06-23-2010, 06:04 AM

Hi guys, I've heard a lot of discussion (on both this site and others) about the Glossy MacBook Pro screen VS the Anti-Glare screen, and really, none seem to come to a definative conclusion, (which makes me wonder for what hope this thread has ) so I was wondering, which one would be a wiser choice?

I like the glossy screens a fair bit, and won't be using my MBP outsite a lot, but if the glare issues are anywhere near as bad as I've heard, I think that I should be shot for even considering buying one.

On the other hand, I've also heard as to how bad the anti-glare screens look in terms of colour (excuse my Australian spelling of colour/color) quality, vibrancy, crispness, etc. - And this would also be a major killer for me too. (I mean, at least with the glossy, I can move somewhere were it's less bright)

I'm going down to an Apple store (not very widespread in my state) on either the 25th or 26th of June, and will compare them myself too, but this doesn't really illustrate how they'll look out in daily life (school, home, etc.)

So to anyone who has some experience with both screen versions of the current MacBook Pros, could you help me out here?


Thanks so much guys


Liam

06-23-2010, 03:44 PM

This is a hard question to answer because everyone has a different opinion on the subject based on their preference but it really comes down to your preference. Just keep in mind that you can't always get rid of the reflection when you do things like watching movies with dark scenes in them. Even in low lighting you will get reflections when the screen is showing dark colors.

Here is a picture I found on the internet to let you see quickly the difference between anti-glare and glossy. Definitely go check out both in person but the decision ultimately comes down to what you want or can tolerate.

06-23-2010, 04:15 PM

Ford or Chevy, 9mm or .45, shaken or stirred, etc... there's no accounting for taste, or opinions. Whatever gets you through the night.

06-24-2010, 11:34 AM

Anti-glare all the way because it shows the true colors on the screen. Glossy tends to over-saturate the colors of images and videos. If you are a graphics user/designer like I am, you need your monitor to have the truest colors, and anti-glare does such that. Anyways, what would you rather see, yourself, or the screen you're looking at?

06-24-2010, 12:59 PM

I went through this same thought when I was purchasing a my new Core i& MBP. I was at the Apple Store looking at both screens. Just my two cents, here are my thoughts...

BOTH screens are amazing to look at. Colours are more emphasized on the Glossy Display.

As previous posters said, yes, the matte screen will probably have a truer colour resemblance than the glossy. However, I found the Glossy Display's colours more a joy to look at than the matte.

It boils down to personal preference. I personally went for the glossy display because I liked the colours (even if they weren't true) and i also preferred the look of the glossy display over the matte one (black border vs silver). Plus I liked the fact that the glossy display is corner to corner glass, so that dust doesn't collect on the actual screen or in the corners.

I've attached some pictures (granted they are NOT at normal viewing angles) to show what the gloss is like. The third picture is at a normal viewing angle, and in the glossy display's defence, it is so bright, it will overpower any reflection in a bright room.

06-24-2010, 09:46 PM

Adding and agreeing with iLaw on this one, the matte is only available with high resolution option which makes for smaller text and images.
I did a side by side comparison in store before I bought mine, and even though I wanted matte initially, I went for the gloss in standard resolution and have no regrets.
The brightness of the screen really helps counteract any reflection.

06-27-2010, 03:22 PM

Just to add... since I can't edit my original post...

I have the glossy Hi-Resolution option on my screen.

And I noticed a spelling mistake. I own a Core i7 MacBook Pro (in the original post it's written as Core i&)

06-27-2010, 04:45 PM

Had the same issue when I bought my MBP.

After making sure you can calibrate the glossy screen I went for it. Even though I always used matte LCD screens previously.

Two reasons, I prefer the more durable glass as a surface to clean and blacks look well... blacker. It also just looks nicer, I don't like the aluminium benzel around the matte screen.

Just my 2 cents.

06-27-2010, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by martyp

After making sure you can calibrate the glossy screen I went for it.

That's part of the problem I'm having. With my printer a proper calibration requires me to darken my screen in order to match my prints. Doing so makes the reflection and glare problem even worst. I also darken the screen because it was like looking at the sun with it was at full brightness.

Brightening the screen does helps to get reduce the problem but like I said for me I need the screen darker. Also even with the screen at full brightness it doesn't fully reduce the reflections much when watching a dark video or if I'm looking at a picture/website with a lot of blacks in it. It's not as much of a problem when the screen is white or other bright colors.

Around the house the glossy is great if I stay away from bright light sources and don't watch any movies that uses a lot of black color or dark scenes. When I go outside of the house I bring my old matte PowerBook laptop instead. I would sell my current glossy MBP for an anti-glare if it didn't need it daily for work. I'm glad I kept my PowerBook since I go back and forth but in the future I'm going to get an anti-glare when I have the money because the PowerBook is way too slow for most of my work.

This is my first glossy and I fully admit I got tempted by the pretty screen when I saw a friend's MBP but it's just not that practice for the way I use it. That's not to say others will have a problem with it as has been already mentioned in this thread. Everyone needs to make their own decision based on their preference. For me I choose function over the pretty looks. The pretty screen doesn't help me much when I can't see it.