iPad Air 2 Display Praised for Antireflective Coating, but iPad Mini 3 Display Still Lags

[alchemistTi]

If you objectively look at the competition, apple has really fallen behind. So thanks Tim, you made my decision easy for me this year with the iPad and Mac mini "updates". I'm now buying a Surface Pro.

 

[journeyy]

I hope there will be a mid-cycle refresh.. a thinner and lighter A8 Mini with better Display would be the perfect portable tablet i think.

 

[Ezlivin]

So Long!

If you objectively look at the competition, apple has really fallen behind. So thanks Tim, you made my decision easy for me this year with the iPad and Mac mini "updates". I'm now buying a Surface Pro.

I guess this is the last we'll see of you around here. You'll be headed over to a forum where everyone is happy with their non-Apple products and thrilled with how the other companies meet your every need. Good for you. Glad that you can find a group where you can feel like you belong.

So long!

 

[rsocal]

Wow, just when I was beginning to come around to the idea (this morning!) of upgrading to the Air 2 from my iPad 4... I read that the display is dimmer than the previous Air? I will just have to get to a store and look them over. Speaking of which, when do we get them in the stores? I went to the Apple Store on thursday and they still only had Air 1's on display.

I'm also still torn about a couple things- I'm curious about the iPad "Pro", and I'm wondering if this will be our last 264ppi iPad. I have a feeling the next one will HAVE to have a resolution upgrade. With the iMac going 5K, I can't imagine why we haven't seen a resolution bump since the iPad 3.

I have an iPad Air and just received iPad Air 2 Friday, I've had a lot of time on it since Friday due to having foot surgery. I've been stuck on couch! Let just say, iPad Air 2 is amazing, new screen is awesome and thinner is better! As I stated in an earlier post, it's blazing fast!

I've never thought the Mini was needed and now with 6 Plus, I believe the Mini is going the way of iPod. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but bigger phones, Phablets, has to be putting a damper on smaller tablets.

I love my 6 Plus and my iPad Air 2. With these I can't see any reason people would want a 7-8in tablet. Google's new Nexus has a 5.9 display. I actually can see Phablets getting to the 6in.

I would have no problem with iPhone 6 with a 6in dispaly after using for over a month. I admit that I was one of the, why do we need any bigger the 4 or 5in. I was wrong, as I love the Phablet size now! We do so much on our phones now, that's why people have come to appreciate the bigger screens.

I hate to admit this, but Samsung did bring the big screen phones to us. But that's it! They still suck!#

 

[Glassed Silver]

Excellent post and well articulated. 100% agree.

Why, thank you!

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[jigzaw]

I have an iPad Air and just received iPad Air 2 Friday, I've had a lot of time on it since Friday due to having foot surgery. I've been stuck on couch! Let just say, iPad Air 2 is amazing, new screen is awesome and thinner is better! As I stated in an earlier post, it's blazing fast!

I've never thought the Mini was needed and now with 6 Plus, I believe the Mini is going the way of iPod. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but bigger phones, Phablets, has to be putting a damper on smaller tablets.

I love my 6 Plus and my iPad Air 2. With these I can't see any reason people would want a 7-8in tablet. Google's new Nexus has a 5.9 display. I actually can see Phablets getting to the 6in.

I would have no problem with iPhone 6 with a 6in dispaly after using for over a month. I admit that I was one of the, why do we need any bigger the 4 or 5in. I was wrong, as I love the Phablet size now! We do so much on our phones now, that's why people have come to appreciate the bigger screens.

I hate to admit this, but Samsung did bring the big screen phones to us. But that's it! They still suck!#

Good to know you like the Air 2. I just wish I could see a little into the future to get an idea of what their plans are for the Pro or Air 3. I'm using the iPhone 5S and have been mightily resisting grabbing a 6 Plus because I'm still under contract for another year and am trying to hold out for a 6S Plus next year so I was thinking a new iPad could calm that mania.

