The MacBook Retina displays are perhaps the most remarkable displays you can find on a computer. No matter what screen you compare them to, the quality and colors are always the best on Retina displays. So if you are fortunate enough to have a MacBook, you can enjoy an incredible visual display with crisp quality. But can the MacBook Retina screen display 4K? And are they capable of showing 4K displays? Read on to find out.
A MacBooks retina screen is not 4K. MacBook retina screens are 2560×1600 pixels whilst a 4K screen usually is 3840 x 2160 pixels. 4K videos will be scaled to match the MacBooks screen resolution.
Neither the MacBook Air nor MacBook Pro natively comes with 4K video support, even the 2021 MacBook Pro which has a phenomenal LDR liquid retina display only has a resolution of 3456 x 2234.
However, there are ways to achieve 4K and higher on your MacBook keep reading this article to find out how.
One was is investing in Apple’s amazing 32-inch Pro XDR 6K display, it’s pricey but you can pick it up on Amazon via this link
3 Reasons Why MacBooks Screens Are Not Native 4K
1.Your Mac’s Battery Life Would Take a Huge Toll
A MacBook, which has a 4K display, would compromise the battery life. Apple does everything in its power to make your MacBook batteries as efficient as possible. Newer MacBooks with Apple silicon chips have fantastic battery life.
A typical MacBook battery powers the SSD hard drive, CPU, keyboard, display, USB/Thunderbolt 3 ports, speakers, trackpad, and keyboard, which requires a lot of battery power.
I imagine if you added a 4K display into your MacBook. It would require significantly more power, which means that your current battery that lasts for about 10 hours would last less reducing its need for the typical user.
Due to the limitations of lithium-ion batteries, there are no 4K displays in any MacBook. Unless Apple completely revolutionizes how batteries maintain power, there won’t be any in the near future.
Want the best battery life for your MacBook? If so I suggest you read my detailed guide to everything you need to know about MacBook charging.
2.A MacBook Retina Display Is Still Great
MacBooks retina displays despite not being true 4K are still beautiful displays it is very difficult to tell the difference between a true 4K monitor and a MacBooks retina screen.
A MacBook’s Retina display offers crisp fonts and unbelievably realistic color saturation as MacBooks are marketed to photo and video editors, they don’t need to be 4K to look good.
3.Apple Prefers Thinner MacBooks
We all know by now that Apple prefers leaner and thinner devices, they go out of their way to make your MacBook as thin as possible with rock-solid materials. A MacBook display is even sleeker than a number two pencil.
It is more difficult to hold a 4K display and maintain the compact nature of Apples MacBooks
If you carry your MacBook in a backpack like I do it’s important to know if that keeps it safe to know my personal opinion and experience with traveling in South America with my MacBook you can read my article.
Can MacBooks Display 4K?
The only Apple products that offer a 4K display are the Pro Display XDR, the 27’ iMac, and the 21.5’ iMac. None of the MacBooks come with a 4K display. However, you can watch 4K videos on a MacBook as it scales the video to match your screen resolution.
When you stream a 4K video on your MacBook, the video is scaled to match your screen’s resolution while maintaining the aspect ratio, if you are streaming a 4K TV show on Netflix, your MacBook Pro would scale the 4K video down to fall within the confines of your MacBook’s hardware. And your MacBook does a pretty job at it, offering you a great quality display.
However, if you want to watch a 4K video on your MacBook in its original quality, you can attach an external 4K monitor to your MacBook, such as the Pro Display XDR. The 16″ MacBook Pro comes with multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports, which means that you can connect up to two Pro Display XDRs with your MacBook Pro.