The M4 MacBook Pro has a secret feature that improves the display
- Apple has announced several improvements to the screen of the M4 MacBook Pro
- It has also secretly added a new display technology
- This change could improve motion and color gamut performance
If you bought an M4 MacBook Pro and feel like the screen looks even better than previous models, you’re right. Apple has kept very quiet about it, but there appears to be a new technology at work in the laptop’s screen, and it could deliver a handful of valuable benefits.
The discovery was made by a well-known expert in the display industry Ross Youngwho has a strong track record when it comes to Apple leaks and rumors. In a post on
Despite this performance boost, Apple made no mention of the quantum dot upgrade when it unveiled the M4 MacBook Pro in October. However, there was one indication that something might have changed: the maximum screen brightness for SDR content was increased from 600 nits to 1,000 nits – a significant improvement.
In our 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro review, we described the display as “gorgeous” and noted that the increased SDR brightness made it “quite effective at remaining visible and usable in direct sunlight.” At the time, however, we had no idea about Apple’s quantum dot treatment, which has remained well hidden until now.
Get the green light
In 2015, Apple said it did considered quantum dot technology for his screens, but ultimately rejected it because it involved the use of the poisonous element cadmium. Apple has long made environmental awareness a key part of its product strategy, and that probably wouldn’t have helped if a harmful element had been included in the display.
However, the new quantum dot technology used in the M4 MacBook Pro can be achieved without the use of cadmium, Young explains. This, in addition to the improved efficiency, presumably gave Apple the green light, allowing the company to improve its MacBook Pro displays without environmental concerns.
The next question is whether quantum dot displays will make their way to other devices. Apple sometimes shares technology between the MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro, so it’s possible that Apple’s flagship tablet will follow its laptop in the future.
Whether Apple will actually follow through with this move – or add quantum dot panels to some of its other products – remains to be seen.