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MBP LED Glossy V. MBP LED Matte

K

Kan-O-Z

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 3, 2007
305
2
I recently placed an order for a MBP 15" LED Matte (still waiting delivery). When I placed the order I had done research as well as visiting the Apple store to see what I liked better Glossy or Matte. I ended up getting the Matte. Now I read some other threads and it seems that people are really happy with the Glossy and are sort of cutting on the Matte as being dull, not very bright, and hard to read in sunlight.

I am wondering when I read these comments if people are comparing a new LED blacklit Glossy to an 'older' non-LED Matte. I went to an Apple store and compared the new LED screens to the non-LED one on the 17" MBP. The new LED screens (both Glossy and Matter) are much brighter than the 17" MBP. Honestly at first glance, they didn't even look much different. I did notice a bit crisper text on the Glossy but again it wasn't the type of difference that people make it seem. Also I did notice that when viewing pictures, the colors sometimes did seem just a bit saturated and overdone on the Glossy.

I know there are a lot of posts about this. The main reason for my post is that I just wanted to make sure people weren't attributing the brightness and other factors to the glossy screen alone. Perhaps some of the difference is also coming from the new LED screens.

I am concerned now having ordered the Matte. I feel like I should have ordered the Glossy. It seems like everyone is liking glossy. No one seems to be commenting on how good their matte is. All I keep hearing is how good their glossy is.

Kan-O-Z
 
Don't worry about your decision. After all, it's a personal opinion, and the opinion is roughly divided amongst owners. About half would say glossy is best, about half would say matte is best. Most of these people are happy with what they got, with only a few saying they wished that they'd gotten the other option.

If given the option, I'd never even consider going with a glossy, but I'm used to the matte, and think the glare is too bad. If you've gone to the store and actually compared the glossy and matte and still chose the matte, then I believe you'll be happy with the matte. You won't be left wondering if you should have gotten the glossy. Besides, as soon as you get it, you'll be too busy actually using the computer to care. ;)
 
I'm a huge fan of the matte screen since I spend 14 hours at school monday-saturday and like say after using a toshiba rent-a-laptop while my g4 was being repaired last year I'd get too pissed at a glossy screen around so many lights though I can't deny how much better it made things look even on the net
 
Personally I don't care for glossy. It looks fragile to me, and while the color is absolutely stunning, it's not accurate. As a graphic designer, it's very important that colors are displayed properly. Glossy screens provide stunning color, but because it's super-saturated. It's not accurate, no matter how beautiful it is.
 
harmonica01 said:
...though I can't deny how much better it made things look even on the net
Click to expand...

These kind of comments makes it seem like I'll be missing out with matte. At the store honestly I did not notice a big difference, just a little one. Some people make it seem like the glossy is just amazing and is a big difference compared to the matte.

I went with the matte because:

1. I want to use the extended desktop mode and I want the MBP to match the Cinema Display.
2. I was worried about distractions from reflections.
3. Although I am not a graphics pro, I do want pictures to look true. For instance I do not want blue water to look unnaturally blue, etc.

Kan-O-Z
 
Purely a personal preference. I have glossy and absolutely love it. Of course, I am used to it since I have been using my wife's Macbook since Sept of last year. Sure there is glare, but it does not bother me. So I went with glossy on my MBP. I do not regret it.

my advice is to check them both out in the store, make your decision either way, and don't look back.
 
If you think the glossy screen changes the look of your photos then you either need to get your eyes checked... or take better photos. Color is only as accurate as the numbers... never use your bad eyes to measure color. I never have a problem from shooting to printing on my glossy. I would never go with Matte since.... (place my personal reason here) but that doesn't matter.

These discussions are overrated, matte owners pride themselves with having no glare, no distraction, matching colors, and compatibility with Cinema Displays which is mostly personal preference.

Glossy owners pride themselves in having richer blacks and other colors, brighter displays, and an easier to clean surface... again... mostly personal preference.

Some users find really obscure reasoning for choosing one over the other, some reasons are bizarre but most are just plain petty.

You won't miss out with either display... pick which way you want to swing and get your display, you will most likely justify your choice with some of the above reasons afterwards.
 
Digital Skunk said:
If you think the glossy screen changes the look of your photos then you either need to get your eyes checked... or take better photos. Color is only as accurate as the numbers... never use your bad eyes to measure color. I never have a problem from shooting to printing on my glossy. I would never go with Matte since.... (place my personal reason here) but that doesn't matter.

These discussions are overrated, matte owners pride themselves with having no glare, no distraction, matching colors, and compatibility with Cinema Displays which is mostly personal preference.

Glossy owners pride themselves in having richer blacks and other colors, brighter displays, and an easier to clean surface... again... mostly personal preference.

Some users find really obscure reasoning for choosing one over the other, some reasons are bizarre but most are just plain petty.

You won't miss out with either display... pick which way you want to swing and get your display, you will most likely justify your choice with some of the above reasons afterwards.
Click to expand...

Excellent post.

FWIW - I hated the idea of glossy when I was a matte screen PB owner - even when seeing other people with glossy screen MBPs. I then used a MB for about a year (while I waited for the next rev of MBPs) and I just love the glossy screen now and would never get anything else. So, my recently acquired MBP17 is a glossy.

