We've had matte screens for a long time that don't show glare. The problem is, the blacks are much more washed-out because that light still has to go somewhere, so it's basically just being smeared across the entire display.
This page shows lots of side-by-side photos of content that is primarily white, and most of the black bits (like text) are too small to make out.
The comparison needs to use things like busy photographs with bright areas and black areas. Then you can judge how much more washed-out the black areas look.
The second photo makes the Nano texture look pretty washed-out, but sadly doesn't include the traditional glossy laptop next to it for comparison, so it's impossible to tell.
Also, in all the side-by-side photos the Nano screen looks like it's set to much brighter. So any fair comparison should have them set to equal brightness. There's no universe in which a glossy screen is going to make the white areas look darker, as they are in all these examples.
I'm very curious if/how the Nano is better, but unfortunately these photos don't do anything to demonstrate it.
Contrast is worse, it's a trade off. For me in most environments there will be bright reflections on the glossy screens, even indoors - your brain actually does a good job of ignoring them to the point you're not even conciously aware most of the time, but when you smear them out with the nano texture display it's just way more comfortable to look at, for me at least.
If I was focused on watching movies, or grading photos in a dark room then glossy would be the way to go.
Depends a lot on the screen and environment in my experience.
A glossy Apple Studio Display or iMac (both of which have a decent antiglare treatment despite being glossy) in an office setting for example isn’t too bad.
On the other hand, your average touchscreen laptop (which are always almost-mirrors with no hint of treatment, for some reason) with screen angled up slightly and overhead fluorescent tube lighting or a skylight on the other hand? Borderline useless if the screen isn’t bright enough to outshine the strong glare covering 40-60%+ of the screen.
Appreciate the feedback and notes here- I would love to revisit the methodology and use a separate physical brightness meter to normalize for that. To my best memory I made sure both devices were at max stock brightness for each photo.
I tried the iPad with Nano Texture and didn’t really like the rainbow effect that shows up on white brackgrounds. So I ended up returning it.
A while later I had an idea to mount an iPad to my fridge so that I could check the weather, add things to my shopping list, play music, etc. I bought the rather expensive iPad with Nano Texture screen and it has been amazing to use. There is a big window opposite the fridge, and without the nano texture the glare from behind makes it hard to read what’s on the screen.
Not sure I would enjoy nano texture on my MacBook. For outdoor use I found that Vivid is great to turn up the brightness using the extended range of HDR that Apple doesn’t otherwise allow me to use.
Oh, I see Macbook screens may become actually usable again. All the Macbooks my employers issued to me previously were only usable with an external screen, or at least with all ceiling lights off, and away from windows.
But never apply it directly on screen. I think it's important to mention you just do not use "some alcohol" but it should be 70% isopropyl alcohol solution.
Btw. alcohol is a very good way to destroy the old glossy screens (non nano texture).
> Btw. alcohol is a very good way to destroy the old glossy screens (non nano texture).
Respectful disagree. My partner's family's go-to surface spray has always been a home-made mix of ~30% methylated spirits to water. That's the only bench spray I've used for 10+ years and I can report it's as effective as any commercial spray, and 10% the price. Just mix it at home and use it everywhere. Kitchen, bathroom, anywhere else. I speak as a clean-freak. It works.
It's also amazing for cleaning laptop screens. I spray it directly on. I shouldn't. I do. I type this on a 5-year-old Macbook Air whose screen has been cleaned countless times using this method. It looks like this. (The moon-surface-like texture at the top is the texture of the reflected wall, above.) https://share.cleanshot.com/bnHrCQDZ
1. Make this mixture in a $1 spray bottle at home.
2. Lock your laptop and press Escape so the screen turns off. Lay it screen-back-down, keyboard open at about 80°, so it sits on the bench.
3. Spray a small amount of this mixture on the screen, directly. But don't be shy. Just don't have the screen be swimming.
4. Wipe carefully with a kitchen towel.
5. Repeat as necessary.
So far the only danger I've found is catching an abrasive particle in the cloth in the wiping process. A pre-wipe can alleviate the issue.
