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All iPads Close Up Screen Pixel Photos - Mini, 4, 2 and iPhone

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OSMac

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 14, 2010
1,451
6

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michaeljohn

macrumors 6502
Oct 27, 2012
279
0
As the reviewer said "thru a macro lens". I am not aware of anyone who looks at any of their devices thru a macro lens or holds it a few inches from their face. Tests like these are beyond stupid and just pointless.
 
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lianlua

macrumors 6502
Jun 13, 2008
370
3
I wish he had controlled for physical size in those photos. It is clear that they are not all taken of the same content, at the same zoom level, from the same distance. It's a non-scientific comparison.

It's not inaccurate, though.
 
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CandyNJ66

macrumors regular
Feb 11, 2009
249
10
USA
children said:
means a lot, seeing as though pixel density is the only downfall of the ipad mini
Click to expand...

Being 46, I had to make due with black & white TV, Colecovison, Atari, Nintendo etc. I wonder how kids today would deal with having those "ancient" pixels on their devices lol.
 
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Joeymac1

macrumors newbie
Jul 30, 2012
19
0
Lol @ everybody who just bought a mini getting all defensive. But if it was another company's device with an inferior screen, would it still be so insignificant? People on this forum are hilarious.
 
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lianlua

macrumors 6502
Jun 13, 2008
370
3
Southernboyj said:
I fixed it for you.
Click to expand...
The things people suddenly choose to care about. :rolleyes:

A 62% gamut isn't bad. The iPhone 4 was praised for its gamut and calibration, both of which are matched here (while competing phones and tablets didn't, and in many cases, still don't exceed those figures). The color performance of the iPad mini actually beats the Nexus 7, even with the narrower gamut.

It's a huge mistake to reduce any comparison to a single point of reference. If you looked only at GPU performance, you'd never consider a Kindle or a Nexus. If you looked only at resolution, you'd never consider a mini. If you only cared about RAM size, iPads are out. If you only cared about NAND performance, Android as a whole is pretty much out. If you only cared about display accuracy, you'd only consider the iPad mini and the Kindle Fire HD.

You've got to look at the whole package. Most people here complaining about color gamut couldn't even define it. Maybe the whole package of the iPad mini isn't for you. Maybe it's too expensive and too low resolution. But it doesn't make it bad, just like my Kindle Fire HD's lackluster hardware and software performance doesn't make it bad on the whole.
 
Southernboyj

Southernboyj

macrumors 68000
Mar 8, 2012
1,693
69
Mobile, AL
lianlua said:
The things people suddenly choose to care about. :rolleyes:

A 62% gamut isn't bad. The iPhone 4 was praised for its gamut and calibration, both of which are matched here (while competing phones and tablets didn't, and in many cases, still don't exceed those figures). The color performance of the iPad mini actually beats the Nexus 7, even with the narrower gamut.

It's a huge mistake to reduce any comparison to a single point of reference. If you looked only at GPU performance, you'd never consider a Kindle or a Nexus. If you looked only at resolution, you'd never consider a mini. If you only cared about RAM size, iPads are out. If you only cared about NAND performance, Android as a whole is pretty much out. If you only cared about display accuracy, you'd only consider the iPad mini and the Kindle Fire HD.

You've got to look at the whole package. Most people here complaining about color gamut couldn't even define it. Maybe the whole package of the iPad mini isn't for you. Maybe it's too expensive and too low resolution. But it doesn't make it bad, just like my Kindle Fire HD's lackluster hardware and software performance doesn't make it bad on the whole.
Click to expand...


While I agree you have to consider multiple things, you are wrong about your Nexus 7 comparisons. The Nexus 7 beats the Mini in both color accuracy and processing power. That being said, the Mini does have advantages over the Nexus.

Still though, you can't deny the colors of the Mini are noticeable less accurate than the iPad 3/4. Which to me, color accuracy is just as important as resolution.
 
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lianlua

macrumors 6502
Jun 13, 2008
370
3
Southernboyj said:
The Nexus 7 beats the Mini in both color accuracy and processing power.
Click to expand...
No, color accuracy on the N7 is abysmal. Color gamut beats the iPad mini by a wide margin.

Processing power depends on what you're looking at and what you're defining as power.
Still though, you can't deny the colors of the Mini are noticeable less accurate than the iPad 3/4. Which to me, color accuracy is just as important as resolution.
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Sure I can. Calibration on both displays is excellent, with only the Fire HD comparing. Nexus 7 isn't even close. It's color range on the mini that isn't great.

