MacBook Pro 14 & 16 - Smudges on screen?

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I was wondering if any 14 or 16" MacBook Pro owners could share their experiences of how clean the screen stays.

I'm the owner of a 13" MacBook Pro and have been plagued with smudges appearing on the screen almost every time I open the lid. I know this is a common issue and I'm guessing it begins with the keyboard, but I would be interested to know if Apple designed a larger gap between the keyboard and screen this time around. Otherwise I may need to invest in a high-performance solution (i.e The Apple Polishing Cloth™)

Thanks!

 

[ahurst]

I second this. Coming from a ThinkPad X220 with massive plastic bezels (which I honestly didn’t mind) to a new 14” MBP, I’ve found it a lot harder to open the lid without getting my fingerprints somewhere on the edge of the screen. How do people keep their screens clean?

 

[BuCkDoG]

What kind of topic is this? You are wondering how clean my screen stays? That is such a weird question and almost impossible to get an honest answer since it depends on everyones use case as well as their environment.

 

[MayaUser]

yes, i think some people are bored these days ))

 

[Technerd108]

Buy an Apple polishing cloth and don't worry about it. I am serious. I have the cloth and it works great.

The screen stays as clean as any other screen with an AR coating. I have a sticker to protect the laptop on the deck of the laptop and on the outside so I don't know if that adds any distance between the keyboard and screen but in my experience I have not seen any fingerprint oil smudges on the screen from closing the device.

When it does get smudges it is hard to see because of the AR coating but because it has an AR coating I would be careful cleaning only with a microfiber cloth and a non alcohol cleaner.

 

[928S]

I find the MBP14" more difficult to clean than the other displays. It provides a very beautiful image but it's quite hard to clean it without having some smudges from the clothe and the liquid cleaner. Am I the only one who thinks that?

 

[u2u2]

yes, i think some people are bored these days ))

Reading this thread is proof of that...
My MBP screen kept getting smudged because I kept trying to use it as a touch screen! Too much switching between it and an iPad Pro.
Solution, use a magic trackpad to break the habit and a Mac Studio so the screen is too far away. Not so portable, hard on the wallet, but it did the trick. My MBP screen is clean. When it did need cleaning a micro fibre cloth made it a quick easy task.

 

[Technerd108]

I find the MBP14" more difficult to clean than the other displays. It provides a very beautiful image but it's quite hard to clean it without having some smudges from the clothe and the liquid cleaner. Am I the only one who thinks that?

Actually I don’t find myself cleaning the screen as much as my surface windows laptop?

The apple cleaning cloth seems to work very well for these MBP displays. I have the 16” M1 Max?

What type of liquid are you using to clean the screen with? That might be the issue?

 

[928S]

Actually I don’t find myself cleaning the screen as much as my surface windows laptop?

The apple cleaning cloth seems to work very well for these MBP displays. I have the 16” M1 Max?

What type of liquid are you using to clean the screen with? That might be the issue?

I use some regular spray with alcohol bought in supermarket. The problem is when I clean 2 other MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air and an iMac (with nano-texture display) by the same manner, I don't face this issue, everything's fine... That's why I say it's new MBP 14" display which is different and more difficult to be clean.

 

[Technerd108]

I use some regular spray with alcohol bought in supermarket. The problem is when I clean 2 other MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air and an iMac (with nano-texture display) by the same manner, I don't face this issue, everything's fine... That's why I say it's new MBP 14" display which is different and more difficult to be clean.

It is different and apple has stated so. It is an XDR screen like their expensive monitors. I would use a cleaning liquid without alcohol or pure alcohol up to 70%. A propylene glycol solution without alcohol would be better most likely. The cleaner could have other ingredients that are leaving behind smudges i.e. fragrance etc.

On a Mac as expensive as these are with a new Mini led, pro motion and xdd I would recommend spending the extra money on the official apple cloth. I did and it works very well. I don't have to use a liquid with it whereas any other microfiber cloth I have used needs a cleaning solution.

Good luck!!

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

What type of liquid are you using to clean the screen with? That might be the issue?

The issue I have is that I can clean the display to my heart’s content, but the moment I close the lid on the MBP and open it later on, smudges begin to appear on the screen. My guess is that the keyboard well is too close to the screen and therefore handling the device is pressing the keys onto glass.

I was just curious if the new (current) MBPs have a similar issue.

 

[Technerd108]

Mine doesn't have this issue.

 

[928S]

I clean both displays with the same microfiber clothe + windows spray and I get this result... I can't get rid of these smudges on the MBP, only with a regular kitchen cotton cloth. Strange I'm the only one who face this issue.

 

[MrGunny94]

I clean both displays with the same microfiber clothe + windows spray and I get this result... I can't get rid of these smudges on the MBP, only with a regular kitchen cotton cloth. Strange I'm the only one who face this issue.

Have tou washed your micro fiber cloth? Seems like it's dragging dirt.

 

[928S]

Yes I did but no smudge on the MBA...

 

[t0rqx]

Only use a quality microfiber cloth and dampen it with water. No special sprays, chemicals or even alcohol (even Apple says it is ok). If you need chemicals you have bigger problems. Gentle and patience cleaning/rubbing will do the trick.