Glossy or matte screen. Glossy or matte monitor - an eternal dilemma

When you buy a laptop or monitor, you are faced with a choice: matte or glossy? Which screen coating is better? The thing that turns into a “mirror” in the light of the Sun, or the one on which the colors seem faded?

We hope this article will help you decide.

Glossy vs matte

Where did this opposition come from? After all, both glossy and matte monitors use the same LCD panels.

However, manufacturers produce glossy and matte monitors, and buyers are faced with the agony of choice.

Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each coating.

Glossy displays are more “bright”. They have more saturated, intense and contrasting color rendering; especially deep black color. That's a plus.

However, they shine in the Sun. This is a minus. If you often work outdoors or your workspace is near a window, glare may bother you.

Matte displays have an anti-reflective coating that reduces glare. Therefore, in rooms with bright artificial or natural lighting, it is more comfortable to work with such monitors.

The disadvantage of matte displays is their fading. The colors look a little duller on them.

The pros and cons of glossy and matte monitors are clearly demonstrated by the photo on the cover. On the left is matte Dell, and on the right is glossy Apple.

What to choose?

It all depends on your goals.

If you're looking for a desktop monitor and the room isn't very lit, you'll probably want a glossy finish with more vibrant colors.

If you are buying a laptop and plan to often work outdoors (on the terrace on a sunny day), then look for a matte display. Similarly, when buying a monitor for a desktop computer in very good lighting conditions (table by the window, powerful lamps). But remember: the AR coating on a matte display will not protect you 100% from glare, but it will be slightly less noticeable than on a glossy screen.

Of course, it is impossible to create ideal conditions for the entire life of the screen (especially if we are talking about a laptop). Today your desk is far from the window, and tomorrow you have been moved to an office filled with sunlight. Therefore, when choosing a glossy or matte display, you are making a compromise in any case.

(The photo shows not only laptops with a matte (left) and glossy (right) finish, but also different models from different generations. Please do not make direct comparisons.)

If it were possible to make a monitor where, at the click of your fingers, the matte finish would change to glossy (and vice versa), many would be happy. After all, this would allow you to “tune” the monitor to specific conditions. But this is impossible.

Therefore, the opposition “glossy vs matte” will probably continue to exist. After all, how many people there are, so many opinions.

Many people, planning to buy a new netbook, laptop or monitor, are faced with the fact that the type of coating on the screens of these devices is matte or glossy. A number of questions immediately arise about the differences between a glossy screen and a matte one. In this material we will try to help you understand which screen is better suited in your particular case - glossy or matte.

The question of whether a glossy or matte laptop screen is better will soon disappear by itself. Most manufacturers have been producing gadgets with glossy screens exclusively for several generations. But the opinion of manufacturers is most likely dictated not so much by user convenience as by the presentation of the device on the shelf. First of all, a laptop with a shiny, glossy screen has a better presentation than its counterparts with matte screens. The main advantage of screens of this type is the quality of the picture and color rendition in rooms where direct rays of light do not fall on them. Otherwise, a mirror effect is created, and the user will not be able to see anything other than his own reflection. The advantage of such screens is that the picture on them is much brighter and more contrast, and the black color is much more saturated. In conditions of diffuse lighting in a room, the viewing angle of the image on a glossy laptop screen or monitor will be much greater than on a matte analogue.

If you choose a device with a matte screen, then you need to be prepared for the fact that it will be inferior in color and brightness to its glossy counterparts. This feature of these devices is caused by applying a special anti-reflective layer to the surface of the screen. The picture will be not so “lively” and a little grainy, but where the monitor is exposed to light or direct sunlight, the image on a matte screen will be clearly visible, unlike a glossy one. You need to be careful with such screens; you should not touch them with greasy hands; if stains appear, it will be quite problematic to erase them.

Before purchasing, be sure to consider the conditions in which you will use the device most often. If there is a window behind your workplace, then it is better to give preference to a matte screen. Well, if you want to use the device in a room illuminated by diffuse light, and you are picky about image quality, then it is better to choose a glossy one.

Elya | December 9, 2012, 10:23 pm
Marina, first you need to decide where you will use the laptop.
If you have it in a bright room in daylight, especially against the light, then the reflectivity of a glossy monitor is very high. It is so large that you can apply makeup to your face, looking at the monitor as if in a mirror. You can, of course, move it back and forth from a dark room to a light one and thereby adjust the comfort of using the glossy laptop screen for its intended purpose. But even in a fairly darkened room, if there is a light source behind you, then, for example, watching a movie or other viewing-related activity will cause you slight eye strain. Imagine what will happen in daylight... Also, all the specks of dust, fingerprints and... splashes from the tangerine you just ate will be visible on the glossy screen.

Unlike a glossy screen, a matte screen has only advantages in terms of the parameters I cited above, namely: it is comfortable for the eyes everywhere and always - in the dark, in light (daylight and artificial) of different directions. Does not require frequent wiping to remove dust, stains and other obscenities. This does not mean that it will be cleaner than glossy, you just won’t see any of it.

