Nano-texture display

[alchemistics]

I originally tested the nano-texture option in the Apple Store and was not impressed by the nano version compared side by side due to visible rainbow effect on white backgrounds and reduced sharpness.

Because of that and because of availability I went with a MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max and used that for over a month and paid attention to reflections in different environments, which became more noticeable the moment one is looking for them.

Now after exchanging it for a 16" with nano-texture and using that for over 2 weeks I must say:

• The Nano Texture on the new MacBooks is great, certainly much better then conventional matte screens or screen protectors, it remains a mirror like effect for certain luminous objects, meaning it balances properties such as deep blacks and grainyness while eliminating most reflections
• It is noticeable less sharp then the glossy version, this is specially visible for small text in combination with scaled higher resolutions. Light colors, specially flat areas do have a visible rainbow / dirty-screen effect, dark mode reduces this issue. Under perfect light conditions I see only downsides using the nano texture version, it is however surprising under how many (even controlled) lighting conditions reflections on dark areas are still present
• Overall the MacBook "feels" more like an upgrade with the nano texture, specially after using glossy MacBooks for over 10 years now and before that 10 years of matte iBooks and early MacBooks! I prefer working on the nano texture display for now and the mentioned compromises are worth it

 

[bsmr]

Now after exchanging it for a 16" with nano-texture and using that for over 2 weeks I must say:

Did you get silver or space black?

 

[jabbr]

I originally tested the nano-texture option in the Apple Store and was not impressed by the nano version compared side by side due to visible rainbow effect on white backgrounds and reduced sharpness...

I appreciate the honest review. I've been considering the nano as a worthwhile compromise as I use dark mode 100% of the time. When I compared the displays at the store I was put off by the rainbow effect on solid light colors, but otherwise thought it looked pretty good.

I think I could get away with using lower brightness with the nano and more have versatility for working environments.

 

[Madhatter32]

After spending time comparing both screens, I think the decision between glossy vs. nano is not unlike the decision between a 14" and 16" display. If mobility and usability in uncontrolled environments are an issue, the 14" nano has its obvious advantages. If it's used in controlled environments, like as a desktop replacement, the 16" glossy has its obvious advantages. The glossy screen is noticeably crisper when viewing high resolution content but, of course, that does not mean much when you need to contend with glare.

 

[ISKOTB]

I use a very thin silicone keyboard cover which prevents the shine. Works well.

I been using this one for years.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I been using this one for years.

That is the same one I use.

 

[Ries]

I appreciate the honest review. I've been considering the nano as a worthwhile compromise as I use dark mode 100% of the time. When I compared the displays at the store I was put off by the rainbow effect on solid light colors, but otherwise thought it looked pretty good.

I think I could get away with using lower brightness with the nano and more have versatility for working environments.

Some viewing angles seems to kill contrast too.

 

[jabbr]

@Ries

I thought the iPad nano looked much grainier at the store compared to the MBP. I didn't notice a severe lack of contrast off axis, but maybe I didn't really look for it.

 

[NeonNights]

Some viewing angles seems to kill contrast too.

View attachment 2474180

The M4 MBP nano-texture is not the same as the version on M4 iPad Pro. I do notice a very slight drop off in saturation and contrast on the MBP nano-texture when viewing off-axis, but it's not as bad as the iPad Pro nano. Also, as a personal laptop I'm always going to be viewing the MBP head-on so off-axis image quality is a moot point.

 

[marko232]

The M4 MBP nano-texture is not the same as the version on M4 iPad Pro. I do notice a very slight drop off in saturation and contrast on the MBP nano-texture when viewing off-axis, but it's not as bad as the iPad Pro nano. Also, as a personal laptop I'm always going to be viewing the MBP head-on so off-axis image quality is a moot point.

This is probably not so much the coating but the display panel tech. Ipad Pro is a dual tandem OLED, a far superior display

 

[gregmac19]

This is probably not so much the coating...

What coating?

 

[marko232]

What coating?

I mean the etching not coating process

 

[marko232]

Is there any comparable external screen as good as the nano-texture mini-led ips display on the macbook pro?

Everytime I use my external monitor is pales in comparison to the brightness levels and color redition of the new nano-display.

The studio display doesn't look anywhere as good in my opinion.I just haven't been able to find anything else comparable.