Accuracy is fidelity to true color. Gamut is the size of the color space. A wider gamut makes it possible to express more colors (precision), but doesn't affect how often the display chooses the right color. That's what accuracy is.

Think of it like a map. Say you buried treasure at coordinates 34.31214 x 17.44679. You have two people with two different maps. Map A has a wide gamut (that is, can represent four decimal places) and Map B has a narrower gamut (can only work with three decimal places).

Map A marks the spot at 34.2994 x 17.4653. It's got the more detail, but it computed the coordinates incorrectly because its accuracy is lower.

Map B marks the spot at 34.312 x 17.447. It is much more accurate to the reference, just not as precise. That's what a narrower gamut does.

Map B is putting you much closer to where you want to be.
 
gmanist1000

gmanist1000

macrumors 68030
Sep 22, 2009
2,832
824
saving107 said:
We've gotten by in life just fine with lower PPI displays up until now, I think I will be just fine with my iPad mini.
Click to expand...

People just want a retina display because Apple is pushing us into a world of amazing displays. And the Mini lacks one.
 
Poochi

Poochi

macrumors 6502a
Jul 30, 2010
886
262
Toronto
Deasnutz said:
Mainly for those who can enjoy (or are unable to resist) gadgets with a dated PPI.

Is that grandma? No wait, maybe that's grandpa...shoot, get my ipad 3.
Click to expand...

My folks coming from iPad 2 love the mini. I asked them about the sheitty screen and they told me it looks almost the same as the iPad 4 on display...
 
mcdj

mcdj

macrumors G3
Jul 10, 2007
8,964
4,214
NYC
lianlua said:
I wish he had controlled for physical size in those photos. It is clear that they are not all taken of the same content, at the same zoom level, from the same distance. It's a non-scientific comparison.

It's not inaccurate, though.
Click to expand...

Not the same content/zoom/distance? They're Safari icons, which look exactly proportional to me.
 
rockyroad55

rockyroad55

macrumors 601
Jul 14, 2010
4,152
59
Phila, PA
Deasnutz said:
Mainly for those who can enjoy (or are unable to resist) gadgets with a dated PPI.

Is that grandma? No wait, maybe that's grandpa...shoot, get my ipad 3.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the disrespect along with a name that nobody can take seriously. I meant the mini isn't for everyone. What works for one person may not work for another. I'm not defending my mini. I like it, I can deal with the grandma PPI, I like that it fits in my jacket pocket easily, and that doesn't mean you have to. It's a dated PPI by Apple standards, but still perfectly usable. Get your head out of your ass.
 
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lianlua

macrumors 6502
Jun 13, 2008
370
3
mcdj said:
Not the same content/zoom/distance? They're Safari icons, which look exactly proportional to me.
Click to expand...
The icons are fairly close in scale and obviously in content they're the same. I am referring especially to the line of text and comic book samples, which aren't proportional in any way (and the text samples are out of order to boot).

What a test like this needs is some semblance of control--a marker of scale in each photo so that we can verify the validity of results. The problem with selecting a macro zoom setting in which the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are indiscernable from each other is that it stacks the deck from the outset. It's intellectually dishonest. At the distance(s) from which the photos were taken, the lens is keyed to resolve the iPad mini in full focus, as evidenced by it being the only one in which the pixel grid is visible across the entirety of the image. Therefore the pixels of the iPad 2 are slightly softened by being out of focus and the retina devices aren't being resolved at a level in which you can make a comparison.

I'm not saying there is any intent to misrepresent anything here, just that there has been no effort to put forward a scientific comparison.
 
wrkactjob

wrkactjob

macrumors 65816
Feb 29, 2008
1,357
0
London
I'm not concerned with the amount of pixels in Baracks or Mitts name, I just want to catch the headlines and check my mails.
 
Phil A.

Phil A.

Moderator emeritus
Apr 2, 2006
5,799
3,094
Shropshire, UK
Like the old adage about the best camera being the one you have with you, the best iPad is the one you have with you! The sheer portability of the mini more than makes up for any issues with not having a retina display for me :)
 
C

children

macrumors regular
Dec 22, 2008
248
0
saving107 said:
We've gotten by in life just fine with lower PPI displays up until now, I think I will be just fine with my iPad mini.
Click to expand...
And
CandyNJ66 said:
Being 46, I had to make due with black & white TV, Colecovison, Atari, Nintendo etc. I wonder how kids today would deal with having those "ancient" pixels on their devices lol.
Click to expand...


Then why is the retina MacBook, ipad, iPhone such a big deal? The omission is just as big of a deal as inclusion.

Oufourse, it matters less to some people (myself included) but it still is a big deal
 
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