If we consider the test subjects (glossy and matte) in terms of color rendering quality, contrast, etc. in a static and dynamic picture, then the glossy screen is undoubtedly ahead. In addition, when viewing the screen at an angle to the frontal plane of the eye, the image quality on a glossy monitor screen decreases very slightly. The same cannot be said about the matte screen.

So, to summarize: if eye comfort and ease of use in any conditions are important to you, then buy a laptop with a matte screen. If you need color rendering of images in a room with second light, using a laptop as a desktop computer (in one place), adjusting the environment to it (light, positioning yourself to the light, etc.), an additional mirror, then consider glossy models. My advice is thoughtful and supported by experience in using both.

VVladimir | December 9, 2012, 20:34
A glossy screen is very tiring for the eyes if there are any light or luminous objects behind it. This is especially bad when working with a laptop outdoors and during the day. Therefore, for long-term comfortable work with texts, it is recommended to use a matte screen.

Glossy has the advantage of higher contrast and improved color rendition. If these factors are important to you, then it’s worth looking at someone’s similar screen at work to understand whether you will be comfortable working with gloss?

Laptops have recently completely switched to a matte Samsung screen, and there are also Vostro laptops. In a store, on rows of shelves with laptops, the difference between a glossy and matte screen is clearly visible.

Crimson | December 8, 2012, 2:20 p.m.
Take matte ones - they reflect and glare less.

Eugene | 6 December 2012, 14:16
Whichever one you like best is better.

The article vehemently calls for the purchase of matte monitors, but is not substantiated at all! I use both matte and glossy monitors regularly, depending on the occasion (I own a large computer company, there is no shortage of monitors). I prefer glossy, the glare doesn’t interfere at all, but when working with graphics, especially with small drawings and working with web design, when every pixel is important, you can’t think of a better glossy monitor, it smooths out the image, while matte makes the image lumpy and you can work with it efficiently impossible, especially when there is a difference of 1px or 2px. In addition, on a glossy photo it looks realistic, especially with a good matrix, on a glossy photo ALL photos look unreal, and the same IPS matrix only adds unreality on a matte monitor, overexposing the colors and they don’t even look close to the images in comparison, for example, with a CRT . It’s primitive to sit on a matte one in a browser and it’s fine in Word; for serious tasks, only glossy.

Andrey:
March 16, 2012 at 10:48 am

“It’s primitive to sit in a browser on a matte surface and it’s fine in Word; for serious tasks, only glossy.”

I SIT PRIMITIVELY 90% OF THE TIME

“and the same IPS matrix only adds unreality to a matte monitor”

MANY DESIGNERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO STAND AWAY FROM CRT MONITORS. AND STRANGELY, THEY LOVED IPS. AND GLOSS IS SECONDARY HERE IN PRINCIPLE.

“The article vehemently calls for the purchase of matte monitors”

IT IS HARDLY THAT THE ARTICLE IS SOMETHING MARKETING - HERE PEOPLE SHARE THEIR “IMHO” AND ALSO THEIR EXPERIENCE - WHICH IS MORE VALUABLE. GLOSS IS NOT DEADLY, BUT IN SOME CASES IT DOES MORE HARM THAN BENEFIT, AND AN EXCELLENT MATRIX DOESN'T NEED GLOSS (IMHO)

Since matte films for Apple monitors are on sale, that means there IS a demand for them (this is the law of sales). Therefore, even at such elite monitors it is impossible to sit normally in a brightly lit place. If you don’t believe me, read here: “Yes, the screen glares in the light, but high brightness (375 cd/sq.m.) largely compensates for this drawback.”

Moreover, I have two laptops of the same price category and practically the same characteristics, and I got rid of the glossy one a long time ago. This time! Secondly, they sell excellent calibrated and tuned matte monitors. I don’t know, no text there is small or cloudy, apparently your EC was completely off the charts on matte.

Vasya:
December 16, 2014 at 5:33 am

It’s just that you don’t hear me. You draw a conclusion based on just two laptops and even decided to write an article after that! But how can you be so biased, because there are many more monitors and laptops. And you need to take at least a dozen of them for comparison. This is what I did in stores, as well as in the offices of my friends (choosing a monitor for myself) to really see all the pros and cons.

Are they selling films for Apple monitors? So these are questions for the Chinese. Few people buy them for a monitor for 60,000 rubles, believe me. And those who buy it only for the sake of experiment or when sitting clearly in front of a window or lamp.

Understand that the matrix is ​​not initially matte at all, but the matte coating is applied (micro-irregularities), they help prevent the monitor from reflecting, but at the same time they block light. And increasing the brightness will not help here, alas. A cloudy picture and flat colors are the price to pay for the lack of glare.

Here's some advice for you - take a matte film and stick it on the screen of the same iPad or some smartphone. Yes - there will be less glare on their glossy screens, but the image will also deteriorate. This is even more noticeable on monitors.

