←back to thread

My Impressions of the MacBook Pro M4

(michael.stapelberg.ch)
240 points secure | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.448s | source
Show context
rottencupcakes ◴[] No.45775475[source]
It's classic Apple to spend over a decade insisting that that glossy screens were the best option, and then to eventually roll out a matte screen as a "premium" feature with a bunch of marketing around it.
replies(10): >>45775577 #>>45775641 #>>45775695 #>>45775731 #>>45775840 #>>45775889 #>>45776046 #>>45776153 #>>45777821 #>>45778629 #
LeoPanthera ◴[] No.45775641[source]
Historically, traditional matte screen finishes exhibited poor optical qualities by scattering ambient light, which tended to wash out colors. This scattering process also affected the light from individual pixels, causing it to refract into neighboring pixels.

This reduced overall image quality and caused pixel-fine details, such as small text, to appear smeary on high-density LCDs. In contrast, well-designed glossy displays provide a superior visual experience by minimizing internal refraction and reflecting ambient light at high angles, which reduces display pollution. Consequently, glossy screens often appear much brighter, blacks appear blacker without being washed out, colors show a higher dynamic range, and small details remain crisper. High-quality glass glossy displays are often easy to use even in full daylight, and reflections are manageable because they are full optical reflections with correct depth, allowing the user to focus on the screen content.

Apple's "nano texture" matte screens were engineered to solve the specific optical problems of traditional matte finishes, the washed-out colors and smeary details. But they cost more to make. The glossy option is still available, and still good.

replies(12): >>45775726 #>>45775837 #>>45775923 #>>45776075 #>>45776148 #>>45776766 #>>45777532 #>>45777723 #>>45778296 #>>45778580 #>>45779048 #>>45779708 #
1. andrei_says_ ◴[] No.45777532[source]
> High-quality glass glossy displays are often easy to use even in full daylight…

Not my experience in lit environments. Looking at a mirror-like surface trying to distinguish content from reflections is exhausting.

Unless I blast my eyes at full brightness which is more exhausting.

replies(1): >>45778131 #
2. christophilus ◴[] No.45778131[source]
To each their own. Matte screens always have a massive smudge in bright light and look terrible and grainy in the dark. I can’t stand them.