iPad mini rMini: You guys had me all worked up over nothing!

[AudiFan]

I scored perfect (0) in the color perception test. I guess that's why I was disappointed with my retina mini as soon I loaded my colorful wallpaper.

I used to think people that said they can't tell how washed up the colors are in the rMini were lying because it was so obvious to me even without comparing to my 5S or rMacbook pro. I guess I just have a higher perception to color than others. Will trade for an iPad Air on black Friday...

 

[brent1977]

But it is thicker and heavier and the resolution is not that great.

I thought the new Mini had the same resolution screen as the Air (and previous Retina iPads) - just in a smaller LCD.

 

[Vanilla35]

That's insane! I only scored a 4.

4 is near perfect

I got a 26, but I'm blaming it on my computer monitor

 

[scupking]

I have both the Air and R mini. I have watched several hours of netflix on both. my connection speed is around 30 Mbs. The Air is far superior to the rMini. I am a bit disappointed with the R mini. It is better than the original mini due to better chip and better Antena signal. But it is thicker and heavier and the resolution is not that great. My recommendation:

Between Air and rMini, Air wins out.
If upgrading from iPad 4 to Air, definite improvement.
Mini to r mini, upgrade not worth it.

That said everyone's usage and perspective is different. My iPad R Mini is now used only for traveling and reading e-mails on the go or at meetings etc.

Let's see. It's the same thickness as the air. Heck my original mini case fits the rMini, it's just a little heavier then the first mini but still much lighter then the air. It has the same resolution as the air but even better ppi then the air.

 

[ciaran00]

So glad I didn't get the Air, 1/3rd lighter and easy to hold in 1 hand, higher PPI and sits on my HiRise dock like an Air wouldn't.

1/4th lighter.

 

[Tork]

If you can use your phone as a hotspot, especially for free, save your money and stick with wifi.

Yeah, that's definitely what I'm leaning towards since I do have free hotspotting... Sold. Thanks!

 

[bobright]

The rmini feels like a cheap tablet and not the quality that were used to the screen is pathetic

 

[Tork]

The rmini feels like a cheap tablet and not the quality that were used to the screen is pathetic

And it smells funny and displays blue colors as orange and the camera makes me look fat and it tastes horrible...

 

[terminator-jq]

Based on web sites and forum post, you'd think the iPad mini retina has a horrible screen. However, if you actually read the display mate review, they say the iPads screen is actually a great screen overall, it just falls back in a few areas.

In fact the iPad mini retina beats the other tablets in a few very important areas like contrast accuracy.

Yes the screen is not perfect, but there are not many screens out there that are. I'm willing to bet most $3000 high end HDTVs and UHD TVs do NOT have perfect color gamut. In fact, most TV reviewers spend hours calibrating TVs to get them as CLOSE as possible to the perfect color gamut.

Everyone has picked apart the iPad mini retina so much over an issue that most people wouldn't have noticed if not brought to their attention. The iPad mini retina is a fantastic tablet. Coming from the original iPad mini, the retina is almost night and day. Coming from a person who doesn't mind android or windows, this is the best tablet of its size that you can buy. The Nexus 7, Galaxy Note 8 and Kindle Fire HDX are not in the same league.

Sometimes us Apple fans can act a little spoiled. Everyone is quick to complain, but no one seems to talk about is how Apple has managed to give us the same specs as the new iPad air with the same size as last years mini. The mini has gone from being a low specked, "budget iPad" to being a full blown iPad in a smaller package. Why can't people just be happy about that?

My advice, appreciate what the iPad mini retina has done right, and enjoy your new tablet.

Btw: I typed this this on my new iPad mini retina.

 

[Tjosansa]

I agree.
Best chip in the air and rmini.
Thats why i consider buying a rmini instead of air to replace my ipad2.

 

[cammyg123]

We'll said. My thoughts are the same. I have both mini and air, I think airs colors are more vivid and saturated where as mini has more natural tone.

I own the Air and have compared it to the Retina Mini, and I noticed the same thing. Super vividness in the air, it's seems like the photos colors pop off the screen. Whereas the mini, looks like it's a lot less bright.

 

[upnorth85]

iPad R mini is 7.5% heavier than the iPad mini (331 gms vs 308 gms)
iPad R mini is thicker by 4% (7.5 mm vs 7.2 mm).

The iPad R mini has the same resolution as the Air, but for some reason, I find the colors and contrast better on my Air. I have no explanation why that is the case.