 

[mbsdf9345992]

are you sure one is nano? Both look glossy here

Yes one was definitely nano. It doesn't show up that different in the photos is all.

 

[mbsdf9345992]

This might have something to do with the angle of camera being straight on the glossy DESCRIPTION but at a angle on the nano DESCRIPTION.

Yeah, that was probably it. Bother! I'm not going to go back and try again though. Hopefully the tip about Terminal and that profile is enough for interested people to go make the same comparison with their own eyes.

 

[UnifiedMelody]

Honestly, it pisses me off how much people made a big deal out of it, and so, when I bought my iPad, I went with glossy. I also skipped it on my first studio display, then on a lark, I bought a second studio display with nano because the glare was so annoying compared to my aging LG 5k from 2016. Now I'm seriously considering getting rid of the brand new iPad just to get the nano version, sigh. The glossy studio display I can't justify replacing though, lol, it's just off to the side for finder windows, music, etc., or for fleeting moments when I want to cry (the glare helps).

I couldn't justify getting 1TB on an iPad Pro tbh lol and I'm not a huge fan of how the nanotexture display did not cover the entire front screen [personally preferential] rather it left a funny disconnect between glossy bezels and the matte touch area it's meant for very quick edits and quick casual browsing [goes against the whole pro moniker] but I can't imagine iPad Air's 60Hz display and LCD tech is so **** when i'm paying upwards nearly 1179$ for it [and there are no bonuses for it]... just to get 256GB. Was hoping at least the Air would get Mini LED to justify that pricetag like it carried the M2 over from the iPad Pro M2, but LCD is absolute bull.

Least the MBP fixed that; it's nano all the way minus the camera hole.

Meanwhile the iPad Pro with education bonus, I can get it for 1529$ [aud], free apple pencil pro inclusive, 130$ cashback from cashrewards && 250$ cashback from my credit card provider... now that new iPad Pro, with latest OLED tech [ngl it looks ridiculously good in front of me even with a glossy screen] for 949$ [aud]. That to me is a better deal.

Luckily my room light, the light is very dispersed and high up there [4-5m], so it doesn't impact the MBP often. Ipad I did not bother getting a magic keyboard because I don't really type on those; i prefer the MBP for that. The Ipad to me still is all touch all class. can't imagine trying to make it into a personal computer

even my old age asus gaming monitor [1440p, IPS, 165Hz, PG279Q] is matte display and it does make a huge difference... most windows had matte displays afaik and not glossy i think that's why glossy looked surprisingly too sharp and OUT there for me.

 

[UnifiedMelody]

I originally tested the nano-texture option in the Apple Store and was not impressed by the nano version compared side by side due to visible rainbow effect on white backgrounds and reduced sharpness.

Because of that and because of availability I went with a MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max and used that for over a month and paid attention to reflections in different environments, which became more noticeable the moment one is looking for them.

Now after exchanging it for a 16" with nano-texture and using that for over 2 weeks I must say:

• The Nano Texture on the new MacBooks is great, certainly much better then conventional matte screens or screen protectors, it remains a mirror like effect for certain luminous objects, meaning it balances properties such as deep blacks and grainyness while eliminating most reflections
• It is noticeable less sharp then the glossy version, this is specially visible for small text in combination with scaled higher resolutions. Light colors, specially flat areas do have a visible rainbow / dirty-screen effect, dark mode reduces this issue. Under perfect light conditions I see only downsides using the nano texture version, it is however surprising under how many (even controlled) lighting conditions reflections on dark areas are still present
• Overall the MacBook "feels" more like an upgrade with the nano texture, specially after using glossy MacBooks for over 10 years now and before that 10 years of matte iBooks and early MacBooks! I prefer working on the nano texture display for now and the mentioned compromises are worth it

I felt like the nano texture especially for photo editing was more pleasing to my eye after having stared at matte displays for so many years and decades [most windows monitors standalone were always matte, never ran into one that was glossy/glassy glass]. After seeing it in apple store I was immediately convinced because it definitely was a better implementation of a 'matte' display compared to all my windows monitors which were okay but can't match in P3 color fidelity and nits/brightness/accuracy.

