The next-gen MacBook Pro with Retina Display Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 23, 2012 4:14 AM EST- Posted in
- Mac
- Apple
- MacBook Pro
- Laptops
- Notebooks
The King of All Notebook Displays
For years Apple has been shipping some of the best displays in consumer notebooks, but the MacBook Pro’s Retina Display is in a league of its own. While I never liked the phrase “painted on” in reference to the iPad and iPhone Retina Displays, that’s the best way I can describe the effect the MacBook Pro’s Retina Display has on me. Text really does look painted on. The effect is really the result of two things.
The first is Apple’s removal of its cover glass. LCD panels aren’t particularly attractive, they are ugly squares composed of two pieces of glass and a number of filters/polarizers. To hide the ugly edges, display makers wrap bezels around the display. Most people aren’t fond of bezels so next came a ton of effort to minimize bezel size. An alternative is to simply place a third piece of glass over the entire LCD assembly and make it look as if the bezel and LCD panel are integrated. This outermost layer is known as a cover glass and is what Apple uses on all of its glossy displays. If you’ve ever taken apart a Cinema/Thunderbolt Display or a newer iMac you’ll know that the cover glass is literally just a piece of glass that you have to remove with some suction cups.
Non-Retina MacBook Pro, notice the gap between the outermost LCD glass and the cover glass
The MacBook Pro’s Retina Display does away with the cover glass and instead uses a fairly unique LCD assembly. There are still two pieces of glass but the outermost glass is actually a different size and shape - it integrates a bezel. By integrating the bezel into the outermost glass in the LCD stack you get the same effect as a cover glass but without the added reflections it introduces.
You also limit the possibility of dust getting trapped between the cover glass and the LCD. The danger is that you no longer have a protective piece of glass in front of your expensive new LCD. If you scratch the display you're scratching the LCD itself. While this has been true for conventional matte displays for a while, it's worth mentioning if you're used to Apple's glossy displays where you did have that added security layer.
The MacBook Pro with Retina Display, no gap, no cover glass
The 2011 MacBook Pro with High-Res Matte display option, no cover glass, top bezel
From left to right: 2010 High Res Glossy MBP, 2012 rMBP, 2011 High Res Matte MBP
Glare handling indoors - 2011 High Res, Glossy MBP (left) vs 2012 rMBP (right)
Glare handling indoors - 2012 rMBP (left) vs. 2011 High Res, Matte MBP (right)
The Retina Display is also obviously an extremely high resolution panel at 2880 x 1800. Note that this is 44.6% more pixels than Apple’s 27-inch Thunderbolt Display, and 26.6% more pixels than the 30-inch panels that we’ve loved for so long - all in a 15.4-inch notebook display.
An iPhoto shortcut, High Res 2011 MBP (left) vs. Retina Display MBP (right)
At 220 pixels per inch it’s easily the highest density consumer notebook panel shipping today. At normal viewing distances and even with my face closer than I’m comfortable putting it I simply cannot discern individual pixels.
It’s the combination of these two elements, the removal of the cover glass and the insanely high pixel density that makes everything from text to UI elements just look painted on the new Retina Display. And the effect is gorgeous. I’ve never seen a prettier panel and it’s actually ruined me for pretty much all other displays, notebook and desktop.
While I can appreciate the iPad’s Retina Display, the impact from the MacBook Pro’s display is even more significant. Perhaps it’s because I still spend so much time working on a standard, non-tablet display, but I’m far more excited about this display than anything else Apple has delivered under the Retina moniker.
It’s not just pixel density that Apple has to offer here. Similar to its Retina Displays in the iPhone and iPad, the MacBook Pro’s Retina panel ditches TN in favor of IPS technology. The result is an incredible improvement in viewing angles. On a notebook I don’t spend a lot of time viewing it from far left/right angles, although I see the benefit when I’ve got others huddled around my display. Here the panel performs admirably - you lose brightness at far left/right angles but there’s no perceivable color shift. In fact, the painted on effect is even more impressive at these far left/right viewing angles.
The rMBP straight on
The rMBP viewed from the left
For a single user however the more impressive characteristic is just how good the display looks at vertically off-center angles. I wrote much of the initial parts of this review while on an airplane in coach, which with a 15-inch notebook on my lap means I’m going to be looking at the display at a weird angle to begin with. The thinner rMBP doesn’t do enough to make the airplane usage model any better if the person in front of you decides to recline, but the IPS panel does make the display perfectly usable at the off-center angle you’ll inevitably have to deal with.
2010 High Res, Glossy MBP (left) vs. 2012 rMBP (right)
Hello colorshift!
2010 High Res, Glossy MBP (left) vs. 2012 rMBP (right)
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hyrule4927 - Sunday, June 24, 2012 - link
I did, and if Cinebench was pushing the same temperatures you saw in your test, then a lack of throttling is certainly not something to applaud. Nobody likes throttling, but it is certainly better than temperatures on the verge of thermal protection shutdown.jc@home - Sunday, June 24, 2012 - link
I am testing my rMBP for almost 1 hour so far via Prime95. Got some results below.• Environment: 28°C indoor beside window w/o air condition
rMBP via System Monitor (Mac App)
CPU@100% : 68~72°C
rMBP via DesktopMonitor or iStat
CPU Heatsink@100% : 53~56°C
GPU : 63°C
GPU Diode : 68~71°C
wfolta - Saturday, June 23, 2012 - link
I haven't read this anywhere else, but just stumbled onto it: In the Get Info window for an application, there is a checkbox that says "Open in Low Resolution". This box is checked for Pages, for example. Unchecking it clears up the text enormously. Why would the box be there and why is it checked for iWorks packages? (And is there any harm in unchecking it and getting clearer text?)EnerJi - Saturday, June 23, 2012 - link
Are the GUI elements still rendered at the same size or are they now half the size? I would expect them to be half size.wfolta - Saturday, June 23, 2012 - link
Oddly enough, in Pages the GUI icons are slightly larger. It's almost as if they simply had to throw that switch and the apps were already ready.I've noticed other apps, like Twitter, have the box checked but it's also greyed out so it can't be turned off.
