Is a glossy or matte LCD screen better for long coding sessions?

Question

I'm looking at getting a new LCD monitor, but I'm concerned that a glossy monitor might cause more eye strain after a long day of work. I typically spend a lot of time in front of my monitor, so eye strain is definitely something I have thought about. Do you prefer the matte or glossy LCD screens and why?

Answer 1

I prefer glossy, as long as the light isn't shining on it. Check where your computer is, and where your lights are and where your windows/skylights are. Otherwise, I would always use matte.

Answer 2

Matte, because you get less reflections on it, which is good if your workplace is bright. I've worked with both, but especially if you have bright objects around your monitor, or windows at the side, you'll really want to have a matte one.

Constantly having reflections in it is really annoying, and hurts the readability in the long run.

Answer 3

I think this is pretty much a personal choice. I used to think that glossy is unbearable until I got a laptop with a glossy screen and was forced to work with it for some time. Now I don't even care too much and don't feel that it's much worse. If I had a choice, I'd still choose a matte one, however.

Answer 4

I think glossy gets too much stick. The reflections can be a nuisance in the wrong environment, but matte screens don't give the pure, unmolested picture that some people seem to think - incoming light gets diffused over the screen's surface by the anti-reflective coating hence the sharpness and contrast that the underlying panel is able to offer are degraded somewhat.

Answer 5

I have a glossy screen on my laptop and I have an LCD standalone monitor that I hook up. I like them both for different reasons.

Reasons I like my glossy monitor:

• Graphics look great
• Colors look vivid
• Presentations look awesome
• Graphics are really easy on the eye and just seem to flow like on TV
• Great for games which all look phenominal
• It's widescreen, great for movies
• I can see all my code without having to scroll right [because of the widescreen]

Reasons I like my Standalone Matte Monitor:

• My code is easier to read [Consequently this is what I use for programming]
• Graphics I design on my glossy screen don't always look great on my matte monitor, but graphics I design on my matte screen always look fantastic on both.
• It's bigger (may not be relevant to you)
• It has a higher contrast ratio and better backlight

If you're somewhere bright or have a light source behind you, i.e. you're sitting with your back to the sun, the glare can be intollerable on both screens... whichever has the highest "Bright" setting will win out here.

What I find a lot of people say about "You should use matte because..." or "You should use glossy because..." are just repeating what the guy in FutureShop or CompUSA spewed out trying to sell them what they ultimately bought.

I have one of each, I love having one of each and love them both for different reasons. Pick the one that's best at whatever you're going to be using it for.

My suggestion is this: Find somewhere you can try them both out side by side for what you're going to be using it for, or if you can, try each of them out for a few days to decide.

Answer 6

I went through the same dilemma when I bought my current laptop. I'm an old timer and I didn't want the glossy screen. I almost bought a different one because I wanted the matte screen. I would go into Circuit City and Best Buy and I would hate the glare. I then used one at a friends house for a few hours in more real world conditions and I liked it. I bought a glossy one but I was still torn about my decision.

Now I'm glad I got the glossy and I wouldn't buy a laptop without one. Not only does most things look better on it, but it has a great viewing angle. I tend to use my laptop a lot when demoing stuff or working with a user. You can't beat the viewing angle of the glossy displays.

After two years of using it I rarely run into situations where I run into glare from bright lights. The few times I do, just a slight repositioning is all that is required to fix it.

When I replace my current monitors they will be glossy. The issues with a laptop, because it's mobile, just don't really exist with a desktop monitor. Neither of my two desktop environments present a glare issue. I currently have one glossy and one matte at work and I don't really see a difference between one and the other as far as eye strain. For me it's all viewing angle and how great stuff looks on the glossy one.