Small dents/holes in MBP 14 inch screen

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I've had this same issue with small dents now three times with my M1 MBP 14in purchased in August 2022. The first time in February 2023, I brought it to the Apple Store, they believed it could be a manufacturing issue, and they replaced the screen for free. Bumps appeared again in June 2023, and this time the Apple Store told me it was more likely a cosmetic issue that was "not a known issue" with this device. I told them it's a known issue for me and they agreed to replace the screen for free again, yet they would not replace it again if the issue happened again. Now in September 2023, I just found a small hole again! I take great care of my device with daily cleaning too!

Moral of the story, this should be a known issue and it's worth conveying to Apple; they might be kind enough to replace your screen. With enough recognition of the issue, they must begin to fix it permanently for us all.

Same exact issue. I took excellent care of my screen, cleaning occasionally only with the $20 micro fiber polishing cloth from apple. Three dots on my screen just as you describe. I believe this is absolutely a widespread issue and design flaw, that the screens are so fragile. This should be addressed by Apple.

While I have seen a few reports about this here on the Apple forums, I have yet to see any of our organization's Apple Silicon Macs have this issue yet. A couple users posted pictures here on the forums, but the pictures have never provided enough detail to determine the issue. It is something that must be seen in person...even then it may be difficult to determine the cause whether it is a materials defect or something external is causing it. I still don't have an opinion one way or the other yet.

So far I've only seen only a few reports here on these forums so it is not a wide spread issue at this time. If it were a wide spread common issue, these forums would be full of posts & threads with complaints.

Make sure not to let any chemicals touch the screen since some chemicals can damage the screen. Also, make sure the spots are actually pits and not just a bit of dirt which is tough to remove. There have been a lot of times over the years I have encountered displays which a bunch of "dots" which turned out to be some sort of residue from something being splattered. It has been difficult to clean off even with an LCD screen cleaner.....some times I've had to gently use my finger nail to rub off the spot.

You can always provide Apple with product feedback (Apple won't respond):

Product Feedback - Apple

You can also contact Apple corporate (Apple may respond):

Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple

If it occurs again and Apple won't replace it, then you can check out your local consumer protection laws to see if any of them may help you. Usually it will need to be shown it is indeed a material defect for Apple to be required to cover it. Obviously you were lucky that the Apple tech was willing to consider a defect the first time, but since it has not been reported as a wide spread issue, it is understandable a tech would be hesitant to offer a free replacement a second time for the same laptop. I know I would be hesitant to do so as well.

Hopefully it won't occur again.

Same here: 1 small hole in the (already replaced) screen MBP 14" screen. Unfortunately, the center is a 1px black dot so it's quite distracting. Can't afford to loose the machine for 3-4 weeks again for another replacement...

pranav_swaroop_reddy wrote:

I am noticing tiny holes/bumps in my MacBook screen. I take good care of it like using microfiber cloth to clean it every 2 or 3 days. Even after that, I have multiple small holes in the display. Will I get a screen replacement under warranty?

What are you using on the cloth to clean it with? These screens should be cleaned with a plain clean cloth dampened (not dripping) only with water. Have you been using any type of cleaning fluid? Those can damage the screen.

We have several thousand MacBook Pros in use at the company I work for but I have never seen a screen there with tiny holes or bumps or similar such damage.

I got the same issue, really distracting when the sun hits it. I just went to an apple authorised shop in The Netherlands, after I had contacted apple directly online. They simply said it is cosmetic and apple won't change it unless you pay for the replacement. He also said it's a well known issue, he has seen in the store and on his own device 13 inch m1 2020 (something to do with the rubber around the screen getting thinner overtime and causing the screen to hit the housing of the laptop where the trackpad is.

Getting an error when posting a picture...

Unfortunately my apple store said, buy a new screen or buy a new macbook...

Exactly! That is why I went to the store, but this employee didn't really think in this way. This was a third party store that is authorized, so I might pay a visit to the Apple store in Amsterdam, to see what they think. But yes, a device has to work for the life expectancy of said device. But I am afraid that they will say, that this cosmetic fault is not preventing me from using the device as they intended. But in my opinion, a device that cost as much as a macbook should not have a dented screen all around the trackpad because a rubber edge is degrading over time. That is just bad engineering i'd say.

jorn196 wrote:

Exactly! That is why I went to the store, but this employee didn't really think in this way. This was a third party store that is authorized, so I might pay a visit to the Apple store in Amsterdam, to see what they think.

Unfortunately AASPs sometimes are limited on what they can do for you, other times they may do more than the Apple Store will do for you. Warranty coverage is one of those things that an AASP will be more limited since Apple outlines what they can cover & not cover. A good AASP tech will contact Apple on your behalf to see if they can get a certain repair covered under warranty, but reading these forums it seems that some techs do not attempt to do it. An Apple Store is actually Apple, so they have a bit more leeway on making exceptions right on the spot.

See my suggestion earlier to contact Apple to report the issue to corporate since they may want to look into the situation. I know years ago anyway that Apple did investigate any reports of issues with coverage & repairs....not sure about now since Apple is not the company they used to be....it is much harder to get repair coverage exceptions made these days, but it never hurts to try.

You can also investigate your local consumer protection laws.

rstockm wrote:

Same here: 1 small hole in the (already replaced) screen MBP 14" screen. Unfortunately, the center is a 1px black dot so it's quite distracting. Can't afford to loose the machine for 3-4 weeks again for another replacement...

That hole appears to have come from inside, per your image, it looks like opening outwards. Did the service informed you how that hole came to be? Or, did you ask them about that?

I have the same issue!

I bought mines last year end of Jun, and have been regularly cleaning screen and keyboard, and in July I noticed the dents, (if the lid was closed, it’s around the command and space bar area). I brought it back to Apple for a screen replacement.

it lasted well, and in Feb I noticed the dents come back again! this time strangely near the same spot, (if not exactly the same spot).

Now I’m really curious how could this happen so frequently on so many users, and how come on my one the same spot?

Isn't it true that in the Netherlands, the guarantee duration is dependent on the expected lifespan of a product? Isn't it more than 2 years for very expensive products?

I suppose, it is the seller who is answerable on the legal guarantee. Your consumer rights are covered in that.