Extremely Blurry Screen M1 MacBook Pro 16

Same here.

My company purchased 20 MBP 14, 2021 (16/512) batch back in 2022.

Few weeks ago I opened one of the few brand new laptops and have this issue out of the box.

Went to the Apple Store. They want me to pay 800$+ to replace a brand new screen and don’t want to accept that it is a manufacturer’s defect…

Sucha a shame.

This thing happened to me too, but after just 3-4 days. It does go back and forth (working sometimes, and sometimes not), and this typically shifts when ever I close the laptop and open it back up again. I did go back to the apple store to check if there were any connectivity issues, they opened the laptop twice to double-check, and everything seemed to be in order.

I did manage to replicate the issue at the store where the screen was working at first, and after they checked the laptop, it went back to blurry, but they still won't repair this for free and are telling me they have to either switch out the entire screen, or logic board; which I would have to pay for (close to $1000 USD here in Thailand).

As everyone has stated, it's crazy that most people have had problems with the logic board and then have the same issue, and that this happens right after 1 year when the warranty has expired.

Good luck to everyone, I hope for at least some people, this will iron itself out and they won't have to spend another cent on their expensive device. For me, I'll sell this marked as broken screen and give the problem to someone else.

So after calling AppleCare, Apple Customer Service, escalating to management twice and going to 2 Genius Appointments, they all told me there was nothing that could be done but pay $748 to replace the screen on my 2021 M1 MacBook Pro.

I asked about trade-ins even and they said its broken so cant trade-in for anything, BUT I went to just 1 more Apple Store since I was desperate and there was one person who agreed that it was most likely a hardware issue and seen no damage internally or externally, so he put through a trade-in for $810.

For me, it was better to trade it in and pay $800ish more for a new M3 MacBook Pro (with student discount) then pay to fix it.

My M1 MBP purchased in Ukraine in November 2022 (so, out of warranty) went out yesterday. Same symptoms – dark screen with very faint contours of my desktop picture, and still works with external display likewise.

I've tried to turn it off and on with a BetterDisplay, but clearly with the same negative result as everyone here.

Apple magic in action – buy a premium laptop for $2.5k and get a desktop instead in a mere 17 months.

The Better Display app didn't work for me. Here is my brand New MacBook Pro. Here in Brazil it costs almost 5000 USD. It is not acceptable. Please share your Macs image. We have to show Apple what's is happening to everyone.

Enzoper wrote:

This thing happened to me too, but after just 3-4 days. It does go back and forth (working sometimes, and sometimes not), and this typically shifts when ever I close the laptop and open it back up again. I did go back to the apple store to check if there were any connectivity issues, they opened the laptop twice to double-check, and everything seemed to be in order.

I wonder if the problem might have to do with the magnetic "lid angle sensor."

I am Ugandan and this happened to me. I am very heart broken. 💔

This was my first MacBook and the most expensive thing I have ever bought in my life. I used it for school studies and music production. And now I can’t access my music and work in my laptop. I bought my MacBook when I was studying in the UK for about 2500 pounds from an Apple Store. I am now in Uganda and have no access to any Apple stores here. And the only service store here charges about 1450 dollars for a new screen to be imported. It’s been two months since this happened and I am still stranded.

Hopefully God will make a way for me to get my machine back ❤️🙏🏿

So following up on this. Guy at Genius Bar in Shanghai did a diagnostic on my laptop and taught me how to do data backup on an external drive, so I can wipe the drive and reinstall the software from scratch. But in his personal estimate, which he based on the results on the diagnostic test he did in store, it’s a 90% chance it’s a hardware issue and the disk wipe is not likely to fix the problem. But I will go on with it anyway just so that when I call Apple to appeal I want to be able to say that I’ve done all I could.

as noted by others here, this does not appear to be a user problem. I don’t even bring m my laptop to work, I’ve never dropped it or spilled anything on it, nor is there any physical evidence of damage. I was using the laptop when t suddenly and inexplicably went dark. My laptop is less than two years old, as I bought it in August 2022. My previous MacBook Pro, which I used much more often, lasted for seven years, and I sold it (or traded it in, don’t remember). So I’ve been buying apple products for 13 years and as a loyal customer this 2 year failure is disappointing.

as another noteworthy thing, the Genius service guy advised me to buy Apple products in China next time. Local laws here mandate laptop and other electronic sellers to provide two year hardware guarantee. Canada does not mandate such thing. Some provinces in China even mandate 3 year guarantees. So folks, the days of China being mocked for selling fake products that fall apart by the time you bring them home are over. Today, China has better consumer protection than the collective “West”.

Got this issue this evening with my M1 MBP 16" in exactly 17 months since I've purchased it here in Ukraine.

I saw one post in this thread where the poster admits he was using it with the USB-supplied power, which is exactly my case. My Dell P2723QE provides 90W, but frankly, I doubt it has to do anything with the display issue.

I don't have any hope to resolve it via the reseller I've purchased it from, but sending email to Tim Cook's address has once magically helped in an almost identical case I had in 2014 with another MBP, early 2011's 15 inch one. Though, chances at this route are minuscule as well.

I have the exact same problem. I signed on to tell others about how I was able to solve it myself. Since I could not see the screen, I connected an HDMI cable to my TV. I booted into recovery mode, which required, closing the screen, which would not let me access the keyboard and mouse, of course. I was able to use a Bluetooth mouse that I had paired while I had access when the TV was connected this let me select the first option in the recovery screen, and then I was able to open the screen and use the keyboard and mouse, to erase the partition and reinstall OS X, I did this in preparation for sending the computer in for service as I did not want to have my proprietary data at risk, but I was surprised to find that once the installation was complete, the screen came back. I’m completing the reinstall now, but the fact that the screen is back on likely means it will stay that way. Fingers crossed…

Same problem on a 2021 MacBook Pro 16 M1. Clearly a defect if it’s happening so frequently. Any success getting out of warranty repairs reimbursed or covered?

I have the exact same issue on my MBP 16" M1. From one day to the next, the display just died on me. It has the same hazy look as posted by op. It's exactly 2 month out of warranty :(

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

¿is the result the same in Safe Mode?

Yes, for me, the issue was the same in safe mode. The blurry, dim graphics were present in safe mode as well.