glossy vs matte lcd screen factory

Yes, matte screens objectively don’t look as good as glossy. But that’s in a highly controlled environment. In the real world, matte monitor surfaces are the only practical and rational way to go.

Matte monitors employ plastic surfaces made of different polymers that undergo an etching process. Either chemical or mechanical, the etching creates an enormous number of grooves or indentations in the screen surface. These serve to reduce reflectivity by scattering light that hits the monitor. While some minor glare may still occur, it never even comes close to the full-on reflections you have with glossy displays.

But a screen that rejects light invariably also blocks light. While glossy screens allow whatever the display shows to come through nearly unfiltered, matte screens block much more of the monitor’s light output. In essence, with matte screens you get less image illumination, or just less image. Some minor details may be diminished, contrast gets lowered, and colors don’t appear as alive as with a glossy screen.

But your poor eyes also don’t need to put up with stressful reflections and tiresome glare. Nor do you need to fear touching the screen, as matte displays don’t grab fingerprints as readily as glossy screens. Thus, for monitors matte makes the better option. You don’t need to worry about placing a lamp on your work or gaming station, because reflections won’t be an issue. You don’t have to think ten times before opening the curtains and letting some light in. With matte screens, light isn’t your enemy.

Unlike TVs, for monitors matte makes for an absolutely obvious choice, especially since modern monitors continue to add brightness. While even five years ago a 300-nit monitor was good, today you easily get 500-1000-nit panels that meet DisplayHDR 400 and DisplayHDR 1000 requirements. While monitors get brighter, matte materials stay the same and so in effect more light shines through the anti-glare protection. Simply put, image quality on matte monitors keeps improving. You’d be hard pressed to tell the difference in most cases.

Can you not see your laptop’s screen in a bright room, or do you think the colors on your desktop computer’s display look dull and lifeless? Maybe you chose the wrong type of display coating.

Glossy and matte displays use the same LCD panels. The only real difference between these two types of displays is the coating applied to the screen. In controlled situations, glossy and matte displays will look fairly similar.

This similarity is why there’s such a great debate between the two. Manufacturers can’t settle on one best coating, and different users prefer different coatings based on what they want out of a screen. You have a choice between screens with different coatings when buying a computer monitor or laptop.

Glossy displays have more vivid color and contrast. Colors appear more intense and saturated, while blacks appear deeper. However, light shining on the display can cause extremely noticeable reflections. Sunlight is the worst case scenario — either direct sunlight outside or even just sunlight coming in through a window. Reflections can make a glossy display basically unusable in direct sunlight.

Matte screens have an anti-glare coating applied to them, so they’re much better at preventing reflections. It’s easier to see a matte screen in a bright room, whether you’re dealing with sunlight or just intense light from overhead fluorescent light bulbs in an office. The downside is that this coating makes colors appear a bit more dull.

Glossy displays tend to look better in stores where there are no bright lights to cause glare, but you may want a matte display if you plan on using the display in a bright room. Matte displays may counteract glare much better, but that doesn’t really matter if you’re never going to use it in a bright area.

In the below image, you can clearly see the difference — both in color and glare — between a matte Dell display on the left and a glossy Apple display on the right. Bear in mind that these are different monitors using different panels, so you can’t make a direct comparison. Not all of the difference in color is down to the matte or glossy coating, but it’s still instructive.

If you’re buying a monitor for a desktop computer and you always use its display in a room that isn’t extremely bright, you’ll probably want a glossy display for the more vibrant colors.

If you’re buying a laptop and might want to use it outdoors or in a bright room on sunny days, you’ll probably want a matte display. Even a matte display isn’t perfect here — in direct sunlight, you’re going to get some glare. It’s just less extreme on a matte display.

On the other hand, maybe you’re buying a desktop computer monitor for a bright room, whether it’s for a desk that gets direct sunlight or an office with bright overhead fluorescent light bulbs. You’ll probably want a matte display to reduce the glare.

You may also be buying a laptop that you intend on using indoors and out of direct sunlight, so you may prefer a glossy display with more intense colors versus the matte display and its anti-glare coating.

Let’s be honest — it’s tough to know exactly how you plan on using a display for its entire lifetime, especially if it’s a laptop. Maybe you want a matte display for the increased flexibility, or maybe you want a glossy display for the more vibrant colors. Either way it’s a trade-off.

In the photo below, bear in mind that the display on the left is on an older laptop, so you can’t directly compare the displays. The differences are due to much more than a glossy or matte coating.

There’s no end to this back-and-forth weighing of positives and negatives. It goes on and on, and it’s all a matter of personal preference and how you plan on using the display. There’s no one clear answer for everyone. If you think about it, you may find that there’s not even a clear answer for you.