Hence my decision to go M4 Max MBP and Nano Texture Display... I was initially gonna get a refurb M3 Max MBP 16" with unbinned chip and base spec but the nano texture display was enough to swing me over to the newer laptop...

5399$ [M3 Max 48GB 1TB Glossy] vs 6199$ [M4 Max 64GB 1TB Nano]... Extra 16GB and Nano was a no brainer here and new chip.

 

[UnifiedMelody]

@Ries

I thought the iPad nano looked much grainier at the store compared to the MBP. I didn't notice a severe lack of contrast off axis, but maybe I didn't really look for it.

They improved it with the Macbook Pro 100% I wasn't convinced with nano on iPad pro when i saw it in store despite them all trying to say "it helps make viewing easier" the fact it was a huge disconnect between the glossy bezel and the nano texture seemed off to me lol. they should have just made it nano all the screen to give it a seamless look imo.

The iPad Pro seemed not to make sense due to the tandem oled tech which was meant to be ultrafine/crisp/sharp striking... nano seem to dull that off a bit and the fact it was limited to 1-2TB was the sticking point; enough for me to live with a 'compromise' glossy display [as some would put it] as i only needed 256GB

macbooks have improved it a tonne more and ensuring its available in all configs would definitely have captured more people to swing it. [rather than limiting it to certain storages]

 

[Superrenz]

Anybody experience concerning scratch resistance of the nano texture?

 

[throAU]

Anybody experience concerning scratch resistance of the nano texture?

I haven't scratched it. What are you expecting to do to your screen?

 

[Superrenz]

I haven't scratched it. What are you expecting to do to your screen?

There have been many reports concerning the nano screen of the iPad Pro being prone to scratches and I wonder if the MBP screen is the same.

 

[vanc]

Some viewing angles seems to kill contrast too.

The nano texture display on M4 MBP looks quite different than iPad. This video has detailed comparison.

I have a MBP 14" with M4 Max + nano texture and one MBP 16" with M1 Pro (glossy of course) and took some pictures. Both laptops were showing the same web site for lcd color test and the brighness was raised to 100%.

You can see the reflection of the curtain on the glossy screen, but nothing on the nano texture one. There was some color shifting, but not much. The blue box was clearly on display, while the one on the glossy screen was almost fused into the reflection.

Of course, you can compare the screens side by side in store where the ambient light is very bright. But I highly recommend the nano texture display if you don't mind the extra cost.

 

[UnifiedMelody]

Had my M4 Max 16" MBP for the last few days and can say nano-texture is definitely worth the additional cost.
Probably because I've been a windows user for a long time and all the monitors I've bought (whilst not as high end as the MacBook Pro, they all were matte and I didn't notice the difference, it felt very familiar.

I did try M4 Pro 14" friend's base version, and the glossy was just too much punch/contrast to my liking, the nano tunes it just a wee bit down making it more pleasant for the eyes.

Even looking at my iPad Pro M4 && iPhone Pro Max 16 now the glossy screens reflect like crazy it's hard to unsee.
Won't be surprised if Apple does a nano version of the iPhone lol, but I wonder how that will be like given phone screens break more often than say; iPad Pro//MacBook Pro

 

[Madhatter32]

Had my M4 Max 16" MBP for the last few days and can say nano-texture is definitely worth the additional cost.
Probably because I've been a windows user for a long time and all the monitors I've bought (whilst not as high end as the MacBook Pro, they all were matte and I didn't notice the difference, it felt very familiar.

I did try M4 Pro 14" friend's base version, and the glossy was just too much punch/contrast to my liking, the nano tunes it just a wee bit down making it more pleasant for the eyes.

Even looking at my iPad Pro M4 && iPhone Pro Max 16 now the glossy screens reflect like crazy it's hard to unsee.
Won't be surprised if Apple does a nano version of the iPhone lol, but I wonder how that will be like given phone screens break more often than say; iPad Pro//MacBook Pro

How's the text clarity. This is the key issue for me. This image is from an iMac at least years ago. Is it still that bad?

 

[vanc]

How's the text clarity. This is the key issue for me. This image is from an iMac at least years ago. Is it still that bad?View attachment 2481475

Text looks pretty sharp for me. Up close, the white background was kind of diffused as well. We could see some of the patterns from the etching process.

Picture was taken with an iPhone 16 Pro with the macro lens.