Glossy or Matt Screen for MBP

[JohnNewman]

I'd welcome comments and advice from the forum members in respect of glossy or anti-glare screens for a 17" MacBook Pro.  I've just retired so won't have the income to change my computer too often so need to make the right decision.  I also intend to do some travelling so a desktop is not a viable option unfortunately.

Whilst I will use the machine for other purposes, the best screen for photo and video editing (amateur use only) will determine my decision.  I've tried making comparisons in an Apple store but everything is so bright in the store it's really difficult to compare.

I currently use a 15" MBP with a glossy screen which I find generally ok, but have a feeling that a matt or anti-glare screen might give me a better indication of the final print and also be more usable in daylight by showing less reflections.

Is there any general consensus please.

Thanks

John

[mediumcool]

The screens in Mac laptops aren’t as good as they could be; even the iPad has a superior IPS panel. I noticed a funny thing a while back; my current laptop is a 2010 MBP13 [available only in a gloss screen], and I have noticed it has crappy angles of view (particularly up and down). Whereas my ancient matte 15" MBP 1.83 CD allows a larger range of movement before brightness, colour and contrast change markedly. I cannot believe that the newer panels are inferior, so put it down to the matte coating.

Do you know anyone with a matte screen, or can you find one in a store? My 21.5 iMac’s screen is also shiny, but much better than the 13".

Or you could always budget for a decent external monitor; if your eyes are going the way mine are (I’m 59), they will thank you!

[Paul2660]

When I purchased my 17" MBpro, I wanted the glossy screen, but they were out of stock, and I purchased the matte.  I love the matte and have not regretted it.  The glossy screens on the MBpro's to me are way too reflective.  You end up spending more time trying to position the screen so that you don't see your face.  The work displayed looks great with deep blacks so if you mainly going to use it for that, you might stay with glossy.  The matte screen is much more like the LCD of a NEC spectravision Monitor and I prefer that look.  I am currently using i1profiler on my 17" with good results. 

I recently looked at the 13" macbook air and the glossy screen on the new 13" machine doesn't have the same glossy look.  It's not as reflective.  They only have the glossy option on the air.  The resolution on the 13" air is also just a bit better than the 13" macbook pro.  I hope that the 17" may see the newer style glossy screen in the future.

Paul Caldwell
http://www.photosofarkansas.com

[mediumcool]

When I purchased my 17" MBpro, I wanted the glossy screen, but they were out of stock, and I purchased the matte. I love the matte and have not regretted it. 

Once you’ve gone matte, it’s hard to go back!   

[Jim Pascoe]

I have a four year old 17" MBP with a matte screen and I would say it is a lot better than glossy screens.  However for photo-editing I think you would be better served by getting a monitor to plug into the MBP.  I did this for three years until I bought a Mac Pro - still using the same 30" monitor though.  You could get a nice 20" screen that will be better than your laptop screen.

Jim

[JohnNewman]

Thanks everyone.

It's looking like I seriously need to have a good look at a matte screen for the new MBP.  As I originally said, I intend to be travelling a fair bit over the next couple of years, so a monitor or iMac isn't really suitable.

I can see that a new MBP and (hopefully) a NEX 7 might just be my constant travelling companions (plus the good lady of course!)

Thanks again

John