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Nano-texture display

"The first point I’d make is that the iPad pro’s nano display is in NO WAY comparable to the MacBook Pro’s. It’s clear that the nano on the iPad Pro being on top of a OLED display makes some difference somewhere, because that screen was beyond gorgeous and infinitely better than any glossy screen I’ve ever seen.

The MacBook Pro in comparison has nano on top of a mini LED display or whatever the exact term is, and it gives a noticeably different result to the iPad Pro."

As an owner of both (Nano iPad Pro and Nano MBP) this is spot on.
 
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nostradumbass said:
Do a HDR test or test P3 images, for example at webkit org's own page


That's when you know what gamut and gamma your display is capable of. Everything else is just pointless internet debates.
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Agreed! I did, I even have this website as a bookmark for testing. Back in the days done this test on several devices (even on ancient iPad 1st gen just for fun). Just did it on my 11 Pro since I had never tried it before on this smartphone. The result is real - display shows P3 colors and "hidden stuff" in interactive test but I cannot look at the images at all, eyes feel like I had been stroboscoped with a laser, I can even see small "bunnies"🤣

For photography the issue is the same - I hate that Apple never gave a choice and all photos automatically use P3 color profile which I really dislike since it is not compatible with some of my retro editing photo apps. SRGB all the way.

UPD: even Macrumors doesn't support P3 images for now. I sometimes upload my stuff to photography topics there and images taken with 11 Pro ALWAYS upload with wrong, dull colors, as if P3 is converted into sRGB. What helps is taking a screenshot of the image and uploading it. I wanted to create topic about that but never got a free time to compose it properly with examples
 
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I compared both options in store. As expected, the nano is noticeably less bright/vibrant (more noticeable than I was expecting), and the text is slightly less crisp (barely noticeable). However, there is a night and day difference when it comes to reflections. The tradeoff is clear.

Although I was originally leaning towards the standard, I am now slightly leaning towards the nano.

I have a glossy 32" QD-OLED monitor + QD-OLED TV at home, and a 27" 4K monitor at work. If I'm not on the go, I will mainly be using those external displays.

So, I am choosing the MBP display option based on lighting conditions on the go. Reflections are more likely to be an issue when I am in a bright room at work or on an airplane. That's why I have a slight preference for the nano option right now.
 
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This is a pretty good demonstration of the Nano Texture vs the glossy. On the left is my M1 Pro (glossy), on the right the M4 (Nano Texture). Both are playing HDR video. The screens are set to the exact same brightness. In terms of lighting, there are 6 bright evenly spaced spotlights from the ceiling above (hence the reflections you can see on the glossy).

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Nobody else has noticed that rainbow grain on white? The Apple Store I checked out the Nano in had much better lighting than they've had in the past, not as crazy bright or harsh, so I don't think I can blame the store environment.
 
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nostradumbass said:
Replying to a creative pro with a non-pro opinion makes no difference. You want a reflective glossy display then go for it. Don't impose your non-pro opinion on others.
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What in the world are you saying here? There have been "pro" (aka people making a living) photographers, videographers, design folks cranking out content on glossy Mac displays for over a decade now. A controlled lighting environment is a far more important factor. Also consider that the vast majority of content consumption is done online, via glossy smartphone screens. I guess if you work exclusively in print for a magazine or something you might have an argument.

Color accuracy measures the same between these two display options. White looks better on glossy because it doesn't have those texture artifacts. Sharpness is still better on glossy, even though the new MBP Nano-texture is quite good.

You shouldn't just pretend that there are zero tradeoffs and that people haven't been utilizing glossy MBPs for professional work just fine.
 
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jabbr said:
Nobody else has noticed that rainbow grain on white? The Apple Store I checked out the Nano in had much better lighting than they've had in the past, not as crazy bright or harsh, so I don't think I can blame the store environment.
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Nope. I'm not looking for problems either, but I have done color work in the past and care a lot about display quality. It's nothing like even the old matte screens were IMO.

I think the texture on the XDR and the 2020 iMac were good enough to make it worthwhile but there was a very slight loss in sharpness, which I don't see at all with this one. It's a non-issue and I think it's easier on my eyes.To each their own, don't buy it.

I think there's a certain type of person that may tend to be obsessive about things and I've found that approach problematic personally. If there are genuine issues and you have one, then it's a good idea to check and see if others have the problem or not. If there aren't, it's not worth looking for problems you may not have noticed. This applies to a lot of areas in life, but it took me a while to learn.