I agree with you about the Mini. Never saw the point after the Air was introduced. Now with the 6 Plus I REALLY don't see the point.

 

[jterp7]

I have an iPad Air and just received iPad Air 2 Friday, I've had a lot of time on it since Friday due to having foot surgery. I've been stuck on couch! Let just say, iPad Air 2 is amazing, new screen is awesome and thinner is better! As I stated in an earlier post, it's blazing fast!

I've never thought the Mini was needed and now with 6 Plus, I believe the Mini is going the way of iPod. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but bigger phones, Phablets, has to be putting a damper on smaller tablets.

I love my 6 Plus and my iPad Air 2. With these I can't see any reason people would want a 7-8in tablet. Google's new Nexus has a 5.9 display. I actually can see Phablets getting to the 6in.

I would have no problem with iPhone 6 with a 6in dispaly after using for over a month. I admit that I was one of the, why do we need any bigger the 4 or 5in. I was wrong, as I love the Phablet size now! We do so much on our phones now, that's why people have come to appreciate the bigger screens.

I hate to admit this, but Samsung did bring the big screen phones to us. But that's it! They still suck!#

without a case, portrait mode and typing on the mini exceeds the air (which needs split and undock) or any of the iphones. I suppose we'll wait for mini 4 to fix the screen? It has to be intentional at this point. Still at 249 for a brand new retina mini (last week at BB), I had to jump on it. For those of you who remember, that was the "good deal" price point for most of you before it was revealed that it would be 399.

 

[rGiskard]

This is supposed to be a general use tablet, so the use case should factor in how it is judged... A general tablet is not dedicated to pros manipulating photos all day long with the screen in perfect lighting at a perfect angle. A display should be adapted to the needs of the actual users and not the lab (just like all other specs).

According to the review, color accuracy, white point are basically very close to perfect (but not not the top amongst tablets).

Yet, is is funny how this part of the displaymate review is not here.

"iPad Air 2 matches or breaks new records in Tablet (and Smartphone) display performance for: the most accurate (pure logarithmic power-law) Intensity Scale and Gamma, most accurate Image Contrast, (by far) the Lowest Screen Reflectance, and the Highest Contrast Rating for Ambient Light."

So, basically, it is much easier to read stuff off it in any situation than competing tablet.

Apple focused on improving the contrast in every way possible. Legibility is difficult circumstance is key for a tablet.

So, again, as always, Apple balanced the engineering considerations which that person totally disregarded.

What a bizarre interpretation of Soneira's glowing iPad Air 2 display review. The guy gushed over Apple's strong points but he regards Samsung's OLED displays to be better all-around displays and better for color-critical work. He also covered quantum dot tech which will boost LCDs to OLED performance levels.

I hope you realize that the differences in color accuracy are very slight - of course if they were in Apple's favor, the same difference would be HUGE1!!, right?

Soneira did fail to mention one drawback to OLED: endurance. Saturation diminishes with age. For those who get a new tablet every year it's no matter, but I believe Apple made the right choice in using long lasting LCD displays in lieu of disposable OLED displays. Apple also supports hardware longer than Android/Windows and as a result iPads remain current for many years.

This is supposed to be a general use tablet, so the use case should factor in how it is judged

iPads are widely used for demanding professional work. They fit better into workflow due to the rich App choice and Apple's own sync abilities. They also hold up better under rigorous use and like I noted above the LCD displays can perform consistently for many years. To direct photography professionals or enthusiasts to Samsung tablets would be sheer folly.

 

[rGiskard]

I've never thought the Mini was needed and now with 6 Plus, I believe the Mini is going the way of iPod. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but bigger phones, Phablets, has to be putting a damper on smaller tablets.

7-8 inch tablets are popular:

And for good reason: they are more portable and easier to handle and hold for long periods. For those who like to read in bed, an 8 incher like the Mini is the perfect size. Actually for just about anything one does in bed, 8 inches is the right size.

