Because Apple doesn't manufacture screens and buys them from the same OEMs everyone else does (custom suited for different parameters, but still).
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Uneven Tint Uniformity on $1500 2016 MBP
- Thread starter Dick Whitman
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Why do people list the price they paid as if they expect common laptop issues shouldn't apply to them?
Did you think that paying $1500 will guarantee a perfect image? Interesting.
LCD technology is such that you always end up with uneven tint uniformity, the only question is how much and how much do you notice it. You can pay $500, $1500 or $5000 for a laptop it will be the same.
It doesn't cost $1500 because everything is perfect, it costs $1500 because of the expensive components. Just don't think about it and enjoy your notebook.
[doublepost=1496181964][/doublepost]
Same as with every Mac, really. Confirmation bias.
Yup pretty much. And when some of these cats end up finding the flawless screen, their logic board will die prematurely or an input will stop working. luck of the draw and everything with laptops is a pick your poison situation. enjoy what you have.
Here's mine, refurbished 15 inch base model, bought it 4 weeks ago.
It's a great machine but there's a little uniformity issue in the display from left to right, pink to blue/green like others in this thread.
As a content creator needing color accuracy, I'm in an internal debate of living with it or spending my time and energy in the panel lottery.
I'm out of the exchange period, maybe the reparation time will be long for getting something worse... decisions, decisions???
Spent $2500 here in canada, bought refurbished for better price and for additional quality control... it seems screen uniformity is not on the checklist...
It's a great machine but there's a little uniformity issue in the display from left to right, pink to blue/green like others in this thread.
As a content creator needing color accuracy, I'm in an internal debate of living with it or spending my time and energy in the panel lottery.
I'm out of the exchange period, maybe the reparation time will be long for getting something worse... decisions, decisions???
Spent $2500 here in canada, bought refurbished for better price and for additional quality control... it seems screen uniformity is not on the checklist...
Hey sinsin. for whatever it is worth, I got another 2016 MBP for work and it is also the same. So at least, here, 2/2 have the same uniformity issues. Let us know what you decide to do. I'm thinking at some point in the far future if it really bothers me I can ask for a screen replacement since other than that the computer is flawless.
Guess the display is still on lottery..
Wonder why the **** these display companies still having this issue. This is the exact problem why I returned my rMBP 2015 twice and decided to kept my 2014 one.
It's that stupid Pink tint on the left side. Ridiculous.......
For those who complain that we whined too much. Some are like me who are very sensitive to colors, and it's a problem that we cannot simply just ignore or suck it when other manufactures are not having similar problem.
Wonder why the **** these display companies still having this issue. This is the exact problem why I returned my rMBP 2015 twice and decided to kept my 2014 one.
It's that stupid Pink tint on the left side. Ridiculous.......
For those who complain that we whined too much. Some are like me who are very sensitive to colors, and it's a problem that we cannot simply just ignore or suck it when other manufactures are not having similar problem.
Yeah, that's the point. It seems getting a good screen for this generation is a bit hard, less chances to win the panel lottery!
I'm still making up my mind and will post my decision soon.
yea its just a toss up. for example, I have very good blacks and lack of light bleed. oh wells.
After trying a few of the 2016 TB MacBook pros, all with bad uniformity issues I gave up and bought a 2016 MacBook which had good uniformity. I have since purchased the 2017 TB MacBook Pro and it is very similar to the MacBook in terms of uniformity and I am happy with it. Sure it isn't 100% perfect but no screen is. This one is a keeper
I have also deep uniform blacks, in my panel it seems only a problem with the whitepoint uniformity and it changes a bit with the viewing angle.
Some people in other threads think the anti-glare coating may have an effect on it cause IPS panels should preserve the image quality and consistency in wider viewing angles.
I am also looking (hoping) if it improves over time.
Some people in other threads think the anti-glare coating may have an effect on it cause IPS panels should preserve the image quality and consistency in wider viewing angles.
I am also looking (hoping) if it improves over time.
I have not heard anything yet about the panels but the tech specs for the displays seems to be the same.
By the way mine is A030
This is mine on full brightness and black screen, pretty bad, was fine at first.
It's not great even at just over half brightness.
Booked in with Apple to look at.
Attachments
I had pink tint in the middle of my 2016 15". I returned it for a refund as I do not think it is acceptable to pay a premium for a professional product and 'hope' for a good screen. I ordered a 2017 last week and if tint issues persist on the 2017 screens, I will return and wait for a 2018.
