Resolved (UPDATED!) LG rMBP Screen Warmer Tint on Right

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Hey guys,

So I got my rMBP (2.6/8/512) from Amazon and was floor at how amazing the screen truly is. The colors are so much more vivid and the contrast is so much better than my matte 17" MBP and even my 27" ACD. I ran the serial number check and it shows week 44 production with only 1 cycle on the battery.

So I did the terminal command the discovered I got the LG display. Yes, the blacks are deep and inky. The lower brightness didn't bother me all that much since I never really use it in brightly lit outdoor spaces. But the problem I noticed immediately is that the right third or so of the screen has a very slightly warmer tint. It's noticeable when it displays whites and grays, like when I view a web page in Safari.

As a little background, I am a photography enthusiast and plan on using Lightroom to do color correction. I calibrate all my screens with my Spyder4. But a slight warmer tint on one side of the screen cannot be corrected as the profiles affect the whole screen.

I took the time to visit my local Apple Store and found that all 6 of 6 rMBPs on display were LGs and ALL had this slight tint on the right. I can quickly spot it now since I know what to look for. I've only found one Samsung display at the local Bestbuy and it seemed to not have this issue but it was showing the well documented "bright spots" which took me by surprise.

Even more of a surprise, I looked up Anandtech's review of the 15" rMBP and noted that he too had this slight tint on his review unit based on one of the screenshots he posted with Safari running. So is this the current state of the rMBP displays? I tested for IR and have not noticed any issues using the checker pattern app. And the computer simply screams. The scrolling is fine except when I am on FB or The Verge.

My dilemma is that I don't know whether I should take the unit to Apple and hope that the Genius sees what I see and swap out a unit for me, even though I didn't buy it from them directly. I can't swap with Amazon as they are currently out of stock and I am one of those who got really lucky on saving $400 on the computer recently. If I get another LG, it may be the same or worse with deal pixels and IR. And the odds of getting a Samsung are getting lower and lower as the sample units in the Apple Stores are 100% LG at the one store I went to.

So what do you think guys? Thanks for the advice!

 

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UPDATE!!! LG Screen Replaced with Samsung! TWICE! (Long Post)

Hello Folks,

I figure I update my thread after my long winded original post. I am an advanced amateur photography hobbyist so I tend to notice color and hue issues more so than the average person so some of the complaints I have here may not apply to you at all.

I took my brand new 15" rMBP to the Apple Store after trying to deal with the slightly dimmer right side of the screen with a warmer tone. I was not expecting a whole lot and knew I could not get a refund since I bought mine off Amazon.

The Genius was very sympathetic as I explained my situation and explained it might be difficult to see the issue due to the bright store lights. He took my rMBP out back and apparently looked at it under more normal lighting with another tech and came back and said he saw it and offered to replace the panel as he had "several" in stock. Interesting! I also complained of "creaking and popping" noises from the bottom panel of the unit.

The repair was done in about 4 hours. The panel cost $680 plus $40 for labor! The original LG was replaced with a Samsung. He also replaced the base panel and put in all new screws and now my MBP is completely squeak and pop free!

The Samsung was MORE yellow (had warmer tone) than the LG. Contrast was definitely not as good as the LG. It definitely has less "pop and wow". But it looked like Samsung had it calibrated better as I could clearly see more shadow detail where as the LG would "crush" the blacks.

I was pretty happy overall until I came home and looked a bit closer at the new panel and found 2 clusters of dead pixels and a white pressure spot! OMG! The Samsung PLS panels have their own issues. So I called up the same Apple Store and they had setup an appointment for me later that day.

I showed up and the same Genius and another tech, who was an amateur photographer saw the issues and was again very sympathetic. They took the unit back and said they would take care of it immediately. He was done in 45 minutes flat! And there was not a scratch on the computer. I'm pretty anal about stuff like that. This time I spent plenty of time inspecting the panel. It was perfect! The panel had even better color uniformity. It had a warm tone but that can be fixed with calibration. It was also a Samsung panel with the same part number and $680 price.

So at the end of the day, I am very happy. The Apple Store I went to, in a more affluent town, had exceptional and professional tech support. I was never made to feel like I had 3 heads on my shoulders. The genius who did the repair saw the poor replacement panel QC and took care of it in under an hour. They even replaced the bottom cover with new screws to quiet the pops and squeaks.

Despite the Samsung being less contrasty, I did note that the text on the display looked a bit sharper. I did a quick calibration with the built in OS/X color calibrator and the panel is now closer to the LG in terms of color temperature. But the contrast is still less due to lesser black levels. I never had Image Retention on my original panel but I only had it for about 4 days so who knows.

If you read this far, I like to say THANK YOU for you time. I know I am very long winded but that was the only way I thought I could tell my story in detail. I hope this helps some folks who have questions on the panel lottery some of us are playing here.