Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Nano-texture display
- Thread starter Macintosh101
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Defintely haven't noticed any *rainbow* effect. I'll continue to test if I notice grain on white when I'm back home.
I will say this, you really can't go wrong with either display. For reference, I've never owned a mac, this is my first. I've only ever had matte displays, other than returned an OLED glossy Asus G16, since the OLED subpixel layout was so bad everything was rendered blurry. I am kinda interested in trying a glossy display, but you can't deny the fact that the nano-texture is just straight up easier to use in most lighting conditions. I'm not done asking other family members their thoughts in a side by side test, but both my wife and father prefer the nano texture.
I am extremely nitpicky and attention oriented, so I am not taking this decision lightly.
I am extremely nitpicky and attention oriented, so I am not taking this decision lightly.
70% isopropyl. The forum has an affinity for the good stuff.
Attachments
I believe you have the wrong photo. They recommend Jim Beam Pro.
same and with them trying to push cleaning the thing with the special cleaning cloth, thats one less thing I have to worry about paying apple for if I can use just a regular monitor cleaning cloth to clean the MBP screen.
all the reviews make it seem like there is someone with a ring light following these people around making the glare completely unbearable -at the coffee shop, at home, at the boat dock, at the beach etc. like, bro, im working on code - who the hell is doing that with paparazzi behind them or dealing with the glare of a thousand suns at Starbucks? calm down.
many people do. i for one am i am not interested in the next latest and greatest
There is always the glare from a thousand suns where I am....😎 just kidding. I went with the regular screen...and I am happy with it.
i do wonder how well the nano texture will last over time because if it is an etching then I imagine it will gather some kind of tarnish/patina over time that you may need to dislodge with alcohol more with use so, i wonder if there will be hazing that develops from the solvent use or patina accumulation vs a regular glossy screen
I went to the nearby store and checked out both screens. It's good that the Apple store sets up their laptops all with the same apps and data, and we can move them around to put them side-by-side.
I usually wear reading glasses when using my 13" MBA (set to 1680x1050) but didn't take them to the store. Both screens looked identically blurry
. But seriously, once I got them bright enough so I can see the text clearly, they looked pretty much the same.
I ended up preferring the glossy for two reasons.
1) I don't use dark mode, and however bad the reflections look, once most of the screen is white/light you don't notice them.
2) the nano screen didn't show the reflections much, but the area where the reflection was on the glossy screen looked washed out on the nano, so I ended up adjusting the screen angle anyway.
As an aside, I went expecting to prefer the space black, but ended up preferring the silver. I currently have an early-2020 MBA (Intel) in space grey.
I usually wear reading glasses when using my 13" MBA (set to 1680x1050) but didn't take them to the store. Both screens looked identically blurry
. But seriously, once I got them bright enough so I can see the text clearly, they looked pretty much the same.I ended up preferring the glossy for two reasons.
1) I don't use dark mode, and however bad the reflections look, once most of the screen is white/light you don't notice them.
2) the nano screen didn't show the reflections much, but the area where the reflection was on the glossy screen looked washed out on the nano, so I ended up adjusting the screen angle anyway.
As an aside, I went expecting to prefer the space black, but ended up preferring the silver. I currently have an early-2020 MBA (Intel) in space grey.
I spent a lot of time on the nano texture mbp yesterday. The whites don't look any more or less grainy than any typical matte computer screen or display I have used in the past. To be honest it's not something I have noticed on my external matte displays, but now after so many people online complaining about it on the nano texture display I also 'see it' on my external monitor. It has never bothered me or been something I have noticed in the past. I suspect once you start using the mbp the 'apparent' graininess will not be an issue.
The 'glass' in front of the regular display has the 'appearance' of being sharper, I don't know why. But if you actually use them close up, there is no difference in sharpness at all.
As per, which display I am gravitating towards keeping.... probably nano texture, and I'm not sure why. Somehow the display has a life-like quality with the image being directly ingrained in the screen without any 'glass' covering it. Somehow I also feel like it will be easier and more 'accurate' in more lighting conditions, where as the gloss will require a more controlled environment to get the most out of it. I will have to use the mbp in variable conditions, lecture halls, cafe's etc. For the most part however, it does stay docked on my desk, but for those times I am out and about I feel like I will value the nano-texture.
The 'glass' in front of the regular display has the 'appearance' of being sharper, I don't know why. But if you actually use them close up, there is no difference in sharpness at all.
