Matte or Glossy Monitor: How to Choose?

Arguably one of the most oft overlooked monitor features has to be the screen coating type. Much like the power supply in a PC, it’s easy to forget. You get excited about size, resolution, refresh rate, and HDR. But matte or glossy monitor and how to choose the best for you ranks just as high. Get a monitor with a screen surface you dislike, and all other aspects won’t matter.

We explain the two varieties of monitor screen surface and highlight the pros and cons for each. Whether for gaming, productivity, creativity or any other use, that choice matters. And do remember to check the complete ViewSonic monitor range, where the best display choices await.

Remember, matte or glossy pertains to all types of monitors, from OLED to portable VA. Even your laptop applies. As such, an otherwise simple specification has a big impact on your monitor experience. Perhaps even the biggest.

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How are Matte and Glossy Monitors Made?

In brief, matte screen coatings use light polymers with micro-etching. The tiny depressions on the surface of the monitor are microscopic, and you can’t feel them. You should also avoid touching the screen, as a side note. The micro-etching and its subsequent screen indentations scatter light. Conversely, high gloss monitors employ glass or highly polished polymer to create a very reflective screen surface.

Matte screens require more work during manufacturing, with strong acid used to mark their surfaces. But they use lighter and overall lower-cost materials. Glossy screen surfaces utilize high quality glass or polymer and forego etching. Instead, manufacturers machine polish them to generate a lovely high gloss.

What are the Pros and Cons of Matte Monitors?

The goal of matte monitor coating is to scatter and diffuse light. Of course, that works both ways. Incoming and outgoing light become altered by the etched matte layer. Advantages and drawbacks stem from the manufacturing process.

Pros of Matte Monitors:

• Best light diffusion and scattering. That means light sources in your environment don’t affect image quality. Matte materials prevent strong reflections to enhance your ability to concentrate on displayed content.
• Low reflectivity reduces eye fatigue. Glare has long been linked to eye strain, and matte surfaces offer the only way to mitigate glare. The net result lets you get more done and use your monitor longer without the accompanying discomfort.
• Better blue light filtering: matte coatings by their nature filter more blue light than glossy, as they simply filter all light from the screen. It’s easier to implement additional blue light filtration into matte layers, while doing so on glossy entails increased complexity and cost.
• Very subjective, but matte monitors showcase overall mellow images. Brightness and color levels are toned down. If you dislike very vivid displays for whatever reason, mattes are the way to go.
• Less heat emission. Granted, this applies almost exclusively to monitors 32″ and larger where you sit roughly one meter or three feet away. A big and super bright screen emits more heat than the same size monitor with a lower brightness display. In summer, it may feel like sitting in front of an oven. The dampening effect of matte layers helps here. Very noticeable with QD-LED monitors despite their many advantages.
• Slightly reduced weight. Matted polymer coatings weigh less than premium glass screens. Not so important for desktop, but definitely a factor in portable monitors.
• High versatility. Matte monitors fit in most light conditions, though they’re not immune to poor lighting.

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Cons of Matte Monitors:

• Reduced brightness: as the matte coating acts as a barrier, light emission from the monitor lowers. As a result, matte monitors offer lower brightness and may not be the best for HDR content.
• Color presentation: matte monitors dampen the depiction of colors, so all shades appear slightly muted. The anti-glare layer changes color appearance from source to display more so than glossy. If image fidelity is your top priority, go with a glossy monitor. Having said that, if you value comfort as much as productivity the balance shifts towards matte.
• Narrower contrast: matte coating makes it more difficult to portray very deep blacks, just as it moderates brightness.
• Lower durability: etched polymer resists pressure and scratches to a lesser degree than glass. In fact, matte monitors never get rated on the Mohs hardness scale, while glossy ones frequently do. Moving and cleaning a glossy monitor is overall easier and less “risky” than with a matte monitor.

What are the Pros and Cons of Glossy Monitors?

Pretty much the reverse of matte monitors. The direct descendants of CRT TVs, glossy monitors aim to deliver the most brightness, contrast, and color saturation.

