Nano-texture iMac is awesome

[Gmouse]

Here's blowups of the same thing on both displays (taken with iPhone, tried to match colors and size as much as possible, some artifacts can be from the iPhone or the camera/display interference).

There's no resolution loss that I see-you can see the individual pixels in the image in both, but what you do see is that while the top one more clearly shows the actual display pixel grid, the bottom one shows a more regular pattern which I take to the the Nano surface.

 

[iDomDotCom]

Here's blowups of the same thing on both displays (taken with iPhone, tried to match colors and size as much as possible, some artifacts can be from the iPhone or the camera/display interference).

There's no resolution loss that I see-you can see the individual pixels in the image in both, but what you do see is that while the top one more clearly shows the actual display pixel grid, the bottom one shows a more regular pattern which I take to the the Nano surface.
View attachment 950302View attachment 950303

Looks pretty good to me. How do you like the screen overall compared to your 2014?

 

[Gmouse]

I kept it. Sure, there is a visible difference in...something...but not resolution or clarity, and I've seen no color issues. For sure it gets rid of almost all reflections, which were an issue in my home office. But...it's controversial, so, people wanting to buy a new iMac should compare--and Apple needs to get them in stores to be compared. Otherwise they are probably spending a lot of money on returns...

 

[rkuo]

Here's blowups of the same thing on both displays (taken with iPhone, tried to match colors and size as much as possible, some artifacts can be from the iPhone or the camera/display interference).

There's no resolution loss that I see-you can see the individual pixels in the image in both, but what you do see is that while the top one more clearly shows the actual display pixel grid, the bottom one shows a more regular pattern which I take to the the Nano surface.
View attachment 950302View attachment 950303

No offense, but I don't think you took those pictures correctly. Maybe you don't have the right equipment.

 

[Gmouse]

No offense, but I don't think you took those pictures correctly. Maybe you don't have the right equipment.

I did say I took it with an iPhone (hand-held) and not a Hasselblad <G>. But it appears to be sharply-focused--there ARE probably some artifacts from the iPhone camera and from my enlarging the pictures. But, beyond close-up pictures, just working with the two iMacs for about 10 days while I transferred stuff from old to new, I had plenty of time to compare, and just don't have a big issue with the Nano Effect. It certainly doesn't diminish resolution or sharpness, but will agree you probably won't see the display's pixel rows, which some can take as sharpness--but if you look at some of the individual characters, you can clearly see they appear the same, and you can see where their edges blend with the background, then inside they're solid color. Anyway, I'm sure others will take even better pictures.

 

[rkuo]

I did say I took it with an iPhone (hand-held) and not a Hasselblad <G>. But it appears to be sharply-focused--there ARE probably some artifacts from the iPhone camera and from my enlarging the pictures. But, beyond close-up pictures, just working with the two iMacs for about 10 days while I transferred stuff from old to new, I had plenty of time to compare, and just don't have a big issue with the Nano Effect. It certainly doesn't diminish resolution or sharpness, but will agree you probably won't see the display's pixel rows, which some can take as sharpness--but if you look at some of the individual characters, you can clearly see they appear the same, and you can see where their edges blend with the background, then inside they're solid color. Anyway, I'm sure others will take even better pictures.

I don't want to get into a debate about what you can and can't see, but on glossy retina displays even the subpixels are perfectly sharp and visible at 50x under a microscope.

The new iPad: Retina Display Analysis

www.anandtech.com

So the fact that your pictures here don't resolve even pixel level detail makes these photos more about the iPhone's ability to take macro pictures than any sort of comparison of the matte vs glossy displays. To be fair I would never expect the iPhone to be able to take these pictures anyway. A macro lens of some sort is needed.

 

[1229175]

Here's blowups of the same thing on both displays (taken with iPhone, tried to match colors and size as much as possible, some artifacts can be from the iPhone or the camera/display interference).

There's no resolution loss that I see-you can see the individual pixels in the image in both, but what you do see is that while the top one more clearly shows the actual display pixel grid, the bottom one shows a more regular pattern which I take to the the Nano surface.
View attachment 950302View attachment 950303

This is not a good comparison. These photos don't accurately portray the difference. An iPhone is most definitely not the correct tool for this.

