Retina Display MacBook Pro: Display Analysis [Charts]

AnandTech has performed some analysis on the Retina Display in the new MacBook Pro.

Notably, owners of the new MBP will be able to select resolutions higher than 1440x900 but only up to 1920x1200.


Even at the non-integer scaled 1680 x 1050 setting, the Retina Display looks a lot better than last year's high-res panel. It looks like Apple actually renders the screen at twice the selected resolution before scaling it to fit the 2880 x 1800 panel (in other words, at 1920 x 1200 Apple is rendering everything at 3840 x 2400 (!) before scaling - this is likely where the perf impact is seen, but I'm trying to find a way to quantify that now).

Apple has removed the cover glass on top of the LCD which reduces the number of reflections and glare. The display also uses an extremely bright panel with great black levels to further mitigate reflections and glare.

Unfortunately, early adopters will notice that many third party applications will need updating for the new display to optimize clarity. Apple has already updated many of its own applications.

Take a look at some LCD analysis charts below or hit the link below for a more detailed look at the display including how it performs for gamers...