how bad is the gloss screen on the macbook pro?
- Thread starter imagineit
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2008
- Messages
- 4,695
- Reaction score
- 73
- Points
- 48
- Location
- houston texas
- Your Mac's Specs
- 09 MBP 8GB ram 500GB HD OS 10.9 32B iPad 4 32GB iPhone 5 iOs7 2TB TC Apple TV3
Don't know about pro work but I went from matte to glossy thinking I would hate it guess
what I like it so far seems to add a little pop to everything.
what I like it so far seems to add a little pop to everything.
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2007
- Messages
- 3,494
- Reaction score
- 204
- Points
- 63
- Location
- Going Galt...
- Your Mac's Specs
- MacBookAir5,2:10.13.6-iMac18,3:10.13.6-iPhone9,3:11.4.1
I haven't had any issues with either matte or glossy. Best bet is to check one out for yourself in person if you have the chance. Lots of places stock MacBooks these days.
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2009
- Messages
- 101
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 16
- Location
- London England
- Your Mac's Specs
- 17in GS Macbook Pro 3.06ghz, 4gb ram, 500 hdd 7200 rpm,9400m and gt graphics
listen to XJ-linux
i went into a shop to compare, ive always had Gloss as it gives more colour when working with video and photos.
IMO i dont notice any kind of light bouncing off my screen and if there is i move the screen.
(i have a light in my room which is nearly in the direct view of my Macbook but i dont notice at all)
i went into a shop to compare, ive always had Gloss as it gives more colour when working with video and photos.
IMO i dont notice any kind of light bouncing off my screen and if there is i move the screen.
(i have a light in my room which is nearly in the direct view of my Macbook but i dont notice at all)
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2006
- Messages
- 1,063
- Reaction score
- 69
- Points
- 48
- Location
- London, UK
- Your Mac's Specs
- MacBook Air | iPad | iPhone | iPod Classic | iPod Shuffle | no more money
You can see reflections:
But you have to angle the screen to get the reflections, that picture was staged - just change the angle a little and if needed, turn up the brightness of the screen to avoid the problem.
The glossy screen looks amazing - DVDs etc look awsome.
The only 'work' I do on my machine is Word processing maybe a little spreadsheet stuff and loads of remote access stuff - my work doesn't involve editing movies or images so I can't speak from that angle. F
rom my own experiences - the glossy screens are lovely!!
But you have to angle the screen to get the reflections, that picture was staged - just change the angle a little and if needed, turn up the brightness of the screen to avoid the problem.
The glossy screen looks amazing - DVDs etc look awsome.
The only 'work' I do on my machine is Word processing maybe a little spreadsheet stuff and loads of remote access stuff - my work doesn't involve editing movies or images so I can't speak from that angle. F
rom my own experiences - the glossy screens are lovely!!
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,343
- Reaction score
- 213
- Points
- 63
- Location
- Forest Hills, NYC
- Your Mac's Specs
- 15-inch Early 2008; Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 10.7.5
I hate it. I never should have settled for the glossy screen over the matte. What was I thinking ? Well, what I was thinking was that I wanted a more portable MacBook Pro than the 15" I already have and that I'd give the 15" to my wife and keep the 13".
Bad mistake, either way. For general use, I guess if you can find a spot where the reflection isn't so bad, then it's fine. But for professional work I'd say absolutely no because it's a huge distraction.
Yes, the colors are more vibrant, but that's to be expected and is the point of the screen. I still prefer the matte screen in terms of color rendition though because it gives me a slightly more accurate representation of how I want my prints to look, amongst a few other things.
Gloss to me is just annoying. As handsome as I am, I'd rather not look at myself all the time. ;D
But there's another point you should consider. If you're buying a MBP for professional graphic or photographic work, then you're likely to hook it up to an external monitor. Here's the thing though... If your logic is that the reflections/gloss shouldn't be too big a deal for those times when you're going totally mobile, you'd be wrong. The whole point of being mobile is to take your work with you... right ?
But if you want to sit at a coffee shop etc and work on a project, it might be hard to find the perfect spot to sit in unless you just don't care about the factors involved.
You should try and find a friend who has a glossy screen and ask to hang out and go mobile with it. The Apple stores usually keep them in such a position where they're not in direct line of sight of the sun, so take that for what it's worth.
Oh, and I even put a Moshi anti glare screen protector on mine. At first I thought it was great, but after having it on for so long and primarily using an external monitor, when I took it off to clean under the thing, I noticed that I was losing a LOT of light and resolution. So I wouldn't advise getting any of those screen things either. It works to block the light and reflections, but makes things pretty dull.