If it were possible to flip a switch and change a display’s coating from glossy to matte, we’d probably switch between glossy and matte depending on the situation we found ourselves in. Sadly, it’s not — we have to pick one. (You can buy anti-glare screen films for some glossy displays, but you’re probably better off just getting a matte display in the first place if you’re going to do that.)

There’s not much you can do here besides look at displays in person, but even that won’t help much because the glossy display will look better in an electronics store where reflections and glare aren’t a factor. Actually using the different types of displays in your day to day life is the best way to really know what you want — and, even then, you may prefer different types of displays in different situations.

A few people even claim to prefer the colors on a matte display, saying that they’re too vivid on a glossy display. These people may just be used to matte displays, but they still have a real personal preference. This is a complicated choice.

A: Each screen has its advantages and disadvantages, which is why manufacturers waver between the two. Glossy screens produce an image that"s generally regarded as "richer." Admittedly, that"s a nebulous term, but essentially it means there is more color depth and vibrancy. On the downside, glossy screens are more susceptible to glare, reflecting light from windows and light bulbs. And they tend to show fingerprints and smudges more readily, especially when they are off.

Matte screens tend to handle glare better, due to a polarized coating over the glass that diffuses ambient light. A side effect of the matte finish is a slight blurring, reduced contrast and a narrower viewing angle.

Which is better is a matter of environment and personal preference. If the screen is in a room that"s generally dark, consider a glossy finish. In a controlled environment it offers a best-case picture. But I wouldn"t be too afraid of a matte finish. Most of us use our screens in mixed light where the minor qualitative difference is offset by the anti-reflective benefit.

While matte screen coating effectively reduces reflections, it also makes the image quality slightly more dull and hazy. Glossy monitors, on the other hand, have a more vibrant and intense picture quality, but a very reflective screen.

The type of screen coating plays a big role when you’re looking for a new PC monitor or a laptop. Besides the effect of the screen surface on the image quality itself, ambient lighting is a crucial factor to take into account as well.

Glossy screens allow for more vivid colors and expressive contrast, but under heavy sunlight reflection or too bright room lighting, they can become mirror-like and not very pleasant to use.

The matte finish monitors, on the other hand, include an anti-glare treatment, which eliminates the issue of reflections. However, the image quality is more grainy and less clear.

Other benefits of matte-coated monitors are that dust is less visible, and they’re better for your eyes as you don’t have to look through the reflections like you would with glossy displays.

For instance, if you’re looking for a laptop for outdoors, a matte screen laptop is the obvious choice, whereas if you spend most of your computer time in a dim-lit room, you will benefit more from a glossy screen.

As none of the screen coating types are perfect, manufacturers are working on improving them. So far, there are certain semi-glossy and light matte screen finishes that deliver an in-between and more balanced result. All of these are essentially matte coatings, but with lesser light diffusion and thinner layers.

AU Optronics developed a semi-glossy coating for their VA panels, which features only 13-18% haze value as opposed to the regular 25%. This low-haze matte surface makes for a considerably less grainy image, but it’s also a bit more reflective than the usual matte finish.

Samsung also has its own ‘very light matte’ surface that they featured on some of their latest curved VA panel monitors. These offer an 18% haze value as opposed to the usual 24-28%. The result is pretty much the same as it’s with the semi-glossy surfaces and some of LG’s AH-IPS panel models.

In the end, you’re back where you’ve started. The panels with the lighter matte surface may preserve image quality more than the common matte finish does, but not as effectively as glossy ones.

You’ll also find glossy screens with anti-glare (low 1-4% haze) or anti-reflective treatments. These are a bit less reflective than the standard glossy screens, but still not nearly as efficient at mitigating glare as matte coatings.

If you"re in the market for a gaming monitor and looking for something with a little more pizzazz, we"ve got some good news: we"re now offering our Spectrum monitors with two display options: a matte coating and a glossy coating! But what"s the difference?

TLDR: if you can control the lighting of your environments, such as your home office or game room, always go for the glossy monitor because it helps to bring richer colors and deeper black. But a matter monitor is a safer option if you"re in open environments with lots of lights.

A monitor display comprises different layers influencing the image and user experience. The backlight layer is responsible for illuminating the screen; the LCD layer is accountable for producing the image. The display panel"s top layer protects the panel from its environment. It also dramatically influences reflections and color performance. So when people mention matte monitors or glossy monitors, they often refer to the top layer of the monitor"s display panel.

A matte monitor has anelectronic displaywith a matte anti-glare coating. Matte monitors feature a light-scattering anti-reflection layer, which reduces reflectivity at the cost of decreased contrast and color intensity under dimly lit conditions.

