Nano-texture glass looks perpetually dirty

[collin_]

I've heard really good things about the nano-texture glass, so I went with it. But my Studio Display XDR with nano-texture just got here and it looks sort of like the entire display is covered in fingerprints. I assumed it was residue from Apple's protective sticker sheet thing, but no amount of wiping with their special cleaning cloth is removing it. It's all over the display -- uniform. Looks sort of like there's oil all over it, but in a matte way (if that makes sense). I wasn't expecting the nano-texture to make it look so jarringly wrong.

Is this what it looks like to you guys, too?

 

[Aleco]

The Studio Display’s glass is one of the few things that actually sets it apart from any other monitor, so paying extra to etch it and lose that clarity just sounds wrong to me. I get the point of nano-texture on something like a MacBook Pro or iPad Pro where you’re dealing with sunlight, but on a stationary monitor it feels redundant.

The XDR already gets insanely bright, so it’s hard to imagine a setup where reflections are such a problem that it’s worth giving up some sharpness and contrast.

I’m pretty sure what you’re seeing is normal with the nano-texture when it’s doing its job.

 

[taphil]

Yes, to many eyes, it looks like grease smeared over the entire display and is the reason why we go with glossy screens only.

 

[Vincent Hanna]

We have a nano texture ASD in our very bright main room and absolutely love it. Zero glare or reflections that would make a glossy screen unusable in this setting with high windows on both sides.

And it’s not a coating, it’s micro abrasions in the glass itself that diffuse and scatter light.

 

[Pezimak]

I just got my new 2026 Studio Display at the weekend and I went for nano texture, and I do not regret it. Yes it is a tiny bit fuzzy, if you look with your nose to the glass you can see it looks rough. But it is fantastic for reducing reflections and glare! I sit next to a window, and text is much easier on my eyes too. I did try them out in the Apple Store and on the glossy screen the text was a bit too punchy for me, but I replaced a matte screen anyway. Glossy is good, but their is a reason almost every office environment uses mattes screens.

When the light is dim or dark I also use my table lamp and this nano texture should help a lot to block it reflecting off the screen. I am growing to like my new monitor very much.