Glossy or Matte? What do YOU think?

So I'm going to be buying a MBP soon and i don't really know much about the pro's and con's between glossy and matte screens.

I'm wondering which do you prefer and why?

 

matte is better for professional work that involves photography and video editing. glossy is better for normal use and gives off more vibrant colors. matte is less affected by glare than glossy and if u get glossy, i assume u plan on not going outside to work that much.

 

While matte is better for professional work as Wywern209 has mentioned, two people can perceive things differently. If everyone tells you to go with matte and buy it, you may end up disappointed because you don't see it they way someone else sees it.
It's best to go to an Apple store nearby and take a good look for yourself.

 

I prefer matte myself. Don't need to worry about glare and reflections while doing my work. I have glossy on my Inspiron and I'd take the matte finish on my MBP over it any day. However... I actually like glossy more while playing games...

So for me:
Work = Matte
Play = Glossy

 

Always Glossy if it's LED backlit.

 

Definitely matte for the reasons that wywern209 pointed out. My MBP is matte and I wouldn't have it any other way

 

Matte all the way. Glossy looks pretty, sure, but matte gives you more accurate color reproduction and it doesn't give off the insane glare of a glossy display.

 

If you google "matte vs. glossy" there's about 5 *million* links, many of which have "Macbook Pro" in them.

I'm a sucker for glossy. My MBP has a matte screen, and while I don't mind it, I would prefer a glossy screen for it. My Sager laptop has a glossy screen and it's probably the best looking panel I've ever looked at. The colors pop really well and the anti-aliasing of text seems to work a bit better. I don't use my laptops outside so the fear of a bright light source obscuring my view is a non-issue.

They do usually have MBP's set up at the Apple Store if you have one in your area. Just go ask.

 

Matte all the way.

 

Glossy does make colours look better, while professionals prefer matte. Glossy screens will cause reflections in some lighting, so that may be annoying.

If you are unsure, I suggest you with matte. You can't hate matte, but you can hate glossy.

 

I'm aware, and trust me i've done that search a few times already.

I just wanted to see what this forum's views and preferences were on the two screen types.

 

Yeah I got to choose in the Apple Store when I bought mine. The genius selling me the computer had two Macbook Pros side by side. One glossy, one matte.

I guess it would never hurt to take a ride down to your closest Apple Store and see the displays for yourself.

I chose glossy because I love bright colors, and don't usually work with my computer out in the sun.

But then again, I totally get why people and pros love matte

 

Why does glossy make colors more vibrant? Forgive me for being simple-minded, but ti seems like it's just glass over the matte screen. I'm relating it to my experience with an HDTV that had plexiglass over the actual screen. When I removed the plexiglass, the image was far superior.

Again, I'm a newbie, so go easy on me. I've read a lot of opinions on this issue, but I haven't seen an explanation as to why the glossy screen would enhance colors. Is it a very different build or panel than the matte?

I have an HP HDX18, which has a glossy screen, but I would have gotten the matte if the option had been available for the truer colors and the lack of reflection. I'm considering getting a Macbook Pro 17", so this is of interest to me.

 

i think it's got something to go with refraction of light where on glass, it is such a way that it makes the image appear more crisp.

 

I like Matte, because it doesn't have that very annoying reflection of light.

 

I've got glossy and I'm happy. I don't think reflections are bad. Don't work in direct sunlight or outside. To be honest, when I've had matte screens in the past, working outside and in direct sunlight have been extremely difficult. For me the whole glossy/matte debate isn't really that big a deal.

 

i feel bored and sleepy while working with matte displays. They are not vibrant. it you really want to compare the difference, go in an apple store and compare the old ACD vs the imac display, you will get a rough idea about the difference.

 

Luke is correct, there is actually a technology behind it.

See here: Glossy Display

 

Why is it more professionals use matte? In terms of video and graphic design, I thought one would want to see more vibrancy with their work, in terms of the colours at least?

At least, this is one of the reasons I like glossy. I just love the colours that you see, full blacks and everything.

 

Click the link that D3X provided for your answer.

