MacBook Pro - Standard or Hi-Res screen??

[Jamie123]

I'm about to buy a 15" MacBook Pro and am wondering whether or not spending the extra cash for the hi-res glossy ore matte screen is worth it for photo editing.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[mgd711]

Hi-res matte.

I have a year old 15 inch MBP, bought just before they offered the matte option. Several friends have since bought the MBP with the Hi-res matte display and its superb!

 

[elshaneo]

Definitely the Hi-Res Matte for photography 🙂

 

[rover]

I just bought a 15" MBP with the glossy HR screen and like it very much. The best part about it is that it is simple to clean. I have not found glare on the screen that bad at all. I have a 13 MB for my son with a regular glossy screen which we have used for over a year so I knew what I was getting myself into regarding that. I also can see the difference in the definition on my two machines. So, to my eye, the HR screen is better for image editing.

 

[Jamie123]

Hmm...tricky! Where I live the hi-res glossy is about $120 and the hi-res matte is $185 more expensive than the standard screen. That's not exactly cheap for what it is. I could get a 24" Dell screen for $200 and hook it up to the MacBook for added real estate instead of getting the hi-res screen. However, I'll also need it for tethered shooting and the extra resolution would certainly be useful. This is going to be my first Mac so I didn't know about them not having resolution independence.

I don't usually sit outside with my laptop. I'm either at home, in the library or in a studio so the sun isn't a problem. If there's going to be reflection it'll be light from a nearby window or a lamp.
How about color and contrast accuracy? Does the matte screen more or less match the glossy in those regards (assuming both are calibrated)? I mean, I know you can't expect wonders from a laptop screen but I don't want to get the matte screen just to find out that whoever I send the files to thinks the pictures are to contrasty and saturated on their glossy screen.

 

[Wcarpenter]

I have the glossy screen on my Macbook Pro, and rarely find it to be an issue. It's a really wonderful display. Were I to buy another, I'd probably go matte simply for visual distinction. Of the 500 kids at my school, I would imagine 450 of them have my exact computer!

 

[Jamie123]

I have the glossy screen on my Macbook Pro, and rarely find it to be an issue. It's a really wonderful display. Were I to buy another, I'd probably go matte simply for visual distinction. Of the 500 kids at my school, I would imagine 450 of them have my exact computer!

I'm not using my computer as a fashion accessory so that's not really a concern. Also, if visual distinction was high on my list I certainly wouldn't get a Mac 🙂

Actually, I did a little research and it seems that people who've seen the two side by side generally concur that the matte screen isn't very nice at all.
I think I've made up my mind then. It'll be the hi-res glossy screen.

 

[deirdre]

I know you've made up your mind, but I prefer the matte screen, though I'd prefer it at the lower resolution.

 

[f16sunshine]

The glossy literally glosses over small issues. If you want a more accurate representation of what your prints will look like Hi-Res led back-lit Matte is the best option.

 

[umcelinho]

i have a normal res glossy mbp 15", i'd get a matte hi-res if i were to buy a new one today! go for it.

 

[Jamie123]

I know you've made up your mind, but I prefer the matte screen, though I'd prefer it at the lower resolution.

You can't get the matte screen at lower resolution. This shows me that you're talking about the old matte screen or matte screens in general, not the particular ''anti-glare'' screen available on new MacBook Pro's.

I generally also prefer matte screens but from what little information I can find on the internet, people are saying that the MacBook Pro ''anti-glare'' screen looks quite bad.

I've never seen one of the new MacBooks with ''anti-glare'' screen as the Apple store in my city seems to have only glossy ones on display. I may have to go there tomorrow and see if they have one somewhere in a corner that I can check out.

But like I said, I actually already made up my mind. Truth be told, unless I hear rave reviews about the matte screen I'm not going to spend the extra cash.

 

[Matus]

Nah, I have the first version of Aluminum case 13" MacBook and it is just perfect for Photoshop ... with 20" NEC LCD monitor plugged to it 😉

Seriously - if you want to be able to use calibrated screen I would just go and get a decent 20 - 24" LCD for some $500 or so and get much more space. I use the MacBook only for PS tools. Laptop screens are constantly improving, but I think that they have still a long way to go to reach what average IPS LCD panels can deliver.

However I would much prefer if my MB had matte screen as the glossy is very reflective.

 

[deirdre]

You can't get the matte screen at lower resolution. This shows me that you're talking about the old matte screen or matte screens in general, not the particular ''anti-glare'' screen available on new MacBook Pro's.

I know you can't. And yes, I have seen the new machine with the anti-glare and do prefer it. Despite my aging eyes and smaller pixels, I'll probably order that one.