Apparently they're 39.5% isopropyl alcohol. 1 wipe is basically enough to clean 1 laptop screen before it all evaporates. Been using them for over a decade now on my MacBook Airs.
The screen has an oleophobic coating. That is the danger of alcohol, that it strips the coating. For your phone absolutely don't do this. For your laptop it should be fine.
I recently purchased a "paperlike" for my iPad Pro (M4, if it matters).
I'll be honest, it has made the writing like 20% better, but the touching about 50% worse.
The feel of the screen is somewhat irritating, though it looks nice when the backlight is dim so I thought I'd go to Apple and check out the nano-texture.
All I can say is that subjectively, I liked it even less.
I have no idea how people can live with nanotexture on iPad screens.
That said, a consistent issue I have with my Macbook Air and my iPad pro is that the "peripherals" touch the screen. My Macbook ends up with oily cubes where the keyboard and its edge has rubbed up against the screen display; and similarly on the iPad I have a perpetual line where the smart folio has its segments.
I thought I had unusually oily hands and started washing more frequently, but that seems to have made the problem worse somehow. :\
> The screen needs more effort to keep clean than a normal screen and comes with a special wipe that needs to be used instead of microfiber
> I’ve learned to bring my special wipe when I bring my laptop, and I slip a few rubbing alcohol wipes in there as well.
Not for me then, the extra flexibility wouldn't be worth the loss of convenience; I prefer low maintenance and I work mostly indoors anyway. Still, good to have options, I guess.
It looks great but I can't imagine I'll be up to the cleaning protocol.
For outdoor use, I've had some decent success with the app Vivid which hijacks various MacOS abilities to superbrighten your display: https://www.getvivid.app/
I don't touch my display on my MacBook and it's always yucky because of the finger oils on my keyboard, so the thought of having to use a special cloth to clean it always seemed like too much of a hassle for me compared to the glossy display. I did wonder if this improved ever since they added nano texture to the ipad pro, but sounds like fingerprints are still annoying.
I've been using a sunshield I made out of some black mat board for at least a decade now. There's a few little magnets in it to cling to the magnets hidden in my Mac's lid. It's been on like 3-5 computers now, looking increasingly battered; whenever I upgrade I get to see if the magnets are in the same orientation or not.
Works great, I keep it in the padded pocket in my laptop bag next to the computer and the drawing tablet and take it out when I'm sitting in the park.
It's nice to know there are people whose preferences are so different to my own. I'm much happier using a computer indoors, as much as I love doing other things outdoors.
While I’m glad for the author, in that they’ve found something that delights them, this just seems like a really long-winded way to say “matte screens have less glare” - not a new fact.
I've been saying glossy screens are pure cancer for 20 years and every time I was dismissed as a Luddite that should get with the times.
Now they can sell you "nano texture" at a premium after getting you hooked on functionally terrible displays (they look pretty in the store though).
My worst experience with glossy displays was when I had to perform some work outside on a sunny day and I comically could not see a single thing. It looked like a pure black square. I laughed, packed up and left, and told my boss it wasn't happening.
This is a great option if you work outdoors a lot. As a designer though, I couldn’t get used to the “dusty” appearance of the nano texture (and yes, contrast loss – glossy displays are just more punchy) at least on the Pro Display XDR. You mostly get used to it if you aren’t doing design, I’m guessing.
Def a tradeoff that depends on your lifestyle if you work outside a lot (or want to). It does look nice there in the mountains
I’ve been using a nano iPad Pro for a year or so now and fingerprints have never once bothered me. The cleaning cloth works great. I love the nano screen as reflections are just not a problem any more.
I just bought an iPad Pro and really wanted the nano-texture, but that would mean I would also have to upgrade the storage and it made the device too expensive for me.