I'll personally never buy another glossy screen MBP again. And I can't wait for the next MBP model and sell my 13". (that's a head's up for people here).
Doug
Bad mistake, either way. For general use, I guess if you can find a spot where the reflection isn't so bad, then it's fine. But for professional work I'd say absolutely no because it's a huge distraction.
Yes, the colors are more vibrant, but that's to be expected and is the point of the screen. I still prefer the matte screen in terms of color rendition though because it gives me a slightly more accurate representation of how I want my prints to look, amongst a few other things.
Gloss to me is just annoying. As handsome as I am, I'd rather not look at myself all the time. ;D
But there's another point you should consider. If you're buying a MBP for professional graphic or photographic work, then you're likely to hook it up to an external monitor. Here's the thing though... If your logic is that the reflections/gloss shouldn't be too big a deal for those times when you're going totally mobile, you'd be wrong. The whole point of being mobile is to take your work with you... right ?
But if you want to sit at a coffee shop etc and work on a project, it might be hard to find the perfect spot to sit in unless you just don't care about the factors involved.
You should try and find a friend who has a glossy screen and ask to hang out and go mobile with it. The Apple stores usually keep them in such a position where they're not in direct line of sight of the sun, so take that for what it's worth.
Oh, and I even put a Moshi anti glare screen protector on mine. At first I thought it was great, but after having it on for so long and primarily using an external monitor, when I took it off to clean under the thing, I noticed that I was losing a LOT of light and resolution. So I wouldn't advise getting any of those screen things either. It works to block the light and reflections, but makes things pretty dull.
I'll personally never buy another glossy screen MBP again. And I can't wait for the next MBP model and sell my 13". (that's a head's up for people here).
Doug
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2006
- Messages
- 1,063
- Reaction score
- 69
- Points
- 48
- Location
- London, UK
- Your Mac's Specs
- MacBook Air | iPad | iPhone | iPod Classic | iPod Shuffle | no more money
I love this line:
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2009
- Messages
- 194
- Reaction score
- 5
- Points
- 18
- Your Mac's Specs
- Late 2008 MBP
If you had an old macbook with the matte screen then I'm guessing it wasn't backlit by the LEDs either... In which case you will be in for a very rude surprise.
I have set my mbp beside my old macbook with the matte screen and not only do you see a difference in reflections but there is a very very horrible yellow cast to the colors with the newer LED lit screens. I've trying calibrations of every type and the screen still bug the **** out of me. I would never trust the color on the screen when editing photos/video... it justs just down right bad... and i if you are anything but dead center of the screen the yellow cast gets worse... look at it from an angle and a white map will look like an ancient pirate map its so ****ed yellow.
So don't worry about the glare.... the colors will upset you so much you wont worry about the glare.
I have set my mbp beside my old macbook with the matte screen and not only do you see a difference in reflections but there is a very very horrible yellow cast to the colors with the newer LED lit screens. I've trying calibrations of every type and the screen still bug the **** out of me. I would never trust the color on the screen when editing photos/video... it justs just down right bad... and i if you are anything but dead center of the screen the yellow cast gets worse... look at it from an angle and a white map will look like an ancient pirate map its so ****ed yellow.
So don't worry about the glare.... the colors will upset you so much you wont worry about the glare.
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2009
- Messages
- 4,301
- Reaction score
- 124
- Points
- 63
- Location
- The lonely planet
- Your Mac's Specs
- Too many...
There are clearly more things that can get reflected from having the glossy screen, but that's one negative thing that gets out weighed by the negative side of the matte's screen tat can trap light and make the colors seem different. It might not be noticeable for random internet and those kind of programs, but it is noticeable on photoshop and other color dependent programs. I like matte screens, but the gray bar around the screen isn't very attractive. All those things just to try an cancel the reflection you might get, which can easily be avoided, is not worth it to me. I would still pick a glossy screen over a matte screen, but that's just based on what I have experienced.
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2007
- Messages
- 1,217
- Reaction score
- 34
- Points
- 48
- Location
- Sconie
- Your Mac's Specs
- 15-inch MacBook Pro
I bought the 17" at the time because it was the only one that offered the matte option. I would never buy a glossy laptop, but that is just me. Three guys in the office bought the same MBP and all of us love the matte screen. I know it is only an opinion, but I LOVE the matte.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2009
- Messages
- 1,346
- Reaction score
- 50
- Points
- 48
- Your Mac's Specs
- 21" iMac * 2.8 Ghz Intel Core i7 * 16GB 1333 Mhz DDR3 * 1TB HD *AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB
I'd never want a glossy screen either. It just doesn't make sense on a portable machine that you'll use in varying light conditions. It's great for the home where you can position it right and where you're likely to be watching a lot of movies on it or something. It does make the colors "pop" but if you're doing video or photo work and need accurate color representation, the matte screen is the only way to go.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 27,042
- Reaction score
- 812
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Lake Mary, Florida
- Your Mac's Specs
- 14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
My first MacBook Pro had a matte screen and I didn't care for it. To me, it looked washed out and the viewing angle was not impressive. This is one of the reasons that after a short 18 months of owning it, I bought a new one - this time specifically ordering a glossy screen. So, I can offer a bit of perspective as someone who likes glossy screens on this one.