tipoo - Sunday, June 24, 2012 - link
Do those have a dust filter or a metal mesh grille on them to prevent stuff getting sucked in? Hard to make that out in pictures, just curious. Also I'm curious if blocking them would raise the temperatures significantly, that was one of the things I liked about the MBP design vs bottom suckers, no worry of blocking airflow.wfolta - Sunday, June 24, 2012 - link
I can't see any screens from the outside, so I agree it's a little worrisome. Don't use it where dust or insects might get in. (And it does suck the air in through the vents, not out.)drwho9437 - Sunday, June 24, 2012 - link
Having been a reader since before the Athlon was released, having learned the pencil trick at Ace's in those days, I am saddened by the cool-aid style of the Apple articles as of late. As a regular Apple user I think Anand should co-write these with someone who is not to reduce the subjectivity.While I appreciate IPS and higher resolution. For instance we did not see a 17 page piece on the X220 for its IPS display, all be it a lower resolution one, nor the ability to have SSD + a mechanical disc at 3 lbs or run for massively more than a full work day.
Thunderbolt is neat, but like Firewire it could well be killed by USB 3's legacy and ubiquitous nature. For instance in the mass market most people aren't going to have a PC like monitor with cards in it, because most people don't buy any upgrades to computers, they just buy computers. So while I like myself having PCIe over a cable on a technical level I don't see it being in high demand if it add cost, which such a fast transceiver does, if Intel chooses to put it in everything then it could become established, but assuming the card statement is true most people would have to plug in 3 wires rather than 2 to "dock" (USB 3 -> Hub; power; monitor).
I guess what I am saying is that articles that make statements like "Apple is successful because its competitors have all been selfishly focused on themselves rather than all coming together to build better computers", which are just opinions are rather pointless, everyone has an opinion. My opinion is Apple's success speaks to the shallowness of people, form over function. The premium price as seen in this latest release allows them to load their products with all the latest stuff but at a price that makes it a BMW and not a Toyota. Are BMWs good cars? Yes. Does their price meet their performance? No. Visit Top Gear UK's review of the BMW 3 series, where they pointed out that BMWs were now more common than the comparable Ford. The point is the popularity was brand driven and that society still thinks it is cool, but when everyone has one, when Apple's market cap is larger than Microsoft's when will people realize there isn't anything exclusive about the brand anymore?
The reasons I make these points is not because I dislike Apple (beyond their closed nature), but because I strongly feel that if it didn't say Apple this review would have read:
Its a great screen but 2200 dollars is a lot for a screen and one that doesn't work properly with all software yet on the market. Add to that that you can't upgrade the laptop and it has no customizable options, and we think you may wish to wait (as per all the tablet/cell reviews) until these resolution panels are adopted across the market.
Though perhaps I am biased myself, I couldn't in good conscious give an award to something that I can't service, can't upgrade, and doesn't play well with anything but Apple software at the moment. I get the over all excitement, I've had nothing but IPS desktop displays for over 8 years, but yeah I can't help reading this as the review of a Nikon owner who's D700 just got upgraded to a D800, which is to say very shaded by the reviewer's familiarity and own desires for improvements.
wfolta - Sunday, June 24, 2012 - link
The Thinkpad X220 was in fact rated the best 12" business laptop, bar none. But it doesn't break any ground. The X220 is a great ultrabook, while the Retina Macbook Pro is a great laptop that they've managed to cram into an ultrabook form factor, including a display that no laptop made can match at any price. That's breaking ground, and perhaps deserves a longer review.You do realize that the rMPB is actually thinner than the X220 and only weighs 33% more, even though it's a 15" and has higher internal capacities, right? Once you pump up the X220 to be as comparable to the Retina Macbook Pro as possible, you've saved yourself 33% off of the rMBP, but you've also gotten half of the SSD, a smaller screen (physically and pixel-wise), fewer fast ports, the probable need for a dock, etc, etc.
The complaint about configuration was based on having two tiers of models instead of being continuously configurable from lowest to highest end. It doesn't mean the machine isn't configurable. You can upgrade the SSD, and you can order the rMBP with twice the RAM that the X220 is capable of holding.
"Doesn't play well with anything" is a ridiculous statement, when what you evidently mean is that some software is not optimized for it. "Can't service" is also ridiculous: if it breaks you can get it fixed.
If you want to say, "Hey, for 1/3 less money, I can get a mostly-smaller laptop that is lighter, has better battery life, a pretty amazing screen, and a CPU that's comparable", feel free. But you went way over the top and lost your case along the way.
vision33r - Sunday, June 24, 2012 - link
Very few folks in the tech biz today that aren't biased. Anand delivers another unbiased review of a remarkable device.I know very few of your readers here have nice things to say about Apple but all I can say is most of the folks are just extremely envious and zealous of Apple.
There is not one other company out there that is as focused as Apple and the sad part is their focus on consumer devices makes them seem like they only cater to avg Joes but their designs are really cream of the crop.
It's all in the details where it really matters unlike all the other PC guys that are just doing numbers and spec sheet battles of trivial specs.
In the end, most consumer that walk in the Apple store will see one and want one.
All other PC mfg will just copy, copy, and copy... it's the sad truth but it's fine. Competition is good.