16" MBP - Ghosting/Text Smearing - Mfg Dt/Panel Rev Database Wiki

[sat24]

Please contribute your information so we can keep a single database of what works and what doesnt.

What is Ghosting? - this is when the LCD pixels change from black->white (or reverse) slowly causing fast moving objects to create "ghosts" on screen. See https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/16-macbook-pro-ghosting-smearing.2212842/post-28069029 for a picture comparison of prev. gen MBP and the 16" MBP.

What is Text Smearing? - this is hard to capture on video, but you can try the method outlined at https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/16-macbook-pro-ghosting-smearing.2212842/post-28060845 to see if you have this. If you have this problem, you will see text on a constrasty background ooze/streak/smear as you smooth scrolling the page. Very evident in dark mode pages, code editors, etc. where text is brighter than the background.

Master thread on this issue at https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/16-macbook-pro-ghosting-smearing.2212842/. Post your experiences and discussions/questions there.

Current hypotheses is that newer panel revisions do not have this problem (SJA4 or newer). This wiki is our way of collating all information to prove/disprove this and create other hypotheses.

User	Manufacturer Date (from coconutBattery App)	Panel Revision (run ioreg -lw0 | grep "EDID" | sed "/[^<]*</s///" | xxd -p -r | strings -6 in Terminal)	Do you have the ghosting problem?	Do you have text smearing?
sat24	2019-10-14	LP160WT1-SJA1	Yes, but bearable	Yes
screensavers	2019-11-25	LP160WT1-SJA3	No	No
kssharma	2019-11-25	LP160WT1-SJA2	Yes	Yes
covedrop	2019-09-23	LP160WT1-SJA2	Yes	Yes
badsimian	2019-12-02	LP160WT1-SJA4	Yes but very slight, same as 2019 iMac	No
Andy-V	2019-11-12	LP160WT1-SJA2	Yes	Yes
Lukáš Ernst	2019-10-29	LP160WT1-SJA2	Yes	Yes
7even	2019-12-02	LP160WT1-SJA3	No (looks the same as every other MBP I had/have)	No
Donnation	2019-11-25	LP160WT1-SJA1	No, looks same as 2015 MacBook Pro	No
Nacho98	2019-11-18	LP160WT1-SJA1	No	No
Arise2B	2019-12-09	LP160WT1-SJA4	Yes, but bearable	Yes, but bearable
foldpages	2019-11-11	LP160WT1-SJA1	No	No
MightyJabba	2019-10-20	LP160WT1-SJA1	No	No
avkam	2019-11-25	LP160WT1-SJA2	No, looks same as Retina -12	No
fishmoose	2019-11-25	LP160WT1-SJA2	No	Yes, but bearable
Quu	2019-10-21	LP160WT1-SJA1	Yes	Yes
am2am	2019-11-05	LP160WT1-SJA2	No or I don't notice it (never had ghosting problems with previous MBPs)	No or I don't notice it (never had smearing problems with previous MBPs)
WickedPorter	2019-11-11	LP160WT1-SJA1	No	No
nico887	2019-10-21	LP160WT1-SJA1	Yes	Yes
xodh	2019-12-12	LP160WT1-SJA3	No	No

 

[Nacho98]

really? did we need another thread when theres already a 15 page thread about it?

 

[shardey]

you guys dont even know if A1, A2, etc are revisions or something completely different.

Gathering data points will help determine that.

 

[redheeler]

The problem I see here is there is a lot of objectivity / variance with this issue. Not only is the data collected here affected by the "display lottery" (AKA variances between panels of the same revision and batch), but someone might perceive smearing and someone else might not perceive smearing on the very same panel.

@Nacho98 has a point. Now that I think about it, these are probably batch numbers rather than revision numbers. And because of this, it's unlikely these numbers imply any conscious effort being made to fix smearing or other issues.

 

[covedrop]

I'm very confused about the issue with gathering this data.

If 100 people respond and 80% who say yes have a unit with an A2, then you can start to understand that it may have something to do with it. And if people weren't so combatant about everything, gathering this data could be done with extraordinary simplicity. You just fill out a column and paste the given command and move on with your life.

Does it matter what the A* means if you can see a significant trend? There's a pattern there. Maybe the information is gathered and there is no discernible pattern whatsoever. This is a part of the scientific method and oftentimes it shows what was expected and oftentimes it shows your hypothesis was bunk. That's sort of the point.

Do they need to do it? No. Do you need to do anything? You don't have to pay your taxes, but there are consequences if you don't, but you technically don't have to do anything. It's the people who do who end up actually being successful and better people.

 

[Sanpete]

Seems to me the OP is being reasonable, and some of those attacking the reasonability of this effort to gather data are not. If you have some info that bears on the matter of revisions, that's helpful, but all the noise not so much.

If there's nothing to the idea of the different numbers representing revisions, this will help establish that. Dates will also help indicate whether any changes have occurred. One or two perceived exceptions aren't enough, given how differently people perceive the phenomenon.

My own suspicion is that Apple hasn't done anything about this, and probably won't, but that individual screens do vary enough to be significant for some users, as the Notebook Check response time numbers from 2016 strongly suggest.

 

[7even]

edit: nvm will update wiki off my computer

 

[ScreenSavers]

Thanks for putting this together. Glad mines an ok one!
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[redheeler]

LP160WT1-SJA3 panel here. The smearing might be a little worse than my 5K iMac, but I wouldn't call it an issue. Have to purposely look for it to notice a difference.