Maybe someone with a color calibration device that supports screen uniformity analysis like the Spyder 5 Elite can confirm if the offset values are really high and if there is really a perception effect of the antiglare coating.
It's really weird that many displays have this subtile but notable pink to blue shift.
It's really weird that many displays have this subtile but notable pink to blue shift.
I visited the Apple store tonight. Just to be sure, on each Mac I looked at I did an About this Mac to double check it was in fact the new 2017 model. The LCD panels for the 2017s are as follows....
12-inch MacBook:
A027
13-inch MacBook Pro (nTB & TB):
A033
15-inch MacBook Pro:
A030
A031
I don't know if this helps anybody but that's what I saw on the multiple models they had on display.
12-inch MacBook:
A027
13-inch MacBook Pro (nTB & TB):
A033
15-inch MacBook Pro:
A030
A031
I don't know if this helps anybody but that's what I saw on the multiple models they had on display.
A visit to another Apple store earlier this evening showed a silver 15-inch MacBook Pro with an A031 display. The 13-inch MacBook Pro had an A033. So that seems to be the overwhelming favorite panel for that size. The store was very, very busy so I didn't get to check others.
On mine (a 2017 13"), I've definitely noticed a pinkish tint at the bottom left corner of the screen, but only when I'm viewing predominantly white-colored pages. It seems to go away and come back depending on the viewing angle. But even when it does go away, I still feel like I can see it *ever-so-slightly*. For *that*, I've experimented by putting up different shades of white and gray on both sides of the screen, and it seems to come out fine every time. I'm starting to think my eyes are playing tricks on me, honestly.
I'm surprised this quirk it isn't driving me as mad as it normally would, because I'm awfully picky about things like this. While I'm half-tempted to go to an Apple Store to get an opinion, I also don't want to open the "return-and-exchange" can of worms again. Did that with my iPad Pro and just gave up -- it wasn't worth it.
Since my MBP has almost no backlight bleed, and no dead pixels that I can find, I think I can live with a little tinting. And since I have AppleCare+ on the machine, anyway, I figure I can get it taken care of later if it really bothers me.
EDIT: ok, it's starting to drive me a little batty. I *think* I can see a *very* subtle tint in the lower left corner of the screen when a) Night Shift is on, b) when the brightness is at all lower than max. Since it's only noticeable with Night Shift enabled, I'm not sure what I want to do. I can't justify giving up near-zero backlight bleed and zero-dead pixel count to fix what might be a non-uniform screen. I even compared it to one of my friends 2016 MBPs, and while his seems slightly better than mine, his more or less had the same "issue". Hell, he didn't even notice what I was talking about either.
I really think my eyes are playing tricks on me by trying to see an issue that may not be really there. How I wish I was blissfully ignorant to these sorts of things.
EDIT 2: Thought it was weird for it to look uniform when Night Shift is off, so I turned off the screen for a moment to look at it. Sure enough, I found finger smudges in the exact spot mentioned above. Combined with the installed screen protector, the prints probably make it *look* tinted when its actually not. This would explain why it looks non-uniform with Night Shift on, but ok when off. I'll wipe the prints later tonight to see if there's any noticeable difference.
EDIT 3: Tried to reproduce the fingerprint patterns noted above on my MBA's screen. Did it in the exact same spot, and saw the same, subtle tint. Some more testing with f.lux (as the machine doesn't support Night Shift) showed the exact same effect I was seeing on my MBP. I bet if I put a matte screen protector on the MBA and run through these tests again, I'll get the same results.
This tells me that the oils from our fingers, fingerprints, and other smudges can produce the dark or warm tints seen in normal use. Add the matte screen protector into the equation, and there definitely will be more wacky variations in color uniformity. I further confirmed this by looking at my iPad Pro, which also has a matte screen protector. An inspection of the screen revealed some tinting caused by "stains" in the screen protector itself. The tinting mostly went away after cleaning up these spots.
Wiping the screen down is, of course, NOT the simple, end-all-be-all solution to what is effectively a larger problem. But I think the findings above show a possible variable I myself didn't even think of. If you notice non-uniformity right of the box, that is obviously an issue for Apple Support to deal with. But if you notice non-uniformity where there wasn't any before, give the screen a clean and see if that resolves your issue. If it doesn't, it is, again, an issue to take up with Apple Support.
I hope these findings will be helpful.
EDIT 4: Just got home tonight, and Night Shift is on. Made a mental note of the severity of the tinting, and wiped the spot down. Lo and behold, its a lot better than before. I think my eyes and I can rest easy now.
