glossy & Speck Satin Case

UPDATE: Many more pics of the 15" MBP high-res anti-glare with various wall papers, lighting conditions, and angles. See Post #27.

Update 2: Some pictures of text so you can see how small it is. See Post #57.

I had originally bought the 15" MBP i7 with the standard glossy screen on Wednesday. Today, I heard that one of my local Apple Store (First Colony Mall in Sugarland, TX) was the only store in Houston currently carrying the 15" i7 with Hi-Res Anti-Glare screen. I was most interested in getting the Hi-Res screen after I saw some other members post pics of it. Initially, I was scared that the the text would be too small since, I use Word a lot. The Apple Store in First Colony Mall did not have a 15" Hi-Res Anti-Glare on display, but did carry it in the back.

The part number is MC666LL/A and comes only in 15" i7 configuration (2.66 Ghz, 5 GB RAM, 512 MB nVidia GT330M, 500 GB hard drive, 1680 x 1050 resolution, anti-glare display).

I talked to the manager how I was not satisfied with the standard display on my original 15" i7 purchase from Wednesday. I asked him if I could buy the 15" i7 Hi-Res Anti-Glare today (it was Friday) and come back the NEXT DAY (Saturday) to return my original 15" i7 standard glossy AND avoid the restocking fee. To my surprise, he said sure, all you're doing is just switching it out. Come on back tomorrow and I'll take care of you. I then said, "So I get a 100% refund?" He answered, "Yes." Whoa...that's unheard of for opened hardware. That saved me $210!

So, before I return my 15" i7 standard glossy, I took a comparison pic of the two. I'm very happy that I got the hi-res display. I can see so much more text and pictures now. I don't find the text to be too small either. Also, I am happy I now have an anti-glare screen. It's a huge difference over the glossy screen. I owned the Late 2008 MBP 15" glossy for over a year and loved that screen. When I was examining a 17" anti-glare in the Apple Store, I spent about 20 minutes comparing it with a glossy. It was a tough decision at the time. But now that I am home with the 15" high-res anti-glare screen, I love it, and now realize that I made the correct choice.

I highly recommend getting both anti-glare and high resolution configured and shipped if you can't find it locally.

High-Res Anti-Glare on Left; Standard Glossy on Right

4527237849_1a460a82e0_o.jpg


As you can see, you can see, the high res screen offers way more viewing area compared to the standard res screen. I used an ethernet cable to transfer my data from the 15" standard glossy to the 15" high res anti-glare. Therefore, the desktops are identical. You can see how on the high res screen, I can still fit way more icons on the dock.

If you can read the text in this photo, you'll definetly be able to read it in real life.

4527868190_e893dd19db_o.jpg


Oddly enough, I found that the Anti-Glare screen had more vibrant colors compared to the Glossy screen!

Here are pics of the new 15" MBP with the Speck Satin black case. The case fits very tightly with no wiggle room. Since the last generation MBP is identical to the April 2010 model, all the accessories for the prior model will work for the current model--like this Speck case. The case does not interfere with the newly designed charger cable on the left side of the laptop. I like the way the case feels. The Apple logo now glows are dark purple. The only thing that I don't like is that it is near impossible to take off. I feel that I'm going to break the case or scratch my MBP if I try to take it off.

4527237779_f18bbd4f6e_o.jpg


4527237695_54c1da43ef_o.jpg


If I could change something about it would be the bottom design. Only about 1/4 of the rigid area has holes punched through for ventilation while 3/4 of the rigid area is not punched. I don't understand why speck didn't just punch through all of the rigid section.

4527867786_865a7de329_o.jpg
 
Question

Nice Pictures! Thanks for posting.

Quick question... How hot does it get??

Thanks
 
During typical web browsing, iPhoto, iTunes, it only gets warm with the Speck case attached. Placing it in your lap (even if you're wearing shorts) won't be an issue. Wrist rest areas produced almost no heat.

However, when I was installing freakin' Windows Vista on Boot Camp, and doing all the freakin' Windows updates (about 3 hrs worth of non-stop installing), it got very hot. Hot enough to even heat up my wooden coffee table. But it never got to the point were it was overheating. I didn't see any graphical artifacts or screen anomalies. Wrist areas got warmer, but I could still keep my wrists on them. Even though the laptop got hot, I didn't notice any fan noise.
 
Thanks for the photos.

Can you take a couple of photos from the side near a window.

I wanna see how much reflection one sees on the glossy display compared to the anti glare display.

Thanks in advance...;)
 
Madhawk said:
Thanks for the photos.

Can you take a couple of photos from the side near a window.

I wanna see how much reflection one sees on the glossy display compared to the anti glare display.

Thanks in advance...;)
Click to expand...

Too late. I've already boxed up the 15" Standard Glossy MBP to return tomorrow. Sorry!

But I can tell you that you will see a lot of reflection in the glossy display (especially with dark or black images). With the anti-glare, the reflections are almost completely gone. It all depends on the lighting in your environment too. In the Apple Store, I could still see some reflection on the anti-glare display, but it was nothing compared to the glossy display.

I really do think the colors are more vibrant on the anti-glare display. The whites seem brighter and the white seems darker. But the difference is slight. If I were to just look at a 15" screen ( and the bezels were hidden from me) in a completely dark room (i.e. no possibility of reflection), I probably could not tell the difference between the two. I never tried shutting down all the lights in my room to compare, but that would be a good experiment for somebody who happens to have both the anti-glare and glossy with them.
 
Below is a screen capture of 1680 x 1050. However, Flickr shrinks it down to 1024 x 768 image. Bummer.

4527910336_d9eb439030_b.jpg
 
Thanks for the pictures.
I'm definitely gonna order a Macbook Pro with a matte screen.
And by the way...I actually prefer the design with the silver bezel.
 
Smoothie97 said:
But I can tell you that you will see a lot of reflection in the glossy display (especially with dark or black images). With the anti-glare, the reflections are almost completely gone.
Click to expand...


I agree. I checked out a glossy Macbook Pro yesterday and opened a dark background in Photoshop. Hello mirror! I really couldn't work with those reflections.
 
Great post, I pretty much did the exact same thing you did. Returned standard glossy for hi res matte without restocking fee. Usually Apple is pretty good about waiving the restocking fee if you are exchanging.
 
Thank you for the pictures! Silver bezel looks better, now I am sure what my next MBP will be :)
Plus 512 GB SSD.... that would be great
 
I'm sorry, the black bezel is far nicer looking. I'm not saying style over substance, but the colours should also look a lot more vibrant on a glossy screen. I personally don't think it's worth the upgrade.
 
Wow! Looks awesome. Can't wait to get mine :)

No, wait... volcano. Fffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu :mad:
 
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