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Hi, I bought a refurbished early 2011 15" MacBook Pro (A1286) with the standard 1440x900 screen. Is it possible to replace it with the high res matte 1680x1050 screen? If yes, what do I have to do? Thanks, Michael
Yes, you’ll need this guide to install it, however finding the display itself may be a little tricky, since it’s only found on custom build-to-order MBPs, it doesn’t appear to exist in an aftermarket.
I just did this on a 15" MacBook Pro A1286 Mid 2012 model that I picked up to replace a 2010 that i custom orded with the hi-res screen from Apple years ago. I didn’t think I would notice the difference in the regular screen verse the hi-res, but yah it was easily apparent to me. I couldn’t find a post anywhere from anyone saying they had successfuly done this, only from other people interested in attempting the same thing. After researching the parts I found a good deal on a hi-res panel so I gave it a try, and it worked.
I am confirming that you can upgrade the MacBook Pro 15” A1286 (Mid 2012) (Non-Retina) 1440x900 Glossy to a High Resolution (1860x1050) A1286 (2011) Display Assembly. You can get the Display Assembly on Ebay for roughly $150. The process is not too difficult and you must do some minor tweaks. There is a small amount of excess plastic on both sides of pin connectors on the display data cable that you must shave off in order to fit into socket on logic board. (Try fitting the connector and you will see where the plastic impedes. Take a small razor blade and just ever so slightly shave off the excess plastic. (Be careful and take your time) When done properly the cable will then fit securely into socket. The metal arm that swings over and locks cable into place will not fit 100% as the two connections are just slightly different. How to fix – Fully insert cable into socket, place piece of strong double sided tape on top of connectors, swing metal clip over on top of double sided tape. Press down firmly and this will secure both the metal clip and connector. The screen will show up as 1680x1050 native, I reinstalled macOS to make sure everything runs smooth. Just be precise, take your time, and this fix will work perfectly. This setup has been working for me for 6+ months. (I found re-aligning the display assembly to be the hardest part) Cheers and hope this helps : ) CT Use this guide as reference – MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Mid 2012 Display Replacement
If you have done this can you post a link of where you bought the new panel. Thanks.
Hi, I changed my macbook pro 15 inch mi 2010 lcd with a 1680 x 1050 high res lcd. It works but when i boot the mac i see a black screen until the OS X appears, first off i thought it was a problem from the mac, so i reinstalled the old 2010 lcd and everything works fine, then i reinstall the 1680 x 1050 high res and the problem comes back, black screen when i boot, then the screen appears when the OSx load. I reinstall the OSx and this did not solve the problem. Any help?
