Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

hwang1607

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 2, 2017
17
4
I just got a 2018 Macbook Pro with touch bar and the screen has a slight pink tint on the left side and a slight blue tint on the right when viewing anything white or light colored, even with true tone and night shift off. This isn't a big problem but is pretty annoying from a device this expensive. This is my first macbook so I'm not sure if this is normal or how to do an exchange/return at the apple store. Do I have to return the mac and buy it again? Also, can I do this during one visit because I will only be near an apple store for a few more days.

Everything else is fine but the up/down arrow keys seem to feel different and are much louder than the rest of the keyboard but it's not really a problem. I'm coming from a 4 year old asus zenbook which had a perfectly uniform but low quality display and am not really impressed by the new macbook's screen.

Any info is appreciated, thanks.
 

Royksöpp

macrumors 68020
Nov 4, 2013
2,414
4,026
It's not going to change. You can either live with it or exchange it. It sucks to play the Screen Lottery, but it's a lot of money and you deserve to get what you paid for.
 

bevsb2

Contributor
Nov 23, 2012
4,980
15,088
Based on the lack of complaints here I don't think color tints on the screen is a common issue on the 2018 screens. I would return it or exchange it and think the probability of getting a better screen is good. The Apple staff will say they don't see it, but in the 2 week return no questions asked period they will have to exchange it or you can just return it and buy a new one.
 

hwang1607

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 2, 2017
17
4
Here are some pictures
OBl5XVG.jpg


The two edges edited next to each other

zww4RoK.png

zww4RoK
 

Rocko99991

macrumors 68000
Jul 25, 2017
1,574
2,193
I just got a 2018 Macbook Pro with touch bar and the screen has a slight pink tint on the left side and a slight blue tint on the right when viewing anything white or light colored, even with true tone and night shift off. This isn't a big problem but is pretty annoying from a device this expensive. This is my first macbook so I'm not sure if this is normal or how to do an exchange/return at the apple store. Do I have to return the mac and buy it again? Also, can I do this during one visit because I will only be near an apple store for a few more days.

Everything else is fine but the up/down arrow keys seem to feel different and are much louder than the rest of the keyboard but it's not really a problem. I'm coming from a 4 year old asus zenbook which had a perfectly uniform but low quality display and am not really impressed by the new macbook's screen.

Any info is appreciated, thanks.
I had this on my 2017 MBP. I returned 4 and gave up. All had the pink splotchy areas all over the screen. It's maddening.
 

upandown

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2017
1,313
1,326
I just got a 2018 Macbook Pro with touch bar and the screen has a slight pink tint on the left side and a slight blue tint on the right when viewing anything white or light colored, even with true tone and night shift off. This isn't a big problem but is pretty annoying from a device this expensive. This is my first macbook so I'm not sure if this is normal or how to do an exchange/return at the apple store. Do I have to return the mac and buy it again? Also, can I do this during one visit because I will only be near an apple store for a few more days.

Everything else is fine but the up/down arrow keys seem to feel different and are much louder than the rest of the keyboard but it's not really a problem. I'm coming from a 4 year old asus zenbook which had a perfectly uniform but low quality display and am not really impressed by the new macbook's screen.

Any info is appreciated, thanks.
My first 13 inch had the same exact issue. I went in within 14 days and got it exchanged. My second and current mbp screen is very uniform.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rocko99991

hwang1607

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 2, 2017
17
4
I just got an exchange and was surprised by how quick it was, no questions asked and just got me a new Mac. The new one has a more uniform screen and no issues so far. I think the louder up down keys are like that by design because all of the computers at the store had the same feeling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bevsb2

Chairman.Jobbie

macrumors 6502a
Sep 9, 2011
501
200
I just got an exchange and was surprised by how quick it was, no questions asked and just got me a new Mac. The new one has a more uniform screen and no issues so far. I think the louder up down keys are like that by design because all of the computers at the store had the same feeling.

Yes, my up and down are also clicky-er / louder. Doesn't bother me but noticed it.
I haven't looked at the screen closely until I saw your post - I dont notice any issues on mine.
 

Faelan

macrumors 6502
Sep 12, 2014
252
308
I just got an exchange and was surprised by how quick it was, no questions asked and just got me a new Mac. The new one has a more uniform screen and no issues so far. I think the louder up down keys are like that by design because all of the computers at the store had the same feeling.

Good to hear that your replacement is better!

My 2018 13" is going back for a full refund. I don't have the luxury of having an Apple store in my country, so I'll have to do it the slow way. It's nowhere near as bad as your picture, but it does have a bit of that same thing going on. It's subtle, but noticeable when surfing sites with white backgrounds such as MacRumors. I tried to ignore it, but when I took a close look at the 2017 12" MacBook my wife is using and saw that the screen on that is about as close to perfect as you can get considering it's an LCD display, it became even harder to ignore. Oh, and that machine is almost half the price of my 2018 MacBook Pro. In addition to that, there's a trapped dust particle in the upper left corner of the display. It's not visible at the distance I'm normally sitting from the screen, but... seriously... at that price, it shouldn't be there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Balders

