Have just purchased a new MacBook Air (2020 model). Have bought to use for home working (Zoom meetings, etc) and the image is really grainy when using Zoom or FaceTime. Is this normal with Macs?
MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.15
i've just taken delivery of my MBA 2020 and the camera image is so terrible I am not sure what to do about the machine now. I paid to have a ton of upgrades so overall this was a £1800 machine. The camera is about the worst i have seen since laptops started coming with in-built cameras. I hope, Apple, you find that damning... but i suspect you won't care. The web is awash with similar complaints. To see someone commenting saying wipe the screen and check your internet connection; it's just offensive. The camera quality is so bad in low light that i can barely even recognise myself. I joined a video call the other night and everyone was commenting about how bad it was, unprompted. I genuinely don't know if I will keep this macbook... i feel like it will be my last, at least, if this is the type of thing we can expect. Apple support were meant to call me back this evening to discuss it but what a surprise, they didn't.
It is very disappointing that this model does have such a bad quality of the camera. Could I have an exchange of it? Please let me know how to do it. I am leaving in Germany, Frankfurt and I could come at any time in order to have this issue fixed by Apple. I think Apple is big enough to find a proper solution, isn't it??
If your experience is like mine, all they will offer is a return within the standard 14-day return window. After that, you have no options. No chance of exchanging/upgrading to the MacBook Pro, either.
I was kind of pursuaded to buy a new Air 2020 (wanted 2017 with USBs), it didn't even come to my mind to check the camera since I had been using one (2014) till this September. I thought I went crazy or something when I first had a Zoom lesson on my new Air 2020 - grainy, brownish bleak picture. Then I went back to the shop and we compared cameras on Air 2017 and Air 2020, it's a shocking difference! I hope Apple will do something, right now I'm in the middle of legal fighting - filed a few claims to get my money back and buy something decent. It's a serious matter and most Apple specialist treat this issue as if it's idle and trivial. ((
Thanks guy's!
Finally, I ordered a little camera for my MacAir which can be put onto the screen separately and grants clear image during FaceTime or Zoom sessions. Got it for 50€. Big 🍏 could avoid 😡.
the camera quality is really poor , this is not the experience we use to have with mac . the camera looks less worst only in sunlight or morning time . during night even if we have more than sufficient light it does not work good ,too much grainy image. I contacted apple and they are telling me it is expected behaviour plz have more light. Really? i am having good light even then it is pathetic during night. if we have to substitute this poor quality with extra light or extra web cam no use of this face time camera. instead of acknowledging the problem and rectifying it they are telling us how to substitute it and saying it is expected behaviour . so sad to purchase it.
Guys I have placed a return request and waiting for refund now, theres nothing they can do about the web cam, when I called them they said it’s the expected behaviour, so I will wait for the new MacBook to be released with a 1080p cam or I will go see the M1 how it works with the new image processor,
but have to say MacBook Air 2015 has better images than the 2020 model ,so sad to confirm this.
Glad you were able to get this done within the return window. That is probably the challenge for many of us--I know we didn't use the camera until after we were outside the 14-day return window. I just hope more folks see these reports before they buy this disappointing laptop.
I have just made the experience of this problem one month after having purchased the new MacBook Air 2020. Impossible to FaceTime with this quality of picture past 5 pm - the 13 page long litany of similar complaints on the website offers no hope that this can be fixed. (And no, checking the connection and wiping fingerprints doesn't help a bit). And of course, it is too later for a refund. Honestly, Apple, first time in my life that I regret purchasing one of your products.
We as family are all hardcore users of all APPLE PRODUCTS since many years. Our Case ID: 101207405965 dated 13th October 2020: I have purchased the latest MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) on 8th October 2020 as a pre-birthday gift to my daughter - KRITTIKA, but we both were absolutely disheartened to find such A LOW RESOLUTION WEB-CAM on it. We purchased this laptop as an upgrade to our earlier MacBook Air-2015 (even that had a better resolution Web-Camera as my wife still uses another one). This Webcam seems like the Old i-Pad 1&2. Very sad and highly dejected to buy this product. Why has Apple downgraded its product? It is an earnest request- Either provide us with another better MacBook (Free of Cost) OR kindly fix this WebCam issue on our MacBook Air 2020.
If you're within the return window you can return it. Otherwise, go to apple.com/feedback and let them know your feelings about the bad product. I'd also open a ticket with them. They'll probably take you through a long process that will do absolutely no good. But if you can show that you had trouble with it, IF they eventually take responsibility for the issue, hopefully the fact that many of us opened a trouble ticket will lead them to contact us with a remedy. Also, tell everyone you know who is thinking about purchasing one about the trouble. Money talks.
Read through the comments. There is no fix. Return, get an external camera, complain to Apple and hope they do something about it. (Do not mean for this to sound sarcastic or snarky. Just the way it is, unfortunately.)
It is appalling how Apple could be this irresponsible. The camera is worse than any device I have used in the past 7-8 years. The 2017 Mac had a 100x better quality. How could Apple be possibly getting away from this?!
Disappointed with apple silicon MacBook Pro (2020) camera. With upgrades it was nearly $2000. The camera is way WORSE than my previous MacBook pro (2012). Very grainy, I've never had this problem before. Also sometimes the person on the other side has said they can't even see me at all, they get a black screen. Did Apple use a cheaper camera to help pay down the cost of apple silicon? I don't want to answer FaceTime calls on my MacBook now.
Exact same problem here. Tested my 2020 MacBook Air and my MacBook Air 2017 in the same room, with the same lighting, with the same internet connection. The image was so clear on my MacBook Air 2017. 2020 is another story. The camera is worse than everything I've seen yet. I can't believe it.
Just purchased my 2020 MacBook Air to use for zoom teaching. How did I miss this issue? Wow. The picture is so bad that my students asked me what is wrong at my home. Image grainy and dark. I was using my 2011 iMac until now for zoom; picture there 100% clear and never an issue. I suppose that is why I overlooked the camera; I wrongly assumed it would be an upgrade from my 2011. I will be crossing fingers to return this —I have surpassed the 30-day return—for something with an acceptable camera. Anyone know if the pro version has a camera worth recommending?
Grainy Image on MacBook Air 2020