As per, which display I am gravitating towards keeping.... probably nano texture, and I'm not sure why. Somehow the display has a life-like quality with the image being directly ingrained in the screen without any 'glass' covering it. Somehow I also feel like it will be easier and more 'accurate' in more lighting conditions, where as the gloss will require a more controlled environment to get the most out of it. I will have to use the mbp in variable conditions, lecture halls, cafe's etc. For the most part however, it does stay docked on my desk, but for those times I am out and about I feel like I will value the nano-texture.
i was watching some reviews and it seems like you cant clean the smudges off the nano-texture with a regular optics fabric and only the Apple branded one seems to take it off. anyone else seeing this?I went to the nearby store and checked out both screens. It's good that the Apple store sets up their laptops all with the same apps and data, and we can move them around to put them side-by-side.
I usually wear reading glasses when using my 13" MBA (set to 1680x1050) but didn't take them to the store. Both screens looked identically blurry
I ended up preferring the glossy for two reasons.
1) I don't use dark mode, and however bad the reflections look, once most of the screen is white/light you don't notice them.
2) the nano screen didn't show the reflections much, but the area where the reflection was on the glossy screen looked washed out on the nano, so I ended up adjusting the screen angle anyway.
As an aside, I went expecting to prefer the space black, but ended up preferring the silver. I currently have an early-2020 MBA (Intel) in space grey.
if you are expected to buy into buy a special maxipad looking rag to clean a monitor where my optics fabric -that works well with my 200K+ confocal microscope- is fine to use.....thats a whole new level of ridiculous
Went to local Apple Store last evening to do a side by side comparison. On the standard glossy retina display, the white spotlights on the store's ceiling showed up a bright white with the expected reflective bloom around them. With the nano texture screen on the MBP right next to it, those same ceiling lights were a dull orange with no reflective bloom. So it certainly appears to work as intended. However, as a matte screen, the edge details on the display appeared somewhat softer than on the glossy screen. Might be a deal breaker for someone doing photo retouching. That's for each individual user to determine.
this seems to be the case with feedback from people: if you care about color accuracy, don't get the nano textured surface. i briefly saw the screens and they looked great but will have to look more closely at the screens side by side to determine how different it really is to verify the contrast/washing out of color observations.
I don't understand this discussion about color accuracy. Literally both displays have the exact same coverage of color spaces, they are identical in terms of color accuracy!!!
What is different is how the colors will visually look depending on lighting conditions! The colors might appear washed because of lighting reflections or the colors might be impossible to tell due to glare (non nano texture). But in a dark lit environment the displays would be impossible to tell!
What is different is how the colors will visually look depending on lighting conditions! The colors might appear washed because of lighting reflections or the colors might be impossible to tell due to glare (non nano texture). But in a dark lit environment the displays would be impossible to tell!
Last edited:
My understanding is that you need a smooth cloth, such as the ones people clean their glasses with. Any general glass cleaning cloth.
I have a couple which I use on my mirrors and taps to dry them, to remove water marks. I use one to dry my MBA display, after giving it a wipe with a "normal" microfibre cloth that I use on the rest of the laptop.
i think the concern is about how one has treatment to the glass between you and said colors being presented on a screen and the other does not under the same conditions - in many cases even viewed side by side at the apple store under the same lighting. i dont think people are doing these comparisons in different rooms most times as that just wouldnt make sense to do.
while the colors presented electronically may be the same, how it is being perceived by the said viewer -of which there have been many sharing the same impression- seems to be that both options have an obvious and observable difference.
After a few days with the 14" nano texture, I would not go back. Very pleased I decided to go ahead with the upgrade!
This matches my experience with my M1 Pro glossy vs. my m4 max matte.
I do not regret going nano, not one bit, and my eyes feel less tired after working on the nano texture at work next to a window all day.
Maybe slightly off-topic, but does anyone have a guess for how soon other retailers will carry the nano displays, and whether they're likely to be on similar sales to the regular display? I really want the nano, but paying $400 for it over the same model in glossy is too much to justify.
I was really skeptical when I was looking at the iPads. My wife surprised me with a new iPad Pro M4 1TB Nano texture birthday present. Since it was engraved, it was a no return proposition. I've been using it for my photo editing. Guess what - IT IS GREAT!.
In fact, it is so great, I just replaced my Mac mini M1 with a new MacBook Pro - you guessed it, I bought the Nano texture screen in that one too!.
There is no rain bowing effect. It cleans easily and takes a longer time to accumulate fingerprints. The text is crisp. The colors are true and match really well to the matte and smooth papers I use to print my photos.
In fact, it is so great, I just replaced my Mac mini M1 with a new MacBook Pro - you guessed it, I bought the Nano texture screen in that one too!.
There is no rain bowing effect. It cleans easily and takes a longer time to accumulate fingerprints. The text is crisp. The colors are true and match really well to the matte and smooth papers I use to print my photos.
Yea I mean even i'm using a 7 year old 1440p monitor 27" and it was matte screen. loved it
Glossy ones look overtly too sharp imo and i feel the nano is a welcomed addition.
having it on my m4 max 16'' 64/1tb incoming... so i can migrate off pc and work from that [with xtnl drives]
Last edited: