# Macbook Pro Screen Resolution



## kubes (May 6, 2008)

So I'm on the verge of buying my very first Mac - a 15" Macbook Pro, but I'm a little worried about something. Right now I'm using a Dell Inspiron 8600 with a 1680x1050 resolution and I really love it (the screen, that is haha). Will it be a big change downgrading to the lower resolution? And I know I can get the higher resolution on the 17" model, but I really want to stick to 15" for portability!

I find it strange that Mac doesn't offer higher resolutions on their 15" models...my dell is 4 years old now and the newer 15" models support up to 1920x1080. Any news on Mac supporting these higher resolutions?


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

kubes said:


> So I'm on the verge of buying my very first Mac - a 15" Macbook Pro, but I'm a little worried about something. Right now I'm using a Dell Inspiron 8600 with a 1680x1050 resolution and I really love it (the screen, that is haha). Will it be a big change downgrading to the lower resolution? And I know I can get the higher resolution on the 17" model, but I really want to stick to 15" for portability!
> 
> I find it strange that Mac doesn't offer higher resolutions on their 15" models...my dell is 4 years old now and the newer 15" models support up to 1920x1080. Any news on Mac supporting these higher resolutions?


I found their ultra high resolutions really painful and had to lower the resolution and we all know how beautiful the screens look when you use non native resolutions. No thanks, I like my 1440x900.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

kubes said:


> So I'm on the verge of buying my very first Mac - a 15" Macbook Pro, but I'm a little worried about something. Right now I'm using a Dell Inspiron 8600 with a 1680x1050 resolution and I really love it (the screen, that is haha). Will it be a big change downgrading to the lower resolution? And I know I can get the higher resolution on the 17" model, but I really want to stick to 15" for portability!
> 
> I find it strange that Mac doesn't offer higher resolutions on their 15" models...my dell is 4 years old now and the newer 15" models support up to 1920x1080. Any news on Mac supporting these higher resolutions?


I can tell you this much from experience, I had an Inspiron 8600 with a UWXGA 1600 x 1200 display. At the time (several years ago) I thought it was great, which it was. But I can honestly say that with the MBP I currently have, I don't miss the old screen at all, sure there is a little loss in relative screen real estate, but as for resolution you won't even notice it. Also with the improved performance and reliability, your going to be having too pleasant a time to notice the resolution difference.

I think the main reason they aren't going with "higher" res monitors is that on such a small screen, higher resolution doesn't necessarily translate into a better picture. Many people find high resolutions on a small screen hard to read and they really have to strain their eyes even looking at desktop icons.

Speaking from experience I wouldn't let the screen resolution of the 15" MBP dissuade you from going with it.


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## kubes (May 6, 2008)

Thanks for your help guys - I guess I was making an issue out of nothing. But now my problem is whether to stick with the MBP to replace this beast or go with a 24" iMac and use this laptop when I _need_ to...haha but I guess that's a whole separate issue.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

kubes said:


> Thanks for your help guys - I guess I was making an issue out of nothing. But now my problem is whether to stick with the MBP to replace this beast or go with a 24" iMac and use this laptop when I _need_ to...haha but I guess that's a whole separate issue.


Just a suggestion, get the MBP and a 20-24" monitor so you can use it as a desk top when you you need to and still have the versatility of the laptop. Trust me you don't want to be lugging around that behemoth around any longer than you need to.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

dona83 said:


> I found their ultra high resolutions really painful and had to lower the resolution and we all know how beautiful the screens look when you use non native resolutions. No thanks, I like my 1440x900.


The resolutions on those screens has a lot to do with your age and how well your eyes are holding up.

Like most computer nerds, I *had* perfect vision when I *started* with computers, but years of staring no further than 3 ft. have made me nearsighted.

(yeah, maybe that was my destiny anyway, but I was farsighted as a kid so I'm not buying it!) 

So, for example, I'm typing this on a 20" with 1680x1050 and find it incredibly comfortable. On a 15" screen -- particularly if I had to look at Windows' ****-poor fonts -- I would find it annoying.

1920x1080 on a 15" screen would be painful. I would think that even for a young person with good eyesight, prolonged exposure to that would be harmful.


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## kevleviathan (Apr 9, 2008)

My friend has a 15" lenovo at 1920x1200 and it's downright painful to use. Text is incredibly small. I really love the screen real-estate on such a portable laptop but it makes anything involving reading/writing inpossible.
The 1440x900 on my MBP seems to be a really good compromise. I came from a 1280x800 Compaq and I always found that resolution too small and cramped for space. Text was enormous.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

I'm not nearsighted... I do have astigmatism though.


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## Sualocin (Nov 7, 2007)

Although I notice a huge difference when going from a 22inch LCD at 1680x1050, to anything less (Like my moms 15 inch Macbook at 1024x768). It's one of those things thats relativly easy to just get over and continue working. The difference in resolutions only really bothers me when I need to have more them a few windows open or two windows side by side.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Sualocin said:


> Although I notice a huge difference when going from a 22inch LCD at 1680x1050, to anything less (Like my moms 15 inch Macbook at 1024x768).


Your mother has set the resolution on her machine incorrectly, probably because her eyesight isn't as good as it used to be.

I encourage you to try resetting the resolution back to "native" for her (that would be 1280x960) and instead enlarge the default icon size, font size and window size to larger sizes in both the finder and the main internet apps (Safari, Mail) for her comfort. It's more work than just changing the screen size, but the clarity will help her as well.


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## kubes (May 6, 2008)

I just thought I'd add (another) note that this has been really helpful for me! I'm glad I stumbled across the ehMac forums.


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