Users here should refer to this post for a better comparison: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...020-imac.2248657/?post=28796244#post-28796244

 

[CE3]

This is not a good comparison. These photos don't accurately portray the difference. An iPhone is most definitely not the correct tool for this.

It might not be the best comparison, but "costica" is noticeably sharper on the standard display to my eyes.

 

[Donnation]

.

 

[Donnation]

This is not a good comparison. These photos don't accurately portray the difference. An iPhone is most definitely not the correct tool for this.

Users here should refer to this post for a better comparison: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...020-imac.2248657/?post=28796244#post-28796244

I'm not sure why you don't think this isn't a good comparison. There is no indication of what camera the person used in those pictures and yet for some reason you find that comparison acceptable.

 

[ZacksWorld]

I'm not sure why you don't think this isn't a good comparison. There is no indication of what camera the person used in those pictures and yet for some reason you find that comparison acceptable.

Sony A7R3 on a tripod w high-end glass.

In my opinion, the pictures from a few posts ago that were taken on a cellphone do pretty accurately display the general difference in 'look' between the Glossy and the Nano...

I wish I took more photos of the two side-by-side with my camera but I was deeply preoccupied with figuring out whether I was going to return and re-order, etc. I'm sure people will be posting more as the days go on...

 

[Donnation]

Sony A7R3 on a tripod w high-end glass.

In my opinion, the pictures from a few posts ago that were taken on a cellphone do pretty accurately display the general difference in 'look' between the Glossy and the Nano...

I wish I took more photos of the two side-by-side with my camera but I was deeply preoccupied with figuring out whether I was going to return and re-order, etc. I'm sure people will be posting more as the days go on...

Good to know. I have both and vastly prefer the Nano. I can post pictures but I’m not sure what I post is going to show anything more than what’s already been shown.

 

[Donnation]

Here are a couple of pictures comparing it to the 16" MacBook Pro Screen. These were taken with an iPhone 11 Pro Max so please factor that in when comparing.

MacBook Pro:

27" iMac:

I think there is a very small drop in clarity with the Nano texture, but its so minimal (at least to my eyes) that the benefits of the screen far outweigh the tiny drop in clarity. Everyone's eyes are different so ymmv.

 

[iDomDotCom]

Here are a couple of pictures comparing it to the 16" MacBook Pro Screen. These were taken with an iPhone 11 Pro Max so please factor that in when comparing.

View attachment 950947


MacBook Pro:

View attachment 950942


27" iMac:

View attachment 950944

I think there is a very small drop in clarity with the Nano texture, but its so minimal (at least to my eyes) that the benefits of the screen far outweigh the tiny drop in clarity. Everyone's eyes are different so ymmv.

Thank you for posting this Donnation! From the photos I can definitely tell when I zoom in that it has a slightly “greasy screen“ look to it (at an extreme close up) and has a tiny lost of contrast, but it doesn’t seem nearly as drastic as some may have suggested. Coming from a 1080p matte monitor, this should be a mayor step up for me. I will probably post some stuff myself when it comes in.

would you by any chance be able to do a similar comparison to smaller text as well?

 

[Donnation]

Thank you for posting this Donnation! From the photos I can definitely tell when I zoom in that it has a slightly “greasy screen“ look to it (at an extreme close up) and has a tiny lost of contrast, but it doesn’t seem nearly as drastic as some may have suggested. Coming from a 1080p matte monitor, this should be a mayor step up for me. I will probably post some stuff myself when it comes in.

would you by any chance be able to do a similar comparison to smaller text as well?

Sure, let me know if this is what you are looking for.

MacBook Pro:

27" iMac:

 

[iDomDotCom]

So I got the iMac yesterday...and I really like it! It is much clearer than most screens I've ever laid eyes on. Really loving the look and the matte quality of the display. I've gone really close up to the monitor and the text seems fine to me. Everything looks clear. My only complaint is that (in general) the display hurts my eyes. I've downloaded "Gamma Control" on the App Store to reduce the white point of the display and my eyes feel better, but overall my eyes do feel very different when staring at this display vs other TV's and monitors I've used in the past.