Put another way, maybe I could try dozens of lighting conditions, brightness levels, dark or light modes, and check 100 different shades before I find one that is a problem. All that will do is make me look for it in the future or notice a minor problem when I may not have otherwise. It doesn't benefit me at all.
 
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novagamer said:
I think there's a certain type of person that may tend to be obsessive about things and I've found that approach problematic personally. If there are genuine issues and you have one, then it's a good idea to check and see if others have the problem or not. If there aren't, it's not worth looking for problems you may not have noticed. This applies to a lot of areas in life, but it took me a while to learn.
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Yes, you bring up a very good point here. I've been pretty damn OCD about screens most of my life; in the past pointing out issues about uniformity, dead pixels, etc to friends and family who just don't notice or care about these things lol

Ignorance is bliss I suppose. I admit to being overly draw to details, and I've made some good progress in recent years!
 
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nostradumbass said:
The differences your eyes are seeing is because reflective glass makes blacks look blacker and whites look whiter, which is terrible for creatives who work with colour. They need to be able to estimate what colours will look like on a cinema screen or print.
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As I said above, this isn't true if you work in a properly lit environment and you calibrate your monitors regularly. A properly calibrated monitor will show you the correct color values whether glossy or matte, within your ability to control the final output.

For the record, I've been doing pre-press/production for thirty years, back to the days of CRTs and making plates. Glossy or matte screens have never entered into the equation.
 
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dpny said:
As I said above, this isn't true if you work in a properly lit environment and you calibrate your monitors regularly. A properly calibrated monitor will show you the correct color values whether glossy or matte, within your ability to control the final output.

For the record, I've been doing pre-press/production for thirty years, back to the days of CRTs and making plates. Glossy or matte screens have never entered into the equation.
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Exactly. And that is why there is a proofing mode which can be calibrated to a printer profile.

Pretty sure this so called pro hasn’t printed much in their life.
 
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davewolfs said:
Exactly. And that is why there is a proofing mode which can be calibrated to a printer profile.

Pretty sure this so called pro hasn’t printed much in their life.
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I know it's silly to get into arguments with people online, but I started in printing plants and stayed there for years. Probably breathed in more ink and press match than most people here.

If you're arguing matte versus glossy screens you've already lost the argument.
 
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The nano texture, or really matte screen shouldn't be a $150 difference but man it's so nice. I don't see any downside from the glossy.
 
jabbr said:
Nobody else has noticed that rainbow grain on white? The Apple Store I checked out the Nano in had much better lighting than they've had in the past, not as crazy bright or harsh, so I don't think I can blame the store environment.
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I did. Makes the nano texture totally not necessary for me. Similar effect to an expensive matte screen protector I applied to my M1 Pro Macbook Pro. Have decided to get a glossy screen if I decided to upgrade and buy a matte screen protector.

As a non-creative, the nano texture display is just not worth the trade-off.
 
I'm torn on this. First off, if I order with nano-texture screen I have to wait 2 weeks. If I decide against it I can go and pick one up at the apple store.

My major concern would be maintenance on this screen. Is it more delicate than the standard screen?
 
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ReidStylez said:
I'm torn on this. First off, if I order with nano-texture screen I have to wait 2 weeks. If I decide against it I can go and pick one up at the apple store.

My major concern would be maintenance on this screen. Is it more delicate than the standard screen?
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waiting two weeks for something you will keep for 2-5 years is not something that should in anyway impact your decision
 
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I just checked it out at the apple store and it is really great. I never really considered nano on my ipad because (1) I thought it was annoying the nano didn't extend to the edge, MCP's do. The glossy border looks weird. and (2) I felt I can always buy an aftermarket one. It's not as good as apple's implementation, sure, but it's an option. And it's always a good idea to put a screen shield on an apple anyway. This is not a realistic option for macbooks.

I always loved the anti-glare screens on apple's yesteryear's laptops. Sad that it costs more money now, but it looks amazing.
 
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ReidStylez said:
I'm torn on this. First off, if I order with nano-texture screen I have to wait 2 weeks. If I decide against it I can go and pick one up at the apple store.

My major concern would be maintenance on this screen. Is it more delicate than the standard screen?
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I have the same concern. Don't know why people are avoiding to talk about it. They just keep saying how great the nano-texture screen is.
 
hajime said:
I have the same concern. Don't know why people are avoiding to talk about it. They just keep saying how great the nano-texture screen is.
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Probably nothing to report as this crowd is not shy about airing complaints.
 
Macintosh101 said:
This. I’ve had the nano texture in my iPad Pro since release and there have been no maintenance issues.
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I've heard a few people complain about scratches, however, these might be the people that always seem to have scratches on their iPhone screen where I never have this issue.
 
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