LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

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Duncan Staples
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p.1 #1 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

I have a brand new MacBook Pro with the non-glare screen which are NOT LED, they are LCD.

Does anyone with the high-gloss screen have any input on how easy the high-gloss screens are to view in a well-lit area or say inside a car etc.

I have a few days that I can exchange this laptop for the other. I know the LED versions calibrate better but what good is an accurate calibration when you can't see the screen.

Thanks in advance,
Duncan Staples

Oct 11, 2009 at 11:54 PM

kasakato
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p.1 #2 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

I think you are confusing the backlight of the screen, with the screen itself. Both laptops use an LCD (liquid crystal display). One is lit with a traditional CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent light); the other an LED (light emitting diode).

I generally prefer a non-glossy screen for editing. My personal notebook has a glossy screen which makes it hard to view in the sun, in the car, etc. It does however look nice in a dark/dim room.

I personally have not noticed any major difference with the CCFL vs. LED. Given the choice I would first choose the non-glossy, and then the LED if it were an option.

Oct 12, 2009 at 04:07 AM

Tom Conte
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p.1 #3 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

The one issue with CCFL is that it loses its brightness over its lifetime. Indeed, over the course of a year the difference is noticeable. White LED backlighting doesn't fade.

Tom

Oct 12, 2009 at 04:22 AM

Duncan Staples
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p.1 #4 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

Thanks Guys. I will keep my existing MacBook Pro then.

Duncan

Oct 12, 2009 at 02:07 PM

mdude85
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p.1 #5 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

The LED backlight also consumes a lot less power than the CCFL backlight.

Oct 12, 2009 at 08:13 PM

Duncan Staples
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p.1 #6 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

That is what I would think as well but I was very pleasantly surprised when my new MacBook Pro 2.53Ghz 15.3" got 9 hours right out of the box. My old 2.33Ghz version would barely get 2.5 hours.

Duncan

Oct 13, 2009 at 11:50 PM

mdude85
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p.1 #7 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

Duncan Staples wrote:
That is what I would think as well but I was very pleasantly surprised when my new MacBook Pro 2.53Ghz 15.3" got 9 hours right out of the box. My old 2.33Ghz version would barely get 2.5 hours.

Duncan

You can't compare two different models because a lot of specs were changed between them. Probably the battery in the new Macbook Pro is better than in the old one even disregarding the LED backlight.

Oct 14, 2009 at 03:03 PM

balls
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p.1 #8 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

mdude85 wrote:
Duncan Staples wrote:
That is what I would think as well but I was very pleasantly surprised when my new MacBook Pro 2.53Ghz 15.3" got 9 hours right out of the box. My old 2.33Ghz version would barely get 2.5 hours.

Duncan

You can't compare two different models because a lot of specs were changed between them. Probably the battery in the new Macbook Pro is better than in the old one even disregarding the LED backlight.

Correct. The new Macbook Pro's sport a new li-ion polymer battery with higher use time, but isn't user replaceable.

Oct 15, 2009 at 10:02 PM

balls
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p.1 #9 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

kasakato wrote:
I think you are confusing the backlight of the screen, with the screen itself. Both laptops use an LCD (liquid crystal display). One is lit with a traditional CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent light); the other an LED (light emitting diode).

All Macbook Pro's have LED backlites. They've had them since 2007. In 2009 they offered the option for a Matte Screen instead of the Glossy display, but both screen options still use LED backlighting.

Besides the matte screen, the only difference is the bezel. The gloss option has a black frame, while the matte screen has a silver bezel.

Oct 15, 2009 at 10:09 PM

Mark Wieland
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p.1 #10 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

I am a high gloss screen guy. It has a lot more punch than the other screens. The guys that don't like glare will never be convinced, but I like the glossy and if you focus on the screen you will not notice the glare so much.

Mark

Oct 19, 2009 at 11:30 PM

Duncan Staples
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p.1 #11 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

I find it tough to see the high-gloss in the car and on location if there are lights going. For editing in a controlled environment or watching movies, yes I would agree with you Mark.

Duncan

Oct 19, 2009 at 11:31 PM

Gary Eckhardt
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p.1 #12 · LED vs. LCD MacBook Pro

I wouldn't have the glossy screen for photography. In addition to the glare issue, I have noticed banding or posterization in blue skies with the glossy screen. Apple has had lots of complaints from photographers about the glossy screen. Apple now offers matte screens (as an option) on its 15" and 17" MacBook Pros and has mentioned that they might offer it on all of their displays.

While I agree that the glossy screen colors are more visually vivid than the matte screens, I am interested in true color to match projector and print output. Have I not read that the glossy screens have given some users fits when trying to use profiling software? MTCW.

Oct 22, 2009 at 11:06 PM


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