Pros of Glossy Monitors:

• Maximum brightness and contrast: with no matte layer to intentionally block light to and from the screen surface, you get as close as possible to “what you see is what you get”. Therefore, glossy monitors work best with HDR content.
• Vivid colors: monitor color quality shines most through gloss. Whatever your monitor of choice, its color performance appears best via glossy, as opposed to the output reduction imposed by matte. If you go with a 10-bit display, glossy does it justice while matte forces a reduction in fidelity regardless of monitor or GPU processing capabilities.
• Overall accuracy: glossy screens don’t filter images. There’s less of a separation between your eyes and the picture generated by the monitor. Without matte diffusion partitioning your viewing experience, you enjoy visuals with utmost precision.
• More durable: not only do glossy screens appear premium, they’re also more resistant to damage than their matte counterparts. When you (very gently) clean a glossy monitor, the results show. Plus, accidental damage to delicate pixels during a cleaning session is nearly impossible.

Cons of Glossy Monitors:

• Poor light diffusion: glossy monitors (and TVs) unironically work quite well as mirrors. A true high gloss monitor looks spectacular but also reflects every light source in your room. Light blooms and so-called lens flare often obscure the refined image quality purveyed by glossy screens. There’s always a trade off in this life!
• Increased eye fatigue: since your eyes need to take in reflected light sources plus the image from the monitor, they experience more stress. As noted above, glare is the leading cause of eye fatigue.
• More blue light: an immediate relative of glare with regards to eye fatigue. While manufacturers often implement blue light reduction at the LED or light source level, matte monitors do it by default to a higher degree.
• Less placement versatility: glossy monitors require dim or low light environments to look and work best. That means you have to carefully consider where you put them and how much light you want there. Far less of a factor with matte monitors.

NOTE: matte or glossy has little to no effect on viewing angles. Those depend on the type and quality of the panel, not the external layers of the screen.

Are There Degrees of Matte and Glossy?

Yes, both flavors exist as a spectrum of sorts. Some glossy screens reflect more than others, depending on the materials used. The gradation appears more pronounced with matte monitors. Screens may be lightly etched, which works very well for text-heavy use. Or they may employ a strong matte effect, something gamers benefit from most. Do remember that the more etched a monitor, the better its anti-glare performance. Very light matting comes very close to glossy in this regard.

Can I Change My Monitor from Glossy to Matte?

Yes. If you purchase a glossy monitor and find that the glare and light reflections bother you, you can get an aftermarket matte monitor cover. They work just like a screen protector for your phone. So, you must make sure the size fits and that you apply them properly. That often gets tricky. We recommend getting a matte monitor if in doubt.

Once you do, remember that you can’t glossify a matte monitor. Screen covers only work one way. To turn a matte display glossy, one would need to change the entire screen. That’s not feasible.

Why Get a Matte Monitor?

To be honest, pretty much everyone should. If you want eye comfort and almost no glare, matte is your choice. Gamers should go with matte, as glare and high frame rates and refresh rates don’t mix well. Also, reflections hide screen details, something gamers dislike. The same goes for work and productivity. For a good balance of image fidelity and comfort, matte reigns supreme.

Anyone that plans on using a monitor for extended periods in well-lit rooms should opt for matte. You may not get the best picture quality possible, but modern matte monitors certainly deliver, and their versatility is unmatched by glossy.

Why Get a Glossy Monitor?

Only go with glossy if you want the ultimate wow effect for monitor visuals. Glossy screens make colors pop and push levels of brightness that necessitate wearing shades. Matte monitors can’t do that, but they’re clearly more usable across hobbies and occupations.

Therefore, if you place impressive visuals above all else you need a glossy monitor. That’s why most commercial venues go with glossy screens for their signage needs. You regularly find them in stores, offices, airports, and other locations.

Final Thoughts

The bottom line sees us recommend matte monitors to most users and for most applications. Over the long run, matte screens serve you better as they go easier on your eyes health-wise. All while providing good to excellent image quality, if not as impressive as that offered by glossy monitors. Sure, the latter serve as beautiful showpieces, but also offer less practicality. There’s a reason matte screens were developed as soon as the technology became viable. And there’s a reason why they’re more popular. Then again, many users swear by glossy screens due to how impressive their visuals appear. If you can live with glare or have very good light control in your usage environment, glossy may work well for you.

To help you decide, get a closer look at ViewSonic gaming monitors. Happy shopping!

Frequently Asked Questions for Matte or Glossy monitors