 

I'm a graphic professional myself, but I personally prefer glossy, the colors are richer and more vibrant. There are some collegues that I know that swear by the matte screen, I think it's more personal tastes. There are pros and cons with both solutions, matte screens tend to look a little "dusty" or "blurred". You can actually see very small grainy rainbow specks caused by the matte coating, whereas glossy it isn't there. Matte screens are also horrible outdoors, they almost look black, whereas the glossy screen is actually quite usable once you brighten the backlight. Of course Glossy has a lot of reflections so you need to be more strategic as to how to optimally get the best picture based on your environment, which is optimally a dimmer environment.

You can definitely work with both.

 

glossy. all my monitors are glossy and glare has never been a problem. the color is so much better on glossy. i can't stand mat finish. it's so retarded....looks lifeless.

 

I like glossy but I am using my laptop inside 99% of the time. For people on the move or pro photographers, matt might be a better choice.

 

I like matte laptops better. If I want better image quality, I just hook up my laptop to my desktop monitor or TV. Glossy looks too vivid IMHO. It is like things are all neon and exaggerated.

 

matte, cuz i hate finger prints

 

I hate cleaning fingerprints off a matte screen....just because you can't see them when the screen is on, doesn't mean there isn't any.

 

yes, fingerprints on a matte screen is more difficult to clean. I have to rub several times on my desktop lcd for it to become clean.

 

matte all the way. no glare and it still looks plenty bright and color robust to me.

 

To get rid of fingerprints, don't touch the screen! Just kidding, but I do infact prefer Matte just because of the non-reflection issue. Glossy is very nice also.

 

glossy hurts my eyes, matte doesn't, my choice is simple

as far as glare/reflection goes, glossy is not "that" much of an issue, you just have to increase the brightness of it. but that contradicts the notebookness of it, why waste the extra battery when you don't need to?

 

Matte displays are much more versatile in various lighting conditions, and the dust that inevitably accumulates on all screens is much much less apparent.

I cannot stand the reflections on glossy screens. My house is quite brightly lit (lots of windows and lights; even closing the blinds light still shines into my room), so with my old glossy-screened laptop, reflections were a huge issue. I cannot even begin to imagine what a screen with a glass overlay would look like in my room.

The matte screen was the primary reason why I focused on business laptops during my laptop search a few months ago, and one of the top three reasons why I decided to go with a Thinkpad. It's also the third largest reason why I do not even consider recent Apple computer offerings.

 

Matte.

Glossy is a gimmick to make screens look better at first glance. Glossy is horrible for any real computer use.

 

Not really, I my self have switched over from a Matte screen and for my personal preference Glossy looks way way more better because the colors really are more brighter and pop out at you. Even when I went to the apple store they had 2 17" MBPs on display, one Matte and one Glossy and the difference of the screens was pretty apparent.

And how is it horrible?

 

i can use mine with max brightness outside. i think it all comes down to user preferences.

 

Well if you are outdoors in a bright environment, having matte screen will be worst. Even at full brightness it'll be dim, it almost looks like there is no backlight, it's just the way the matte surface works. If increasing brightness contradicts, not being able to use a matte screen outdoors under the sun contradicts portability. Like I said earlier, there are pros and cons with both and as of yet, there isn't a perfect solution.

 

there are choices for very good matte screens, many here seem to be spoiled by the crapola of matte screens that is unfortunately offered these days even with premium products, including the mbp.

my 4 year old IPS panel on my Thinkpad T42p has overal better (more natural) picture quality and contrast ratio than any of the macbooks / pros i see at university every day, and it also has next to none of the issues overly repeated here (no grainyness, no "rainbow speckles, ...).

giving the customer today only the choice to compare inferior glossy TN technology panels with inferior matte TN panels with even more inferior matte coating than the screen itself is worthless. it's nothing but a potemkin the industry built up for us, the technology is there ever since.

if i want "popping colors" i can go the disco. otherwise i hope the next thinkpad generation celebrates a return of ips or affs+ panels.

 

I wouldn't hold your breath.

I think if given a choice I'd prefer a matte screen if it's a quality screen, but most displays are junk these days.

 

Only chance of that will be in their 12.1" models... if even...

 

I can't stand glossy because of the reflections. Some people are more sensitive than others.

 

Glossy. Unless you work in an environment where you have no control of your seating position and have very bright light source(s) behind and/or overhead.

 

Glossy. If it bothers you get an anti-glare screen protector. You can always remove it when you don't need it