2019 13" MacBook Pro Screen Failure - Design Flaw?

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Level 1

4 points

2019 13" MacBook Pro Screen Failure - Design Flaw?

I’ve been a longtime Apple user, and up until now, I’ve been happy with my 2019 13” MacBook Pro. It has been in excellent condition—never dropped, barely moved from my desk, and used exclusively for schoolwork. I haven’t upgraded because, frankly, it’s been working just fine. Well, until now.

Recently, I powered it on and was greeted by colorful lines plastered across the screen. Odd. I opened an app, and the lines became more aggressive, making anything on the screen practically unreadable. A restart showed a single colorful line during boot-up, but depending on what’s open, these lines either disappear or flood the screen. Interestingly, using dark mode makes it slightly better. And of course, the issue doesn’t show in screenshots, but I will provide photos.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

Updated macOS
Reinstalled macOS
Deactivated True Tone
Deactivated auto brightness
Reset NVRAM/PRAM
Reset SMC

No luck. So, I took my MacBook to an Apple Store, where they informed me the screen needs to be replaced—for a whopping $598. Yep, nearly $600 to fix a laptop that’s barely worth $350 at this point.

Now, here’s my issue: I have much older PC laptops that still have fully functioning screens. Why would a MacBook Pro screen fail after just five years of light use? This isn’t just bad luck—it’s becoming clear that many people are experiencing the same issue. From what I’ve read, there may be a design flaw where the screen overheats and damages a connection. The GPU itself is fine, as my Mac runs perfectly when connected to an external monitor.

Of course, this happens just outside of warranty—because why wouldn’t it? Apple seems to have a habit of these “random unknown issues” conveniently appearing once warranty coverage expires. And let’s be honest, most of us can use a computer for many years without feeling the need to upgrade, so what better way to force an upgrade than a conveniently expensive repair?

Bottom line: I was already considering a new computer, but after this, I can say with certainty that I will never buy another Apple computer again.

Thanks for reading. Here's the images, sorry they uploaded weird - not sure why.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 15.3

Posted on Mar 9, 2025 06:04 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 10, 2025 05:52 AM in response to iMikedc

Bottom line: I was already considering a new computer, but after this, I can say with certainty that I will never buy another Apple computer again.

You can submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

Contact the corporate office Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple

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Answer 2

Mar 10, 2025 09:43 AM in response to iMikedc

<< So the takeaway here is that if I didn’t pay extra for extended warranty coverage, then I somehow deserved for my screen to fail after just five years of light use? >>

So what is the right number? Twenty years? Ten years? Seven years?

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Answer 3

muguy

Level 10

90,158 points

Mar 10, 2025 09:49 AM in response to iMikedc

Many? Probably not. A few, yes. In the posts that you review? Likely. That’s frequency bias. However, hardware, even devices from solid manufactures, can fail at any time for any reason. You can have it repaired or replace the device.

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Answer 4

Mar 10, 2025 12:29 PM in response to iMikedc

<< This is about product quality, not warranty coverage. If so many people are experiencing this issue, it suggests a flaw—not just “bad luck.”>>

The number of failures you reference are insignificant on the SCALE of just how many Macs there are in the world. Apple sold about 20, 000,000 Macs last year. That means they shipped about 57,000 Macs every day of the week for 50 weeks.

You have a bad experience with ONE Mac, backed up by (being exceptionally generous) let's say a hundred others.

that is 100 / 20,000.000 or 0.000,005 percent of all Macs that year.

The measurable impact on product quality at that rate is essentially, nothing.

NB> I am really sorry your display died and that it is so expensive to fix. You can work around the issue by connecting an external display or TV set.

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Answer 5

Mar 10, 2025 06:32 AM in response to iMikedc

Readers here are other Users like you, NOT Apple employees Readers want you to have the system that best solves your problems, whatever logo is on it. "I will never buy another Mac again" does not get ANY traction whatsoever on these forums.

Consumer products, their warranties, and their extended warranties work in a predictable way.

Warrant-able implies, but does not guarantee, High Quality:

Consumer product makers build high quality products. You can tell because the manufacturer is willing to stand by their products and repair or replace them (but only for defects in materials or workmanship) at manufacturers expense for a stated warranty period.

For Apple Macs in most countries, that period is one year. That is the total responsibility Apple or any manufacturer has to you under law. Assumptions about additional responsibility of Apple or any other consumer product-maker's products working longer than the warranty period are not accurate. The amount you paid for the product has no bearing on this. The rules are the same for a car costing US$20,000 or more.

Complex Electro-mechanical devices fail at random, arbitrary, and capricious times.

The most frequent reason for most failures is 'just because'.

Your specific failure is most likely caused by an advanced scientific principle called ...

... 'bad luck'.

--------

If you want a really substantial lesson how this this works (or more precisely how this stops working) own an older used automobile.

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Answer 6

Mar 10, 2025 06:33 AM in response to iMikedc

If you made the decision to NOT pay for the AppleCare extended warranty, you made a wager (bet) that is would be better for you to not pay for AppleCare, but to bear the cost of repairs (IF any were needed) during the extended warranty period yourself.

You lost that bet.

When facing a problem later, the correct cost calculation is:

Example Total retail cost of repair: US$800

less Example amount you saved US$380

by NOT purchasing a service agreement

Effective incremental cost: US$420

PLUS the amount you saved by not buying the Service contract, which now must be spent as well.

————

However, you have the ability to turn the tables next time.

Next time you buy a Mac, buy AppleCare PLUS at the same time. Then for the first three years, renewable, if the screen gets fails for any reason you pay only the US$100 technician time, and Apple has to eat the cost of the display. A catastrophic failure like "fell down the stairs" costs only US$250 co-pay instead of the about $1000 retail repair cost.

But you have to sign up within 60 days of purchase, and Apple reserves the right to inspect your Mac if not bought at time of purchase. If you could buy AppleCare PLUS any time, only users with failures would buy it, and that would ruin the 'insurance effect'.

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Answer 7

iMikedc Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 10, 2025 08:15 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

@Grant Bennet-Alder

So the takeaway here is that if I didn’t pay extra for extended warranty coverage, then I somehow deserved for my screen to fail after just five years of light use? That’s a pretty wild take.

Warranties exist to cover unexpected defects, not to excuse poor longevity in premium devices. AppleCare is optional insurance, not a license for a company to design products that conveniently fail just outside the standard warranty.

I didn’t “lose a bet.” I bought a high-end laptop from a company that markets itself on reliability. The issue isn’t whether I had AppleCare—it’s why a MacBook screen is failing in this specific way for so many users in the first place. If it’s a defect, Apple should acknowledge it, as they have with past repair programs.

Telling people to just “buy AppleCare next time” ignores the real issue. If MacBook Pros were actually as reliable as advertised, extended warranties wouldn’t feel like a necessity—they’d be a safety net for rare cases, not a requirement to avoid expensive repairs from common failures.

Also, if AppleCare was really such a no-brainer deal, Apple wouldn’t limit enrollment to 60 days—they’d let users buy in whenever. But of course, they don’t, because that would mean covering more real failures instead of just cashing in on people’s paranoia.

This is about product quality, not warranty coverage. If so many people are experiencing this issue, it suggests a flaw—not just “bad luck.”

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2019 13" MacBook Pro Screen Failure - Design Flaw?

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