I too am perplexed at how bad some modern displays are given the available tech.
250 nits in 2023 is a joke.
I bought a Dell 27" 4K monitor during the pandemic that ended up being too dim and the most flare-prone coating I've ever encountered. Dunk on the Apple 27" 5K display all we want, but it's insanely bright and almost impossible to glare.
It cost 3x what my Dell did but it's essentially usable in my home office where the Dell monitor was not usable.
Well most people live and work with dim screens and it's fine-ish if you also work in dim environments with shades on your windows or don't get much sun. I think 90% of PC displays sold don't go above 300 nits.
I also only had such displays growing up but now I need more since my current apartment is hella bright from all the sun exposure.
On the top level, the Dell is a better monitor overall, and even rated better for Office Use.
Then you scroll down to the brightness & reflections sub-scores and it's not even close. A+ Apple vs C to D- for Dell.
Every review you read will tell you how overpriced and mediocre the Apple monitor is. Then you go to a more detailed site like rtings & filter for high brightness & reflections ratings.. you don't end up with many other options. Pretty big gap in the market.
I encountered this when shopping for TVs - OLED can give you much better blacks while QLED can give you might brighter brights. So which tech you go with depends on if you have a bright sunny living room or a dark basement home theater. Do you watch TV during daylight all Saturday, or after dark weeknights night, etc?
I think a lot of people put up with it, but it isn't their preference.
On average, MacBook displays have been very bright for a long time. Arguably this is because people take laptops into more disparate lighting conditions outside a dark home office. Even the cheapest models, a 2020 Intel MB Air is 400nits and MB Air M2 is 500nits. You have to go back to 2017 to get a 300nit display on a MB Air. MB Pros have been 500nits+ as far back as 2017, if not further.
Probably one of the things people love about MacBooks and don't realize why.
Comments
I too am perplexed at how bad some modern displays are given the available tech.
250 nits in 2023 is a joke.
I bought a Dell 27" 4K monitor during the pandemic that ended up being too dim and the most flare-prone coating I've ever encountered. Dunk on the Apple 27" 5K display all we want, but it's insanely bright and almost impossible to glare.
It cost 3x what my Dell did but it's essentially usable in my home office where the Dell monitor was not usable.
So the Dell was 1/3 the cost for 0% of the value.
Well most people live and work with dim screens and it's fine-ish if you also work in dim environments with shades on your windows or don't get much sun. I think 90% of PC displays sold don't go above 300 nits.
I also only had such displays growing up but now I need more since my current apartment is hella bright from all the sun exposure.
I found that rtings.com was the only site with enough detail to completely nerd out and find the right monitor.
My Dell - https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/dell/ultrasharp-u2720... My Apple - https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/apple/studio-display
On the top level, the Dell is a better monitor overall, and even rated better for Office Use.
Then you scroll down to the brightness & reflections sub-scores and it's not even close. A+ Apple vs C to D- for Dell.
Every review you read will tell you how overpriced and mediocre the Apple monitor is. Then you go to a more detailed site like rtings & filter for high brightness & reflections ratings.. you don't end up with many other options. Pretty big gap in the market.
I encountered this when shopping for TVs - OLED can give you much better blacks while QLED can give you might brighter brights. So which tech you go with depends on if you have a bright sunny living room or a dark basement home theater. Do you watch TV during daylight all Saturday, or after dark weeknights night, etc?
I think a lot of people put up with it, but it isn't their preference.
On average, MacBook displays have been very bright for a long time. Arguably this is because people take laptops into more disparate lighting conditions outside a dark home office. Even the cheapest models, a 2020 Intel MB Air is 400nits and MB Air M2 is 500nits. You have to go back to 2017 to get a 300nit display on a MB Air. MB Pros have been 500nits+ as far back as 2017, if not further.
Probably one of the things people love about MacBooks and don't realize why.
I have some ordinary Dell monitors at work, at the display is set to 50% brightness.
Is the issue that offices tend not to have screens in direct sunlight, but homes often aren't designed like this?
Offices have big floor plates and the majority of people are sat nowhere near a window.
Home offices, are generally in a bedroom, which by fire code has a window.