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Jaekae

macrumors 6502a
Dec 4, 2012
712
441
if you want perfect color uniformity and "retina" on a lcd screen you probably need to pay the same amount for only the screen as your whole computer..
 

pmau

macrumors 68000
Nov 9, 2010
1,569
854
The problem with Apple is the thin display assembly.
The panel is fine, but the light has to diffuse evenly over the backplane of the display.
If there is not enough room for diffusing the light, you get uneven lighting.

Other laptop brands habe thicker displays.
You can exchange as often as you wish.

Apple has made this design as thin as possible. This is why it has no margin for error.
iPads have the same issue.
 
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shansoft

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2011
437
268
The problem with Apple is the thin display assembly.
The panel is fine, but the light has to diffuse evenly over the backplane of the display.
If there is not enough room for diffusing the light, you get uneven lighting.

Other laptop brands habe thicker displays.
You can exchange as often as you wish.

Apple has made this design as thin as possible. This is why it has no margin for error.
iPads have the same issue.

It’s not the thin issue nor light issue.
This same exact problem also existed in all LG panels. Particularly the cheaper one.
 

makemake

macrumors member
Apr 19, 2017
33
6
Here are the ultimate questions guys and gals -

1. Is this inconsistent panel being used in the 15-inch model A040? This seems to be predominately the one being used in the latest 15 inchers from what I can tell in the stores I've seen them in.

2. If it's just the model A040 panel for the 15-inchers, who's making that panel? Assuming LG here, but how does one know for sure?

3. What panel model in the 13-inch? And does that panel have the same uniformity issues?
 

CRoebuck

macrumors member
May 16, 2014
83
55
Here are the ultimate questions guys and gals -

1. Is this inconsistent panel being used in the 15-inch model A040? This seems to be predominately the one being used in the latest 15 inchers from what I can tell in the stores I've seen them in.

2. If it's just the model A040 panel for the 15-inchers, who's making that panel? Assuming LG here, but how does one know for sure?

>>Every 2018 15" I've seen had A040. There were at least 2 panels in the 2017 models but suspect the panel was changed in some way to allow for True Tone

3. What panel model in the 13-inch? And does that panel have the same uniformity issues?

>>I've tested 5 2018 "13" TB and they all had A03E panels (All had PWM flicker but that's a different issue)
 

stevemiller

macrumors 68020
Oct 27, 2008
2,056
1,606
It is a bit of a lottery but there are ok screens out there. My first iPad (3rd gen when the introduced the Retina display) had the pink/green shift. Was worried I was being nitpicky exchanging it but I did anyway. And the replacement screen had no issues, so I’m glad I did.

Also my current 2018 MacBook Pro has a fine screen. I say it’s worth at least trying a swap if issues are evident from the get go.
 

pendragon1984

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2013
450
272
It is a bit of a lottery but there are ok screens out there. My first iPad (3rd gen when the introduced the Retina display) had the pink/green shift. Was worried I was being nitpicky exchanging it but I did anyway. And the replacement screen had no issues, so I’m glad I did.

Also my current 2018 MacBook Pro has a fine screen. I say it’s worth at least trying a swap if issues are evident from the get go.

But how many swaps! I've done one swap. Should I do 3, 4, 5? I have little hope honestly!

I could get a worse one if I try again!
[doublepost=1545826540][/doublepost]Here's a question. Are the Air's or the 13 inch models better?
 
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_Kiki_

macrumors 6502a
Aug 13, 2017
961
281
But how many swaps! I've done one swap. Should I do 3, 4, 5? I have little hope honestly!

I could get a worse one if I try again!
[doublepost=1545826540][/doublepost]Here's a question. Are the Air's or the 13 inch models better?
according to opinions and pictures from this forum, Air screen is even more inferior
 

makemake

macrumors member
Apr 19, 2017
33
6
Well the complaints about the MacBook Air's screen has been about its limited maximum brightness. There doesn't seem to be much fuss about the lack of wide color gamut or a lack of uniformity.
 

Frankpro

macrumors newbie
Dec 26, 2018
2
0
I have just exchanged mine with another model from the shop... the display is from the same manufacturer but it had Sierra on it (my previous had Mojave) - I guess it is a older manufacturing date then... end of story: Problem is solved - display is good (despite a slightly darker right side). I am very happy now that I have exchanged it - peace of mind finally.
 

makemake

macrumors member
Apr 19, 2017
33
6
I have just exchanged mine with another model from the shop... the display is from the same manufacturer but it had Sierra on it (my previous had Mojave) - I guess it is a older manufacturing date then... end of story: Problem is solved - display is good (despite a slightly darker right side).
Silly question - were both space gray? I read somewhere that the silver models didn't exhibit these problems as much. I don't know if it was that batch or was because people choose space grey more so there's more demand to pump out those units? It sounds so silly, I can't believe I'm writing this, sigh...
 

bevsb2

Contributor
Nov 23, 2012
4,941
14,975
Silly question - were both space gray? I read somewhere that the silver models didn't exhibit these problems as much. I don't know if it was that batch or was because people choose space grey more so there's more demand to pump out those units? It sounds so silly, I can't believe I'm writing this, sigh...

