One of the few things that surprised me when Apple announced the iPhone Duo was the inside display. Not its size, or its passport-like aspect ratio — those were both expected. Rather, it was Apple’s decision to go with a matte screen, or more specifically a “custom nano‑texture finish,” as Apple calls it.

You’ve also seen nano-texture options for select iPads, Macs, and monitors. Having tested some of them myself, I think I’m sold on it as a must-have feature for future mobile devices. You may not want to follow my lead, though. As you’ll learn, there are some potential drawbacks, depending on your lifestyle, budget, and what you consider visually appealing.

What’s so great about nano-texture screens?

A little goes a long way

Strictly speaking, nano-texture glass isn’t the same thing as a conventional matte screen. Whereas most matte panels rely on a special layer or coating, Apple’s nano-texture technique alters the glass itself, pitting it with invisible etchings — hence the name. This reduces reflections by scattering incoming light, without impacting outgoing light as much as regular matte screens can.

For a long time, I wasn’t particularly bothered by the reflections on standard glossy panels. They’re what I grew up with, and there are still benefits to going glossy, as I’ll touch on later. I wasn’t even sold on nano-texture when Apple first demonstrated it. Somewhere along the line, though, I realized that minimizing reflections is actually valuable to me. Sharp HDR images hardly matter if they’re being obscured by a reflection of your face, or the light coming in from the window. Nano-texture glass doesn’t completely block reflections — but it diffuses them so much that a device becomes usable in just about any lighting condition, including outdoor sun.

A perk of this is that nano-texture devices look more paper-like, since of course fiber produces a similar diffusion. And many of us have been conditioned to think of paper as inherently friendlier than glass, given its association with books and magazines. Reading on a nano-texture iPad is hard to beat. It feels almost feels cozy, and there’s no struggling to make out text if you’re near a light source.

For some of you, nano-texture screens might be a professional necessity. The first Apple product to include it was actually the Pro Display XDR — the idea being that photo, video, and graphics professionals could operate with maximum accuracy and minimum interference. The same principle applies to Macs, and especially iPads, which may be one of the best design and illustration tools when paired with an Apple Pencil Pro. It would be harder to sketch out an image with a nearby light shining on your canvas.

Why nano-texture devices aren’t for everybody

Time for a manufacturing revolution?

For starters, Apple attaches a high price premium. The feature is reserved for its more expensive products, and you often have to pay a premium on top of that. As of September 2026, the only iPad with a nano-texture option is the M5 iPad Pro, and you can’t select that $100 upgrade unless you spring for 1 or 2TB of internal storage first. That means the cheapest nano-texture iPad is $1,900 — probably a dealkiller unless you can legitimately replace a Mac or Windows PC.

Even if you can afford the tech, you might not like the way it looks. It still affects outgoing light, making images look slightly fuzzy and muted compared to glossy screens. Indeed with diffused incoming light, contrast is reduced too, as that light is scattered over otherwise dark areas. It’s not a big issue with OLED or mini-LED panels, in my opinion, but it’s noticeable, and the effect may be worse on vanilla LCDs.

On top of that, nano-texture glass is harder to maintain. You can’t use screen protectors, and the glass requires delicate cleaning with a soft microfiber cloth, because its surface is more vulnerable to scratching. Oils and liquids may be more likely to get trapped. Realistically, I wouldn’t dare take an iPad Pro or iPhone Duo on a hike without a rugged case that can deflect screen impacts, and somewhere to stash it when the going gets rough. Being aggressive with an Apple Pencil could cause trouble.

My hope is that Apple will refine nano-texture production to the point it becomes both cheaper and more durable. There’s reason to think that might happen — with the tech coming to iPhones, there’s a wider audience, which should push manufacturing costs down while increasing Apple’s incentive to fix things. I’m crossing my fingers however, since there might be fundamental limits to what Apple can do. Tougher glass is still glass, and there are only so many ways to cut it or make it oil-repellent at the nanometer scale. We’re just lucky that Apple is a megacorporation with a nearly unlimited R&D budget.