Beyond Glossy: The Rise of Nano-Etched Matte Displays

Improving display comfort: The growing trend of nano-textured matte screens.

Apple has recently introduced a nano-etched anti-glare option for its Pro Display XDR (32-inch 6K), Studio Display (27-inch 5K), MacBook Pro (2024 models), iPad Pro (2024 models, 1TB and 2TB configurations), and iMac (2024 M4 models). These displays utilise nano-level etching to diffuse light effectively, providing superior clarity compared to traditional matte screens.

The adoption of nano-etching is a growing trend in consumer electronics. TCL NXTPAPER pioneered this technology in the tablet market in 2021. While nano-level etching is a core component of NXTPAPER, it forms part of a broader multi-layer screen technology. The nano-etched layer minimises light reflections, glare, and eye strain, while also offering a tactile writing experience and improved outdoor visibility. TCL also incorporates a multi-layer filtration system designed to reduce blue light emission without compromising colour fidelity.

According to TCL, NXTPAPER features built-in multi-layer blue light filtration technology at the hardware level.

Further enhancing NXTPAPER is Circularly Polarized Light (CPL) technology, which manipulates the light emitted from the display and its interaction with ambient lighting. This technology ensures that light waves from the backlight rotate in a circular pattern as they travel toward the screen and viewer. NXTPAPER employs a dual approach, balancing emitted and ambient light: first, by optimizing the backlight's interaction with the matte layer, and second, by scattering ambient light to prevent direct reflections into the viewer's eyes.

TCL also promotes NXTPAPER with features common to many tablets, such as DC dimming for flicker-free brightness adjustment and adaptive colour temperature. However, TCL emphasises the use of AI to dynamically adjust colour temperature in response to ambient lighting.

While TCL's product portfolio is relatively smaller than its competitors, it has focused on expanding NXTPAPER technology beyond tablets to include smartphones. However, a key limitation of most NXTPAPER devices is TCL’s decision to equip them with low-end processors — a strategic choice aimed at affordability, which ultimately restricts their appeal to power users.

Shortly after NXTPAPER's debut, Huawei introduced a similar solution known as PaperMatte, featured in its MatePad and MatePad Pro tablets. PaperMatte also utilises nano-level anti-glare etching to reduce light interference by 99%. Additionally, it incorporates micro-vibration and damping to provide a tactile feel for writing and drawing.

Although TCL and Huawei may employ slightly different techniques, their objectives are aligned: to minimise eye strain through matte displays that reduce glare, improve outdoor visibility, and offer a tactile surface for writing, drawing, and note-taking.

Recently, Xiaomi, Honor, Oppo and Lenovo have also released tablets with nano-level etching technology, indicating a growing preference for matte displays among consumers.

An Improvement, Not a Revolution

While not revolutionary, technologies like NXTPAPER and Huawei PaperMatte offer notable improvements. They outperform anti-glare screen protectors in diffusing ambient light and reducing glare. Furthermore, nano-etched matte layers provide superior clarity and contrast, mitigating the "sparkle effect" often associated with matte screen protectors.

Nano-etched matte finishes offer better clarity and colour fidelity than traditional textured or frosted matte surfaces found on some laptops and monitors. Textured or frosted surfaces are less effective at tackling reflectivity and glare.

In dark mode, LCD displays can exhibit increased glare due to the backlight shining through pixels set to black, reflecting ambient light. This can result in a distracting mirroring effect and contribute to eye strain. OLED displays, while having true blacks and less light bleed, still have glossy surfaces that can reflect ambient light, leading to glare. This glossy finish can still cause distractions in bright environments. A nano-etched matte panel can help reduce these reflections by diffusing light, enhancing viewability, and reducing glare in various lighting conditions. This allows users to fully leverage dark mode’s benefits in reducing eye strain.

An Alternative to E Ink?

Nano-etched anti-glare technology should not be considered a direct alternative to E Ink. Instead, it represents an evolution of OLED and LCD screens aimed at reducing eye strain by minimising ambient light reflectivity and glare. Additional benefits include improved outdoor visibility and a tactile surface for writing and drawing.

While E Ink monitors and e-notes are suitable for basic computing tasks, they are less versatile for more demanding applications. Given the limited development and high cost of transflective LCD technology, nano-etched anti-glare technology emerges as a viable option for reducing eye strain and enhancing outdoor visibility while maintaining good colour fidelity and clarity.