The iPad Pro and Smudges
I upgraded from an iPad Air 2 to a 9.7″ iPad Pro recently. I like the device, in particular because of the excellent speakers. I sometimes like watching videos in bed – streamed from Netflix, or Amazon Prime, or my Plex library – and the sound is good enough that I don’t need headphones.
I’ve noticed one annoyance with the iPad Pro however: the display shows smudges much more than previous iPads. I thought it was just me, but during yesterday’s episode of The Committed podcast, I mentioned this, and my co-host Ian Schray said that he has noticed the same thing. I need to keep a soft cloth handy to wipe the screen down often, especially if I am watching a video.
I took this picture after wiping my iPad Pro, then tapping my fingers on it a couple dozen times. It’s hard to get a good photo, so I had to put it in direct sunlight, which does amplify the smudges a bit, but much of what you see below is visible in normal light:
I think this is because of the new less reflective coating on the display. I am happy that it reflects less, but I find it very annoying that it smudges so much. To be honest, I would have been happy with the iPad Air 2 coating; smudges were less visible, and the reflectivity didn’t bother me.
What about you? If you have an iPad Pro, have you noticed the same thing?
I’d noticed the same thing on mine, but since the smudges are only visible when it’s turned off, I haven’t given it much thought. Since I won’t be using mine outside until it gets warmer here in Boston, I haven’t had the chance to see whether the glare reduction amounts to much.
release 2?
I’ve gone from an iPad 2 to iPad Air to iPad Pro 9.7. The Air is the absolute worst of the 3 in terms of glare. I have no problem wiping a few smudges in exchange for the significantly reduced glare.
I have noticed the smudges, but not more so than on my old iPad Air. I have also noticed that the smudges wipe off more readily on the Pro than they do the Air, making me think that the Pro has a better oleophobic coating. Also, I only notice the smudges in some lighting conditions.
I find I have to wipe a lot more to clean mine. I wonder if there are specific iPads where there’s a problem with the coating.
I’ve also found the screen noticeably more prone to smudges than my iPad Air, but as others have said it’s mostly when the screen is off or using Plex.
Yes, the Pro definitely shows smudges more. It has something to do with the slightly different coating that gives the glass more “tooth” to work with the Pencil.
People on MacRumors forums noticed it when 12.9″ Pro debuted.