I bought a Paperlike 3 screen protector and it's ok. Not great, not terrible.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: the nano texture screen decreases the apparent pixel density, so much that my eyes don’t perceive them as retina screens. With nano texture, my eyes feel like looking at individual pixels even though they are not. It introduces a noticeable blurry effect. It’s a huge turn-off. Apple introduced retina screens back in 2010 and this viscerally felt like going back to 2009.
I do not recommend buying nano texture screens without having seen one. I get it that some people won’t be bothered but it’s a big no-no for me. Traditional matte screens are way better.
Pay attention to the compatibility list though. If you use the Cloth™ on an iPhone 4 or earlier then you're in uncharted territory, who knows what could happen.
Works great. I also got a huge one for my TV. Once I learned how to press the bubbles out I was good. The trick is to use a larger bubble to catch the smaller ones and press them out the sides.
Not to my knowledge, I think Samsung was one of their manufacturers for a while, but they do have patents on nano texture which differs somewhat apparently from traditional matte screens. I'd love to understand more of the differences and more about their manufacturing process though.
Not a single demonstration of contrast?
We've had matte screens for a long time that don't show glare. The problem is, the blacks are much more washed-out because that light still has to go somewhere, so it's basically just being smeared across the entire display.
This page shows lots of side-by-side photos of content that is primarily white, and most of the black bits (like text) are too small to make out.
The comparison needs to use things like busy photographs with bright areas and black areas. Then you can judge how much more washed-out the black areas look.
The second photo makes the Nano texture look pretty washed-out, but sadly doesn't include the traditional glossy laptop next to it for comparison, so it's impossible to tell.
Also, in all the side-by-side photos the Nano screen looks like it's set to much brighter. So any fair comparison should have them set to equal brightness. There's no universe in which a glossy screen is going to make the white areas look darker, as they are in all these examples.
I'm very curious if/how the Nano is better, but unfortunately these photos don't do anything to demonstrate it.
Contrast is worse, it's a trade off. For me in most environments there will be bright reflections on the glossy screens, even indoors - your brain actually does a good job of ignoring them to the point you're not even conciously aware most of the time, but when you smear them out with the nano texture display it's just way more comfortable to look at, for me at least.
If I was focused on watching movies, or grading photos in a dark room then glossy would be the way to go.
Depends a lot on the screen and environment in my experience.
A glossy Apple Studio Display or iMac (both of which have a decent antiglare treatment despite being glossy) in an office setting for example isn’t too bad.
On the other hand, your average touchscreen laptop (which are always almost-mirrors with no hint of treatment, for some reason) with screen angled up slightly and overhead fluorescent tube lighting or a skylight on the other hand? Borderline useless if the screen isn’t bright enough to outshine the strong glare covering 40-60%+ of the screen.
Appreciate the feedback and notes here- I would love to revisit the methodology and use a separate physical brightness meter to normalize for that. To my best memory I made sure both devices were at max stock brightness for each photo.
I tried the iPad with Nano Texture and didn’t really like the rainbow effect that shows up on white brackgrounds. So I ended up returning it.
A while later I had an idea to mount an iPad to my fridge so that I could check the weather, add things to my shopping list, play music, etc. I bought the rather expensive iPad with Nano Texture screen and it has been amazing to use. There is a big window opposite the fridge, and without the nano texture the glare from behind makes it hard to read what’s on the screen.
Not sure I would enjoy nano texture on my MacBook. For outdoor use I found that Vivid is great to turn up the brightness using the extended range of HDR that Apple doesn’t otherwise allow me to use.
Oh, I see Macbook screens may become actually usable again. All the Macbooks my employers issued to me previously were only usable with an external screen, or at least with all ceiling lights off, and away from windows.
Alcohol? After research on Apple they allow:
source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/104948But never apply it directly on screen. I think it's important to mention you just do not use "some alcohol" but it should be 70% isopropyl alcohol solution.
Btw. alcohol is a very good way to destroy the old glossy screens (non nano texture).
> Btw. alcohol is a very good way to destroy the old glossy screens (non nano texture).