As far as screen area:

iPhone 6: 60.9 cm2
iPhone 6+: 83.4 cm2
iPad Mini: 193.2 cm2
iPad Air: 291.3 cm2

The iPhone 6+ is 1.4 times the area of the 6.
The iPad Mini is 2.3 times the area of the 6+.
The iPad Air has only 1.5 times the area of the iPad Mini.

All Apple need to do is offer an 8 incher with exactly the same tech and specs as the Air 2. Otherwise they should surrender the midrange tablet space to Android. The current Mini 3 is untenable: it looks terrible next to Android competitors and tarnishes the image of all Apple "retina" products. Any short term profits are more than offset by the damage to Apple's reputation for creating premium, groundbreaking products.

 

[poppy10]

the iPad mini 1 makes for a much better buy, it's lighter and a bit thinner plus it's better built

Dude, are you joking? It's an iPad 2 in a smaller case. Ancient A5 professor, 512MB RAM, runs like a dog with iOS 8... Nobody can seriously recommend that

 

[jonnyb098]

Wow, just when I was beginning to come around to the idea (this morning!) of upgrading to the Air 2 from my iPad 4... I read that the display is dimmer than the previous Air? I will just have to get to a store and look them over. Speaking of which, when do we get them in the stores? I went to the Apple Store on thursday and they still only had Air 1's on display.

I'm also still torn about a couple things- I'm curious about the iPad "Pro", and I'm wondering if this will be our last 264ppi iPad. I have a feeling the next one will HAVE to have a resolution upgrade. With the iMac going 5K, I can't imagine why we haven't seen a resolution bump since the iPad 3.

Who cares that the display is slightly dimmer on the Air 2? Unless you constantly use it in sunlight there absolutely ZERO reason to go over 50% brightness when under typical lighting conditions.

 

[iSayuSay]

I will just wait until Apple starts to move to OLED display. That's when I will buy (again) whatever garbage Apple sells LOL..

 

[HighDesert50]

Apple could have made the mini very competitive and they elected not to do so. They have done the same with the ipod touch. The good news is there are a lot of competitive mini tablets that are really very good, so, if we allow ourselves to be flexible to change, we do have viable options.

 

[Keirasplace]

I will just wait until Apple starts to move to OLED display. That's when I will buy (again) whatever garbage Apple sells LOL..

Then, in one year, the display will be worse than a LCD, and you will be screwed. BTW, how many tablets has Samsung sold?

 

[iSayuSay]

Then, in one year, the display will be worse than a LCD, and you will be screwed. BTW, how many tablets has Samsung sold?

How can it be worse than LCD? OLED is like plasma, each pixel has its own backlit so black is black not some shady gray, and white is also white. That's why IQ wise OLED always hold its own better than any LCD. Superior black level, superior contrast.

Do you know Note 4 display is better than iPhone 6 or 6+? And no display issue so far. Samsung handsets with amoled keep working after one year. Can't see why Apple wouldn't use it couple years from now.

 

[simonmet]

I'd love to see an rMBP with full colour gamut like the iPhones. The colours on an iPhone and full-sized iPad look incredible.

 

[asleep]

Thanks for continuing to be the most objective source for Apple reporting. This article is an example of precisely what's missing from most other outlets.

Yep, great stuff.

Who cares that the display is slightly dimmer on the Air 2? Unless you constantly use it in sunlight there absolutely ZERO reason to go over 50% brightness when under typical lighting conditions.

I very rarely go full bright, and usually am indoors at significantly less. I imagine the AR coating will offset it on the few occasions I pad in the sun.

I do wish Apple had chosen a less blue white point. Perhaps it'll drop next year... along with the "feel" speakers.

 

[iSayuSay]

Ironically if you look at the image, it shows how off colors the iPad Mini display really is. A supposedly magenta landscape photo turns out to be greenish on the Mini. LOL.. Nice pic, Apple.