Let's see. It's the same thickness as the air. Heck my original mini case fits the rMini, it's just a little heavier then the first mini but still much lighter then the air. It has the same resolution as the air but even better ppi then the air.

 

[stu.h]

1/4th lighter.

Ok, 28% lighter

 

[Ries]

To be fair, nobody said it was garbage (that I remember reading) or muddy (where'd that come from?), just that it wasn't as good as it could be. All the reviews that note the difference also mention that it's subtle and that it would be most apparent to those who spend lots of time around calibrated displays.

Also note that different people have different levels of color perception (try this test if you're curious http://www.xrite.com/online-color-test-challenge). You'd be surprised how different people see different colors.

4 on my random settings monitor, is this supposed to be hard?

 

[DisplacedMic]

I finally got my rMini today. The screen is fantastic - far more than adequate. I was obsessively reading these boards waiting for it to arrive, and expected to see a washed out, muddy display with muted colors. The colors are not as vivid as an iPad Air (or lots of other devices, for that matter), no. But it still looks fantastic.

I do realize there will be people out there with a different definition of "fantastic," but I really think the vast majority of users will be more than happy. Really if I hadn't read about it on here, I doubt I'd have ever noticed. MAYbe if I held it up right next to my 5S.... Maybe.

Anyway, that's all. Just thought I'd share this for anyone else awaiting theirs while worrying about "gamut-gate". Happy to answer any rMini questions anyone may have.

overly dramatic people make me want to set myself on fire.

 

[Adelphos33]

iPad Air customers are putting down the mini screen to justify their purchases. Mini customers are fighting back saying it is more portable. This is all pointless - they are the same devices. Buy what you like.

 

[Shoco]

Based on web sites and forum post, you'd think the iPad mini retina has a horrible screen. However, if you actually read the display mate review, they say the iPads screen is actually a great screen overall, it just falls back in a few areas.

I'm sorry but I can't let something so grossly wrong and false pass.

This is what display mate had to say in their conclusion:

"That is inexcusable for a current generation premium Tablet. The big differences in Color Gamut between the Kindle Fire HDX 7 and Nexus 7 and the much smaller 63 percent Gamut in the iPad mini Retina Display were quite obvious and easy to see in the side-by-side Viewing Tests."

http://www.displaymate.com/Tablet_ShootOut_4.htm

At no point in their comparison with those $200 tablets do they ever praise the iPad Mini, which costs double at $400, in any way shape or form.

People here somehow act like Apple is giving those away for free. Wake up people, when you pay premium price you have the right to expect premium quality, and that's simply not what we got.

 

[ZBoater]

...At no point in their comparison with those $200 tablets do they ever praise the iPad Mini, which costs double at $400, in any way shape or form. There's nothing to praise Apple for here, they dropped the ball plain and simple and if you're personally fine with it then good for you but it doesn't mean there's no reason to complain.

That's fine. That's DisplayMates' opinion. Anandtech and other reviewers also acknowledge the screen differences and reach different conclusions.

Nothing to praise? I assume you mean about the screen only. And a 7.9" retina screen is praiseworthy. And the rest of the device is awesome. We can acknowledge a gamut difference with the other devices without resorting to hyperbole. For most folks it's a non issue. For some folks it is, and thankfully there's other tablets in the market to satisfy their gamut appetite, as well as many other specs the iPads may not have.

And around here there's ALWAYS a reason to complain. Between this, the RAM, the yellow tint, the electric shock, the increased weight, dead pixels, image retention, etc., you'd think this is the worst tablet. Ever.

 

[Shoco]

Nothing to praise? I assume you mean about the screen only.

It's a screen comparison, what else would you assume they would be comparing?

And a 7.9" retina screen is praiseworthy.

No it's not, the Nexus 7 and new Kindle Fire deliver the same pixel density as the iPad Mini at half the price.

And around here there's ALWAYS a reason to complain [...] you'd think this is the worst tablet. Ever.

You don't seem quite familiar with the concept of expectations. When you pay double of what the competition offers you expect better quality or at least equal, not subpar, which is what Apple delivered here.

Bottom line, I'm not here to tell people who like the rMini that they're wrong, it's a great tablet, but anyone trying to convince others that skimping on the display like Apple did is fine is just wrong. There's no excuse, period.