Respectful disagree. My partner's family's go-to surface spray has always been a home-made mix of ~30% methylated spirits to water. That's the only bench spray I've used for 10+ years and I can report it's as effective as any commercial spray, and 10% the price. Just mix it at home and use it everywhere. Kitchen, bathroom, anywhere else. I speak as a clean-freak. It works.
It's also amazing for cleaning laptop screens. I spray it directly on. I shouldn't. I do. I type this on a 5-year-old Macbook Air whose screen has been cleaned countless times using this method. It looks like this. (The moon-surface-like texture at the top is the texture of the reflected wall, above.) https://share.cleanshot.com/bnHrCQDZ
1. Make this mixture in a $1 spray bottle at home.
2. Lock your laptop and press Escape so the screen turns off. Lay it screen-back-down, keyboard open at about 80°, so it sits on the bench.
3. Spray a small amount of this mixture on the screen, directly. But don't be shy. Just don't have the screen be swimming.
4. Wipe carefully with a kitchen towel.
5. Repeat as necessary.
So far the only danger I've found is catching an abrasive particle in the cloth in the wiping process. A pre-wipe can alleviate the issue.
Yeah, I've always used lens wipes after an Apple employee recommended them to me, said it was what they used in-store (at least at the time):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCOUY05?th=1
Apparently they're 39.5% isopropyl alcohol. 1 wipe is basically enough to clean 1 laptop screen before it all evaporates. Been using them for over a decade now on my MacBook Airs.
I do similar but 30% Isopropyl Alcohol and I mix with distilled water.
The screen has an oleophobic coating. That is the danger of alcohol, that it strips the coating. For your phone absolutely don't do this. For your laptop it should be fine.
I recently purchased a "paperlike" for my iPad Pro (M4, if it matters).
I'll be honest, it has made the writing like 20% better, but the touching about 50% worse.
The feel of the screen is somewhat irritating, though it looks nice when the backlight is dim so I thought I'd go to Apple and check out the nano-texture.
All I can say is that subjectively, I liked it even less.
I have no idea how people can live with nanotexture on iPad screens.
That said, a consistent issue I have with my Macbook Air and my iPad pro is that the "peripherals" touch the screen. My Macbook ends up with oily cubes where the keyboard and its edge has rubbed up against the screen display; and similarly on the iPad I have a perpetual line where the smart folio has its segments.
I thought I had unusually oily hands and started washing more frequently, but that seems to have made the problem worse somehow. :\
> The screen needs more effort to keep clean than a normal screen and comes with a special wipe that needs to be used instead of microfiber
> I’ve learned to bring my special wipe when I bring my laptop, and I slip a few rubbing alcohol wipes in there as well.
Not for me then, the extra flexibility wouldn't be worth the loss of convenience; I prefer low maintenance and I work mostly indoors anyway. Still, good to have options, I guess.
In any case, that was a good and helpful review!
It looks great but I can't imagine I'll be up to the cleaning protocol.
For outdoor use, I've had some decent success with the app Vivid which hijacks various MacOS abilities to superbrighten your display: https://www.getvivid.app/
Yes, the HDR boost is awesome as well, combined with nano texture it feels like overkill, but I love it.
I don't touch my display on my MacBook and it's always yucky because of the finger oils on my keyboard, so the thought of having to use a special cloth to clean it always seemed like too much of a hassle for me compared to the glossy display. I did wonder if this improved ever since they added nano texture to the ipad pro, but sounds like fingerprints are still annoying.
I've been using a sunshield I made out of some black mat board for at least a decade now. There's a few little magnets in it to cling to the magnets hidden in my Mac's lid. It's been on like 3-5 computers now, looking increasingly battered; whenever I upgrade I get to see if the magnets are in the same orientation or not.
Works great, I keep it in the padded pocket in my laptop bag next to the computer and the drawing tablet and take it out when I'm sitting in the park.
It's nice to know there are people whose preferences are so different to my own. I'm much happier using a computer indoors, as much as I love doing other things outdoors.
I love the nanotexture on my 2020 27” 5k Intel iMac.
Agreed. Glad he's happy, but there's no way I am using a computer for a long time outdoors.