 

[captain kaos]

Seems to me apple is slacking here. Yes its thinner, but at the expense of better battery use and screen performance? Seems they're dragging out the shelf life of the ipads, and cruising.

 

[lapusan2011]

I checked out today iPad Air 2. the display looks to me less bright indeed. It’s a shame. the edges are also a little sharp. I would prefer a different design, something more iPhone 6 like

 

[rGiskard]

How can it be worse than LCD? OLED is like plasma, each pixel has its own backlit so black is black not some shady gray, and white is also white. That's why IQ wise OLED always hold its own better than any LCD. Superior black level, superior contrast.

Do you know Note 4 display is better than iPhone 6 or 6+? And no display issue so far. Samsung handsets with amoled keep working after one year. Can't see why Apple wouldn't use it couple years from now.

OLED displays have endurance problems, you can see it in some floor models if they've been out for a year or more. Saturation and brightness diminish over time. However for someone who gets a new device every couple years it's not a big deal.

The problem with Apple going to OLED is that Samsung reserves their best displays for their own products, so Apple could never match Samsung one display quality. If Apple used quantum dot LCD tech they would be very close to Samsung's best in display image quality. The Kindle Fire HDX uses Quantum Dots and it's noticably better than iPads and IMO OLED (not going by tests here, just gut feeling).

As for why the Fire HDX can use such an advanced LCD display while the iPads cannot, I'll leave that for Apple to explain, because I sure as hell can't!

 

[rmsanger]

The anti-reflective coating is definitely noticeable side by side. The original Air looks like a mirror, with the display off, while the Air 2 still shows outlines of things but far less detail and less bright.

In the real-world with the screen on it seems slightly better, the main problem is the backlight gets overpowered by the sun.

I understand your statement but it's hilarious we're at the point of wanting Apple to design an ipad that overpowers the sun and runs all day on batter while being light as a feather and clear as 4kTV. We truly are at the point of entitlement.

 

[rsocal]

Good to know you like the Air 2. I just wish I could see a little into the future to get an idea of what their plans are for the Pro or Air 3. I'm using the iPhone 5S and have been mightily resisting grabbing a 6 Plus because I'm still under contract for another year and am trying to hold out for a 6S Plus next year so I was thinking a new iPad could calm that mania.

I agree with you about the Mini. Never saw the point after the Air was introduced. Now with the 6 Plus I REALLY don't see the point.

I'm hoping it's true about the iPad Pro as well. I think it would be awesome!

I feel iPad Mini is on its way out, or less of a priority, I just think Phablets are taking over that segment.

 

[dampfnudel]

The Displays are good.

Just not as good as the new iPhone 6 screens, which is kind of disappointing.

The iPad Mini screen literally looks to me like garbage. That color garmut is just really, really horrible, it almost looks like some kind of filter was applied on the screen

Apple had to hold that back for the iPad Air 3 and iPad mini 4. It's also a shame that the iPad mini 3 retains that crappy color gamut. Apple better pull out all the stops with the iPad mini 4, unless they intend to replace it with a 5.5" or 6" iPad touch.

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I'm hoping it's true about the iPad Pro as well. I think it would be awesome!

I feel iPad Mini is on its way out, or less of a priority, I just think Phablets are taking over that segment.

That could be the case. We're hearing reports of people using their iPad mini tablets much less after getting the iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 Plus may turn out to be the true iPad mini. I was thinking about getting a iPad mini next year when it gets a proper upgrade, but now I'm considering getting the iPhone 6s Plus instead. I was also considering getting the iPad Air 3, but maybe Apple will give me a hybrid MBA instead.

 

[Laura8786]

I think the need for iPad Mini 3 decreased fundas nexus 6 significantly with the introduction of iPhone 6 Plus and thinner, lighter iPad Air carcasa galaxy s5 mini.