Balders

macrumors member
Oct 12, 2008
72
32
UK
I'm returning my 2018 15" tomorrow - haven't decided if a refund or replacement yet. Noticeable on white backgrounds, like this page, scrolling up and down a sort of dirty screen effect with 3 slightly visible horizontal bands of uneven brightness evenly spaced down the screen and a few blotches of light/dark spread around at seemingly random - I too have tried to ignore it but the more I use the machine, the more it is bugging the hell out of me :( I also just noticed the light coming out from the edges of the screen too whilst sitting in the dark inspecting it - poor QA on Apples part.
 

upandown

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2017
1,313
1,326
I'm returning my 2018 15" tomorrow - haven't decided if a refund or replacement yet. Noticeable on white backgrounds, like this page, scrolling up and down a sort of dirty screen effect with 3 slightly visible horizontal bands of uneven brightness evenly spaced down the screen and a few blotches of light/dark spread around at seemingly random - I too have tried to ignore it but the more I use the machine, the more it is bugging the hell out of me :( I also just noticed the light coming out from the edges of the screen too whilst sitting in the dark inspecting it - poor QA on Apples part.
Ouch. I think you got a bad one. My 13 is one of the most color uniform screens I've ever owned. There's zero light bleed as well. I'm quite impressed. And others in the thread also talk about having a uniform screen. I say go try and get another.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Balders

unlogic

macrumors newbie
Apr 4, 2013
24
7
Japan
My 2018 15 inch just arrived last weekend. After using it for a while I noticed the screen has a pink/red tint on the left side and a slight blue tint on the right.

It’s really annoying when doing work with white colored background. Even my cheap HP office laptop don't has this issue. Come on Apple.

I also have speaker crackling issue. I’m thinking to return this unit and get refund rather than to get a new replacement. Maybe I will order again later this year and hoping the issues that plaguing MBP 2018 will iron out.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0967.JPG
    IMG_0967.JPG
    2.7 MB · Views: 513

upandown

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2017
1,313
1,326
My 2018 15 inch just arrived last weekend. After using it for a while I noticed the screen has a pink/red tint on the left side and a slight blue tint on the right.

It’s really annoying when doing work with white colored background. Even my cheap HP office laptop don't has this issue. Come on Apple.

I also have speaker crackling issue. I’m thinking to return this unit and get refund rather than to get a new replacement. Maybe I will order again later this year and hoping the issues that plaguing MBP 2018 will iron out.
Go get it swapped before it's too late. I had to. My first one had the same exact screen issues as you. Replaced with no problems and the new screen is great as I've described in a earlier post.
 

Balders

macrumors member
Oct 12, 2008
72
32
UK
Just got a 2nd replacement and its worse than the first - strong pink tint to left, blue on right. Gonna give it up as a bad job now and try my luck in the world of Dell XPS...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rocko99991

Rocko99991

macrumors 68000
Jul 25, 2017
1,574
2,193
Just got a 2nd replacement and its worse than the first - strong pink tint to left, blue on right. Gonna give it up as a bad job now and try my luck in the world of Dell XPS...
I went through 4 before I got a good 2017.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Balders

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,144
17,057
I went through 4 before I got a good 2017.

Yikes

I had spotlight effect at the bottom of my 2016 nTB screen and had to get it replaced

the replacement panel is pretty uniform as well

I feel like I lucked out 2 for 2 on uniformity. Ive seen some ugly ones in this forum too
 

Rocko99991

macrumors 68000
Jul 25, 2017
1,574
2,193
Yikes

I had spotlight effect at the bottom of my 2016 nTB screen and had to get it replaced

the replacement panel is pretty uniform as well

I feel like I lucked out 2 for 2 on uniformity. Ive seen some ugly ones in this forum too
It looks like they are using the same screens from the 2017's. Same exact issues I saw. Very maddening.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thadoggfather

shansoft

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2011
437
268
I thought some people claim 2018 is fixed.

In both 2016 and 2017, there are not a single display that is having an acceptable display that I have seen.

I have went through crazy exchange game and every demo model in the apple store come with same issue.

It's either Yellow or Pink on the left, and one side the backlit is darker than the other as well.
 

Alicia1

macrumors 6502a
Nov 13, 2009
568
545
Gold Coast, Australia
I purchased a stock 15" 2.6ghz/512gb ssd yesterday and I noticed that it was green tinted on the left hand side and pink tinted in the middle and was also brighter in the middle.

I returned it today, back on my 2017 MacBook. I hate playing the screen lottery :(
 

bignormeister

macrumors newbie
Dec 20, 2018
2
1
Go get it swapped before it's too late. I had to. My first one had the same exact screen issues as you. Replaced with no problems and the new screen is great as I've described in a earlier post.

Mine is the same, I returned my first one and this looks exactly the same. Quite pink on the left vs what looks to be quite neutral on the right. Its a 15" 2.6GHz 32GB RAM. In Australia with Apple Care there's no change out of AUD$5000. It really isn't good enough. I will be sending this one back too. A waste of time setting it up!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rocko99991

pendragon1984

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2013
450
272
I made my own thread but same issue.

Pink on left of the screen. Noticeable on white backgrounds.

Ordered another and it was worse.

Now don’t know what to do.

Switch to another brand I guess. I do like MacOS but this ain’t acceptable.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.