A glossy monitor has anelectronic displaywith a glossy coating. A glossy monitor is coated with a layer of clear plastic during the manufacturing process, which appears as a much shinier surface. This allows the panel lights to pass through the screen transparently.

Most of the screens that we interact with daily use some form of glossy finish. Take modern TVs, laptops, phones, and smartwatches – they rock a display with a glossy coating or cover glass (usually treated with an anti-reflective solution) to achieve higher contrast ratios and better image clarity. Conversely, conventional wisdom dictates that people want matte displays only in the gaming monitor industry.

If you"re using a modern monitor reading this, chances are it has a matte coating. This is the most widely-used finish for IPS gaming monitors, as it scatters external light as it hits the surface of the display. Breaking up the light in this way reduces the intensity of reflections and makes them less likely to interfere with the image on the screen. As a result, your content"s visibility improves if your monitor is affected by strong direct or ambient light.

As you don"t have to focus "through" intense reflections or glare to see the image, a matte monitor potentially reduces eyestrain and increases comfort. This is important if one is working or gaming for a long time. But remember that this only applies when your setups are in environments with ambient lights.

As a downside, the diffusing nature of this matte layer will also diffuse the image from the monitor itself a little, causing a slight reduction in sharpness and affecting color and contrast. Think of how frosted glass doesn"t reflect what"s on your side, but also doesn"t show you what"s on the other side as clearly. This layer also affects the light emitted by the monitor itself. Because of this, the visible brightness is reduced, which also leads to slightly muted colors.

To achieve a matte effect, manufacturers apply an anti-glare (AG) film to the monitor"s screen during the panel production process. This AG film diffuses light that hits the screen"s surface, resulting in reduced glare and improved visibility against directly lit light sources. In effect, it minimizes distractions by diffusing reflections and is ideal when you have little control over the lights in your environment. Or if reflections and fingerprints on the monitor would drive you up the wall, go for a matte monitor.

We were surprised that many consumers wanted glossy monitors during our crowd-development process. Some people even mentioned that for one who is able to experience the glossy monitor, it"s hard to go back. The demand is seemingly strong, but there is little reaction on the supply side. Very few brands venture into the production of glossy monitors, not to mention glossy gaming monitors. Currently, the most notable brand that offers glass-coated screens is Apple with its display line, including many iMac models that mainly target creatives and designers. Before our glossy project launch was announced at the beginning of 2022 and by the time I am writing this article, no other gaming hardware brands had entered into this venture.

Throughout the development process of the glossy monitor, we could confirm that the main reason is because of the huge amount of additional R&D and factory recalibration required. In our case, it required LG to re-calibrate its fully automated LCD assembly line and changes to the certification process, tuning color performance, and conducting durability testing; it was not easy. Neither was our effort to convince LG. We guess it"s enough, for now, to make you curious about why we spent tons of effort on working and developing the glossy monitors. Here they are:

We describe the technical aspects in the post named Project: Spectrum | Reflecting on Reflections on our community. But the best way to explain the difference and benefits would be to have a matte monitor and a glossy monitor side by side. Luckily, TFT Central did an amazing job of creating close-up analysis with a camera and a digital microscope.

As shown below, the text on a matte screen has a small amount of blur to the edges caused by the anti-glare coating. In contrast, the text is sharper and crisper on a glossy screen than on a matte screen.

The most significant benefit of a glossy monitor is that it provides a more accurate representation of the colors you"re trying to display (especially blacks!). If color accuracy and contrast are essential to you - whether for gaming, graphic design, or other professional use - then a glossy monitor may be a better choice.

"From the moment I booted upDestiny 2,it was clear: This is the best HDR picture I"ve seen on a monitor. That should show just how powerful the monitor finish is on the final product. The contrast is deep and moody, the colors pop off the screen in a way I"ve never seen before, and the brightness is only rivaled by a display like the Alienware 34 QD-OLED."

However, just like any other technology, there are trade-offs to consider based on your use case. Because glossy monitors reflect light without dispersing, so they can appear more distracting in brightly lit environments (i.e., it"s more mirror-like compared to matte). If you often find yourself working or playing games in direct sunlight or under fluorescent lights, you may want to stick with a matte finish.

Some gamers will prefer the look and feel of a matte monitor, while others will prefer the increased clarity of a glossy monitor. So, it comes down to personal preference, which is why we let you choose your coating when buying a Spectrum monitor.

We are very familiar with the glossy coating of TVs and mobile devices. However, it was not applied to gaming monitors until the Dough Spectrum. The implementation requires recalibration of the production line that gaming manufacturers are seemingly unwilling to commit to. But the beauty of our crowd development is that provided there is enough demand for it; we are here to make it happen. And we did.After extensive research on reflections, we had the fantastic opportunity to work on an exclusive glossy project with our display manufacturing partner, LG Displays.In December, we probed your interest in a glossy screen and got your strong support to make it. In February, we officially confirmed that we would offer glossy coating variants to our Spectrum line-up. Finally, we began shipping the first units out to our customers in July. If you"re still undecided whether a glossy monitor is right for you,check out the detailed third-party reviews comparing the differences.