The glossy has better contrast (imho), but I get tired of catching glimpses of myself in reflection.

 

[Jamie123]

Matte, only matte!

If the matte option was still available with a normal rez screen I would consider that given the price of the high rez option. In fact, I use an example of the last 15" MBP available with the standard rez matte screen, it also has both FW 400 & 800, which also appeals to me.

My daughter just got a new Unibody MBP 13" which is only available with the standard rez glossy screen. We also got her a mattle screen applique which very nicely transforms her computer to a matte screen, available from Power Support.

My son just got a new Unibody MBP 15" with the high rez matte screen, it looks to me like the very best option for photos. If I hadn't just bought two MBP's for my children, I would get one like my son has for myself. Hopefully there will be a refurb at the Apple Store online next summer.

More important if one is considering a computer for photos, particularly RAW conversions, is processor speed and RAM, the more of each the better. The glossy screen can be an issue if you don't like seeing yourself reflecting on your monitor in a brightly lit environment.

I'm sticking with the base 2.4ghz i5 4gb model as far as performance is concerned. The 8gb upgrade alone would run me another $480 which is way too much. The prices for MacBooks here in Switzerland are insane. The base 15" model alone costs $2200. That's more than the i7 version in the US!
This annoys me a little. I could ask someone to bring me one from the US but since you can't switch out keyboards on a laptop that's not a vialbe option.

Anyways, another thing that's steering me towards the glossy version is the black border around the screen which I find quite nice to look at. If I understand correctly, the matte one has a silver finish border.

 

[coelacanth]

I guess I'm the minority here. I do all photo editing work on MBP13" hobby and paid, and will be doing field preview/backup on the new MacBook Air 11". 😛

 

[Herrgård]

I think you really should try to get a look at them in a store to see for yourself.

I have the unibody macbook from 2008 and I find the glossy screen awful. The reflections put a strain on your eyes and you may adopt weird and not very ergonomic postures to get a good view. I don't know if the new ones are better though.

 

[Jamie123]

My son's computer is presently ~1300 miles west of where I'm at, my daughter's is about 6' away. Her's has the black border around the screen and the matte applique looks like a factory matte monitor as on my current 2008 MBP.

Consider shopping with Other World Computing for upgrading either the hard drive or the RAM of a MBP or any other Mac for that matter. My MBP has maxed-out RAM from them and it has cruised along without a hiccup for two years now. I agree, any RAM upgrade from Apple is likely the most expensive RAM available.

Thanks, I didn't know about OWC. I'll definitely look into upgrading the RAM somewhere down the line if I find things are too slow. Maybe I'll even get an SSD once they come down in price a little.

Truth be told, I don't really need a power machine. Given the funds it would be nice but I don't absolutely need it. My desktop computer is a cheap $400 Win7 machine with 4gb I got last year. When I open a folder in Adobe Bridge with a lot of files for the first time it definitely struggles a little and the fan starts getting really loud (especially if those files are 500mb film scans 🙂 ) but so far it hasn't broken down.

I don't like to spend too much money on computers. It's money spent that I'll never see again. Sure, things may run slower and give me a few headaches here and there but they're not as bad as the headaches I get from receiving my credit card bill.

 

[morback]

Jamie,

if you can get it from the US do it. You can set the keyboard to Swiss in the preferences and find a keyboard cover to put over the US key layout. Check for availability though...
But if you're one of those that don't even look at the keys while typing you can even avoid the cover.

As for the screen, get high-res if you plan on working. Huge difference, much bigger playground. Otherwise plug-in an external, so you can have the image on one side and the tools on the other.

I'm a graphic designer and sometimes I help out a friend with retouching for fashion & advertising. My 4GB are barely making it in Photoshop CS5. I am considering upgrading. It's cheaper to do it outside Apple than while ordering/building your machine.

As for the money...No regrets here. Switched in 2006 and could not be happier. But I'm one who prefers peace of mind over a fat wallet.

 

[jpfisher]

In a perfect world, you'd be able to look at the glossy and matte in both resolutions and pick the one that works best for you.

My experience -- I have the first-generation unibody 15" -- which has the standard resolution glossy display. My next MBP will be a 15" matte high-res. No question in my mind (assuming it's still offered by the time I'm ready to buy again)

I do use an external display for most of my editing -- the now (sadly) discontinued Apple 23" Cinema Display -- matte with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. Which reminds me that I am overdue for a calibration. 🙂

Good luck with the laptop purchase!

 

[urban_alchemist]

Definitely hi-res anti-glare display. I have it on my i7 15" MBP and it's fantastic. 30% extra real-estate is not to be laughed at, and with the matt option, I can once again use it outside and under harsh lights...

No-brainer really...