My 2018 15" space gray bought at launch has what I consider a perfect screen - white and even. My 2016 15" space gray had a screen with a left pink to right blue color shift (best of 3 devices I tried). I think getting a good screen is still a lottery unfortunately.
 

Frankpro

macrumors newbie
Dec 26, 2018
2
0
Silly question - were both space gray? I read somewhere that the silver models didn't exhibit these problems as much. I don't know if it was that batch or was because people choose space grey more so there's more demand to pump out those units? It sounds so silly, I can't believe I'm writing this, sigh...

Both were silver grey...
 

Gamer-Dad

macrumors regular
Aug 11, 2018
159
142
Pasadena MD USA
Both of ours (1 silver and 1 space grey) have perfect displays. The 2018 15" I just sold had a perfect display as well. Nice, even bright colors.

The 18 MBA we returned had a great display as well. Not as bright as the MBP, but was nice. Problem was the computer had a hardware bug that Apple wanted back. 2 replacements, and both had very dim and dull looking screens. Gave up in the end and bought the wife her 18 MBP instead.
 

pendragon1984

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2013
450
272
I might be wrong but I suspect that most who think they have good screens just don't notice the problems. I noticed that my screen is uneven while reading a word document full screen. I then used the LCD uniformity test on youtube to confirm the problem. But I know my wife would never have noticed the problem in the first place or cared if she had. Her screen is horrible, I mean HORRIBLE, on her dell, and she doesn't care. I think I am more of a perfectionist with high standards than most. I'm the kind of person who will return a nice watch if an hour marker is misaligned.

From my perspective expensive products should meet a high standard. Companies use return data to maximize profits. They will cut corners if only a small percentage care and the savings are worth it. That's how they think. But instead they should have pride in their products and take a cut to their profits to meet respectable standards. No self-respecting computer company would sell you a 3 grand laptop with easily noticeable screen problems. Similarly, no self-respecting watch company would sell you a 3 grand watch with an hour marker misaligned. Maybe they can get away with it; maybe it's even profitable for them to act this way, but it's not acceptable. They are disrespecting their costumers and taking advantage of their naiveté. Just because people have low standards doesn't mean you should Apple!

Anyway, it's also possible that inflation is way worse than the government reports and these bad screens are in effect due to companies trying to maintain profits in the face of a failing currency? I don't remember having these problems 10 years ago. So, something has changed. You'd think the screen tech would be better today, not worse.
 
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makemake

macrumors member
Apr 19, 2017
33
6
I suspect that most who think they have good screens just don't notice the problems.
Some people are oblivious! On the other hand, this is a noticeable problem. So some people like Gamer-Dad and bevsb2 probably know what they're looking at.
 
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pendragon1984

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2013
450
272
Some people are oblivious! On the other hand, this is a noticeable problem. So some people like Gamer-Dad and bevsb2 probably know what they're looking at.

If my third is good I’ll believe this. If 3/3 are bad, I’m sticking with my hypothesis.
[doublepost=1546291238][/doublepost]
Some people are oblivious! On the other hand, this is a noticeable problem. So some people like Gamer-Dad and bevsb2 probably know what they're looking at.

If my third is good I’ll believe this. If 3/3 are bad, I’m sticking with my hypothesis.
 

shansoft

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2011
437
268
I have swap like at least 5 MBP already, and 2 more from corporate...
Every single one have similar issue. Some might not be as noticeable, but all of them exhibit same problem.
 

pendragon1984

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2013
450
272
I have swap like at least 5 MBP already, and 2 more from corporate...
Every single one have similar issue. Some might not be as noticeable, but all of them exhibit same problem.

My third arrives tomorrow. I’ll report back.

I did see one near perfect at John Lewis. I ran the lcd uniformity test on YouTube and took mine out of my bag and compared directly. But these near perfect machines may be few and far between.

Maybe I’ll get lucky tomorrow!
 

pendragon1984

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2013
450
272
Okay guys. Good news! I got my third machine today and so far so good. The screen is not perfect. People who are striving for perfection with LCD screens are never going to be happy with what Apple offers. However, the screen is noticeable better and this is particularly obvious when I take a photo. If you compare the top right corner on pic 1254 to the same area in pic 1255, you can see that in the former the purple/dirty color is noticeably attenuated. Now, keep in mind these photos make the screen look much worse than it looks to the human eye, but the photos do interestingly capture the problems and can be compared. It just makes all the problems look worse than they look to the eye.

What I'm going for is a screen uniform enough not to notice in normal use. I don't care than I can see issues with the special image when taking a photo. However, the better the screen does on the test the more likely I won't be able to notice the issues when browsing the web or working on a Word document. It's really annoying being able to see a purplish left compared to a much whiter right when you're using your 3 GRAND FREAKING LAPTOP FOR GODS SAKE!!!!!
 

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