The difference is mostly due to the type of LCD panel the MacBook Pro and Dell E5420 are using. While both use TN panels, there are good TN panel models and there are bad TN panel models.

Glossy and matte finishes are a matter of preference. Glossy finishes make colors "pop" because of the mirror-like finish, but they are extremely reflective. Matte finishes do not reflect as much light directly back to the viewer like glossy finishes because of the anti-glare coating which diffuses the reflected light. The result of the anti-glare coating does make text and images look a little less sharp because the coating diffuses light.

I personally refer LCD screens (laptops and monitors) with matte finishes. I find reflections on glossy screens to be very annoying and the amount of glare coming off of them makes them difficult to use in bright daylight. That is one of the reasons why I stopped using my Lenovo Ideapad Y470 since it has a glossy 1366x768 resolution screen. The other reason is because of the low resolution screen.

I agree that the glossy face is not practical on any of these flat screens, and they certannly are not leaving the high end monitors without a reflection reduction.

I have a 15" screen that is glass, and while the picture and view through to the pannel is cleaner and unfrosted, and untextured , turn the lights on, or have the shades open (sun) Add in any contrasting surfaces and it is very bad to view. If the room is dark enough it is way better though.

I find that fingerprints do not "show" as easily by far with a matte screen plastic on top of them, be that the ones stuck down at manufacture or screen protectors that can be added by me. It may be correct that the textured surface is more likely to end up with more human oils skin and acids on it, but I far prefer it.

The glossy screens cause me to percieve (more) that the device is shiny pretty new. I can look right at the glistening machine, knowing for a fact that I would rather have matte, and I am still thinking this is dang nice looking. I can already be looking for a way to stop the (dang) reflection, and still see that it is very nice looking.

I have a very high-res display phone , and my usual matte protector , the texture was way to low-res for the devices resolution, causing minor problems, as the light from the high-res pixels is bounced around.

Luckily I found a screen protector that the matte surface reduces the reflection (not neer as much) and still allows for the extreeme DPI of a full HD screen on such a small device. (got it from boxwave). I would have been ok with the minor disturbance but the high-res protector (i am calling it that) Is a good balance of the 2.

After having used many different screen protectors for many years, I can say that There is a huge differance in quality and textures and frost and applications. I still have never seen protectors that are the exact same thing as what is stuck to the face of these monitors.

I am still wondering why this optical coating has never been applied to these mobile devices , or what the ramifications (or patent) of that would be. The coating could be impossible to work with capacitive screens.

Other stuff: the Plastic top on GPSes and resistive touch was/is part of the actual touch assembly, the resistive screen items I have had apart use a plastic top , and could not use a glass top. The second glass layer of the touch assembly for resistive screens has the very thin connection grid on it, the pastic (unlike glass) would have to flex to make the actual physical contact with the glass. Under the touch assembly was the pannel itself.

TCL"s NXTPAPER brand has a bit of an odd history. TCL would like you to believe that they"ve invented some ground-breaking new display technology that blends the best of e-ink with the best of modern LCD or OLED displays. But that"s not quite where they are. Yet.

For example, the first NXTPAPER tablet used a transflexive LCD panel, which is a type that can operate in bright light without any backlight at all. This saves a ton of battery life while reducing eye-strain (provided the ambient lighting is bright enough.) There was a time when some phones used these types of displays, but they had serious trade-offs and fell out of favor.

So for the same reason phones stopped using transflexive LCD displays, TCL pivoted to more traditional tablet/phone displays, and instead focused on filter and coating layers to make displays look more paper-like. Some of these are focused on reducing disruptive blue light (while carefully keeping color balanced), while other layers reduce glare and create the matte finish on top. TCL says it has added ten extra layers to create it latest paper-like effect.

The NXTPAPER Phone concept does, in fact, look pretty great. It"s not some magical e-ink thing that can show bright video. But it is a phone with a decent display that happens to have good anti-glare and a silky matte finish, without sacrificing sharpness. It feels great to touch. That"s great, and it looks good enough to make me wonder why no one has tried this before. I mean, computer displays have had anti-glare options for long time. Why not phones?!

I also have to say that TCL gave this particular concept phone an unusually rough matte finish on the back and sides, that I absolutely loved. It felt light, solid, and grippy. I wasn"t the only journalist to gush over this detail: I hope TCL listens and brings this finish to one or more of its US phones soon.