Rants/Raves, Pros+ Cons about Matte V.S. Glossy Screen???

omg i had no idea this would be such a big choice there are so many options..

i think the glossy screen would look nice, but maybe the glare would get annoying at times?

are there any of u who have gripes with the matte/glossy screen that u could share?

Glossy ftw! i have a toshiba laptop and a hp (YES I HAVE A IMAC TOO) and the toshiba has a glossy screen and it is so much easyer to read than the hp. it is also much brighter in normal lighting but in the sun it is a little bit glarey like most screens. but i would go with the glossy one but thats just me..

This topic really needs to be a sticky.

Bottom line, you really need to see for yourself. I went to an Apple store where they had a glossy and matte side by side. After seeing that glare from oberhead lights and my reflection instead of the screen on the glossy, there was no question. I went for the matte and haven't looked back.

The only conditions I would get a glossy is if I only used my laptop in a fixed location with soft light (negates getting a laptop) and I pretty much only used it for gaming/video watching (as those are the only instances where glossy is better than matte).

If you have seperate LCD for gaming/video at home, no need for a glossy.

The MacBook Pro glossy screen is substantially less glossy than many of the PC versions out there.

I rarely have a problem with reflections, and it actually seems to better disperse the light across the screen, rather than making large sections unreadable, as I've found with the matte.

I haven't used it outside yet. I live in the Midwest, so going outside to work isn't a particularly attractive option right now.

fleurya said:

This topic really needs to be a sticky.

Bottom line, you really need to see for yourself. I went to an Apple store where they had a glossy and matte side by side. After seeing that glare from oberhead lights and my reflection instead of the screen on the glossy, there was no question. I went for the matte and haven't looked back.

The only conditions I would get a glossy is if I only used my laptop in a fixed location with soft light (negates getting a laptop) and I pretty much only used it for gaming/video watching (as those are the only instances where glossy is better than matte).

If you have seperate LCD for gaming/video at home, no need for a glossy.

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so u dont have any gripes witht he matte at all?

some people said they have trouble reading some stuff on the matte screen is this a prob for u?

I have an iBook G4 with a matte screenand a MacBook with a glossy sceen. FWIW the glossy screen is brighter and more crisp when compared side by side.

Also do not forget the different type of maintenace you need with a glossy screen. Smudges appear left and right even from the natural oils on your hands.

captclose said:

I have an iBook G4 with a matte screenand a MacBook with a glossy sceen. FWIW the glossy screen is brighter and more crisp when compared side by side.

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thanks, so do u prefer the glossy then?

I prefer the matte screen over the glossy myself. I find the glossy to give off too much glare in the wrong type of lighting, and for some reason it cheapens the look of the macbook pro to me (that is just my opinion). I know people who prefer the glossy though, so its all a matter of opinion.

ok ill add my 2 cents. i got a glossy screen on my hp laptop and it looks great, except when i got some light comin from overhead then i get a glare. also yea fingerprints and anything else shows up, but since its glossy its a simple wipe away to clean. and i got a matte screen on another hp laptop and it seems like its better in certain light situations but the picture just isnt the same. plus u get stuff on the matte screen its a pain in the ba lls to clean it off. so to answer ur question get the glossy screen and stop askin yourself what to get haha.

I have no gripes. I've never had a problem with light keeping me from seeing the screen as someone mentioned.

Bottom line again: went to the store, matte - I could read everything without overhead lights, glossy - I had to struggle to read or could not read some parts o the screen due to glare.

Go chekc them out for yourself though. Even if it's not a mac. Despite what some say I don't tihnk there's much difference between MAc glossy and other glossy's. I checked out some at a nearby Best Buy before going to the Apple Store.

fleurya said:

I have no gripes. I've never had a problem with light keeping me from seeing the screen as someone mentioned.

Bottom line again: went to the store, matte - I could read everything without overhead lights, glossy - I had to struggle to read or could not read some parts o the screen due to glare.