While I’m glad for the author, in that they’ve found something that delights them, this just seems like a really long-winded way to say “matte screens have less glare” - not a new fact.
Author here, I published this a few months back but have been continuing to use it on a daily basis - everything I wrote stands
Feel free to ask any other questions!
I tried the iPad Pro with Nano Texture and found the display to have a rainbow grain, especially on pure white backgrounds.
Are you bothered by anything similar on the MacBook?
I've been saying glossy screens are pure cancer for 20 years and every time I was dismissed as a Luddite that should get with the times.
Now they can sell you "nano texture" at a premium after getting you hooked on functionally terrible displays (they look pretty in the store though).
My worst experience with glossy displays was when I had to perform some work outside on a sunny day and I comically could not see a single thing. It looked like a pure black square. I laughed, packed up and left, and told my boss it wasn't happening.
glossy screens are better for visual clarity, especially contrast (reduces eye strain when reading text)
Yes the visual clarity of staring into a reflection of my own shirt, and any light within 10m.
There is no worse eye strain that looking at anything that isn't supposed to be on the screen. It's 90% noise.
This is a great option if you work outdoors a lot. As a designer though, I couldn’t get used to the “dusty” appearance of the nano texture (and yes, contrast loss – glossy displays are just more punchy) at least on the Pro Display XDR. You mostly get used to it if you aren’t doing design, I’m guessing.
Def a tradeoff that depends on your lifestyle if you work outside a lot (or want to). It does look nice there in the mountains
It's a shame they don't offer it on the macbook Air
> I have to swat other people’s hands away when they try to point something out on my screen with their pizza fingers.
How are fingerprints on iPad Pro nano texture touchscreens?
I’ve been using a nano iPad Pro for a year or so now and fingerprints have never once bothered me. The cleaning cloth works great. I love the nano screen as reflections are just not a problem any more.
I just bought an iPad Pro and really wanted the nano-texture, but that would mean I would also have to upgrade the storage and it made the device too expensive for me.
I bought a Paperlike 3 screen protector and it's ok. Not great, not terrible.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: the nano texture screen decreases the apparent pixel density, so much that my eyes don’t perceive them as retina screens. With nano texture, my eyes feel like looking at individual pixels even though they are not. It introduces a noticeable blurry effect. It’s a huge turn-off. Apple introduced retina screens back in 2010 and this viscerally felt like going back to 2009.
I do not recommend buying nano texture screens without having seen one. I get it that some people won’t be bothered but it’s a big no-no for me. Traditional matte screens are way better.
The Flatirons are such a unique foothills, they're instantly recognizable.
They give you a cleaning cloth? Did I accidentally throw mine away!?
not to worry. Apple will gladly provide a replacement in exchange for USD$19
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mw693am/a/polishing-cloth
A microfiber cloth apparently so notable that it even has its own Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Polishing_Cloth
Pay attention to the compatibility list though. If you use the Cloth™ on an iPhone 4 or earlier then you're in uncharted territory, who knows what could happen.
You bought a car that requires premium grade fuel, you gotta pay for the premium grade.
Yeah, it was in the box with all the compliance paperwork, where the stickers used to be.
Apple doesn't even include stickers anymore?
I heard they didn't but I got stickers in both my iphone and macbook pro boxes. Go figure.
You’ve convinced me that this might be worth it on a laptop display.
How is this different from the Steam Deck optional etched glass?
I ordered a custom matte film from this company for my 27-inch iMac: https://www.glarestopper.com
Works great. I also got a huge one for my TV. Once I learned how to press the bubbles out I was good. The trick is to use a larger bubble to catch the smaller ones and press them out the sides.
excellent article...well done
Thank you!
Unfortunately they don't have it for the MacBook Air. Only the heavy Pro.
Apple makes panels?
Not to my knowledge, I think Samsung was one of their manufacturers for a while, but they do have patents on nano texture which differs somewhat apparently from traditional matte screens. I'd love to understand more of the differences and more about their manufacturing process though.