Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I just got my 3rd replacement rMBP today and tested the black levels. I start to distinguish the shadowy figure of a box around step 6, but it doesn't really become clearly distinct until step 9. I find that if I blink several times while the test runs its easier to distinguish a little earlier. From a practical standpoint it's not usefully discernible until step 9.
 
I just got my 3rd replacement rMBP today and tested the black levels. I start to distinguish the shadowy figure of a box around step 6, but it doesn't really become clearly distinct until step 9. I find that if I blink several times while the test runs its easier to distinguish a little earlier. From a practical standpoint it's not usefully discernible until step 9.

just curios, why have you gone through 2 other retina's?
 
OP you seem to be mixing up the issues of brightness and shadow detail. Detail is a different issue entirely, and it's often more of an issue of how well it tracks the appropriate gamma. Modern displays are ridiculously bright in general. This isn't an issue of the whites, but more one of tracking. The problem with these tests is that browsers can mess with it a bit too. Looking at the patches in something like photoshop can be a bit more accurate assuming you don't project what you want to see on the thing. I can see it down to 4 on a VERY old display that's set much darker than your display would be new. Part of the issue is that the backlight is past its prime due to the sheer number of hours on it. Anyway 14 is definitely somewhat high unless it's a browser issue, your display isn't warmed up properly, or your viewing environment is too bright (note they suggest that test in a darkened room).
 
yes retina jokes.

But seriously, can anyone with a Retina Macbook pro tell me what they're getting, please?

Full brightness in a dimly lit room, easily see it at 5 to 6 testing it a couple of times and had the wife look at it and first time she noticed it at 6 as well.

Not sure if it matters but using Google Canary for the browser, resolution is set to 2048x1280 which is where I use it most of the time.
 
Full brightness in a dimly lit room, easily see it at 5 to 6 testing it a couple of times and had the wife look at it and first time she noticed it at 6 as well.

Not sure if it matters but using Google Canary for the browser, resolution is set to 2048x1280 which is where I use it most of the time.

hmmmm, same set up as me. is your gamma still on 2.2, as in have you changed it from the defaults?
 
Yes I tried it in complete darkness. It made a little difference, but only reduced it to about the 'step 12' mark.

What did you get with your rMBP?

----------



Putting the gamma to 1.8 i see it at Mark 8! It's an improvement.

hmmmm, same set up as me. is your gamma still on 2.2, as in have you changed it from the defaults?

Using a fake gamma curve (yes it's fake, Apple balances the hardware to a gamma 2.2 curve which corresponds to sRGB and Adobe 1998 which are two of the most common in content viewing) is just going to feed it a false profile. This thing shouldn't be truly "dark", especially not at maximum brightness. If you are experiencing that, you should consider viewing some at the Apple Store for comparison to make sure your unit does not have an issue.

If you can't see past the 12 mark, it sounds like they're clipping shadows on these displays. Displays are an achilles heel for Apple, so I'm not that surprised. It's always nice panel + quirky implementation. Most of the time the crushed blacks are due to manufacturers trying to get really rich black levels and high contrast ratios. In my case I'd rather have better shadow detail, but if it's bad you should look at having it replaced.
 
They are a little less bright but nothing huge honestly. I actually was using mine while riding passenger in the car with the wife last night coming back from buying the laptop. Driving down completely dark desert highways I had brightness set to 1 dot (whatever you call it) and still kept wishing I could go a tad more dim. Excellent brightness in my book really. Unlike a normal LCD it also seems that color and such looks way better at lower brightness levels too.
 
Took mine to the Apple store to get it checked out.

The so called 'Geniuses' just nodded and said it's meant to be like that.

This was after they spent about 5mins trying to find the ethernet port on the rMBP...
 
I'm also unable to see a difference at 14.

I've been through three RMBPs at this point. My first two were 2.3/8/256's, exchanged the first because it had a pink tint, and the second had that too. I ordered a 2.3/16/256, and this one has a yellow tint and is noticeably darker compared to my last one (that I used for a month). I'm thinking of exchanging this one too.

Took mine to the Apple store to get it checked out.

The so called 'Geniuses' just nodded and said it's meant to be like that.

This was after they spent about 5mins trying to find the ethernet port on the rMBP...

LOL, the Geniuses are absolutely useless at some stores. When I took my first one that had the pink tint in, they said that that's normal, but then came out with a new color calibration profile that a 'special technician' did that make the screen totally blue. I swear they treat us like idiots.
 
I'm also unable to see a difference at 14.

I've been through three RMBPs at this point. My first two were 2.3/8/256's, exchanged the first because it had a pink tint, and the second had that too. I ordered a 2.3/16/256, and this one has a yellow tint and is noticeably darker compared to my last one (that I used for a month). I'm thinking of exchanging this one too.

Why don't you just get a cheap calibration system like the Huey? It costs less than $100 and will save you lots of headaches and gas money. http://www.amazon.com/Pantone-MEU11...1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342474198&sr=8-1&keywords=huey
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
No thanks... I paid over $2k for this laptop, I would expect it to work properly out of the box.

Congrats, I paid over $2K for my MacBook Pro as well and use a Huey to calibrate it. You're going to spend more than that in time and gas exchanging it a bunch of times, plus you can keep the huey and use it on future computers as well. But if you want to throw away money and time, enjoy :)
 
Congrats, I paid over $2K for my MacBook Pro as well and use a Huey to calibrate it. You're going to spend more than that in time and gas exchanging it a bunch of times, plus you can keep the huey and use it on future computers as well. But if you want to throw away money and time, enjoy :)

There is no throwing away of money, I just have to ship it back to the reseller I bought it from and they might reimburse me on shipping anyway :rolleyes:

And I'm not going to spend $100 on a device that has so many negative reviews, again, sorry.

I'm not picky about spot-on color, but when it's this noticeable, I'm going to exchange it.
 
i can barely see it at 7 in a normally lit room with my rMBP at full brightness.
 
I know you were asking about Retinas, but I thought I would add that my non-Retina also has darker contrast. The backlighting is quite bright, but the contrast is too high, the colors look very rich and deeper, but darker than my 2009 MBP. I took it back and the replacement was exactly the same. So I changed the gamma from 2.2 to 1.8, problem gone.

I just did that test on that link you provided. With my gamma at 1.8, I saw it at 5, at 2.2, I saw it at 9. So changing the gamma for me made a huge difference, but even at a gamma of 2.2, a 9 is within the normal range. I just prefer the 1.8 setting.

Whoa, with my LG screen, I don't see anything with 2.2 until 12 and at 1.8 I see a difference at 9! I should probably make a genius appointment while I still have a chance.
 
Running on the rMBP 15" (2012) and I have to use it at full brightness during the day. In a well lit room, I can see it at 8 or 9 and when at minimum brightness at about 16.

I find the screen to be not as bright as what it should have been. I have never used my MacBook Air 13" (2011) at more than 80% brightness during the day.
 
The blacks are blacker. Took me a bit to get used to it on a retjna. The old screens are too “gray” when you go back to them....
 
Using a 15" MBPR mid 2009 at full brightness, I'm seeing a difference at 2, but I have the Display Profile set to Wide Gamut RGB.


Excellent. I know I’ve been patiently waiting for almost 6 years to see more feedback on this one. Thanks!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.