Go chekc them out for yourself though. Even if it's not a mac. Despite what some say I don't tihnk there's much difference between MAc glossy and other glossy's. I checked out some at a nearby Best Buy before going to the Apple Store.

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neye: neye: neye:



OKAY just wehn i decided i would go for the glossy...

someone just told me that the glossy screen is more harmful to your eye as there is more light from the glossy screen that enters your eye??

!!!! I heard the Apple Macbook Glossy screen= bad for your eyes?

A friend of mine said that his optician told him that...

the glossy screens from the macbooks can be worse for your eyes
because more light from the screen enters your eye

and long period of use can be bad?
as opposed to the matte screeen


neye: neye: neye:

You could probably correct that by lowering the brightness level of your screen.

Do we NOT have the option of glossy/matte with the macbook?

so i went on the website and theres only an option for glossy/matte with the macbook pros not the macbook

is the same for the storeS?

of course i can wait to go to the store tomorow or call them and ask but thought u guys have a quicker answer

MacBooks do not come with the option for a matte screen.
Only the Pro line allows for this.
Also, you friend is a little confused it seems with regards to a glossy screen being "worse" on your eyes. ANY display with a high brightness level is bad after long periods of use. If one must use a computer for extended periods of time, turn down the brightness as was already suggested and be sure to look away from the screen periodically. This practice goes for matte AND glossy screens.

D3v1L80Y said:

MacBooks do not come with the option for a matte screen.
Only the Pro line allows for this.
Also, you friend is a little confused it seems with regards to a glossy screen being "worse" on your eyes. ANY display with a high brightness level is bad after long periods of use. If one must use a computer for extended periods of time, turn down the brightness as was already suggested and be sure to look away from the screen periodically. This practice goes for matte AND glossy screens.

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right but what he was saying was that the harm is intensifed or magnified in comparison to the matte screen which does kind of make sense..
:bomb:

The glossy screen would drive me nuts. It shows every bit of dirt and sumdges. Fingerprints, too. The glare is impossible to eliminate. Even in a dark room your reflection will appear in the screen. Beautiful colors and detail but the trade-off is not worth it.

I have no difficulty with reading small detail on the matte screen. It's great for video playback, too. Colors are great. Brightness, too. Almost impossible to see smudges, etc.

Compare side by side and think about the long term affect of the glare. Initially the screen glare may not matter. Down the road it will start to drive you crazy.

rukind2 said:

The glossy screen would drive me nuts. It shows every bit of dirt and sumdges. Fingerprints, too. The glare is impossible to eliminate. Even in a dark room your reflection will appear in the screen. Beautiful colors and detail but the trade-off is not worth it.

I have no difficulty with reading small detail on the matte screen. It's great for video playback, too. Colors are great. Brightness, too. Almost impossible to see smudges, etc.

Compare side by side and think about the long term affect of the glare. Initially the screen glare may not matter. Down the road it will start to drive you crazy.

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I think ive made my decision thanks to ur post lol


Its a shame they dont make matte screens for the regular macbooks though


i think most other laptops use matte screens no?

While I'm waiting for my MacBook to arrive, I use my old Toshiba laptop. It has a glossy screen - very glossy, in fact. I loved it three years ago when I bought it, and I still love it. I'm not sure what to make of the comments about smudges; yes, it's easy to get smudges on a glossy screen - mine's full of them, but you can only see them when the screen is turned off. Even black areas don't show smudges when the backlight is turned on.

I find that getting rid of reflections is usually merely a matter of adjusting the angle of the display relative to the base of the machine.

Edit:

The glossy screen would drive me nuts. It shows every bit of dirt and sumdges. Fingerprints, too. The glare is impossible to eliminate. Even in a dark room your reflection will appear in the screen. Beautiful colors and detail but the trade-off is not worth it.

Click to expand...

I wonder if you've ever used a computer with a glossy screen? I very rarely see my reflection in the screen. I don't think it's fair to say that the trade-off isn't worth it; I'm not saying that everyone should pick the glossy screen, but each individual should decide after spending some time trying out both alternatives in everyday use.