Julia Ria:
December 16, 2014 at 9:15 am

No, not two laptops. Again an example of your hasty conclusions.

And you don’t want to accept the fact that on matte monitors there can be a very small ke, which means no haze. I admit the fact, and I already wrote in the comments, that if it’s glossy, it’s only expensive. If you choose from a budget or mid-price category, then a matte screen is better.

Moreover, it all depends on the sensitivity of the eyes. Some people can read well in the dark, so I think there’s no point in talking in your key...

:
December 16, 2014 at 9:48 am

Vasya, how much of an expert are you in this matter? If you have something to say, but with links to verified sources, you are welcome. Additional information from specialists is never included if it helps the buyer decide what is best to buy. I can publish your article/note on this issue (if you are somehow related to monitors).

Choose a glossy or matte laptop screen when purchasing

1. Introduction
2. Pros and cons of glossy and matte screens
3. Conclusion

So, introduction

What kind of screen (or more accurately the coating) of a laptop will be decides a lot. After all, having chosen once, a glossy or matte laptop screen, you will either be faced with a successful purchase or a disappointment. (Plus, we advise you to pay attention to the issue of timely cleaning your laptop from dust).

These two types of coating are very common in models of various laptop manufacturers. This is because they have their own strengths and weaknesses (or, more precisely, directions).

Let's say more, in order to release any laptop model, the manufacturer develops it for specific tasks and purposes, so that users, having bought it, can make maximum use of it in the workplace or at home.

Pros and cons of glossy and matte laptop screens

• Pros of glossy screens:

Better color rendering and contrast. And this is not an exaggeration. This coating really has brighter and clearer colors. Which will be very preferable for those who are involved in image processing and editing and other similar areas of work with colors and shades.

• Cons of a glossy screen:

Glare on the screen due to light sources falling on it (lamps, lamps behind you, or you are just outside on a sunny day). And this is not an easy nitpick; this type of coating really reflects the light falling on it unpleasantly (unlike matte).

Plus, some users complained of eye fatigue, which is not surprising since light glare can strain the eyes. But whether this is a big disadvantage is up to you to decide, since many users are hardly bothered by this. Although, if, for example, your workplace is always brightly lit, then you should not pay attention to this nuance.

It's better to see how one of your colleagues with a glossy or matte screen is doing in a bright room, so you can determine what is acceptable for you. Let’s just note that for many this is an important parameter of a laptop, without taking it into account, after the purchase they greatly regret that they were in a hurry.

Also, on the glossy screen, various marks are very visible (handprints, fingers, food and anything else that comes into contact with it). And this is true; fingerprints are very noticeable.

In a dimly lit room it may not be so obvious, but in a lit room you will be able to see everything that came into contact with the screen all day. This can be corrected either by wiping the surface with a napkin or by carefully using the device without touching it numerous times.

• Pros of a matte screen:

The main advantage (as opposed to glossy ones) is that the matte coating does not reflect light reflections. That is, in view of this, it is very convenient to work with it in a well-lit room or on the street. This also results in less eye fatigue if you have to work for a very long time. Typically, a matte finish on laptops is recommended for office work with text or numbers.

Another noticeable advantage of a matte finish is that it is not as easily soiled as a glossy finish. Or rather, it’s almost not noticeable at all, no matter how you touch it, unlike the glossy one.

• Disadvantages of matte finish:

Noticeably worse color rendering and contrast. And this is not an easy nuance; it really is so and is not noticeable to the naked eye. Therefore, this type is not recommended for work related to editing and processing color images.

Conclusion based on pros and cons

Based on these advantages and disadvantages, you can decide exactly what type of laptop screen you should give preference to. Because it turns out that if you work with color editing most of the time (photography, postcards, design, etc.), then you are better off considering laptop models with a glossy screen finish.

If, on the contrary, your daily activity comes down to working with texts, numbers, and Internet searches, then most likely you should choose a matte one (although this is at your discretion, since this is not so important). Why do you think a laptop starts to make noise over time? The answer is simple, it can be found in the note the laptop started making noise, how to fix it.

It is important to understand that in any case it would be a good idea to independently consider a specific model. Judging only by reviews, you should not randomly order a laptop (or not) to your home. It’s better to come to the store and ask to put two types of screens next to each other and include different types of files on them (pictures, videos, games, and so on).

This is the surest option to make a good purchase, since everything may be written accurately and correctly on the manufacturer’s website (or, according to reviews), but this does not mean that you will like it. It contains only technical information for a number of models, and you can only find out exactly how it looks and functions by personally touching it with your hands.

Conclusion

In the end, I would like to say that buying a laptop should be accompanied by an integrated approach. For example, you can search for information about it on the Internet (reviews and recommendations), ask friends for advice, or seek help from specialists. This way, you can take into account the greatest number of nuances when purchasing and not make a mistake when choosing a glossy or matte screen for a laptop.