The Unibody MacBook Pros have a glass panel on top of the entire display. It is *not* your typical glossy screen as you see on many laptops today (including my pre-Unibody MBP). This thing is an order of magnitude more glossy - it is more akin to looking into a mirror. I have looked at a number of these machines now and I'm always taken aback by how bad the reflections are. So, if you are sensitive to it in the least, you may very well be appalled by it. Personally, I think I could learn to live with it, but I can certainly understand and sympathize with those that are hugely irritated with it.
The Unibody MacBook Pros have a glass panel on top of the entire display. It is *not* your typical glossy screen as you see on many laptops today (including my pre-Unibody MBP). This thing is an order of magnitude more glossy - it is more akin to looking into a mirror. I have looked at a number of these machines now and I'm always taken aback by how bad the reflections are. So, if you are sensitive to it in the least, you may very well be appalled by it. Personally, I think I could learn to live with it, but I can certainly understand and sympathize with those that are hugely irritated with it.
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2010
- Messages
- 1,466
- Reaction score
- 47
- Points
- 48
- Your Mac's Specs
- 2.8 GHz 15" MacBook Pro OS X 10.7.x & some old Macs
It comes down to each person's tolerance level to glare and reflections. If you don't move our laptop around much and use it in an office where you can control the lighting or your desk position then you probably won't have too much problems with glossy. I agree with cwa107. The new glossies are like mirrors rather than like traditional glossies but if you position them right you won't notice a lot of reflections.
If you use your laptop more as a portable rather than a desktop then you probably want a matte because you will be working in all kinds of different lighting environments. With a matte screen I notice that I just turn on and use while with a glossy screen I first have to find a good position to place my laptop before I can use it comfortably.
The new glossy screens are pretty to look at but you have to decide which is more important to you. Checking them both out in a store is the best option because we don't know how tolerate you are to glare and reflections.
If you use your laptop more as a portable rather than a desktop then you probably want a matte because you will be working in all kinds of different lighting environments. With a matte screen I notice that I just turn on and use while with a glossy screen I first have to find a good position to place my laptop before I can use it comfortably.
The new glossy screens are pretty to look at but you have to decide which is more important to you. Checking them both out in a store is the best option because we don't know how tolerate you are to glare and reflections.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 27,042
- Reaction score
- 812
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Lake Mary, Florida
- Your Mac's Specs
- 14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
If you didn't pay extra for matte, it's glossy.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2009
- Messages
- 1,346
- Reaction score
- 50
- Points
- 48
- Your Mac's Specs
- 21" iMac * 2.8 Ghz Intel Core i7 * 16GB 1333 Mhz DDR3 * 1TB HD *AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB
A glossy is like glass and reflects absolutely everything like a mirror. Matte does not have a glasslike layer and instead has a "flexible" surface that leaves a bit of a trace if you run your fingers across it. It's more like a traditional LCD/HD TV.
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2010
- Messages
- 1,466
- Reaction score
- 47
- Points
- 48
- Your Mac's Specs
- 2.8 GHz 15" MacBook Pro OS X 10.7.x & some old Macs
Turn off the computer. Do you see yourself? glossy=yes, matte=no ;D
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2005
- Messages
- 1,186
- Reaction score
- 73
- Points
- 48
- Location
- New Orleans, LA, USA
- Your Mac's Specs
- 13" Macbook Pro 2.26Ghz Unibody 4G RAM 160G HDD Superdrive
Glossy screens are like Mighty/Magic mice. You either love them, hate them, or are ambivalent. I like my glossy (and Magic Mouse) but that's only because the display is quite brilliant enough and the reflections don't bother me. I have noticed that over time it develops a matte finish if I don't clean it regularly.
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2009
- Messages
- 49
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 8
- Location
- Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
- Your Mac's Specs
- Macbook Pro 13'', 320GB, 2.26GHZ, 2GB
It can be annoying when your working in a well lit environment but it also has its pro's e.g. the quality of the colours are alot better then the anti-glare screens
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.