I'm surprised this quirk it isn't driving me as mad as it normally would, because I'm awfully picky about things like this. While I'm half-tempted to go to an Apple Store to get an opinion, I also don't want to open the "return-and-exchange" can of worms again. Did that with my iPad Pro and just gave up -- it wasn't worth it.
Since my MBP has almost no backlight bleed, and no dead pixels that I can find, I think I can live with a little tinting. And since I have AppleCare+ on the machine, anyway, I figure I can get it taken care of later if it really bothers me.
EDIT: ok, it's starting to drive me a little batty. I *think* I can see a *very* subtle tint in the lower left corner of the screen when a) Night Shift is on, b) when the brightness is at all lower than max. Since it's only noticeable with Night Shift enabled, I'm not sure what I want to do. I can't justify giving up near-zero backlight bleed and zero-dead pixel count to fix what might be a non-uniform screen. I even compared it to one of my friends 2016 MBPs, and while his seems slightly better than mine, his more or less had the same "issue". Hell, he didn't even notice what I was talking about either.
I really think my eyes are playing tricks on me by trying to see an issue that may not be really there. How I wish I was blissfully ignorant to these sorts of things.
EDIT 2: Thought it was weird for it to look uniform when Night Shift is off, so I turned off the screen for a moment to look at it. Sure enough, I found finger smudges in the exact spot mentioned above. Combined with the installed screen protector, the prints probably make it *look* tinted when its actually not. This would explain why it looks non-uniform with Night Shift on, but ok when off. I'll wipe the prints later tonight to see if there's any noticeable difference.
EDIT 3: Tried to reproduce the fingerprint patterns noted above on my MBA's screen. Did it in the exact same spot, and saw the same, subtle tint. Some more testing with f.lux (as the machine doesn't support Night Shift) showed the exact same effect I was seeing on my MBP. I bet if I put a matte screen protector on the MBA and run through these tests again, I'll get the same results.
This tells me that the oils from our fingers, fingerprints, and other smudges can produce the dark or warm tints seen in normal use. Add the matte screen protector into the equation, and there definitely will be more wacky variations in color uniformity. I further confirmed this by looking at my iPad Pro, which also has a matte screen protector. An inspection of the screen revealed some tinting caused by "stains" in the screen protector itself. The tinting mostly went away after cleaning up these spots.
Wiping the screen down is, of course, NOT the simple, end-all-be-all solution to what is effectively a larger problem. But I think the findings above show a possible variable I myself didn't even think of. If you notice non-uniformity right of the box, that is obviously an issue for Apple Support to deal with. But if you notice non-uniformity where there wasn't any before, give the screen a clean and see if that resolves your issue. If it doesn't, it is, again, an issue to take up with Apple Support.
I hope these findings will be helpful.
EDIT 4: Just got home tonight, and Night Shift is on. Made a mental note of the severity of the tinting, and wiped the spot down. Lo and behold, its a lot better than before. I think my eyes and I can rest easy now.
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Here's mine, refurbished 15 inch base model, bought it 4 weeks ago.
It's a great machine but there's a little uniformity issue in the display from left to right, pink to blue/green like others in this thread.
As a content creator needing color accuracy, I'm in an internal debate of living with it or spending my time and energy in the panel lottery.
I'm out of the exchange period, maybe the reparation time will be long for getting something worse... decisions, decisions???
Spent $2500 here in canada, bought refurbished for better price and for additional quality control... it seems screen uniformity is not on the checklist...
View attachment 702825
Lottery. You are right. I have third display in my tb macbook pro...
Holy moly I'm not denying peoples issues here but I do have a few comments . First being that I thought it was common knowledge for years and years and years that on most screens made by anybody that aren't hyper colour accurate like say Eizo's that if you look at the screen from any angle that is not dead centre directly that you will get deviations.
I am not a hotshot computer guy but that was always what I was informed that anything but completely straight ahead will be slightly different.
I know people use the logic that for what they cost they should be absolutely perfect but price of the really high end screens that are truly colour accurate and perfect from edge to edge at any angle make the price of a Mac look like lunch money.
I could buy 2 15" MacBook pros here in new zealand for the price of one 4k 31" Eizo monitor.
I repeat though. I am not denying anyones issues. In fact I will go to the store tomorrow and look for myself. I am interested in this but I do wonder if it is just the nature of the beast that has been the way with consumer screens for years.
[doublepost=1500719573][/doublepost]I also would not trust the optical quality of a screen protector. You basically putting a probably inferior screen over your own screen which may have terrible light transition and be worsening any and all issues. I onetime had a screen protector on my iPhone that actually caused the automatic brightness adjustment to stop working properly which really messed with the visual quality.
