Lockdown got lifted and I got chance to see the Air and MBP side by side in a shop. The MBP is very slightly brighter but honestly the Air is also pretty bright. I have decided to stick with the Air as I really don't like the Touch Bar and I am very likely to want mini-LED once it arrives which will probably be miles better than current screens anyway and support HDR so don't want to invest too much in this generation.
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M1 Macbook air brightness vs M1 Macbook Pro 13" brightness
- Thread starter chad.petree
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That's what I assumed after seeing iFixit teardown. They are practically still identical internally as it has been before with Intel CPU's so I was pretty sure Air was still more solid.
I know this is something not everyone pay attention to, but it is very obvious if you listen to them side by side or use one after the other. Differencies are in trackpad and keyboard where Pro sounds hollow and in keyboard it depends on the location (some keys more hollow) and hardware (those higher specsed Intels very more solid under keyboard due to extra fan and larger heatpipe but trackpad was as bad). And the bottom plate there is very noticeable difference when you just tap it with your finger .
This is bad news. My MBP had no light leak but this MBA contrast issue sounds bad if it is obvious in normal room lights on?But I dislike the display contrast. More worse than MBA Intel Versions.
But with the MBP M1 I do have light leakages between the display corners and the bezel.
Some kind of a problem from a few years ago with apple displays
Just odd what is causing that, since black level is not that bad and contrast still not really bad based on the numbers? Maybe they use difference gamma to make it look more faded? But still based on Notebookcheck the display was very good in their test unit, so not really sure what all this means.
None of those make any difference, it is just couple chips more or different density, does not change internal structure enough to make difference.
Yeah, googling this issue brings up several complaints over the internet.
I'll see how my MBA looks like when I get it. But I guess I won't be happy with the display if it is that bad as mentioned in this thread. I would just liked much more about MBA otherwise. I never like the way my MBP trackpad and keyboard sounded like, nor the speakers. Nothing but the display and back then CPU power was better in MBP, but still MBA 2018 display was nice and contrasty, but not P3 what I wanted.
That was exactly what I thought seeing them side by side in local shop. Difference in brightness was like MBP with 1 click or a bit more from max was equal to MBA 100%, and in demo units contrast and sharpness seemed fine. Only uniformity was pretty bad in both MBA demo models. I'm just afraid that demo models are usually much better quality than what I get when I buy one, so I fear the worse as my luck with the displays is not that good anyway.
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That was my exact experience. In store air looked very close or almost same as pro. Brightness was 3 clicks less. (which is expected 500vs 400 nits)
The bough M1 Air was dull and not as sharp as the one in the store.
No matter how cute the air is, if the screen is dull it is dull.
it is not the brightness that is the issue. Brightness is good. 400 is enough. It is the lack of sharpness.
I meant dull in regards to sharpness.
For some it does, for some might not. In my opinion the model i had was not enough. Will try the pro and see if it makes any difference. I have older 15 MAC book and it beats Air 13 M1 when it comes to sharpness.
Same for me. Display of my Test MBA M1 is kinda worse. The MBP M1 is much better concerning sharpness and contrast.
Actually really like the MBA M1 - but the display doesn't look good. Maybe I have to exchange it to get a better display (display lottery?).
Actually really like the MBA M1 - but the display doesn't look good. Maybe I have to exchange it to get a better display (display lottery?).
My MBA M1 16GB/512GB/8C GPU display is good. It has good sharpness and has good contrast and good black levels. It could be the display lottery on the MBA or probably the high-end MBAs with the 8 core GPU have a better display and the base MBA comes with a lower quality display.
Nope. It's no difference between lower and higher specs within MBA.
Got a MBA M1 16GB 1TB.
Three clicks less brightness in MBP to equal MBA? That's a lot and much more than what I saw between demo models I compared. In my test it was around 1 click or little more, definitely not three clicks which causes a pretty big drop in nits really.
Anyway, I guess the sharpness issue could be from lower contrast ratio but still a bit over 1000:1 is pretty normal for IPS screens, so could be that there is something else too, or some panels with even lower than that...?