 

[ZBoater]

...Bottom line, I'm not here to tell people who like the rMini that they're wrong, it's a great tablet, but anyone trying to convince others that skimping on the display like Apple did is fine is just wrong. There's no excuse, period.

Apparently it is excusable, by a lot of people. I for one am not trying to justify Apple's design or production choices. I just wish for a little more perspective.

We agree it's a great tablet. Some competitors have a better spec in this one area. It happens. When you consider the iPad as a whole, including the software and services, the entire package is superior to the higher gamut competitors. In my opinion, of course.

 

[millydog]

I agree with the OP here. I got the Air on launch day & the screen on it is lovely. I have no yellowing, grey lines, etc, it looks great & the colors are bright. My iPad mini w/ retina arrived today. I set the Air aside & tried to judge the mini by itself. I found the screen to be sharp & lovely. I like the colors & they seem natural to me.
After my initial analysis, I compared my iPads. The colors on the Air are more like the bright colors in a Pixar movie, while the mini colors seem more true to real life, or like the colors in a filmed movie.
I actually think I'm going to pass the Air to my husband (who has been showing an interest in it) & keeping the mini as my main iPad. I still have my iPad 3, which I'll use for video & other large screen tasks.

 

[Shoco]

Apparently it is excusable, by a lot of people. I for one am not trying to justify Apple's design or production choices. I just wish for a little more perspective.

Aye, totally agree, I also wish for a little more perspective, absolutely.

Paying $400 ($500 for the 32 gb version) and expecting high-end quality compared to current competitors seems to now be considered unreasonable?

Some competitors have a better spec in this one area. It happens. When you consider the iPad as a whole, including the software and services, the entire package is superior to the higher gamut competitors. In my opinion, of course.

Well, I have a problem with this reasoning. You already pay a premium, which admittedly is justified by the superior software and services, but that should be it.

There's no way you can justify paying more for services and then paying even more by sacrificing quality like Apple's doing. That's where I have a problem personally.

 

[ghsDUDE]

To be fair, nobody said it was garbage (that I remember reading) or muddy (where'd that come from?), just that it wasn't as good as it could be. All the reviews that note the difference also mention that it's subtle and that it would be most apparent to those who spend lots of time around calibrated displays.

Also note that different people have different levels of color perception (try this test if you're curious http://www.xrite.com/online-color-test-challenge). You'd be surprised how different people see different colors.

trying this on my iPhone. How do I drag and drop?

And I'm considering getting a rMini but everyone has me paranoid it won't look good. How "real" is this problem.

 

[ZBoater]

Aye, totally agree, I also wish for a little more perspective, absolutely.

Paying $400 ($500 for the 32 gb version) and expecting high-end quality compared to current competitors seems to now be considered unreasonable?



Well, I have a problem with this reasoning. You already pay a premium, which admittedly is justified by the superior software and services, but that should be it.

There's no way you can justify paying more for services and then paying even more by sacrificing quality like Apple's doing. That's where I have a problem personally.

You are equating a lower spec with lower quality. I disagree with you. The device is designed and built to a specification. That you and others disagree with that design choice is one thing. It's quite another to impugn Apple quality because their design specification doesn't meet your expectations.

It's like saying Apple has poor quality for only putting 1GB of RAM. Questionable design choice, but nothing to do with the quality of the product.

 

[Shoco]

You are equating a lower spec with lower quality. I disagree with you. The device is designed and built to a specification. That you and others disagree with that design choice is one thing. It's quite another to impugn Apple quality because their design specification doesn't meet your expectations.

It's like saying Apple has poor quality for only putting 1GB of RAM. Questionable design choice, but nothing to do with the quality of the product.

I don't follow what you're saying.

1 GB vs 2 GB is indeed not a question of quality but quantity. Now for example if the 1 gb is faster than the 2 gb despite having less then the 1 gb is of better quality. So yeah less doesn't necessarily means "lower quality".

It's the same idea with a display, you can have a higher resolution but if the gamut is lower (meaning it has less colors available to show on screen) then it means a lower quality.

The rMini has a sharper display (higher specs) but is of a lower quality because of the gamut. They could have gone with the same resolution (specs) but with a higher quality screen (better gamut, brightness, contrast, etc...).

In this case Apple chose to go with higher specs on paper (for marketing purpose) at the expense of quality, unlike your example of the ram where Apple goes with less but better quality (faster DDR3 RAM).

Bottom line : the screen is lower quality compared to what's currently out in the market, and I have no idea what you're trying to say.