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Increasing display defects on the Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar: Repair expert reveals yet another design fail

The problems with the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar are never-ending. (Image: Apple)
The problems with the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar are never-ending. (Image: Apple)
The problems with the MacBook Pro models made between 2016 and 2020 are never-ending. Defective butterfly keyboards and flickering touch bars are now being joined by display defects, which, according to a repair expert, are due to a vulnerable design.
MacBook Fail Apple

Over the past few years, there have been increasing reports of defective displays on the MacBook Pro from the 2016 to 2020 model years as well as the newer 13.3-inch model from the past two years. Corresponding reports from customers can be found on the Apple Support Community, on X and on Reddit.

This is at least the third, relatively widespread display defect in these model years after the Flexgate issue in the 2016- 2017 models, and a poorly cooled T-CON board, which can lead to gray or black lines at the bottom or top of the screen. This new third problem is not only unsightly, but can also render the display practically unusable in some cases, as the images embedded below show.

Repair expert Ricky Panesar has pointed out to MyDrivers a possible reason for this fault: there is a tiny gap between the hinge of the display and the case of the affected MacBook Pro that allows dust and dirt to accumulate inside over the years. If too much dirt accumulates on the display flex cable, this can lead to damage.

This problem is said to occur most frequently in the A1989, A2251, A2289, A2338 and A2141 models that came onto the market between 2018 and 2020, but in principle all models from 2016 to 2020 as well as the newer 13.3-inch MacBook Pro are affected, as they are based on a similar design. It remains unclear just how many MacBook Pros have actually been damaged by this "design flaw", as Apple is yet to officially comment on the problem.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 11 > Increasing display defects on the Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar: Repair expert reveals yet another design fail
Hannes Brecher, 2023-11-15 (Update: 2023-11-15)