 

[ScreenSavers]

I say if you have smearing that really bothers you return it, otherwise enjoy it like I am. Not sure if you'll ever be able to narrow it down to "All SJAx panels are worse than SJAxx" or similar.

 

[Lukáš Ernst]

I have LP160WT1-SJA2, 2019-28-10, i have little ghosting (worst then my old 13" 2016) and for my big text smearing (im a sensitive to this and on my old 13" i dont see nothing)

Please add to tab i cant edit it.

 

[Lukáš Ernst]

Oh believe me, I'm well aware of those who exchanged their iPhone half a dozen times and found a magical display that was different than all the others lol.

When a apple cant watch his production quality, this is a only way. He has a very overpriced products and i accept this price but i want TOP quality product...not only good, with ghosting on computer or bad color calibraton on phone...

And its a not "magical different than all others" i see big differents over the world markets, i buy one iphone in US and one in Czech (small country) and the US verions is soo better in quality. Apple have quality classes and sending better quality product to a biggest and important markets. Its a fact...

 

[Donnation]

You guys are trying to turn a specification into a problem.

There are NOT 4 revisions of this panel floating around within 3 weeks, sorry. I'm a manufacturing engineer, so might actually know what I'm talking about. You can't just grab a new version of something off the shelf and toss it in without significant process and product validation activities and a ton of statistical data analysis and all the gate reviews that go with it. And the supplier sure hasn't done a DOE (Design of Experiment) multiple times to create 3 additional panels, validate them, test them, build them, ship them, and have Apple put them in a product and blindly send it out the door. It just doesn't work that way guys, sorry.

One tiny, insignificant change to a production line is a tremendous and arduous activity, and this would not be a tiny, insignificant change.

I have an A1 produced two months after other A2 panels, so there goes that whole revision theory.

Whoa, you have an A1 panel? I’m sorry, but you have ghosting and smearing. Don’t you know that Apple secretly revised all the panels and starting making A3 and A4 panels that fix this issue?

Wait until the A10 panel hits shelves next December. The refresh rate is so fast it causes temporary blindness if stared at too long.

 

[brokenpc]

I don't know how to edit the table, but I am on my third device now, LP160WT1-SJA1 - Manufactured 2019-10-21 - Panel ist far better than the previous ones, ghosting not apparent anymore.

 

[mightyjabba]

I am pretty skeptical that there are even differences between models and it's not just people perceiving things differently, but having some people claim to get better ones after an exchange is interesting. For what it's worth, I have LP160WT1-SJA1 and I don't feel it has any of the problems.

 

[Quu]

I have a LP160WT1-SJA1 one and it has significant ghosting compared to my 2015 15". It is quite bad when the panel is cold. Much less so when it has warmed up a bit, even gets close to my 2015 15" when in a hot environment.

Mine was manufactured the 21st of October.

 

[Ries]

SJA1

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Running 59.94Hz is giving a weird fade in effect.

 

[fishmoose]

I have the LP160WT1-SJA2 and don't notice any ghosting. I do notice text smearing, but I don't think it affects anything in a way that would make me consider returning the unit. Added my info into the table as well.

 

[Donnation]

Not sure I understand. Your stating the current hypothesis is that the SJA4 panels are the newer ones that don't have ghosting or smearing but you list the SJA3 panel as not having ghosting or smearing.

 

[sat24]

Not sure I understand. Your stating the current hypothesis is that the SJA4 panels are the newer ones that don't have ghosting or smearing but you list the SJA3 panel as not having ghosting or smearing.

It’s just a hypothesis with whatever data we had strewn about across multiple threads/responses. Hence the attempt to collate everything in one place so we can create better hypotheses.

 

[Donnation]

It’s just a hypothesis with whatever data we had strewn about across multiple threads/responses. Hence the attempt to collate everything in one place so we can create better hypotheses.

Ok, well this won't help your hypothesis but I have the SJA1 panel and I absolutely don't have ghosting or text smearing.
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really? did we need another thread when theres already a 15 page thread about it?

For real. The funny thing is this Wiki doesn't accomplish anything. Let's take an example here:

Someone who says they have ghosting takes theirs back and buys another one. They turn it on and it looks great. But then they run the terminal command and its an SJA2 panel. Uh oh, that means it has ghosting and text smearing. Have to take it back. Rinse and repeat until you get an SJA4 model or newer? Its absolutely ridiculous.
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Also, that's not the right terminal command. You have to have Xcode installed to run that command you listed above. This is the one that needs to be ran:

ioreg -lw0 | grep "EDID" | sed "/[^<]*</s///" | xxd -p -r

 

[redheeler]

I say if you have smearing that really bothers you return it, otherwise enjoy it like I am. Not sure if you'll ever be able to narrow it down to "All SJAx panels are worse than SJAxx" or similar.

I got a decent later-revision panel which I am happy with. Little to no backlight bleed and plenty bright / vibrant.

 

[sat24]

I say if you have smearing that really bothers you return it, otherwise enjoy it like I am. Not sure if you'll ever be able to narrow it down to "All SJAx panels are worse than SJAxx" or similar.

Yes, I definitely am going to. But also going to try to see if I can be data-oriented about this!

 

[Nacho98]

you guys dont even know if A1, A2, etc are revisions or something completely different.

 

[Donnation]

Out of curiosity OP, how are you going to go out and purchase one of these magical new "revised" panels from Apple? Its not like you can get online or walk into an Apple store and say "Yeah I'll take this MacBook Pro and I want the SJA5 panel please."