I can't put my finger on it, but I do feel like I'm getting used to it.

Ironically I believe @Donnation posted something similar when he first got his. Is that right, @Donnation?

 

[Donnation]

So I got the iMac yesterday...and I really like it! It is much clearer than most screens I've ever laid eyes on. Really loving the look and the matte quality of the display. I've gone really close up to the monitor and the text seems fine to me. Everything looks clear. My only complaint is that (in general) the display hurts my eyes. I've downloaded "Gamma Control" on the App Store to reduce the white point of the display and my eyes feel better, but overall my eyes do feel very different when staring at this display vs other TV's and monitors I've used in the past.

I can't put my finger on it, but I do feel like I'm getting used to it.

Ironically I believe @Donnation posted something similar when he first got his. Is that right, @Donnation?

Yes, I did have a headache the first day after I used mine. It did end up going away the next day and since then it hasn’t bothered me. I don’t know if maybe my eyes just needed to adjust to it but it doesn’t bother me at all now.

 

[Freida]

Do you feel more tired or anything compared to the glossy panel?

Yes, I did have a headache the first day after I used mine. It did end up going away the next day and since then it hasn’t bothered me. I don’t know if maybe my eyes just needed to adjust to it but it doesn’t bother me at all now.

 

[Donnation]

Do you feel more tired or anything compared to the glossy panel?

I don’t think so. It did take some adjustment though for me to adapt to the screen. It went away after a day or so of using it though.

 

[iDomDotCom]

I'm already on day two with low brighteness and White Point Luminance at 58%. I will give it two more days, but if it doesn't resolve I will return the computer and maybe switch to a MacBook with an external display.

I might be a special case however because I have issues with bright screens, and have had a history of eye strain when staring at monitors. With that being said I'm not just going to return this at the first sign of trouble. I'm willing to let myself adjust if that's what @Donnation 's experience speaks to.

 

[bigcat]

My only complaint is that (in general) the display hurts my eyes. I've downloaded "Gamma Control" on the App Store to reduce the white point of the display and my eyes feel better, but overall my eyes do feel very different when staring at this display vs other TV's and monitors I've used in the past.

I can't put my finger on it, but I do feel like I'm getting used to it.

Ironically I believe @Donnation posted something similar when he first got his. Is that right, @Donnation?

that's interesting, I haven't experienced anything like that. just out of curiosity, what tool is that? (is it the "gamma control 6" at $18.99?)

 

[ZacksWorld]

that's interesting, I haven't experienced anything like that. just out of curiosity, what tool is that? (is it the "gamma control 6" at $18.99?)

This reminds me, for anyone who doesn't know:

If you go to System Preferences > Display > Color tab you can click "Calibrate..." and make a basic custom display profile where you can adjust the "Target White Point" — BUT: if you hold Option while clicking "Calibrate..." it gives you additional controls over "Native Gamma" and "Target Gamma"

 

[oneafour]

Sure, let me know if this is what you are looking for.

MacBook Pro:

View attachment 950974

27" iMac:
View attachment 950975

thanks for these photos. there definitely seems to be a difference. It looks as if the photos have almost another grid/layer over it that's missing and ones that just blurred into the background.

also the text looks like there's a drop shadow or stroke or whatever around it.

also im not an optician or whatever but Id imagine your eyes would have to work harder if you were to try to focus on something that looks blurred.

 

[LadyNinja]

Your post gave me some hope. I wondered about canceling my nano order. Received mine just now. And wow. I can't see what some folks are seeing, and I'm so so so happy for it! BUT I'm NOT going to place my regular screen beside it, just in case it would drive me nuts 😂 I have put to much stress into this as is. Just wanted to say that the text is perfectly fine. I can't see the haze/blur or whatever. I understand there may bee some difference, but I'm not going to use my screen only a nose-length distance. I have a big light behind me, in the kitchen, and three windows of the whole length of the room at my right side.
Im going to use the iMac for photo edits.

 

[mikehalloran]

Bought the nano option for my wife's new iMac and love it Well worth the 5 bills, IMO..

My iMac Pro is no slouch but, if it gets a similar refresh, I will buy it to get nano glass and 8TB storage. I'm hoping for such an announcement next week or in October.