Laptop Users Prefer Matte to Glossy
Does it matter whether your laptop screen is the traditional matte finish or the newer glossy-type finish? Laptop manufacturers and even makers of desktop LCD screens have long been marketing their new glossy, anti-reflective screens as preferable. True enough, these give off brighter, crisper images with higher contrast. However, they have a tendency to give off more glare. And they’re pricier than traditional matte LCD screens.
Manufacturers must be in for a surprise when Lenovo released results from its recent user survey, which found out that majority of laptop users prefer matte, anti-glare screens instead of the glossy ones!
Ars Technica has a good analysis of why a lot still prefer matte to glossy.
So if people dislike glossy screens so much, how come you can see entire rows of laptops in Best Buy equipped with them? There are some advantages to having a glossy screen: in particular, outdoor visibility is greatly increased. However, most of us don’t work on our laptops outdoors, but many people do use them in a work situation, where overhead lighting causes massive glare on glossy screens. Glossy screens also have richer, more vibrant colors, which may explain their prevalence on the display shelf. Newer coating technologies are able to reduce glare somewhat while maintaining bright colors and a glossy sheen.
Lenovo’s poll may not reflect the true preference of the buying public in general, as online polls tend to be self-selecting, and ThinkPad customers are more likely to use their laptops in work environments. However, the results are still dramatic. While glossy screens may be the current fad, manufacturers would be better served by offering their customers a matte option for all models.
Glossy screens are meant for multimedia viewing, and are better for the outdoors. However, considering that most laptop users–particularly Lenovo’s target clientele–are in the business sector, they would most likely prefer matte screens, which are not prone to glare (office lamps and lights are a particularly dominant source of glare).
Still, if you are planning to buy a laptop or an LCD monitor soon, don’t just follow the market hype. Do buy according to what you need. If you will be using your monitor for multimedia purposes most of the time, such as watching movies and editing pictures, then by all means get a glossy LCD monitor (or a laptop with a glossy screen). If you are going to use it predminantly for document editing, web browsing and the like, then a matte finish would be more ideal.
Refer to our previous article comparing matte and glossy screens (which come with different marketing names, depending on brand, such as ClearView, BrightView, etc.)
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