MacBook Pro 2016 default resolution

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Level 1

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MacBook Pro 2016 default resolution

I am confused on the Default Resolution for the new MacBook Pro 2016 15"

The display is 2880x1800 pixels, so if I understand retina technology correctly the best display resolution would be 1440x900.

BUT, if I go to display settings, and select "Scaled" the default option shows "looks like 1680x1050", when I select this option it looks exactly like when I have "Default for display" checked, so I am assuming the default display resolution is "1680x1050".

Shouldn't it be 1440x900, so should I select the scaled option that says "looks like 1440x900" to get the best performance and appearance? What am I missing?

thanks in advance

MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS Sierra (10.12.1)

Posted on Nov 20, 2016 4:49 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Geez Jan

Level 1

49 points

Apr 16, 2017 12:20 PM in response to SteveRoche

I had the same observation and question, and it turns out we're both right:

https://9to5mac.com/2016/12/02/15-inch-macbook-pro-screen-resolution-blurry/

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Answer 2

tjk

Level 9

51,116 points

Nov 20, 2016 5:11 PM in response to SteveRoche

Hi,

It is best to run at native resolution, which is "2880-by-1800 native resolution at 220 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors" unless you need to have larger text/images on the display, in which case use a scaled resolution.

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Answer 3

SteveRoche Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 20, 2016 5:26 PM in response to tjk

Thanks for the response, but I'm still a little confused.

So there isn't really any way to select "2880 x 1800", but if I go backwards from the "Scaled" resolution hints, would selecting the first option in the picture below be the correct one? If so, any idea why they wouldn't have that one as the default.

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Answer 4

tjk

Level 9

51,116 points

Nov 20, 2016 11:45 PM in response to SteveRoche

Sorry, don't know the answer to either of those questions. Where it says "Resolution" why not just select "Default for display" and just let the OS do its work as it was designed to? Unless you need/want larger or smaller text as the "Scaled" shows. 🙂

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Answer 5

Nov 22, 2016 1:06 PM in response to SteveRoche

i am also confused by the new macbook pro 2016 default resolution. everything is smaller now. because of the smaller scaling to 1680x1050px. but it says, its default. not scaled...?

how is that possible, when the resolution specs (2880x1800px) are identical to the 2015 macbook pro?

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Answer 6

Esquared

Level 6

12,385 points

Nov 22, 2016 1:41 PM in response to artist999

AFAICT it simply is a matter of choice. For some reason Apple simply chose a different value for the default setting – perhaps because many/most people preferred it over the previous default setting. Anyhow, it doesn't really matter: simply choose the value that suits you best.

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Answer 7

SteveRoche Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 22, 2016 2:52 PM in response to Esquared

I think that you want the display to be at a native resolution of 2880x1800 for maximum performance. If you have any "scaled" resolution, like the default that seems to be "3360x2100", then the graphics card would have to scale that to 2880x1800 in order to display it. Granted this is probably a negligible performance hit 90% of the time....but if you're doing heavy graphics...maybe not? Just trying to understand what is going on under the hood.

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