What ever is possibly causing that visible difference, it will be deal breaker for me if I find my unit like this. Probably need to get MBP after all if mine turns out like that.
Yeah, max. nits is just fine, but if contrast ratio is 1600:1 vs 1000:1 there is difference in image always. But still even 1000:1 should not look bad, so not sure what is going on with the issue described here by few MBA owners.
I had MBP 13 2019 before and I always used it with max. MINUS 5 or 6 clicks, so I was running it way under half brightness (actually I think closer to 1/3 or about 200 nits) and I was fine with it, so NITS is not an issue for me, but in case MBA is washed out looking (=much lower contrast) then I may have an issue with it.
But based on demo units I saw, I did not notice any obvious difference in contrast and in brightness difference was minor. Only MBA demo units had bad uniformity. I guess it is matter of display lottery and that demo units usually have better displays than the ones I get (still wondering about uniformity issue, cause that is rare in demo units I have seen usually)
I just checked, my base MBA M1 has a max brightness of 425 nits.
Here's a good review from Notebook Check. Looks like their unit had a max brightness of 417 nits.
www.notebookcheck.net
Here's a good review from Notebook Check. Looks like their unit had a max brightness of 417 nits.
Apple MacBook Air 2020 M1 Entry Review: Apple M1 CPU humbles Intel and AMD
The M1 based entry-level Macbook in our extensive technical test.
can you take a photo of this page (SELECT SHARPNESS)I just checked, my base MBA M1 has a max brightness of 425 nits.
Here's a good review from Notebook Check. Looks like their unit had a max brightness of 417 nits.
Apple MacBook Air 2020 M1 Entry Review: Apple M1 CPU humbles Intel and AMD
The M1 based entry-level Macbook in our extensive technical test.
EIZO monitors for offices, photos & design, medicine, gaming and industry
EIZO MONITOR TEST
www.eizo.be
This is what i see with my iphone camera.
can you take a photo of this page (SELECT SHARPNESS)
When i look at the letters there i can see lack of sharpness.EIZO monitors for offices, photos & design, medicine, gaming and industry
EIZO MONITOR TEST
This is what i see with my iphone camera.
View attachment 1689841
I think that's just a terrible font. The font in the settings is way more crisp.
i think you are a little too close to the screen but your fonts look crisper to me.
I dont see that pink cast.
Yeah, definitely not so much. So compared to my iPad Air 2019 that was about the same brightness as my previous MBP 2019 13". Comparing now my iPad Air 2019 and MBA M1 it is something between iPad Air 2019 MAX minus 1-2 clicks, 1 it little brighter and 2 is dimmer. So I'd say MBV is well around 400 nits.
Contast is obviously worse than iPad Air 2019 or my previous MBP 2019.
If you're not happy with the MBA screen, you can calibrate it in the MacOS systems preferences - display - color tab. If it doesn't make a difference, you can exchange the MBA for another MBA or for a MBP. My MBA M1 16GB/512GB/8C GPU screen is really good, but I wish it was slightly brighter, however the brightness level on the MBA is doable. I'm not sure about the returning my MBA and getting the MBP 8GB/512GB just for the better screen. It will cost me and additional $50 for it and with some extras features that I don't need, but at the same time the MBP will have half the memory from my MBA. I wish I could afford the MBP M1 16GB/512GB, but its out of my budget.
Can you please test your MBA how black image uniformity is?
Please see this thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/m1-macbook-air-black-uniformity-red-glow.2274365/
Go to the store and try. No way you get pro to air brightness with one click.
Assuming 16 levels of brightness change proportionally.
Air = 16 = 400 nits = 25 nits per change
Pro = 16 = 500 nits = 31.25 nits per change = to get to 400 you need 12.8 clicks so lets say roughly 13 which is exactly 3 clicks less then full power.
Maybe not exactly but apple is pretty good with their adjustments.
This was my experience when i tried in the store.
It is possible that some laptops will have better brightness and some worse so when comparing some might experience difference between 1-3 clicks.