Glossy VS Matte Monitors: Which Is Better?

At CES 2023 Gordon had a chance to chat with Connor of @GraphicallyChallenged and @thedisplayguy fame about which is better: glossy or matte monitors.

Follow PCWorld for all things PC!
------------------------------­----

#ces2023 #monitor

[shadewoodchair]

I am genuinely convinced that at least 80% of the people saying they prefer matte have never actually tried a high end glossy display. No, your 768p glossy laptop from 2013 DOESN'T count as an actual showcase of glossy displays unfortunately, you definitely need to actually experience it to really have any idea what it is like. Obviously yes, some people will still prefer matte, but definitely not the overwhelming majority like it is now.

[halrichard]

I just recently purchased the Alienware 34" QD OLED with the Glossy. Its my first GLOSSY panel. My man cave is conditioned enough to give me minimal reflection onto my Screen. Happy Days.
I really like Connor as a You Tuber. Been subbed to his channel for about a year now. Even sometimes if he doesnt have alot of content to work with, he makes it sound interesting with this energized presentation that sounds like the Sham Wow Guy. Remember him? He now has a second YT channel called The Display Guy. Anyway glad to see Gordon and PC World recognize Connor for his efforts.

[aeonjoeyd]

I'm a designer, I need glossy monitors. I need to see proper color, not a blurry mess. I can only use LG Ultrafine 5K or Apple Cinema/Thunderbolt/Studio/XDR displays

[paskowitz]

Can we just get glossy monitors with a DIY matte layer (included) we can apply if we want? Idk how hard this would be to do, but it can't be that bad. Probably no worse than putting a screen protector on your phone.

[vensroofcat]

Glossy for movies and gaming in the dark. The moment there is any light source or even reflected light of the screen itself, matte all the way. I hate reflections. Somehow I'm able to notice even the tiniest reflection of keyboard, glass of water or anything which disrupts my immersion a lot more than tiny blur by matte in normal conditions. Easier on the eyes.
But then I'm also not into 4k yet. Because GPUs until recently struggled a lot with high refresh at 4k and it's still expensive as a whole.

[KahlDragonborn]

Glossy all day finally someone making this video Thank You so much for this!

[electricindigoball]

I don't think using phones as an argument for why glossy screens aren't an issue on a laptop makes sense because a phone screen is a lot smaller and it's a lot easier to control the angle at which you are looking at it is than with a laptop. I had used a laptop with a glossy screen and based on my experience with it I would almost always go for a matte display on a laptop.

[headphonesuser]

i was trying to clean my monitor today cause it looked dirty and I realized it was just the matte coating looking like trash and making everything gritty and dirty looking. im definitely on team glossy but im also on team choice. these display companies are so massive that its pathetic if they cant figure out how to offer both options for people for whatever reasons someone may prefer one over the other.

[Shadowsmoke]

I've noticed that this comment section is very based regarding matte coatings. Apperantly ya'll do not appreciate better contrast, colors popping and high clarity in terms of visual quality from glossy screens 🤔

[dannybenitez]

Glossy all the way, matte hurts contrast in oled, mini led or other high contrast displays. All macs are glossy and basically everyone loves them. All our phones are glossy too. I even had to sell my 512gb steam deck because the screen looked worse with the anti glare coating in it. Just put the option for matte and glossy

[mfrunyan]

A 3rd option is in between. My monitor (Korean 40” monitor that is really a tv panel) is semi-gloss

[peterwhitey]

Glossy monitors are far superior. It's a big shame that they're hard to find now. I can't stand the way matte screens diffuse the light. It bothers my eyes.

[eugenb]

Unfortunately, glossy monitors are VERY rare. For me it's not so much about the "blur", it's about the colors. The white that you have on a glossy screen cannot be reproduced on a matte screen.

[talking_mudcrab]

I have a matte Steam Deck and after using glossy monitors for a long time I must say I really like it. It gives that feeling of being visually connected to the game world instead of looking at it through a sheet of glass.

[szymonlorenz]

Matte gang, as a 3D Model and Graphic Designer I can't afford color skewing on the screen when the precision in determining the colour, edges and composition is so important. I know that the colours pops nicely on the glossy screen but it's difficult to work in bright environment with glossy screen. I started with glossy few years ago, switched to High Refresh Rate Matte with fantastic SRGB + Adobe coverage and never looked back.

[rellimck]

It's weird seeing Connor not flying into the center of the screen as his character at the start of the video. Kinda nice seeing him in a normal light, though I appreciate his theatrics.

[thewaterbear]

You can't forget where you came from in you want to truly appreciate where we are. Offices used to be filled with CRT rounded glass monitors, and either florescent bulbs or incandescent bulbs. Reflections legitimately hit harder back in the day, and crts weren't bright enough to make up the difference. Modern LED lighting in an office or home office, combined with much higher panel brightness has greatly reduced the need for matte finish.
(though i will add matte finish requires less cleaning)

[macbrush]

It depends on the size of the monitor and the distance you're viewing from. Smaller screen, you have to seat a lot closer, reflection become a problem, if you seat a lot further, only light coming from directly behind you will get reflected. As for phone, you can adjust the viewing angle very easily, so it's not a problem as well. That's why most glossy monitors are 34" and up.

[singhkrishanu]

All macs have glossy screen. Apple offers a very good anti reflective coating. I don’t know what’s up with monitor manufacturers.

[DisplayReality]

This was cool! Matte vs Glossy... The battle rages on!