I have both and while the Air has better color saturation, the rMini also has a very good screen and I don't even notice the difference when using the mini. I prefer the Air because of the bigger screen, but the mini is the one that goes out with me. If I had to pick one I would make the decision based on size rather than color gamut.
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iPad mini Has the new batch of iPad Mini with retina. fixed the color accuracy problem ?
- Thread starter DBZmusicboy01
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You said sth that might help me in my decision
I could think of keeping both devices and use the Mini when I am on the road. The Air is great for home usage...Hmm..
Color gamut is an issue for me but I can live with it.
I had both devices too and used the Air for over a month before exchanging it for the rMini. IMO, unless you're a professional photographer or just OCD about it, the slight color gamut difference won't be a problem or even be noticed in normal use for most people. For me personally, the advantages of the rMini far outweigh the color gamut thing.
I think this is a design consideration for Apple to make sure people buy the air over the Rmini. People were buying the mini more than the air
I've looked at hundreds of rmini screens and compared them side by side.
The biggest issues is not the color gamut but the yellow tint at the bottom one third of the screen. All of them have some unevenness due to the led backlighting but some are a lot worse than others. From my experience it looks like there are two screens, a cooler temp one and a warmer temp one. The warmer temp one suffers from the yellow more often I think.
Easiest way to tell which screen you have is by the keyboard. Warmer temp one will appear yellow when compared to the cooler temp one. So far every single display mode love seen at apple stores, target, walmart, best buy, etc have all been the cooler temp display. Maybe this was all the first batch.. At first I thought the cooler temp one was a better display, However I noticed one thing recently. The warmer temp one appears slightly brighter and the colors pop a bit more. I believe the color gamut might be slightly better on the warmer display. Still not as good as my ipad air but there is definitely a difference in color. I was at my best buy store and had my rmini next to it and compared the icons and several backgrounds. Other than the grey keyboard, everything looked better on my display.
The biggest issues is not the color gamut but the yellow tint at the bottom one third of the screen. All of them have some unevenness due to the led backlighting but some are a lot worse than others. From my experience it looks like there are two screens, a cooler temp one and a warmer temp one. The warmer temp one suffers from the yellow more often I think.
Easiest way to tell which screen you have is by the keyboard. Warmer temp one will appear yellow when compared to the cooler temp one. So far every single display mode love seen at apple stores, target, walmart, best buy, etc have all been the cooler temp display. Maybe this was all the first batch.. At first I thought the cooler temp one was a better display, However I noticed one thing recently. The warmer temp one appears slightly brighter and the colors pop a bit more. I believe the color gamut might be slightly better on the warmer display. Still not as good as my ipad air but there is definitely a difference in color. I was at my best buy store and had my rmini next to it and compared the icons and several backgrounds. Other than the grey keyboard, everything looked better on my display.
I hope not! Apple should make the mini and the Air equal in terms of specs and features. We all thought that this is the case, but unfortunately the display isn't as good.
The display is a really big deal, since people interact with it all the time when using a tablet. I know Tim Cook is reading mails from Apple customers and I will send him another one about this...
Some of you might know the displaymate review: http://www.displaymate.com/Tablet_ShootOut_4.htm
It is really disappointing that Apple chose an inferior screen for the Mini.
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um. on my mini retina everything is SHARPER than the air. that picture must be a joke.
That picture is not a retina Mini.
The Retina Mini has more PPI than the Air so that picture is impossible on a Retina Mini. That also explains why the colors are washed out on the Mini.
It was a quick picture using my iPhone. Somehow it got a little bit out of focus, but still it shows the color difference. Don't think about the sharpness. Yes, the Mini has a sharper screen!
I uploaded two more pics. On the left is the Air and on the right the Mini
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I have both the color difference is not that great. Bottom line if you don't like the mini don't get it. The screen is excellent might not be quite the same as the air but its close and for some people the form factor wins.
The screen is good enough for the majority of the users, but not excellent. The sharpness yes, the color accuracy no. That doesn't mean I don't like the Mini. I prefer its form factor but I prefer the display of the Air.
Excellent is a subjective term. I do agree the value decision is form over screen which is more important to the end user.
As I already said, I had the Air for over a month and now have the rMini. I would classify the screen on MY rMini as excellent. There are no yellow or discolored areas, and the display is uniformly bright from side to side. There have been/are issues with this on some people's rMinis that have posted pics on this forum, but they're not ALL that way. As to the color accuracy of the Air vs. the rMini, just because the Air's colors are a little more intense doesn't make them more accurate. You can adjust your TV's colors to be more vibrant and strong, but that's not necessarily accurate and the way it should look. A lot of my personal photos actually look more natural (accurate?) on the rMini than they did on the Air.
To call the rMini screen as defective really exaggerates the situation. The iPad Air has a superior screen but I'm completely happy with the rMini screen.
I had a crisp first gen mini and a washed out one before returning both since 1024x768 on a 7.9" screen wasn't doable or enjoyable for me.
...it would probably depend on panel lottery, but even the most preferred panel the color gamut is technically not as good as Air's.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/18654587/
this seems to confirm that panel lottery is evident on rMini, just like every other model. And anyone's anecdotal evidence to make a blanket statement "first time was or will be a win," is just that -- anecdotal, and not representative of a pool of random devices you'd pick up at the store, of which there's a lot of crap if you're a screen stickler. And I say this having snagged a more than acceptable rMini screen first try (I finally lucked out)
..still not really an issue for me, the whole 'color gamut-gate' coming from an iPad 3 which Air is more similar to than rMini.
The panel does run a little warm towards the bottom on my unit, but Color Profiles tweak helps iron it out, and I'd prefer crisp over washed out any day of the week.
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When you talk about Color Profile tweaks, what software/app are you using? I have a DataColor Spyder, but their calibration app is limited to only correcting the color of the photos you view in the app. I'd be interested in being able to calibrate the display on my iPad. Thanks.
Jailbreak tweak by a developer called Ryan Petrich for $1.99. Works beautifully, can be adjusted in Settings app. Requires jailbreak obv.
When you get used to your color config, stock looks deplorable. I thought both my iPhone 5 and rMini had good screens prior to this tweak, but when I go back to stock, my immediate impression is how did I think this before?
I just picked up this app. Which color profile do you use, many of the included profiles seem to be joke novelty profiles but nothing good
In looking at the details on the app, I was hoping it would do more. If I understand correctly, it looks like it can just adjust the overall tint to eliminate a general color cast. I was hoping it could interface with hardware calibration devices to do create an actual color profile.
From what I can tell using my DataColor Spyder and the companion iOS image viewing app, it looks like part of the lack of vibrancy in some of the colors is partly a calibration issue. If I take a screen capture of the homescreen and view it in the DataColor app adjusted to reflect the calibration performed with my Spyder, blues and reds look significantly more vibrant than when viewed without the adjustment for calibration.
So, I'd say part of the difference between the Air and (r)Mini display is the sRGB reproduction limit, but a larger part also seems to be in the way the (r)Mini screens are calibrated - producing less saturated blues and reds.
That's not to dispute the numerical sRGB reproduction findings of any of the sites that have performed testing. I just meant that I think the perceived difference between the two is more due to calibration than LCD limitations.