All that said, Digital Skunk is on the money.
 
Try them out in the store. I chose Matte because of the anti-glare. Lots of people will say this isnt an issue, but everyone has their own opinion. I read that gloss is better for outdoor use, do you may want to check on that if you use it outdoors alot.
 
You did the right choice. Matte is classic, I bought the same for me, though was thinking of glossy.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. I think I'm going to run to the store today to make sure I am not changing my mind on this. My MBP hasn't shipped out yet so still time for last minute changes.

Is it just me or is the difference between the matte and glossy not as drastic as many people make it seem? For instance, it seems the glossy has slightly more glare and slightly sharper/better colors. Some people make it seem like there is a world of a difference between the two?

I do think the new LEDs do help out with the brightness so the matte may actually bright enough for even the outdoors?

Kan-O-Z
 
I bought a MBP Matte after having a HP Pavilion with a glossy screen. The MBP has a much better color and image quality and I don't have to deal with the glare that I always had to deal with when I had the HP.
 
For many people glossy screens can be a problem for extended use. Eye strain and headaches are common complaints.
 
I can't stand glossy either; but I certainly see why some choose it.

Perhaps this is just more about taste then what one is really better.
 
If you already saw matte in the store and liked it, why are you worried what others have to say? Go with what you want, not what others tell you you should want. I like matte, so if it makes you feel any better, you're not going to regret your purchase. :)
 
I've owned both. Bought a glossy (Samsung). It was defective. Returned it. Got a matte (LG).

In no way is the matte dull or not very bright. In fact, my hardware calibrator says otherwise. Both displays are right around 300 cd/m^2 center screen. The only thing the glossy achieves is a slightly better black level, which yields slightly more contrast. That's it. Period.

And despite what glossy owners say, I did notice the glare. It wasn't terrible, but it does exist. Dark images effectively turn the display into a mirror. The other thing I noticed with glossy was that every little speck of dust ends up looking like a dead pixel. I was constantly blowing these things off my screen.

In the end, both displays are excellent, and it boils down to personal choice. Glossy has a bit more "zing" and is easier to clean. Matte is a bit more true-to-life and has less glare. Repeated arguments on the subject are simply pointless.
 
Digital Skunk said:
If you think the glossy screen changes the look of your photos then you either need to get your eyes checked... or take better photos. Color is only as accurate as the numbers... never use your bad eyes to measure color. I never have a problem from shooting to printing on my glossy. I would never go with Matte since.... (place my personal reason here) but that doesn't matter.

These discussions are overrated, matte owners pride themselves with having no glare, no distraction, matching colors, and compatibility with Cinema Displays which is mostly personal preference.

Glossy owners pride themselves in having richer blacks and other colors, brighter displays, and an easier to clean surface... again... mostly personal preference.

Some users find really obscure reasoning for choosing one over the other, some reasons are bizarre but most are just plain petty.

You won't miss out with either display... pick which way you want to swing and get your display, you will most likely justify your choice with some of the above reasons afterwards.
Click to expand...

Agree with above quote. Matte is easier to use when away from my external/MBP combo.

I can't figure out why anyone thinks that they can do color or exposure corrections on ANY laptop screen. As far as I know, MBP or any PC laptop screen is 6bit or 18bit color anyway. Then if you are fortunate enough to have a monitor calibration hardware device, like GretagMacBeth Eye 1, you will find that colors are very dull compared to a profiled external monitor.

My external Eizo looks completely different than the MBP screen and both are profiled properly. If you look at the ICC profile for each in Colorsync Utility, you will find how small the laptop color matrix is....it is tiny...tiny...tiny when compared to what a good external monitor will produce.

So try it sometime....any laptop screen will look muted compared to a good external LCD.

Not too offend but Photographers and Graphic designers should know this anyway....
 
Kan-O-Z said:
These kind of comments makes it seem like I'll be missing out with matte. At the store honestly I did not notice a big difference, just a little one. Some people make it seem like the glossy is just amazing and is a big difference compared to the matte.

I went with the matte because:

1. I want to use the extended desktop mode and I want the MBP to match the Cinema Display.
2. I was worried about distractions from reflections.
3. Although I am not a graphics pro, I do want pictures to look true. For instance I do not want blue water to look unnaturally blue, etc.

Kan-O-Z
Click to expand...

Did you actually try different applications and the Adobe suite loaded on the comps at the apple stores? It really is incredible to look at, just glare for me is a big hell no, i can't even stand a glare on my lcd tv yanno?
 
harmonica01 said:
Did you actually try different applications and the Adobe suite loaded on the comps at the apple stores? It really is incredible to look at, just glare for me is a big hell no, i can't even stand a glare on my lcd tv yanno?
Click to expand...

I did try different applications and I did try iPhoto and viewed several identical pictures on both Glossy and Matte. Once again, maybe my eyes are worse than others but I did not notice a HUGE difference as some say. I did notice some difference but I would not really call one incredible while calling the other one normal or mediocre. They both seemed nice to me in different ways.

Kan-O-Z
 
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