Also I notice everyones pics are in really dark rooms. Do these screens automatically adjust to how dark the room is? I have seen on my iPhone that if the brightness is not right compared to the light say not bright enough or whatever it will look like absolute crap. Maybe similar on a laptop.
On my computers I have gotten into a habit of just running full brightness all the time.
[doublepost=1500720376][/doublepost]Also I may not be seeing it. I had astigmatism for years until having Laser correction earlier this year. I am also a lifelong visual snow sufferer (google visual snow for those who don't know) so maybe just maybe it is not something that I am as sensitive to.
I am not a hotshot computer guy but that was always what I was informed that anything but completely straight ahead will be slightly different.
I know people use the logic that for what they cost they should be absolutely perfect but price of the really high end screens that are truly colour accurate and perfect from edge to edge at any angle make the price of a Mac look like lunch money.
I could buy 2 15" MacBook pros here in new zealand for the price of one 4k 31" Eizo monitor.
I repeat though. I am not denying anyones issues. In fact I will go to the store tomorrow and look for myself. I am interested in this but I do wonder if it is just the nature of the beast that has been the way with consumer screens for years.
[doublepost=1500719573][/doublepost]I also would not trust the optical quality of a screen protector. You basically putting a probably inferior screen over your own screen which may have terrible light transition and be worsening any and all issues. I onetime had a screen protector on my iPhone that actually caused the automatic brightness adjustment to stop working properly which really messed with the visual quality.
Also I notice everyones pics are in really dark rooms. Do these screens automatically adjust to how dark the room is? I have seen on my iPhone that if the brightness is not right compared to the light say not bright enough or whatever it will look like absolute crap. Maybe similar on a laptop.
On my computers I have gotten into a habit of just running full brightness all the time.
[doublepost=1500720376][/doublepost]Also I may not be seeing it. I had astigmatism for years until having Laser correction earlier this year. I am also a lifelong visual snow sufferer (google visual snow for those who don't know) so maybe just maybe it is not something that I am as sensitive to.
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I recently went to the Apple to buy an iPad and while I was waiting for them to bring it out I was using the 2015 iMac 27" and I was shocked how bad the display was. I could see pink shooting out from the left corner and tons of light leaking. The colors were way off. I was surprised that the 2015 was still on the sales floor but also that no one at the store said, hey this looks really bad lets swap it out. Anyway, that was an extreme case and you didn't have to look for the issue, it was obvious.
MBP 2017 13 (16GB/1TB/3.5-4.0GhZ)
My display seems perfect. Well, it looks a little yellow on the left if I move to the left; a little yellow on the right if I move to the right. I really think that a lot of the problems described in this thread are in fact due to how the colour tint on parts of the screen change when one's viewing angle changes. If I consciously put myself in front of the *dead centre* of the display then it is as near as can be to perfect, but if I move my head around, this changes somewhat. I think this is perfectly ok. I have the A033 display btw.
Edit: At first I thought I had a "problem" display because it looked a bit yellow on the left, but then I realized that I "naturally" always position myself so the centre of my viewing of the screen (i.e. the part of the screen that is at 90 degrees to me) is skewed to the left. When I move myself a little to correct for this (which doesn't feel "natural"), and make sure I am in the centre, then everything is balanced. Perhaps the difference between A033 and A034 is that the latter is more forgiving of viewing angles, of not sitting dead centre in front of the screen? I say this because I previously had an A034 that I returned (due to backlight bleed, amongst other things) on which I didn't notice the tint shift...
My display seems perfect. Well, it looks a little yellow on the left if I move to the left; a little yellow on the right if I move to the right. I really think that a lot of the problems described in this thread are in fact due to how the colour tint on parts of the screen change when one's viewing angle changes. If I consciously put myself in front of the *dead centre* of the display then it is as near as can be to perfect, but if I move my head around, this changes somewhat. I think this is perfectly ok. I have the A033 display btw.
Edit: At first I thought I had a "problem" display because it looked a bit yellow on the left, but then I realized that I "naturally" always position myself so the centre of my viewing of the screen (i.e. the part of the screen that is at 90 degrees to me) is skewed to the left. When I move myself a little to correct for this (which doesn't feel "natural"), and make sure I am in the centre, then everything is balanced. Perhaps the difference between A033 and A034 is that the latter is more forgiving of viewing angles, of not sitting dead centre in front of the screen? I say this because I previously had an A034 that I returned (due to backlight bleed, amongst other things) on which I didn't notice the tint shift...
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